Campsites!

After about two months in French campsites, I think I am an expert! Obviously, all are quickly graded by me according to the ablution facilities. 3 star places provide toilet paper but hardly ever a toilet seat – just the porcelain. 4 stars gets you large, clean showers with enough hooks for your clothes and towel, but only 2 places so far have had showers with taps that you can control. Ususally the tempreture is set and you have to press the knob every few seconds to keep the water running!! Only a few places have required one to buy a token to get any water at all. We always opt for electricity but the top campsites also provide you with a tap on site. We have used the “ snack bars “ only as an excuse to watch the tennis on their TVs. The better campsites have shops and playgrounds etc. The pools have thousands of rules – no running, no diving, no food and beverage, no shoes in the pool area. Many places also have a no baggies rule, so Neil had to buy a speedo just to take a dip! You usually have to walk through a shower system, something like a cattle dip, to get to the pool area. Most caravaners and mobile homers are very quiet and conciderate but the tenters and back-packers are more noisy, especially when they come in at all hours of the night. Some campervanners never leave their site!! They might as well have parked in the driveway at home for all they see of the area they are in. Then again, I guess the weather is better than in the UK. We confuse the fellow German campers who come over to talk to us because of the Munich plates, only to discover we speak no German. We have not met even one South African in a campsite anywhere yet, eventhough Homer has an SA flag for a bumper sticker. And the number of people with dogs!! You definitely see another side of life in a campsite!!