French trip, sort of a blog.......

 
 
 
 
 
JJF
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French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 08.04.2017  ·  #1
Well, set off about 1pm to take a leisurely drive towards Rosslare, intending to stop off overnight somewhere south of Dublin. Well turned out to be not so leisurely !..... about 5 mile outside Omagh we met a tipper lorry coming the other way loaded with site rubble and as it took the corner a mass of clay and debris came adrift and a stone about the size of a tennis ball hit our windscreen in the upper drivers side and smashed it. Multiple cracks all over it but not really in line of sight. Stopped and pondered what to do and said to hell with it we'll go on. So off we went and all pretty good after that. Stopped in Swords at the Homestore and More store to pick up a couple of vacuum bags (thanks to hector2015 for the recommendation). Travelled on down the road and we're now here at Jack Whites pub/restaurant in Wicklow (on the APP) and had a lovely meal and camped up at the rear car park in a great level park. A really good spot to stop for the night.
So towards Rosslare tomorrow afternoon after a lie in and late breakfast and the 6pm sailing on the Oscar Wilde. Will put up a post tomorrow night when on-board.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 08.04.2017  ·  #2
If you are with Dolmen, I think they use Autoglass for replacement screens. Here is a link to their European setup.

http://www.autoglassspecials.c…n-services

I am sure I have read on motorhomefacts.com that at least one poster has had a replacement in France having notified their insurance company who authorised the repair by the sister company. I seem to recall they had to pay the excess.

You don't state what type of van you have, but assuming it is a Fiat or Peugeot coach built, a replacement shouldn't be hard to come by.

You probably have the choice of going to a fitting centre or having them come to a campsite at a set time.

Good luck with whatever you decide and have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Davy
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 09.04.2017  ·  #3
Won't take it from the insurance Davy.
My motorhome is a Peugeot all right, I have an extension to my fleet insurance for it and won't take a claim of it.
Screen is in-expensive anyway, just the timing is bad for it to happen.
Won't really bother me so much as the cracks are not in vision line.......
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 09.04.2017  ·  #4
Cracks could get worse and French Police in Cherbourg may not be too happy although I dont think they really look at vans only passports BON VOYAGE
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 09.04.2017  ·  #5
Jon, I had a window replaced whilst in France a couple of years ago after a break in,it's no bother at all ,I rang Dolmen's they put it through to AXA who contacted autoglass france,I only hade to drive twenty odd miles to get the replacement,no excess needed. Had it sorted the same day.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 09.04.2017  ·  #6
Day 2
Leisurely drive down to Rosslare from Jack Whites were we stopped last night.
Bit of shopping and a walk and boarded around 17:15, sailed at 18:00.
Next stop Cherbourg @ around 14:00 local tomorrow.
Now on upper deck on a very crowded ship.... now where's the bar and the final round of the masters 2017.
1st French report tomorrow night.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 09.04.2017  ·  #7
Enjoy your trip JJF and safe traveling.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 09.04.2017  ·  #8
pity if you had of been a little earlier your man in eastcoastcampers in arklow might have had a windscreen and might have put in in while you wait, best of luck anyway and have a great trip!
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 10.04.2017  ·  #9
Day 3
Well.... watched the golf masters from Augusta in the piano bar on the ship until 1am while enjoying a few beers and a meal.
Ship crowded with many coach loads of French students on a return home from Ireland, so was glad to get a good sleep in the cabin on the crossing. Very smooth and we docked in Cherbourg on time at 14:00 local.
Got on the motorway and tipped down to the municipal site in Bayeux and settled in and off for a walk into town.
Beautiful evening here and got chatting to a nice couple from Jersey and have an invite over for a few days...... something we may do on the return leg.
Will settle here to Wednesday morning and head south towards Tours and spend a few days there as out daughter fly's home from there next Monday. (She's over with us for 1st week..... joys of being a teacher !).
So all good, now where the hell is that corkscrew !
Few pics of Bayeux.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 10.04.2017  ·  #10
JJF you are making a lot of people very jealous 😄 Can't wait till we are on the Oscar Wilde ourselves at the end of May!

