Last night we shared the B & B in Epineuil with six Frenchmen who stayed there one week for their work. So that chambres d’hotes was a beautiful occasion with large vaulted cellars, including kitchen, dining rooms etc.
We have not seen the sun all day, though Jos said he did some time, fifteen minutes. Nice walk, Tosca was unleashed all day. She, inter alia, found a “deer” antler and some carrion, so she stinks an hour against the wind. According to Jos Tosca smells like old wives shit. I admire him, how he knows that. On the way back the same as always: no bar. France is no longer France any more. So we had a break on a sidewalk outside in the cold. But before you know you are an icicle instead of a dibs. Now we are in our evening destination like two old berries sitting next to a small radiator, which should heat a large room. Reminds me of late Haike “Battice”, a Mechelen, unmarried village type. He often walked with a stick on his shoulder with it a large cloth for the shopping ware. He passed by the outside terrace of restaurant de Roode Leeuw in Wittem. A beautiful, but still young girl came along, drawing the attention of many people sitting on the terrace. Haike told the terrace guests: who wants to go to the blossom too early, only finds buttons, also meaning: will come in vain. I have to think of him, because in winter, in his one-room dwelling, he always sat at the stove. So far Haike-late, although there still is much more to say about him.
After a successful hike, with only one detour (fortunately not from beginning to end) we entered Étourvy. From one of the first houses something rushed at us. We are accustomed to dogs doing so, however, the lady asked with an unmistakable Dutch accent: Sprechen Sie Deutsch, Hollands, Francais? We could stay with her, she suggested. Jos thought she probably had seen us coming from afar and now hoped to get a new customer. As a true manager, he managed to separate business from emotion and walked on slowly. I, with my professional little philanthropic appeal, found that I had to give her some attention. Thank you ma’am, but we have an appointment elsewhere. Finally she offered, that if something should go wrong, we could always rely on her. So we try hard to let nothing go wrong, we thought. But it was a nice offer.
We arrived in a chic, grand, old building. It could be town hall. We entered the only door that was open, found an icy-cold bedroom and installed ourselves there. In a storeroom was still another electric heater. We dragged that to our room and when we started infrastructuring there was a knock on the door. And there she was: the wife of the mayor. You’re in the wrong building. I have another room elsewhere heated for you, but you can also just stay where you are. And we now sit at the little radiator, looking at my i-pad for a shelter for Friday. In response to our cris de coeur our crisis center “Lil” found a place for Friday. Oh Schreck, lass nach. How lucky we are, with such “femme fatale”. I’m still married into the right family. Lil is the sister of one of my favorite sisters-in-law.
I pushed Tosca in the moat around the building , to rinse her somewhat . It’s getting dark. Shall we skip the shower again? We athletes don’t sweat that much.
So we did not shower. Too cold in the shower and there also is a chance , that the mayoress will come in without knocking on the door. Not for me. I’m happily married , I think. Furthermore , the dried sweat falls off naturally anyway.
Funny: in the bedroom is a note with the text: formalement interdit to drag the beds. That was exactly what we wanted to do the rest of the afternoon: dragging beds to and fro! Is everything forbidden here? What is this? We’d rather go to sleep early .
Tomorrow a short route, but at that place tomorrow night, there ‘s nothing , so no wifi, nothing to eat . Ergo no report tomorrow . Every day too much luxury should not be fair. That’s too easy.
Accommodations in castle-like building. Food in cave, opposite [/ caption] 
rat or marter pipe under church door, incl .. feathers. Waarrschijnlijk protected [/ caption] 
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