• 00_startbildklamm

    Garmisch, schon wieder?! Es hilft ja nichts, hohe Berge, gute Infrastruktur und die Nähe zu München machen es zu einem begehrten Ziel. Ich bin neugierig darauf, meine bisher dritte Campingvariante auszuprobieren: den Stellplatz am Wank.

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    Stellplatz am Wank

    An der Wank-Seilbahn sind zwei Reihen des Asphalt-Parkplatzes Reisemobilen vorbehalten und für Anfang September ist unerwartet viel los. Ich suche mir einen Platz in der unteren Reihe aus und parke gekonnt rückwärts ein. Bei der Anmeldung im Hütterl zahle ich 13,- EUR (inkl. 2,- EUR Kurtaxe) beim netten Platzwart und werfe anschließend noch 2,- EUR für Strom in das Metallkästchen neben der Durchgangstreppe – voilà, wir sind angekommen.

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    Im Michael-Ende-Kurpark

    Den Sommernachmittag nutze ich für einen Bummel durch Garmisch und den Michael-Ende-Kurpark mit seinen märchenhaften Figuren. Am besten gefällt mir der Steinbeißer-Brotzeit-Stein und prompt bekomme ich Hunger. Leider hat der legendäre Kaiserschmarrn beim Steyrer Sepp etwas nachgelassen, aber dafür sitze ich gemütlich allein in der Wirtschaft und genieße Kalorien und Nichts-tun.

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    Irgendwo in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

    Der Wank-Stellplatz ist erfreulich nah an der Stadtmitte, selbst mit dem billigsten aller bergauf-bremsenden Klappräder ist der Heimweg zum Bus nur ein Katzensprung. Die Ausstattung am Stellplatz geht völlig in Ordnung: die Toiletten der Bergbahn sind rund um die Uhr für Camper verfügbar und für 1,- EUR gibt es sogar warme Duschen. Der Sonnenuntergang am Abend ist dank der hohen Berge rundum fantastisch und die Kuhglocken von der nahen Weide vervollständigen das Bergidyll.

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    Hectors Grundausstattung ist so umfangreich, dass ich jetzt mit Beleuchtung und Musik per Skateboard über die Slackline fahren und nebenbei aus einem Architekturbuch vorlesen könnte. Für heute lasse ich es jedoch gut sein und kuschle mich statt dessen frühzeitig in mein Himmelbett. Ein letzter Blick durch die Dachfenster zu Berggipfeln und Sternen und schon bin ich eingeschlafen.

    Noch vor Sonnenaufgang bin ich wach und genieße ausgiebig Kaffee und Frühstück, bevor ich um Punkt 7:00 Uhr abgeholt werde: Oliver hat uns eine besonders klamme Wander-Tour ausgesucht und so laufen wir kurz darauf durch das verschlafene Hammersbach.

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    Morgens in Hammersbach

    Die erste Stunde führt der Weg entspannt bergauf bis die Felswände greifbar nah werden. Laut Oliver biegen wir in Kürze rechts ab, aber da wo er hinzeigt ist nur Felswand zu sehen. Ich beschließe heimlich, mich gönnerhaft zu zeigen, wenn der Weg an eben dieser Bergwand endet.

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    Doch kurz darauf wird es skurril: Zunächst steht mitten in der Bergwelt ein kleiner Kiosk, dann folgt eine Brücke und Wegweiser zur Höllentalklamm. Kurz darauf passieren wir ein Kontrollhäusl und die Blondine der Wandergruppe hat natürlich ihren DAV-Ausweis im Bus liegen lassen… Für 4,- EUR pro Nase (1,- mit DAV-Ausweis) betreten wir die Schlucht, dank der unser Weg tatsächlich mitten in die Berge führt. Der Blick ist bereits auf den ersten Metern fantastisch.

