Déja vu
"Various roosters and quacking ducks wake us up in the morning. - Nature can be so cruel.
Like every day, we take the mattresses and bedding out into the fresh air. The van always looks a bit funny then.
Although I (Marc) have never played Tetris in my life, I now have a good idea of how the game is structured."
Today, almost two years after I wrote the above lines, we are still being woken up by ducks. Today, too, we have hung out our bedding to air. Only the Tetris playing has slowed down considerably. I also bump my head a lot less.
At the time, I wrote "We are slowly developing our first routines." Today I can only smile about that. Because it took a long, long time for everything to settle down. Many things were exchanged, but we are still on board together.
Time for our little déjà vu tour. Because today and over the next few days we'll be staying at campsites again. Just like we did at the beginning of our gateway. Today we are at Camping Aux Cygnes d'Opale, a small campsite in the heart of the Bresle Valley, or rather by the aforementioned duck pond.
Do you know places like this that just draw you back? If we didn't have a fixed and exciting date near San Sebastian, we could well imagine exploring Brittany again.
Are the Häusgens complaining again? No, there's nothing to complain about! Over the last few days, it sounded as if we were constantly complaining about stress. But it was homemade. Anyone who goes on a longer tour with the van knows that there's always something to perfect. We also wanted to have fun, see friends and take a room tour.
But now we're finally back on the road. It's just a different feeling.
On our journey south, we put three places we were longing for on our agenda for the next few days. Three places we definitely wanted to return to with BUTCH. Let us surprise you.
What places do you long for?
From the river to the sea - Tocqueville-sur-Eu
Place of longing No. One. - "Today's route first takes us back to the sea along the Bresle and various small lakes near Mers-les-Bains. From then on, we ride parallel to the cliffs: Le Tréport, Criel-sur-Mer, Tocqueville-sur-Eu, where we leave the road and take an unpaved path directly to the cliffs, which rise at a dizzying height above the stony beach."
I wrote these lines almost two years ago in this Blog post. I wanted to return to this exact spot on the cliffs. The view is simply gigantic. This time I have the drone with me. Let's see what comes out of it.
Do you know Asterix and the Normans? How the Norsemen sit on the cliff? That's here, isn't it? Just a tremendous feeling to look over the precipice. The Norsemen may not know what fear is. Not sure if fear is what I'm feeling. Let's call it a hell of a respect.
What do you have respect for?
Citadelle de Blaye
Place of longing No. 2 - "Do we plan our route, or is our path random? - We believe that what is due falls to us!
In relation to our spot today, it was a tip from a surfer. His description was clearly an understatement. - I definitely had a different image in mind. - Anyone who knows the Gironde or the citadel knows what I'm talking about. Even the drive up over an old fortress bridge is impressive. But the view of the Gironde from our pitch right at the highest point of the citadel is more than that. An approximately 3 km wide river flows at our feet. - We sit on an old stone bench right in front of our bus and enjoy the view"
But it was no coincidence that we are here today. The citadel of Blaye simply picked us up during our visit almost two years ago. So we're passing on the surfer's tip. And on top of that, a vintage car meeting of 'La Retromobile Gabaye' is taking place here today.
You can find more information in our Blog post from our 1st visit.
Tip of the day: Try the burger in the English double-decker bus at the ferry. Inside is the restaurant "Le Bus du Carrelet". They also serve very tasty IPA beer fresh from the tap. At €8, the half pint is not a bargain, but worth every penny.
What are your favorite tips for travelers?
Médoc - Gone with the wind - Dune du Pilat
Place(s) of longing No. 3 - "We are now on our way to our destination for the day, the Dune du Pilat. Our route takes us via Médoc, Sainte-Hélène, le Temple, Marcheprime, Le Teich through the Médoc wine-growing region. Lots of countryside here, but it's not just the green of the vines that lines the road..."
To speak of a place of longing would not do justice to today's tour. If you are ever in the area, I can only recommend this route.
But the top highlight is and remains the Dune du Pilat. The shifting sand dune is simply gigantic, breathtaking and almost indescribably beautiful. You can find a few more details in our blog posts from Fort Médoc and the Dune du Pilat.
A heavy storm passed over us tonight. Everything is dripping with moisture. Once again, we are standing right at the foot of the dune. The wall of sand in front of us looks even steeper than it did two years ago. While Torgit turns around once more, I climb the dune just before sunrise. The scramble is difficult. But once I reach the top, I am rewarded. While the dune is crowded during the day when the weather is good, I have it all to myself this morning.
The largest sandpit in Europe, up to 110 meters high. 500 meters wide and approx. 2.7 kilometers long. Approx. 60 million cubic meters of sand. Simply magical!
The shifting sand dune is located at the mouth of the Bassin d'Arcachon. South of the small town of Arcachon and the suburb of Pyla sur Mer, opposite Cap Ferret. 44°35'05.8″N 1°12'31.7″W
When was the last time you had sand in your shoes?
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