The car
Our first stop was to pick up our rental car - a brand new Renault - which we learned we could rent directly from the manufacturer thanks to my friend Ryan who took a sabbatical last summer. The car was indeed there, ready for us, except for one little problem ... It did not have the car seats for the girls, which we requested and paid quite a hefty fee for. The guys at the delivery center told us that this was Renault's fault, because they were supposed to send the car exactly with everything we had requested. They called them to complain about it, but we didn't have much choice other than take the car and accept that we will have to call Renault later, when we are back home, to request our refund. But for now, I am considering it sunk cost. On the plus side, the car was bigger than we expected (we were really nervous about our luggage not fitting in there) and Sofia and I liked that it is white, because it reminds us of my previous Mazda 9.
The seats
Since we didn't have the car seats, and it would be illegal and unsafe to drive without them, our first challenge was to find the closest Carrefour to buy new ones. The rental place gave us some instructions, but we also had to stop at a gas station to ensure we didn't spend too much time driving around aimlessly. The selection at Carrefour wasn't particularly great, at least they didn't have any brands we recognized, but clearly we needed to buy them. We ended up with matching pink and black Hello Kitty seats, which made the girls happy.
The fire
After we got the car seats we had a quick lunch at McDonalds - if only because it was right outside of Carrefour and we didn't want to waste any more time before getting on the highway - and started our drive towards France. This time around we were guided by our friendly GPS and its confusing British accent. But alas, we were on our way. Unfortunately about half way through our 5 hour drive all traffic came to a halt because of a fire right besides the highway. Initially we couldn't see much, but later we could see all the smoke, some of the flames, and several planes carrying water trying to control it. The highway on the opposite direction had already been closed, because there were no cars coming. Since it was taking so long most of the people got out of their cars to walk around, and couple guys even started playing soccer on the opposite side of the highway. Our main worry was the girls of course, and whether they would get hungry or need to use the restroom. Fortunately I always bring food with me, and we still had plums and peaches we bought yesterday as well as a big bottle of water. Sofia did have to go to the bathroom, and was initially horrified when we told her she would have to go by the bushes on the side of the road, but she quickly realized that there was no other choice. And she felt much less stressed after she went. We also joked with her that now she is a real traveler because of it. That brought an embarrassed smile to her face - a smile nonetheless. Bella didn't need to go - she was just bored.
Even though it was a painful experience overall the girls did great. They understood there wasn't much we could do, and for the most part kept a smile on their face. I was very proud of them. I was also proud of myself because I kept my cool the entire time. I really don't think I complained about even once. Yes, it was inconvenient, and yes, it ruined our plans, but it was up to us to let it ruin our mood as well. After all, how could I complain about it when I was just sitting there while the firefighters were battling the flames? I just pulled one of my books out, and read for the bulk of our wait.
When it was all said and done we were there for about 3 and a half hours, but eventually all traffic started moving again. We grabbed a quick bite at a rest stop, and got on our way again. By the time we finally reached our destination after a 12 hour journey it was past 10:00 pm, but our host hung in there until then to give us the keys - one more thing to be grateful for on this day.
The girls are finally asleep, Lionel just went down, and I will be next. Its been fun and all, but its time to call it a day.
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