Sunday 2nd June Vide greniers

This month really has been a stonker and today was no exception. A blue cloudless sky encouraged Collette to finish her washing with just the "reds and blacks"  to do. Washing is now carried out in teams I assume.
By 11, we were mounted and riding down the towpath heading for Vermenton for a very french Vide Greniers. Empty attic is the French version of a car boot sale. In France it is more of a social occasion for the whole village to congregate. Just as in the UK it is full of total junk with the odd diamond. I was looking for some table legs as I want to have an extension available for the poop deck table to provide comfortable dining seating for four. It is a bit cramped at present.
The town center was closed off, with quite literally hundreds of stalls. The place was thronging with people and this had started at 7am.
I am definately not a fan of car boots at home but somehow I find these in France very entertaining. I think as much because it is impossible not to get involved with speaking to strangers and helping my French speaking. We wandered up and down the streets and with no purchases and with no surprise gravitate towards the buvette. I grab a pression and collette has a beaker size plastic cup of vin rouge. At 1 euro it has every right to be a tad raw but in helping her finish it, I am happy to report, "nothing wrong with that"
We bump into Berlin Bertie and Monica. Berlin is hopping from one leg to another and hurredly makes his excuses. Monica tucks into 3 merguez and frites which entices us into a portion of the slightly greasy chips. Bertie returns in an excited frenzy. He i thrusting a painting in an old frame at me, "its an original, these French have no idea of its worth, it is 1645, the frame is rubbish but I cannot believe it at 10 euros, I feel I have stolen it" I look at the black and white picture a tad bemused. Rheiner then reveals that he studied art history and is an avid collector. This explains his desperation to get into every church he finds to take pictures and study religious art.
This chance meeting with our two lovely boat neighbours becomes revelationary. Over chips and mayo, I discover that they are from east berlin. He talked of the stazi and how even after the wall had come down, he and Monica were once terrifyingly arrested following there taking part in a protest against Germany`s getting involved in Iraq. He explained how following ww2 laws had been passed making it illegal for any future  german goverment to get involved in any war. Clearly, his previous life in East Germany and the danger of arrest was not easy to forget so it was still chilling for them to be followed home and arrested by the Police.
We left the Berliners to shop for some French kareoke videos. Marvelous. I picked up a little table with perfect legs for 2 euros, the top would be useless but the legs at 2 euros, well  even more marvelous.
Back at Doucette, sanded down the table (which we now decided could be useful for the cob and magma) and the legs and got a coating on them before I cobbed our first chicken of the trip. Superb with the slightly heavy garlic flavoured Dauphinoise and haricot.
Watched Englands second half with Brazil. 2-2. I have to say that International friendlies are drab as dishwater. Glad the footy season is over for a couple of weeks.