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French national sport - Boules!

Day 16  Tue 30.7.19
We left our hosts, Brian & Marianne with a tinge of sadness.  They had been such good hosts.  A steady, gentle drive through miles and miles of unspoilt countryside.  It one good thing about France, - they have back roads that run for miles without much traffic.  Drove to Plaisance in the Tarn valley and camped in the municipal site there.  Cheap as chips, but very welcoming, and easy going. 
When I asked which pitch we should use, the gracious manageress (about my age) said, "ou vous voulez" - wherever you want.
When I asked when she wanted paying, she wasn't worried so long as I paid before I left.You could be forgiven for believing that the Tour de France is the French national sport.  Or even rugby.  But I need to tell you that throughout France a more popular sport has poll position.
It's the game of boules!  And while I waited patiently for dinner to be served, I was treated to the thrill of the locals thrashing it out on the dusty tracks of the campsite.
Always some debate about who is nearest

Tape measure to prove who won


For those unfamiliar with the sport, it is a great game, and I do have a degree of skill myself.  But skill is not the only requirement.
A good dose of luck is required too.
At one point, the best player out of the two teams managed to throw his boule perfectly accurately, only to have it hit a tiny pebble and ricochet off in a completely different direction.  This caused a great deal of hilarity from the other players.
Great game.  I watched for about 30 minutes, trying hard to remember the rules when playing in teams.
Pre-dinner snack!

In the evening we walked up to the church on top of the hill to catch the view from on high.
From the church at the top of the village.  Our van R of centre.

Nice place.  
Cost us about 12 Euros for the night.  

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