# Part 3 of Trip to France etc., - keep with it!



## carol (May 9, 2005)

I left you in Baume Les Dames on our way to Dusslingen (Nr. Tubingen - south west of Stuttgart)...if you're still with me, off we go again into the cold

Still no response via email from the dealers (Wanner) - now that is a surprise! - but undaunted, off we went, putting our faith in Jack the gps (The last time we did this with our Streetpilot 2610 - we got DO A U-TURN - in the middle of the autobahn...so we were worried as we didn't have any maps with us again, but we could buy yet more if we needed them....

We arrived at the dealership around 1600 after an uneventful journey with some nice scenery and fortunately no hiccups this time, we were very surprised to find their gates open - no staff around - but people were wandering around looking at their motorhomes/caravans for sale - all closed. Mostly east European by the looks of them.... and some old caravans there too...and motorhomes.. Anyway, we found a hook-up point and made use of it and parked ourselves in the middle of it all...

Next morning, we had expected them to be open by about 088-0830, but they didn't open until 0900.

We had watched the tv on the Sunday night, until about 2100 when all video etc., was lost again, and we did have a bit of BBC1 and ITV for a while. Weird.

Anyway Monday morning, I walk over to the offices where the shop is, and as I walk in see Mr. Wanner speaking to his staff, he looked up at me, and looked puzzled....so I said, Carol Weaver, I have sent you an email explaining why I would be here today, you are expecting me?

Well, he said, I think I read it, great I thought to myself, this is a good start... So he came out to the mh, looked at what we had to say, and arranged for the mh to be taken into the workshop, now the tv had worked last night - OK. Well they drove it in, and NOTHING worked, the Dome didn't go off to find the sat - nothing..... 

They had 6 things to fix, 4 were done that day, they sent off for parts to Camos that should arrive Tuesday and the Omnivent was causing us problems.... he said he had fitted what had been ordered, I said No, and I would prove it to him.... he wanted to fit a spoiler to solve the problems...now how the hell would the spoiler solve it, water got in the back, not the front end, and it would still chatter....

Therafter it was stalemate.... Tuesday the Camos parts came, were fitted, it is working fine they say.... We say we will stay another night to make sure, as the problems appear at night...(We don't watch tv during the day!)... Still no further forward on the Omnivent. 

Fortunately I found the email on my laptop (thank you googlemail) where their sales guy confirmed that I had ordered the Omnivent Fantastic Fan, not just the ordinary one.... so back to discussions.

Stayed again on Tuesday night, TV problems again....so speak to Camos ourselves in the morning and given Marcus Wolfe's own mobile, to phone any time day or night or weekend, we want to solve your problems he says.... one idea - which did make us laugh to be honest, it might be caused by rain....(in the south of France, no I think not).... put some (we call it rainx over here, they had a different name for it, but otherwise use washing up liquid over the dome). This was done...doesn't solve the problem though...

They said it must be the digibox (they would organise for a different one, I did point out that Roadpro their UK agents, didn't use the camos box, they used a zehnder...he was going to get one sent to us, could we be somewhere for at least two days where he could send it?)

Well you know what it is like when travelling, you never know where you will be when...even giving Wanner's a date had not been that easy, and so I said I would call him back when we could come up with an idea.

So, Omnivent to solve, in the end, after another day of wangling, it got down to haggling. I said the cost of a new Omnivent as per your catalogue is this, you owe us €250 as you supplied the wrong television (another thing that annoyed us too), and how much would you charge for fitting it, he said about €100....we came away with €550.... which we wouldn't have got if we didn't go. I had suggested he just order what we wanted and do it there and then, but he had slipped us in and he was really busy, etc., etc.... so off we went..

Next stop Breitenstein, as this is where our friends live, about 20kms from the dealers, and they wanted us to stay a week, we had seen them every evening, as they had kindly come over to see us, but we tried to explain that it was very cold, and we would come and stop but only for a night, and then in the mh, not in their house, which upset them a bit, but everything is to hand, isn't it, they don't understand, and I don't carry dressing gowns etc., that you need when visiting friends...especially during the night!!

So we stayed a night, and to be honest, it was wonderful to see them again, unexpected as it was, and we or I will be back there next year anyway for a visit.

So off we set on 2nd October (a month after the start of our holiday) back to Baume Les Dames, we spent two nights there again, and then set off on our way back down to the South.

Trouble was, it was that two days thing to get this digibox...so we had arranged to go to stay with Heidi's sister Traudl in Saint Champs, which is in the Rhone Alps, first asking them of course and checking that it would be OK for them to receive a parcel on our behalf....this they agreed and were delighted. So a look at the route we could use that would be interesting again, and we stopped at an aire in Chaffois for lunch (not seen this one before, just happened upon it at just the right time), and on to Nantua for the night. This aire proved awkward to find, due to roadworks around the lake, but a little bit of looking at Jack and we found the way to it. A lovely spot (shame about the works at the present time) but beautiful view, picnic tables and this time we didn't stop for the walk, we wanted to get on down south....but one that did look nice for a prolonged look in the future...incidentally the borne itself was set back and I didn't see it, but Duncan spotted it, I thought it was in front of the toilets there, but for anyone going there, it is just down the side...

