Rest Day: Treignac

Walking in France: Second breakfast at the Hôtel du Lac
Second breakfast at the Hôtel du Lac

Tuesday, 7 July 2009

When we woke up my eye was worse than ever and I began to worry that it would never be right if I left it too long untreated.

As if this were not trouble enough, the clouds were resting just above the treetops and it was drizzling. We decided that our best plan was to do nothing, and try to clarify our thoughts during the day.

Muesli was taken hunched over in the tent. We had showers and looked around the camping ground, which was much bigger than we had thought, stretching along the side of the lake for a long way.

Later we walked down the road to the hotel in search of coffee, and discovered that we could not get coffee unless we had the full petit déjeuner, a proposition that we agreed to willingly.

Second breakfast

We sat by the window, high above the leaden ripples of the lake and the thickly forested hills beyond. Our coffee came in huge bowls and we had croissants, fresh bread, butter and jam. It was definitely the best way to spend a rainy morning.

For lunch we occupied a little room attached to the office, which had a television set and various games.

Walking in France: A lost soul on the beach of the Lac des Bariousses
A lost soul on the beach of the Lac des Bariousses

In the afternoon we took a stroll on the deserted beach, accessible through a tunnel under the road. It was sad to see it so cold, grey and empty in the middle of summer. The low clouds being tugged this way and that by a blustery wind reflected our state of indecision about what to do next.

We retired for warmth and coffee to the snack bar, a little wooden shack on the beach, enclosed on three sides by plastic sheeting, although normally open to the air at his time of the year.

Walking in France: Dinner at the snack bar beside the lake
Dinner at the snack bar beside the lake

It turned out to be a more substantial eatery than we had thought, capable of serving full meals, so in the evening we went there instead of revisiting the plain fare of the hotel.

It was slightly cold when we first arrived but there were enough other people eating there to generate warmth.

We had our customary glass of rosé, then a basic but well-cooked meal of steak, chips and tomato, plain fare again but half the price of the hotel.

Previous day: Chamboulive to Treignac

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