A two and a half hour drive along a collection of b roads to motorways some pretty scenery and some downright awful views to be had as I head south west but all in all a pleasant drive. As i drew closer it was time for the awaited first stop for fuel, as you would in the UK the place to buy is a local supermarket not a motorway services, upon finding one I go to grips with automated system, which by the way would put paid to many jobs in the UK but would make refuelling much less painful. So I filled up....a grand total of 60 quid from empty to brimming, I can only just do that using veggie oil at home let alone with proper diesel, so off I go, well chuffed with my 35 quid a tank saving !
As I drove through Port Louis and it struck me not only how pretty it was but how quiet especially as it is Saturday. I found the Aire quickly and easily but was perturbed to see that it had a parking meter that wanted 10 Euro for 24 hours, that coupled with the fact it was full of proper motor homes that appeared to have been on site for weeks, some complete with rotary washing lines and satellite dishes meant that me and my little van were going to seek alternative arrangements away from the posh pikey enclave. 2 minutes down the road there was a corner with some trees on it, parked under the trees were a Talbot motor home and a couple of other vans, this looked more like it. I parked up and seeing no restrictions took off on the bike, a chance encounter with a local Bobby later in the day led me to ask if it was OK to sleep there.....his reply "Pas de problem", he went on to say around here nobody cares. I liked his style.
Port Louis is a very sleepy place, it has an amazing wall on the Rue du Fort that runs the length of the beach all the way to the citadel. From here you can see the whole of the large Marina containing several hundred yachts and across to Lorient including the imposing huge concrete structure that is the Uboat pen, a WW2 era Nazi building that is scary to look at even now. The citadel is surrounded by a massive park including some boule Pitches ? Rinks? Pits? I should probably find out what they are called but for now we'll go with pitches. I watched the local old folks play while I sat in the sun and tried to figure out the rules. I got involved in a conversation with one old boy who was determined to teach me although my French isn't good enough and his English stretched to just about knowing where England was. I don't think port Louis is frequented by many Brits, I haven't seen another GB plate and nobody speaks any English, even the bar owners, that was not an issue for me, if I'd wanted to hear more English conversation I would have got off at Guernsey with the Essex trio.
after spending the day exploring I headed to the harbour for something to eat, then back to the van, upon my arrival I noticed a new van had joined the elite tree covered corner club, a brand new Dutch plated fiat motor home inhabited by a couple in their fifties who were very nice, so nice in fact they invited me over for a glass of wine, who was I to say no, I had to keep up international relations. After a couple of hours discussing how rubbish England are at football and how Manchester United need a Dutchman to sort out their issues (two subjects I will hold my hands up and say I know nothing about so I just did a lot of nodding and grunting and wine drinking) it was time for bed.
considering I had never heard of Port Louis until yesterday and knew nothing about it I'm very impressed with the place, it's quiet but friendly, I could spend a week here.
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