Quai for the night

Rouen. And west again...

Train to Abancourt, waiting for the bus replacement service to Rouen. The site of a vast equipment and supplies depot, for the western front in WW1, after arrival at Le Havre and Rouen to be organy and redistributed to the front. But now there is no indication of anything like that except many lines meeting at the Gare a few miles from the Hameu...

Accommodation sorted, but it's another single room with everything in it for €58 ... The one last time isn't available and that was a single room too. It's only got a sofa bed. But I am minimal anyway. And it's a place to rest prior to walking or hitching tomorrow... I could follow the Seine towards the sea and Honfleur... But it is Friday tomorrow. But I am being dragged/drugged south towards the end of my perambulations in 2014 - Chatellerault and then Poitiers?

Yes. I will hitch tomorrow south towards Chatellerault and pick up where I left off or head to the Plum Village once more? No I won't Thich Nat Han is dead now. Bless him.

The accommodation is good(€58.74) in a very touristic town(the Auberge du Jeunesse appears to be full) and near to the Cathedrale, but to say it's on the main routes, either south towards Santiago or west to Mont-Saint-Michel, not having a Gîtes d'Etape is a shame.

Back in 2014 I stayed at Hotel des Carmes, but that's now a haberdashery and the bistrot next door was a very average salad at midi repase - it's a tourist town and a decade since 2014 we've inflation and cost of living issues everywhere. Joanne d'Arc was burnt at the stake here and the tourists are now being swindled..

Tomorrow will be another morning like back in Amiens in June, when I almost fell down a flight of stairs to meet our Maker, if I don't get a response from the BlablaCar lift towards Chatellerault and I've seen the same girl three times with the balloons in a bag!!!

Damn damn damn and blast. The BlaBlaCar cancelled so now I definitely have a leaving Amiens with a hangover coming... Probably for the best? I am going West tomorrow. Listening to TMS under the Gros Horloge drinking local Bio beer.

Slight hangover this morning. And the damned ticking in the electrical switchboard drove me bonkers, but I left it for Le Havre on the train and then I will definitely start walking on Saturday... But I don't know where still...

Excellent repase pour midi at a proper French brasserie and finally got onto Quai where I am sleeping this evening... Boat number 10 at lane D. It's simple, but ideal.

The price of accommodation has increased by around a third in France since COVID. It was mainly €35 at most, but now it's at least €50. I've got the bivvy with me just in case... And I just have to locate a mat to sleep on in a Decathlon or similar.

Heading to Harfleur to pretend I am Falstaff or Henry V for the afternoon. They will clean the boat by 4pm so dropped my sac á dos and caught number 12 bus at 14:05 next to the Gare.