Safe travels, have a great time!
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French trip, sort of a blog..

 ·  Posted: 11.04.2017  ·  #11
Quote by kevinmoore

JJF you are making a lot of people very jealous 😄

Safe travels, have a great time


Definitely this type of post should be vetted by a moderator for jealousy rating .
O-) :D
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 11.04.2017  ·  #12
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 11.04.2017  ·  #13
:P 8-) .......
Day 4
Relaxing day really. Went today and saw the Bayeux tapestry. Interesting interactive tour and worth seeing. Really nice little outdoor restaurant opposite for lunch.
Girls needed some retail therapy and I nipped into carrefour for a bit of food shopping.... oooh and vino too !! , picked up some fresh langoustines for the BBQ and the obligatory fromage that our dog loves !... an evening of fresh food, wine and sunbathing ensued.
Packing up early tomorrow morning and we'll head south towards Tours but just may detour for the night to Le-Mans as our daughter would like to go to the museum at the race track, I've been before but another visit won't go amiss.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 12.04.2017  ·  #14
Day 5

Pulled out of Bayeux around 10:30am and got on motorway south to Tours. 260kms/160miles down to the site at La-Mignardiere south west of Tours.
Nice site with a lovely lake for a walk around, about 3K. This will be our stop now for a few days and we'll visit the attractions of the area. Weather lovely, high teens during day, cool nights and early mornings. Usual fare good as usual, especially the red !
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French trip, sort of a blog

 ·  Posted: 12.04.2017  ·  #15
I see you have applied the jealously rating to the photo . :D much appreciated :'(
Looks like your are having s great trip,hope to be going in the same general direction in September.
Enjoy the Red, but don't forget the Chili Chocolate .
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 13.04.2017  ·  #16
Day 6

Late start !..... 10am local before we even got up, lazy breakfast and got the 11:30 bus (stop outside gate) into Tours centre.
Visited St.Gatien's cathedral on the banks of the Loire. Lovely building with a coloured history, WiKi page HERE.
Lunch was in one of the many restaurants in the town and got the 15:00 bus back to the site. Really warm here today, girls sunbathed while I walked about a 3km round trip to the Aldi for supplies.... mostly bottles of grape juice ! ......... BBQ this evening and it gets really cool when the sun goes down so inside and girls watching the soaps!..... God, the things I have to put up with !
Swimming pool looks inviting for tomorrow.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 13.04.2017  ·  #17
Sounds like a good start Jon,
Hope the weather keeps good
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 14.04.2017  ·  #18
Day 7

Good Friday in France is a sort of a hit and miss job !... some things carry on, some things stop.
Got the bus into the main tram stop and then the tram onwards to Tours centre.... tip for anyone travelling in... get the 24 hour travel pass for €3.70 and all public transport for the day is covered with a swipe card.... super value.
Did the usual touristy things and a bit of retail before the usual lunch in the beautiful old quarter. Really nice area, very relaxed and prices really reasonable, even a very Irish establishment in the middle of all of it.
The site was relatively quiet up till later last night when the French descended in droves and the site quite full today, but really manageable. Nice bar/restaurant across the road that is friendly and we go across most evenings. Quite hot today , no rain as yet.
Few pics of Tours and the site below.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 17.04.2017  ·  #19
Day 8/9/10

