We are discovering that most campgrounds have baguettes to sell every morning. The local baker delivers bread to the camp office. We started the morning with a visit to the municipal campground's little store to buy a baguette and fresh milk for our porridge. On our ride today we chanced upon a lovely shop in a village . We were really hungry and needed to have lunch. The shop was special because the owner baked his own baguettes, bread and pastries.Also he made his own pate and deli items. A French couple had come in knowing that the pork pate was fresh. The couple raved about the owner's pate. We were encouraged to buy some. What a treat.Our dinner tonight: baguette, pork pate, Normandie camembret and locally made red wine. Wine prices are incredibly cheap. We paid 3 Euros ($4.00 CAN) the wine that we had for our dinner tonight. Head winds and mega hills have stayed with us. We decided to stop early at a lovely town, Sassetot-le-Mauconduit and stay in the local campground. Like all French campgrounds, it offered excellent facilities and was very well maintained. 10.61 euros - free showers and wifi - we got to choose any open site. It was mostly long term summer residents who took great pride in their homes. All sites are surrounded by a well-maintained hedges and we were befriended by the neighbours, who offered their hospitality and assistance. A nice insight to their lifestyle. We were the only tenters that day.
The proprietor at Le Panier Sympa,St. Martin aux Bruneaux. Shop owners in small shops in villages reflect a wonderful sense of pride in their craft and the quality they provide. This shop owner did it all for his village - patisserie, butcher, baker, general store, post office. etc. He gave us pens to remember him by....and was also most proud that Stage 4 of this year's Tour de France went by his front door. In fact, our route today followed parts of stage 4.
