“Follow the trail by river until you hear the music. The
campground will be on the left hand side. About 2 km.” It was a lovely walk
along the Seine as I passed river barges along a forested path. At a park I
faintly heard music and saw the campground a short distance to the left.
“Do you have reservation? We are all full.” “No, I do not
have a reservation”, I replied. “I am so sorry, we are full, but I can allow
you to stay one night, tonight, then you must leave. “Ok”, I replied. “Oh, you
are very lucky”, replied the attendant. I then asked if I could find someone
who would be willing to share their site if it would be ok if I stayed longer.
The attendant then said, “Maybe, talk to me tomorrow afternoon, you are so
lucky to have a campsite tonight”. I then asked where I should camp. The
attendant told me anywhere. I left with a gracious smile espousing numerous
“Merci Beaucoup’s” .
Stakes with numbers, orderly placed, but temporary, added to
a little bit of confusion as to where I was supposed to pitch my small one man
with gear tent. After all, I did not have a reservation and I was so fortunate
to be allowed to camp on the premises for the night. I found a nice spot next
to a Dutch couple who said that only saw a few sites actually marked reserved
and I could camp wherever. It was then that I figured it out. The numbers
didn’t really mean anything. They were just a way to get people to set up in an
orderly fashion as the campground, like many European campgrounds, does not
really have marked spaces. It’s all free range. How silly, the quirky
French. There is plenty of room to camp,
they just wanted to let me know that I “Should” have had a reservation.
The campground is mostly fully, nobody is issued a number,
and from what I can tell only two people really work here. Considering the
lackadaisical ways of the French coupled with long lunch breaks I am certain I
can stay. I’ve paid for one night but have no intention of letting them know I
am here until I Ieave. It’s then that I’ll pay them for the remaining nights and I’m sure they will have long forgotten. Sometimes I wonder how France
has managed to do as well as it does. The French can be quite peculiar when it
comes to doing business.
I arrived in France on Monday after staying a night in
Portsmouth, England. I hopped a fast ferry to Cherbourg that only took 3 hours. From Cherbourg I took
a train to Bayeux where I camped for 2 nights and visited Omaha Beach and the
American Cemetery in Normandy. Needless to say visiting the cemetery and beach
was very humbling. Today it is a beautiful vacation spot. I can’t even imagine
what it was like 70 years ago. I give thanks to the greatest generation and to
some of the bravest men who ever lived.
After a short stop in Normandy I spent Wednesday getting to
Samois Sur Seine. Three trains combined with the Paris underground and a bus
got me to the former home of Django Reinhardt, the famous Gypsy Jazz Guitarist.
I am here to attend the Jazz Festival named in his honor.
After a baguette and coffee I walked the mile and a half to
the campground. I set up camp next to a friendly Dutch couple named Martin and
Hanaka. We instantly hit of off and Martin chilled the 3 cans of beer I had in
my pack. I got situated and we talked into the evening.
Petit Barbeau is a lovely forested campground next to the
seine at the end of a road that dead ends into a small river side park.
Everyone camped on the grounds is here for the festival and many are musicians.
The musicians are here to play music. Most play guitar but there is bass, violin,
clarinet, saxophone, and some accordion. People come from all over the world
and the talent is amazing. Music echoes across the forest continuously from
about 9 am to 4 am. It’s all acoustic, no singing, and at a nice level. People
drink a little but no one gets rowdy. It’s all about playing the music. Old
school traditional gypsy jazz of France and Europe fills the campground but the
actual festival covers all ranges of the Jazz Genre. The atmosphere is very
pleasant and relaxing.
Last night I turned in around midnight with the forest full
of music and easily drifted off into a nice sleep. It feels like I'm in the right place for now.
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