Quiet weekend spent doing..... well, nothing !
Walked quite a bit, dog loving all the new spots and it's lovely spending time with our daughter..... BBQ's are nice and weather has been fine.
Today (Monday) our daughter flew home to Dublin from Tours so after dropping her off around 14:30 we headed south once again doing the 110km down close to futuroscope north of Poitiers. We're only 10 minutes from the venue in a small ACSI site that is quite busy, right on a lake, see camping lac desaint cyr for details.
Just been looking at Futuroscope and thinking maybe a visit, but we're a bit grey haired for a theme park. Our next stop is just north of Limoges at a site I've been wanting to visit for a while, see Oradour-sur-Glane for more info. It's the site of the infamous Nazi panther division massacre of 10/06/1944. There is quite a big aire there that we intend to stop off at and looking like a trip heading for the med via a stopover at Bordeaux, but who knows !, we may see something else taking our fancy and we'll head that way, the benefits of motorhoming. Few pics tomorrow from our next stop, but in the meanwhile here's a pic of the fine little bar/restaurant across from our last site.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 17.04.2017  ·  #20
Will you please please please please please stop . I am thinking of going out and kicking the van (or the superior half ) .SO jealous .can't wait for the next episode.
Enjoy , I am sure you deserve it. At least I hope you do. :D :up:
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 17.04.2017  ·  #21
Quote by JJF

Day 8/9/10

Our next stop is just north of Limoges at a site I've been wanting to visit for a while, see Oradour-sur-Glane for more info. It's the site of the infamous Nazi panther division massacre of 10/06/1944. There is quite a big aire there that we intend to stop off at and looking like a trip heading for the med via a stopover at Bordeaux, but who knows !, we may see something else taking our fancy and we'll head that way, the benefits of motorhoming. Few pics tomorrow from our next stop, but in the meanwhile here's a pic of the fine little bar/restaurant across from our last site.



Do not miss the opportunity to visit Oradour sur-Glane ,you will find this a breathtaking experience as we have been there ourselves and i will not even try to explain the adventure as i could not do it justice.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 18.04.2017  ·  #22
There's an Aire at Futurescope e7 p.n. debatable wheather it's a Adult park or not some bits good but mostly for children but as I said the Aire is good
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 18.04.2017  ·  #23
Day 11

On the road at 10am and routing south for Oradour sur-Glane on the normal roads thru the French villages and took our time and arrived here at just after midday. We went directly to the aire just outside the village and parked up, see pic at end of post. Good facilities for an aire, toilets, dish washing facilities and the usual bourne for water and waste, probably 30 vans here now at 9pm French time.
Norman, you are right, this site is not to be missed. Its one of those places that takes your breath away, the site is meticulously kept, the town is preserved as it was when the Nazis burned it to the ground and murdered 665 men, women and children in June 1944. It is spine chilling and its one of those places that has the power to make you stop in your tracks and..... think. It is so important to maintain these places and remember what humankind is capable of, what inhumanity towards another human being looks like.
The interactive visitors centre is superb and it tells the story of the village from start to where it is today.
Oradour Sur Glane must have been a beautiful town back then, its tram lines, its shops, restaurants, schools businesses and its homes laid out in the typical French style. The new town lacks character in my opinion, but then again it wasn't built to resemble what was.
Tomorrow we will set off in a south westerly direction, drive 1 or 2 hours and stop, take it easy towards Bordeaux and eventually the med.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 18.04.2017  ·  #24
A very moving place.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 19.04.2017  ·  #25
I stuck a MHC sticker on the Bourne there last Easter I don't suppose it's still there I have been sent pics of other one's I spread about but there mainly in Ireland
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 19.04.2017  ·  #26
When we were there last summer the Aire was full so we parked at the supemarket and did the tour before heading on. A very moving experience which combined with the Somme/Theipval memorials it really makes you think of the futility of war and the suffering placed on fellow human beings.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 19.04.2017  ·  #27
Day 12

Didn't come far, but traffic was dreadful. Roadworks forcing many lorries thru the villages so after 3 hours we moved towards Bordeaux and in a really nice Aire just south of Augolême in a town called Roullet. Lovely small town with the pre-resquite of a Boulanger !....(photo nicked from Google)
We will see what tomorrow is like and make a call then, weather is bright and sunny but a strongish wind makes it cold when out, but by the rear of the van in the shelter it is lovely to sit out.

