From the #notallrainbowsandunicorns file, this morning we pulled out of our campground in Dunkirk, France (we saw the movie - Google it) and noticed the distinct (distinked?) smell of black water. Closer examination revealed the liquid contents of our toilet forming small rivers flowing under the girls’ feet and towards us in the cockpit. Ugh. . We returned to the campground to troubleshoot which meant figuring out how to dump the cassette toilets (used on 99% of RV’s in Europe instead of a black tank and “stinky slinky”) to avoid further overflow. In the end, not a bad process: open a side door, pull the +\- 5 gallon tank out, carry to a dump station which looks a big like a toilet with no seat (which in France is most toilets - really, it’s a great quad workout!), swivel a nozzle, remove a cap, push a button to vent and pour out. In the process, we discovered that another valve on the tank had been misaligned and hence was allowing tank contents to slosh out and seep onto the floor. . With the tank reinstalled correctly (was like that when we picked up McLouis), we googled for supermarkets where we could get the thickest rubber gloves in stock and a gallon of bleach. Fun fact, it was only around 2015 that stores in France were even *allowed* to be open on Sundays, and even then, only for a few hours in the morning, a time period which we’d missed by about an hour. . No choice other than to press on with a strict “socks must be worn inside” rule. “Driving into Paris at 6:00 pm in an RV will be fun!” said no one ever. It was heinous, but I only stalled out on a hill in bumper to bumper traffic once, so that’s good. . Arriving at our reserved campsite along the Seine was a relief, only topped by the restaurant still being open and having an outside table next to the playground. The campground actually looks awesome and is close to attractions. But as excited as we are to explore Paris (and do some disinfecting) tomorrow, there was still time for our first ever family foosball game. The girls learned some valuable smack talk, and it turns out Mae may be a natural. . #familytravel #travelwithkids #familyfoosball #trueliferv
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