The MacLouis...

So besides drinking lots of beer and having a new nephew, the other thing that has been keeping us busy is the MacLouis. And what, exactly is the MacLouis, you ask? It is our new RV! Yes, we have managed to purchase, register and insure our very own "camping-car" in France! (And when we returned the rental RV to Braitman & Woudenberg in Amsterdam, they were duly impressed by this feat.) It took a full week of phone calls to the bank, meeting with French insurance agencies, getting documents translated, phone calls to our US insurance company, international faxes, etc., but on Wednesday afternoon, we rolled out of Isle de France Caravanes with a new "home"!

We celebrated with a champagne toast at a rest area on the autoroute, where we spent the night en route to Amsterdam with our little convoy (yes, we even used our ski radios to stay in contact with each other).

So thanks to M. Gregory Werner at Ile de France Caravanes, and Mme. Edwige Rhongerud at MAAF Assurances, we are now rolling in (well, at least a little more) style!

The MacLouis Lagan 252 is on a Fiat 2.3 diesel. It is what they call in France a profilé, which means it doesn't have the over-cab part (already getting better gas mileage than the old Rimor). It is 5.6 meters long, 2.7 meters high and about 2 meters wide. All told, larger than some apartments in Les Menuiers! It holds 4 for driving, but really only 2 for sleeping. (There is a third berth, but I think it only fits if you're less than 5'4" tall, and might be a little lumpy since it is partially on the front seat.) It has a kitchen unit with a 2 burner stove and a 3-way fridge, and a bathroom with toilet and shower.

This is the first big accomplishment on the trip, and we are quite proud of ourselves!

However, it all feels like borrowed time, since our insurance can only be renewed for the period that our drivers licenses are valid, which is technically only a year. (After a year, we are supposed to get French licenses. Which doesn't sound very fun.)

While we were waiting for everything to go through, we spent lots of time getting to know le départment de l'Oise. We spent the bulk of our nights at Campix, in St. Leu d'Esserent, which is a campground built out of an old sandstone quarry. Very cool spot! From there, and unfortunately mostly in the rain, we toured Chantilly, Compiènge, Beauvais, Écouen, and of course, Cauffry, where we bought the RV, and Gisors, where we bought the insurance. In addition to having an impressive gothic cathedral, Beauvais has something we've been looking for all over Europe, a laundromat with internet access! The Musée de la Renaissance in the chateau at Écouen has some amazing pieces, including a magnificent tapestry and crazy mechanical boat. You can see some of Oise in our Tour de l'Oise photo album...

In the picture with this post, I am holding the results of our Amsterdam shopping spree. Necessary for outfitting!

-SK