Our internet, courtesy of 3 feel at home and a fixed mifi wireless router has been excellent, not fast as home but getting 2mb and good enough to post an odd picture etc and definitely a perfect solution for a trip abroad.
Television is working well, 90cm manual dish and tripod coupled to the Openbox V8S receiver has us watching Julian Simmons announcing coronation street on Ulster television and the Angelus bells are clear as a whistle on RTE !!

Weather forecast from weekend onwards is to get hotter, bring it on !


Quote by eirebus

I stuck a MHC sticker on the Bourne there last Easter I don't suppose it's still there I have been sent pics of other one's I spread about but there mainly in Ireland

Gone !

Quote by the fat controller

When we were there last summer the Aire was full so we parked at the supemarket and did the tour before heading on. A very moving experience which combined with the Somme/Theipval memorials it really makes you think of the futility of war and the suffering placed on fellow human beings.

So true, very emotional & thought provoking place.
Coming back September to tour WW1 sites, many from our hometown died at the Somme and named at Theipval, it's another one of our "must do" sites.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 19.04.2017  ·  #28
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 19.04.2017  ·  #29
Click on it. Not sure why that's started happening, investigating.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 19.04.2017  ·  #30
noticed the problems with a black image.
Seems saving and posting images as .jpg or.gif solves the problem.
Aire pic added too, both showing now as .jpg images.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 19.04.2017  ·  #31
Quote by JJF

noticed the problems with a black image.
Seems saving and posting images as .jpg or.gif solves the problem.
Aire pic added too, both showing now as .jpg images.


Sorry don't wish to ruin your blog! buy what did you have them posted originally as?
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 19.04.2017  ·  #32
Quote by Ally

Quote by JJF

noticed the problems with a black image.
Seems saving and posting images as .jpg or.gif solves the problem.
Aire pic added too, both showing now as .jpg images.


Sorry don't wish to ruin your blog! buy what did you have them posted originally as?

.png file Ally..... bloody iPad default .
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 20.04.2017  ·  #33
Day 13

Out of aire with water tanks full, cassette and grey empty and decided on a trip down through the vineyards of the Cognac region and indeed to Cognac itself. The region as you know is brandy heaven !
Lovely trip down, stopped in Cognac and did a shop and looked up the park4night app and got a list of passions and selected one to stop for the night. 4 vans here tonight, small low volume producer with farm shop and sampled their produce and bought a bottle for research purposes !...
Settled in and made dinner and sat out in the evening sun was really nice. Poor 3G coverage so no pics, will post up tomorrow.
Undecided where to next, thinking south....... thinking west coast and last week in Jersey 🇯🇪?
Will make the call tomorrow.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 22.04.2017  ·  #34
Day 14 & 15

Yesterday, Friday we left late and drove up via Rochefort to the Port de Barques to the Aire there that was full when we arrived.
Went along the coast to the campsite and wilded along with 3 other French vans, but a noisy night with an unusual thing, a noisy french pub that went on to 1am. We've decided to take our times, pick up the west coast of France and travel slowly north and go across to Jersey and spend a few days there before we sail back home in a few weeks.
This morning we slipped up the coast to the Isle de Re and on the site there across the bridge. Very beautiful place, really pretty. In the 20 deg C here today, lovely day to just soak up the rays. Were right on the beach here and will spend until Monday here. Seafood restaurant looks good for tonight, the Moules look good !
Also a couple pics from Cognac region, massive vineyards
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 26.04.2017  ·  #35
Day 16/17/18