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    …und dann öffnet sich der Berg und gibt einen schmalen Weg frei: die Höllentalklamm

    Wir sind so früh dran, dass wir die Klamm für uns allein haben. Angesichts der engen Wege ist das ein unschätzbarer Vorteil! Noch dazu läuft einem meistens niemand ins Bild, mal abgesehen von wertvollen Bergwanderfreunden.

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    Highlights: eisblaues Wasser, tiefer Einschnitt im Berg und derjenige, der uns hierher gebracht hat

    Die Höllentalklamm ist sensationell schön. Die Farben, die Größenordnungen, der Blick nach unten und nach oben, die Ruinen des Elektrizitätswerks, die abgestürzten Bäume und das wilde Rauschen des Wassers.

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    Die Regenjacke ist das beste Accessoire des Tages, denn alldieweil tropft es in den Stollengängen, das Wasser scheint überall aus dem Berg zu kommen.

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    Wir lassen uns Zeit und brauchen eine Stunde, um die Klamm entlang bis zu ihrem oberen Ende zu bewältigen. Bevor das weite Tal die Felswände zurück drängt sehen wir über uns einen schmalen Steg, der in schwindelerregender Höhe die Klamm quert: eine Alternativroute, die sicher gut für Menschen mit Höhenangst bzw. deren Überwindung ist.

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    Plötzlich weitet sich das Tal und gibt den Blick frei auf die Zugspitze und den Waxenstein. So dicht, wie die Felswände vorher waren, so weit öffnet sich jetzt das Bergpanorama. Erst in der Höllentalangerhütte treten wir wieder ein in die Zivilisation. Die Hütte wurde 2015 neu eröffnet, nachdem die alte abgerissen und eine neue in zehnfacher Größe gebaut wurde. Trotz aller Kritik ist sie gelungen: Klare Formen, weitläufiger Platz und Blick auf die Hauptroute für Zugspitzbezwinger.

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    Nach einer deftigen Brotzeit lassen wir die Zugspitze rechts liegen und steigen auf zu den Knappenhäusern. Zu meiner Überraschung sind sie privat bewohnt. Weitab von jedem fahrbaren Weg, mindestens eine Stunde entfernt von anderen Berghütten und mit Blick auf Garmisch ist das einer der speziellsten Wohnorte, die man sich nur denken kann. Der Wanderweg führt zwischen den Gebäuden hindurch und teilt sich später a) zur Alpspitze und b) zum Kreuzeck.

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    Knappenhäuser am Berg

    Die Alpspitze mit ihrer freischwebenden Aussichtsplattform hebe ich mir für nächstes Jahr auf. Heute zieht es uns zum Kreuzeck und ich sehe meine Lieblings-Skipisten in sattem Grün vor mir liegen. Vorbei am alten 2er-Sessellift wandern wir gemütlich bis zur Kreuz-Alm, die ich noch als kleine alte Hütte kenne. Doch das ist lang her, mindestens ein Jahr. Inzwischen hat ein Neubau die alte Hütte verschluckt: gekonnt wurde um das alte Haus herum ein deutlich größeres errichtet. Sehr gelungen, übrigens. Die Hütte lockt innen mit alpiner Gemütlichkeit und Kachelofen, außen heizen sich die Holzbänke entlang der Wände mit Alpensonne auf und laden ein zu Speis, Trank und Ausblick.

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    Obwohl wir 1.600 m > NN sind hält uns die Erdanziehungskraft über eine Stunde fest. Der Kaiserschmarrn ist so gut, dass wir uns beinahe mit den Gabeln beharken und feierlich übereinkommen, dass wir nächstes Mal gleich zwei Portionen bestellen.

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    Die aufziehenden Wolken sind mir ein willkommener Vorwand, den Weg ins Tal zu gondeln statt zu wandern. Wäre ja auch unwirtschaftlich, die kostbaren Hütten-Kalorien direkt wieder zu verbrennen.

