Monday, August 21, 2006

Friday 16th June-the Trials and Tribulations of Using the Internet in France

It looked like it might rain today?? and as we had also failed in the past few days to write our blog, even though we had no internet connection, we decided to prepare the script for transferring later in the day when we visit Villefranche and hope to find a good connection???.
We had a great lunch in our usual restaurant right by the river and watched the world go by for a couple of hours. Then we needed to find an internet café somewhere where we can update the Blog and so we went to the local Tourist Office for assistance . No problem they said and a short distance away there was a location for internet connection and so off we trotted. We arrived at this shop that does everything from internet to photocopying, a bit like a small prontaprint and then our problems started.
Madame was more used to people arriving to use their equipment which had passed through airport security and so when we arrived with our notebook computer she looked worried and then we said how does the wireless network operate she called somebody else who arrived five minutes later. Well after 35 minutes of trying to configure the security which The Pentagon would have been proud of, we gave up. Why they needed such a complicated security for internet for this little town beats me and so we went looking for another location. We had been told by the previous place that there was nowhere else in Villefranche that has Internet, but as I don’t trust statement’s like this, we went in search of another link. Blow me, in five minutes we came across another shop which apart from offering PC repairs also provided internet connection and so in we went.
The nice chap behind the counter said that his PC had broken and so we could not use the system, we said that we had our own PC and only needed a cable to get connected. Well finally it worked and one and a half hours later in a small room with no air conditioning, and it was approx 35 degrees centigrade outside, we updated the blog after some degree of challenge. For some reason our AOL software does not work well –not sure why but we still have still to add all the comments for the photos for the past few days but this we can perhaps do tomorrow.
So, with being very satisfied with our efforts we left and went to the Intermarche Supermarket (used to be a K+N Customer) and bought some great pork chops and French original recipe(whatever that is) sausages which turned out to be excellent.
We are enjoying our stay here in Laranagol, the site as mentioned is fairly empty (and no kids) and makes it very quiet. We will extend our stay here for perhaps another week or so or until we are fed up with the area and/or the very hot weather.
The weather has been a bit iffy today with storm clouds threatening but no rain, perhaps tomorrow.
I just thought I would mention that we are sitting here in our tent, its 1015 pm and trying to see the keyboard in the very low light, supported by a torch, but with flying things doing low level bombing raids over the keyboard. One particular largish fly could obviously read as it attached itself to the notebook screen and followed the curser everywhere it went!. There must be a story or morale here somewhere.
Well its time for bed, it’s beginning to rain a bit, lets see what happens.
Italy play USA tomorrow could be a basketball score!!!