No internet except wifi hotspots as my 3 card went over the 12GB limit !......
Installed a new one and finally got it working.
Monday morning dawned bright and sunny in Ile-de-Re and after breakfast we set sail up the coast to a fabulous 5 star Yelloh Village site called Le Littoral south of Les Sables-d'Olonne, see Camping Le-Littoral for details. Heated indoor/outdoor pools, Spa, bar, entertainment, shops etc, etc...... thought we would try it once and it's ACSI at €19 so not so bad..... site is great but in high season with lots of children it's going to be crowded and noisy !
Next morning it dawned grey with rain (1st since we came) so we decided instead of sitting around we would trip up the coast to one of our favourite places, La-Baule west of St.Nazaire and found a beautiful small site for €12 a night inc electric, quiet area, free WI-FI, immaculate shower blocks, all in level secluded pitched and easy access to the beach, large intermarche supermarket 100 metres away, Boulanger at entrance..... no website but is a municipal site called Campings Le Pouliguen.... thoroughly recommended. The aire beside it is €10.50 a night so it's a no brainier to avail of the site and facilities. Also if you're not staying on site here you can have a motorhome service here for €2 inc water fill, tank emptying and cassette disposal, good value.
Our dog is enjoying the walks and we're enjoying the food, both BBQ variety and restaurant variety and the vino isn't bad either.
Weather a bit mixed, sunshine, thunder, showers !....... but forecast is to improve.
Moving on again tomorrow, not sure yet which way !
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eirebus
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 27.04.2017  ·  #36
I always love the bit moving on but not sure where
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 27.04.2017  ·  #37
Day 19/20

Leaving La-Baule with a rough idea of heading northwards we moved inland and northwards and stopped tonight on the free aire in the town of Redon.... between St.Nazaire and Rennes. Lovely town and the aire is right on the canal in the basin in the town centre.
Bit noisy as it is close to the main road but it's OK, free services on site. The aire is actually 2 separate places, the aire were on with the services holds 6 vans and across the canal there is parking for another 20 vans, there is 10 vans in total here tonight on both sites.
We'll push on north tomorrow towards St.Malo and see how it goes, been checking the ferries to the Channel Islands and will book it at the port.
Weather is mixed, been OK today and we walked quite a few KMS today in the sunshine.
Pics of Redon below.
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 28.04.2017  ·  #38
Day 21

Well, aire in Redon was bloody noisy !... if anyone staying there then use the aire away from the road as it will be quieter. Traffic from 5am is heavy..... but at least we were up early and pulled out just before 8:30am and after the requisite stop at the boulangerie for "une baugette and deux croissants" ! We made steady progress northwards to the stunning town of Dinan, just south of St.Malo. If anyone is looking for a stop on a southward trip then make it here for a day or two, we're on the aire by the Port of Dinan at the bottom of the via-duct. No services on aire but a beautiful stop and the walk to town via the port is very pretty indeed, but the street to town is very steep. Tip: take tourist train, €4 ticket gets you a hop on/off ticket and for persons with reduced mobility it is an excellent option, us, well we walked it as were not bad on the old pins just yet.
The seafood restaurants are only 100 yards away from the aire and we will visit one tonight, hence the early write up !
The town is really old, it's a walled town dating back to before 1000AD, the shop facades are stunning, the old buildings are so steeped in history and the cobbled streets take you back to a long forgotten time. Many craft and artesian shops grace the old streets to the port and a must see. Now, I'm no religious person, in fact a more fitting description of me would be 'a heathen' !...but, I do enjoy visiting old buildings and in particular churches and this town has many and really worth visiting. The churches date back to early Christianity and the buildings are laid out to tell their history and indeed the history of the surrounding region, worth a visit.
Some pics below, the picture of the via-duct with the aire at the bottom is where were parked up tonight, we're the van further east away to the right !
Weather good today, may make another day of it here tomorrow...... will see !
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French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 28.04.2017  ·  #39
Watch out for Jumpers. Don't park too close to the Bridge .
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Re: French trip, sort of a blog.......

 ·  Posted: 28.04.2017  ·  #40
That restaurant is really very good used it often there is another aeries at the top of the town only if that one is full
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