We arrived on Sunday at Saint Champs, now this is a tiny hamlet about 7kms from Belley between sort of Aix Les Bains and Annecy...so nice area. Parking is not easy, as the only place we can do it, is back to one of their gates at a very big slope...so no sleeping in the van - and again it would have been difficult... parcel due to arrive on Monday, we had be told, if it didn't get there Sat...well it wasn't there.

Trouble was, as we had arrived at Heidi's, I told her I had a bit of a problem with a tooth, she did offer to try to get me to her dentist, but I thought it would just go away....and it hadn't 2 x 500g paracetemols were not stopping the pain and I had the fear that it was an abscess.... By Monday morning it was so bad, I had to ask Willi if he had a dentist here, unfortunately as they live in Geneva as well, their dentist is there, nonetheless, thankfully, he managed to get me an emergency appointment in Belley for that afternoon. The dentist took an x-ray and confirmed it was an abscess, and there was really nothing he could do as we would not be staying, and that he could provide me with antibiotics and they SHOULD last until we got home.... so €21 for him and €25.50 for the prescription, and off we went.

Popped into TO whilst there, and they informed me there is a new aire in Belley by the crematorium, so that is another new one, we didn't get there for a photo thought, but no doubt, I would be able to find the location from the map she gave me.

Tuesday - no parcel, and we went to Geneva for the day, as having spoken to Marcus on the phone, he said it would not now be coming, can't you get annoyed with people sometimes....Willi phoned the hotline Camos number and spoke to a guy in German and explained the problem, they then realised what the problem was....it had been set for Astra 1 (which Germans watch) and NOT Astra 2 (which we watch which we had asked for of course!)...he explained what to do, which found them up on the roof moving it about 7-10deg....and lo and behold it was working a lot better)

Geneva was great, it was absolutely years since we had been there, and so they became tourists for the day to show us around...we thoroughly enjoyed it.... thank you both Willi and Traudl (again)

We headed off next day, they were disappointed we wouldn't stop longer, but our holiday was running out and I wanted some warmth and sun, which is not to say that we weren't sitting outside there until about 1900 whilst there.

So next stop on the way down was Bollene - just north of Avignon, can't be missed really as you see the Nuclear Power Stations on your right about there, L'Eclerc have dedicated parking and a borne, so handy really and a haircut for me whilst we were there....free of course and quite popular, we have used this before. One fly in the ointment thought was ONLY BBCNews 24 again....back on the phone to Camos....

We were to go to Narbonne Accessories, as they were their dealers in France and they would sort it.....so Narbonne it was, which was just as well as we were heading that way. First stop at Narbonne Accessories, could we get any joy, so, phoned Marcus, no reply, asked him to phone them direct, explain the situation and get the LNB set accurately.... In the end he didn't phone, so we were asked to come back tomorrow.... Off we went and we stopped at the aire in Narbonne Town (East), a new aire, very very nice, opposite the Parc des Expositions.and within walking distance of Carrefour.... €7 a night including elec...can't be bad, and even better, there is a free bus outside the gate (it has a barrier and is fenced and illuminated ) into the Town.

So off we went next day back down to Narbonne Plage...less people here now, part of the parking has been closed down, they put huge boulders into the gaps to stop the mh's going close to the dunes by the sea... We stayed down there for 4 days, doing nothing, recouperating....and relaxing and enjoying the warmth and sun..

We then went back to the Narbonne Town aire - it is a lovely town, has a canal running through the middle with tree lined streets. Excellent market, worth a look around, very nice, good food available as well...excellent. We went to the TO which is on the riverside, spoke to one of the ladies, and explained about my tooth and that although I was on antibiotics, I only had 1 day left, and I was still taking painkillers and I was rather worried about when I stopped the antibiotics. Was it (a) possible for me to buy these over the counter (NO)..so (b) would she be able to make another emergency appointment for me with a dentist to obtain another prescription.

She made several phone calls, and made an appointment for the next day, this would not be a problem, we could stop over....so that was done, off we went to Narbonne Accessories in the afternoon, and still got nowhere..... they couldn't do anything until 30th October (the date of our return ferry trip - so we left it....in disgust... Daft thing was that night tv worked all evening, made a few cracks and pops but basically worked...

After spending another 2 nights there, we went to Gruissan (Les Chalets) aire, which we hadn't been to before, this was very nice, no electricity and €6.10 a night but actually right on the beach, so must be very busy in summer....lovely walk along the promenade as well.

I think I better finish this bit here, too long again no doubt, and knowing me too much information, not very good at trying to make it concise...must learn to do better...

Only one more bit to go so hopefully will be shorter, and I have been putting photos into the album to go with this trip if you are interested, it is called Winter 2008....if you want to look at the aires, etc.

Carol


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Hope you've got your tooth sorted now Carol - or the antibiotics stopped the abscess developing - ?

Please will you put the above ( and the other 2 episodes) into the MHF blog section so it will be available for all time for anyone who wants info- or just a vicarious holiday !

G


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

Now come on - how do I do that..... please

Carol

Chris emailed me and said he thought I was on holiday....well we were, but we ALWAYS use aires, can't afford camp sites, and we like them, some not so good, but most suitable for our needs and a lot free (although not so many as used to be...sign of the times, me thinks!)

Help needed....


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