Camels in Bourgogne
It was early in the morning and mist was spreading over all the area of Montceau-les-Mines, almost hiding the surrounding landscape. Lacho showed up and we set off for… I had no idea for where exactly but later it turned out to be some piece of paradise inhabited by cows, horses, ducks, pigs, llamas, alpacas and… camels.
As soon as I got into the car, I saw what kind of person Lacho was - a 28-year-old traveller who has been going around Europe, integrating with locals and spending a few months at each place for 7 years. He set about showing me the local beauties. We climbed up a higher place where was a small stone tower with porcelain maps and one can get a 360° view of all around. The landscape was terribly beautiful - everywhere around there were hills covered with meadows, where white cows were chewing their cud peacefully. Here and there one could see small groups of stone houses, whose huge yards were divided by hedges. And everything was floating in a sea of mist.
Twenty minutes later, moving down the narrow rambling roads as wide as a car, we arrived at the estate of Evlin - a Dutchwoman who has lived here for 9 years. She has 2 horses which she loves to ride. The house is big and made of stone, inside is cosy and the meadows with grazing horses and cows could be seen through the window. We had our breakfast and set out for another farm, few kilometers farther away. That was one strange farm owed by some Englishman who has lived here for 4 years. Besides the several cows, the two tiny pigs, one of which we chased with the car, about 10 ducks and one donkey, there were some really exotic animals which one least expects to encounter in France. And namely 7 young llamas, 5 alpacas and 2 two-humped camels - Zeus and Hera. A real zoo
Lacho found this place 6 months ago through that Englishman who was looking for some people to help him for the realization of his project. Now he stays sometimes with him, sometimes with Evlin. Also he helps one Swiss family in another neighbouring farm. He lives freely in the beautiful nature, having no commitments - so to say, he has managed to expel himself from the system.
We took the 13-year-old son of the Englishman and went back to Evlin’s farm, from where we took the bikes and started roaming about the area. An extremely cheerful day followed, filled with laughter and screams in the woods and meadows of Burgundy. Joseph was trying to speak Bulgarian all the time but “r” was difficult for him to pronounce which was provoking a hysterical laughter in all of us.
Kak sii, Mnogo hubavo, Nebeto e klasivo, Ayde batkaaa, Yebanyeeeee (TN: How are you, Very nice, The sky is beautiful, Come on bro, Fuck)… - that was the main repertoire for the day. At dusk we returned to the farm where Joseph gave me a detail information about all their animals and even showed me how to mount a camel.
Evening came to complete the nice day with an exceptionally beautiful sunset, after which we mounted our bikes and set out for the estate of Evlin who, to top it all, had a birthday. One of the two dachshunds of Joseph unnoticeably followed us and even if he looked like lazy and slow, he could go after us all along the 7-8 km distance. Lacho decided to put the two back flashing lights from the bicycles on him which was quite a funny sight and when we arrived at Evlin’s place we gave him as a birthday present Pablo, the son of Evlin, and Noah, the Swiss family’s son from the other farm, were still there. So we could sing “Happy birthday” in 5 different languages and after that we started dinner and champagne. Thus one incredible day in paradise passed.
In the morning Lacho woke me up saying: “Hurry up! We missed the sunrise, the sun has just come up the horizon.” After that he started the car and drove me up to 1-2 hills, from which we could see the sea of mist where the hills floated… and the cows.
After we had our breakfast, I packed and Lacho drove me to the hitchhiking place. He himself is passionate hitchhiker with much richer experience than mine. I was a little sceptical when he told me that one would not wait more than 15 minutes, but he was absolutely right. I waited only 4-5 minutes and the third car which passed took me and drove me about 50 km away - left me at one petrol station on the highway.
Here the task was a little tricky - I needed to find something to take me beyond Lyon, for which I read that it was the hichhikers’ hell if one should go out of it. I waited about an hour and a half until an Italian with a hippie look and a minibus stopped. In the minibus it was a real big mess but he was going as far as Montpellier which is a little after Avignon where I was off to. He told me he worked for 4-5 months in Denmark, where salaries were very good, and the rest of the time he spent travelling round the world with his minibus. Been in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, all over Europe and now he was about to travel around Western Africa. He told me all that while driving without a seat belt and rolling joints and tobacco cigarettes. He was travelling with his girlfriend who was crawling at a 10 minutes distance after us with something like an old camper.
