Day 11: Brouage to Mortagne sur Gironde 93 km. This is how we do things and don't you mess with it.

Bit of a problem last night. Everytime I come to France I am struck by how regimented it is. Not in a top down, imposed rule sort of way but more of a bottom up, anarchic, this is how we do things and don't you mess with it sort of way. For example, on our trips, around lunchtime Liz and I would walk around looking at menus, as you do, and see nothing but empty tables everywhere at 12:25, so we'd saunter on. Then just as we decide where to go at 12:35 every table in every restaurant is taken. We missed the critical sit down window of 12:29 to 12:31. This is how we do things and don't you mess with it.

I arrived at Brouage yesterday in the late afternoon and lunch had finished at about 2 and as it was a day tripper kinda place every restaurant and eating place shut up shop at that time. You eat at lunchtime here. This is how we do things and don't you mess with it. This included my "hotel" (imagine me doing the bunny ears thing here to show my disdain) so there was no where to eat last night. All five restaurants were shut but I did find a bar serving beer and a packet of Haribo. So that was my tea.

Hungry in the morning after a sorry breakfast in my hotel (insert bunny ears), I search the tourist village of Brouage for water and bananas. There's cucumber and carrot tea infusions, owls made from coke tins, more leather handbags than you can shake a stick at but that's about it. 

Not a great start to the day but it soon gets better. Through the marshland again. Lots of wildlife and another beaver that looks like a marmot so I'm not sure about my beaver spot the other day. Then into forests and along the coast. Sunny and warm and the shade in the forests was welcome.

I'm thinking about a day's rest after I get to Bordeaux tomorrow. My right knee is protesting in a quiet and respectful way but I'm still worried it might get arrested. You can't be too careful in these febrile times. I also need to do a bit of maintenance. Some bits have come loose and are in danger of dropping off. The bike needs looking at as well.

I'm just having a beer and waiting for Pizza Chez Feu-Feu to open. There's no one in there or nearby at present but they don't fool me. The first sign of movement and I'll be in there before you can say this is how we do things and don't you mess with it.