We are on our way to Switzerland, but todays stop is about 2 hours short in a beautiful region of France between Champagne and Burgundy. We were on the way early and managed to escape Paris with a minimum amount of stress. We then drove for a couple of hours on the nice but very expensive French Autoroute to Langres.
Langres was originally settled by the Galls a long time ago. When the Romans conquered the Galls Langres became the center for Roman administration in the region. The town reached its heights in the 12th to 15th century when it was the center of the Catholic Bishopric for the area. During the 14th and 15th centuries the region was very unsettled so the fortifications that the towns tourism is built around today were built.
The campground for the town is incorporated into the walls of the town. We are sitting on the edge of one of the walls looking down into a moat that made up part of the fort. These kind of places are part of the fun of camping in Europe.
After a stop at the local grocery to stock up on French food (the word on the internet is that food is very expensive in Switzerland) and wine (because no where in the world is wine as cheap and good as France), and diesel (because French diesel is cheaper than Swiss diesel) we headed over to the campground to check in.
When we arrived 1:30 the office for the campground was closed but that is typical in France as the two hour lunch is part of doing business. What was unusual was the sign said they would open at 5:30. We took that to mean that we should grab a spot and come back and register at 5:30. It is a good thing we did because by 5:30 the place was full, and more people were arriving until night fall which the operator managed to jam into various nooks and crannies of the place it was fun to watch the hustle and bustle of all of the arriving RV’s from all over Europe.
Once we were settled in we had a nice stroll around part of the walls of the fort and down the main street of the town. Langres is like a lot of small towns in France full of history in the past, and kind of a side show today. Often the setting is spectacular as it is here with the town built on top of a giant granite outcrop that commands the surrounding area. They look like they are working hard to get on the tourism map, and based on the full campground having some success.
After our walk Ton prepared a nice meal and we settled in for the evening. We are debating whether to stay another day before moving on to Switzerland. I think it is going to depend on if we can find a place to do the laundry nearby.