I decided to get out at one petrol station before Orange, which is a little before Avignon. The sun was going down and the place turn out to be not good for hichhiking to Avignon. I called Joro with whom I hade an appointment in Avignon and he came with his car and drove me to his home.
репли
06 Oct 2010 @ 16:22
Рекох да видя в Ърт-а каква е таз панорама….
Да знаете, че така се пише: Montceau-les-Mines
mitakadan
26 Jan 2010 @ 19:16
Човек… сега открих сайта и… идея си нямаш какви чувства ми вкарва само до сега разказа ти! Това ми е мечта още от първия ми стоп Смолян-Пловдив преди около 3 години! А краткото описание на Лъчо направо ме покори… може да му пратиш поздрави от неговия нов фен
Ще продължавам да чета… и ти пожелавам успех! На някоя др точка от пътешествието ти пак ще пиша
LAra
23 Nov 2009 @ 17:12
ahhhh
Alexiel
19 Nov 2009 @ 01:55
Човече!
Никога не съм харесвала Франция, нито идиличния пасторален живот, обаче тук разказът се лее като песен, снимките са божествени и няма как да не се пренеса там. Приказка!
tonyf
12 Nov 2009 @ 15:35
Itilien… разказчето, снимките, фермите, хората, природата - действат твърде положително и зареждащо!:) Благодаря ти, че споделяш пътешествието си с нас! Късмет и още много такива ценни изживявания! :)))
magnet
05 Nov 2009 @ 23:43
това местенце ми е фаворит засега! дали не търсят сезонни работници там за лятото?
arakiss
30 Oct 2009 @ 21:02
благодаря за невероятно живото описание и хубавите снимки
успех!!!
admin
29 Oct 2009 @ 12:55
Sony R1 - с чантичката, батериите, зарядните, филтрите и статива е малко над 2 кила
Филип
29 Oct 2009 @ 12:22
В крайна сметка какъв фотоапарат взе на пътешествието? Тежи ли
itilien
29 Oct 2009 @ 11:52
има една основна разлика с българските пейзажи - живите плетове и каменните къщи
И шосенцата, които са между живите плетове и са широки точно колкото да мине една кола
bc
29 Oct 2009 @ 11:29
Толкова толкова прекрасно! Чета всичко с огромен интерес, itilien! И с особено нетърпение очаквам снимките от всяка спирка! =))) И аз щях да ти пиша за басетите, които не са дакели, но виждам, че са ме изпреварили. =) Истината е, че това място, поне по снимките, които си качил тук, страшно много ми прилича на български пейзаж (без да броим, разбира се, белите крави, камилите, ламите и Хари потър). =) Успех и попътен вятър и за напред!
itilien
29 Oct 2009 @ 11:09
Да, прилича на Хари Потър, ама то нали е англичанче, те всички приличат на Хари Потър :Р
За кучетата изобщо не съм сигурен - аз нищо не разбирам от кучета, така че може и да са такива, каквито казваш. Бяха дебелички, дълги, с дълги клепнали уши и изглеждаха мързеливи… преди да видя как бяга 10 км след колелото
Стоян Стоянов
29 Oct 2009 @ 09:39
Наистина невероятно местенце!
А “дакелите” сякаш са басети…
Момчето до езерцето обаче нещо ми напомня на Хари Потър.
Леко и безпроблемно пътуване!
Димитър Димитров
28 Oct 2009 @ 19:46
Стопаджийската гилдия от Елена е с теб.
Успех по пътя.
ЕДНА БОЛЯРКА ОТ МИНДЯ
28 Oct 2009 @ 17:54
Здравей Иван!
Възхищавам се на куражът ти, да предприемеш това пътуване. Много са ми интересни разказите и снимките, които публикуваш тук. Така и ние пътуваме с теб. Наистина природата е хубава в тази ферма, която си посетил, но покани Лъчо/ако не си го направил вече/ да поживее в с.Миндя за да разбере, че и в БГ има много красиви кътчета, е едва ли би си намерил работа, а и ако си намери едва ли ще му плащат толкова, колкото фермерите:))).
На теб желая здраве, лек и успешен път.
С нетърпение очкавам разказите и снимките ти.
ALBIREO
28 Oct 2009 @ 17:13
На твое място, трудно бих си тръгнал от тази ферма…
Красиво местенце е, а и хората които си срещнал там…
Идеята да обикаляш света и да спираш на подобни места, за по няколко месеца, ми изглежда доста привлекателна.
Успех и както навярно всички които ти четем блога, очаквам следващия разказ с нетърпение.