Day No. 71 - Currywurst ... - Farol do Cabo de São Vicente

"...with fries, aach, then we'll give you currywurst twice" - Grönemeyer

How did we sleep? The only comment from Torgit is brbrb brbrb brbrb, I don't know if I spelled that right. But why am I writing this here? - Because I'm not sure if anyone can imagine a whole van rocking in the wind half the night? - Yes, you heard me right, the whole van wobbles, rocks, rumbles and sways in the wind. Add to that the howling of the wind and you start to wonder. Is the roof still on? Is the handbrake really tight enough? Is the whole cliff about to fall into the sea? Am I on a boat after all? And then, as it gets light, the most fundamental question of all: are the flip-flops still there?

Then suddenly Torgit cries out, "my Flipi-Flopis are gone". I heroically grab my surf poncho and set off to search in the rain and wind. I'm not quite out yet, but I'm already soaking wet - I can't yet distinguish between the different types of rain, as Inspector Dupin describes the Bretons. But this one is wet; very, very wet. (Dupin claims that the Bretons have almost as many descriptions for rain as the Eskimos have for snow. - Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, because at least the Eskimo thing seems to come from the movie "Miss Smilla's Sense of Snow" and probably has little to do with reality. Although I have to admit that the original title "Fröken Smillas känsla för snö" sounds very competent to me, doesn't it? ) - But back to the My wife's Flipi-Flopis. When I had almost given up my search, I realized that Torgit had already put them on the inside of the step yesterday, just to be on the safe side. Brbr brbrb becomes grrrg grrrg. - So I get soaking wet again, only to be told: "You'd better fight with the comforter." Then you know what I have to put up with. (Note from Torgit: After the shower outside, I went back into the van and left my flip-flops outside for a moment. The second the van door closed behind me, it occurred to me that this wasn't a good idea. So I opened the door again and lo and behold, my flip-flops were already blown away by the wind. I just managed to run after them and catch them again. I had completely forgotten that I was naked. You have to set priorities 😉 )

To distract myself, I prefer to focus on the elementary things: Food, for example. And I have to admit that I do miss one or two things on our tour. It's not just the bread, today I'm thinking more about currywurst. And my thoughts have a concrete goal, the "last bratwurst before America" - the words alone make my mouth water. Do you know what really good marketing is? - Stefan, the head of marketing for a well-known prefabricated house company, told me about a currywurst stand on Cabo de São Vicente, the most south-westerly point in Europe. And when marketing guys describe something like this, they are quick to use superlatives. - When I hear things like "the world's best chip shop", "gigantic view" and "original Nuremberg and Thuringian sausage specialties", it does raise expectations. Because the people of Cologne are spoiled with currywurst, and as a Remscheid resident I am anyway. The "world champion" is a currywurst icon. Then there's also the sausage roastery, known from the Cologne "Tatort". This is "normally" within walking distance for us at the Südbrücke, in Cologne's Rheinauhafen. - But today I want to enjoy (my) currywurst under a lighthouse. - That can only be a good thing, right?

After five days and nights without fixed power, our batteries are running low anyway. Our water was also running low, it was just enough for the shower. So we look for a campsite near Lagos. With a small detour, the currywurst is also planned. - Cabo de são vicente is almost on today's stage. The most south-westerly point of the European mainland ...

The westernmost point on the European mainland, Cabo da Rocha, was already the destination of our trip on Day No 52. The southernmost point, in Spain near Tarifa, is still to follow. Today's intermediate destination was and still is a holy place for Celts, Romans and Christians. It is named after St. Vicente, whose body is said to have been stranded here around 304 AD. So off to the lighthouse and a currywurst. - On the way, we not only drive through pine forests that look like they've been spotted, but also come across street art from time to time - we found the flamingos particularly nice. As we keep meeting girls along the way who correct their posture at least ten times for the next photo, Torgit also tries his hand at the art of posing in a filigree manner.

"If you're really down - you need something to chew - a currywurst"

The lighthouse is already visible many kilometers before the cape. - We park on the side of the cape to avoid the tourists a little. Here, too, the wind is blowing gale-force. Torgit goes a bit wrong, but the fresh air does us good. We explore the area and take pictures of the lighthouse. But where is the bratwurst stand? - No idea - but it's not here. The currywurst only seems to be available for fair-weather guests. I'm really down now, I need something to chew on, but there's no currywurst. 

Then we just drive a few meters further to the surfers. - Later, we drive to the Turiscampo Yelloh campsite near Lagos - almost a culture shock after five days of wild camping. So many babbling people. - We are not yet properly positioned when two Canadians from Vancouver Island start shouting at us. - They are parked right next door in their rented VW California and are on the last day of their European tour. - Paris, Hamburg, Cologne including the marathon... - Six weeks 8,000 kilometers - We are tired and still hungry. So a quick shower and then something to eat. I don't find a currywurst stand, but I do find a well-rated Indian restaurant, which is also curry, isn't it? - It's worth the walk, we have an excellent meal. Sated, satisfied and above all happy, we fall into bed today.