    Die Tour war spitze und ich frage mich, warum das Kalenderjahr eigentlich so wenig Wochenenden hat – da liegt doch ein Systemfehler vor…

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  • Hector’s charm is irresistible: more and more of my friends buy camper vans and discover camping being their ultimate way of travelling.

    The first one that took a glance at my wonderful van and immediately bought one on his own now booked neighbouring places for a weekend at the Camping Resort Zugspitze. We try to circle the vans in a corral, but with only 2 campers and vast space, the form does not fully show. So what, we are here, we face the alps and somebody has a bottle of red wine on board.

    Comparing the barbecue offered at a) the Schmölzer Wirt and b) the campsite’s bistro Alspitzblick, it is clear that b) wins (each Saturday). Having the diet set, we face a bright sunny day with 30° Celsius and the Eibsee in a short distance of only 6,5 km. However, some details have not been prepared accurately, such as any clue of the region’s cycle paths or the altitude difference between the camp site and the lake.

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    Once there, the environment is enchanting. The lake sparkles in all shades of green and blue, surrounded by mountain peaks and forest. As usual, I cannot resist the inviting sheet of water and that is just perfect: the water is mild with a temperature of at least 24°.

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    A path surrounds the lake that is free for cyclists and for pedestrians, providing us with all possible perspectives on the Eibsee and its paradise-like islands.

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    Although today is not the most sportive one for me (did I mention the red wine?), it feels good to be in this landscape with the mountainbike. In July, the tourist crowds might be annoying, but by end of August there is no rush on the path around the lake.

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    Being aware of my duties as private camping quality tester, I ignore the 30 degrees in the afternoon and check out the camp site’s sauna. The furniture is neatly done and the sauna has nothing less than full view on the Zugspitze. Apart from this the average age (60+) and average camper’s size (kg 90+) become obvious. Lucky me that I can focus on the mountain peaks in front of the window.

    We spontaneously skip the foreseen home barbecue in our corral when dark clouds and strong wind indicate a nearing thunderstorm. Anyway, we have delicous dinner at the “Bistro Alpspitz” and cannot complain of anything.

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    The Camping Resort Zugspitze is the new (and expensive) area of the older campground “Camping Erlebnis Zugspitze” down beside the street. In 2015, I spent a night at the older one that is more simple with the street close by and less sparkling facilities, but still comfortable enough. The new part is further away from the busy street and offers normal (huge) places as well as exclusive ones with personal bath rooms. On top, the new one has a nice bistro and the sauna is included in the prices per night. Both are few kilometers away from Garmisch and from the Zugspitzbahn. In August 2016, I paid about 30,- EUR per night for Hector and myself and the common bath rooms.

    Perhaps there are even more alternatives around here – let’s see what comes up next…

  • How can something that requires regular maintenance and dozens of liters of gasoline mean freedom?

    Here is how:

    Hector is parked in front of my house and tells me: “Take me, I’m yours! We can go anywhere you want…” And I am pretty sure, one of his head lamps twinkles.

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    In August, one of my brothers and his family arrives and we all go to the Western Allgäu: mountains, lots of lakes and castles and meadows with happy cows. First stop of the day is the Waldseilgarten Höllschlucht close to Pfronten. With our age ranging from 8 to 43 years, we have a lot of fun for hours. As the high level ropes are located within a forest, you leave all of your usual every-day life behind and enter new challenges. Muscle soreness is included in the price without extra charge, thanks for that.

    While the rest of my family has rented a holiday apartment for the rest of the week, I decide to go with Hector to the caravan site “Via Claudia” at the Lechstausee (Lechbruck). While the huge camp site is crowded with a mixture of resident campers and holiday families, the caravan site is more relaxed. All showers and facilities of the main camp site are offered to guests of the caravan site as well as extra toilets, all being in a good shape. Although the place is nearly full, the atmosphere is much calmer than on the regular camp site – I see more and more of a tendency to look for alternatives to super camp sites, but only time will tell.

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    No Chi-Chi, just a caravan site – all relaxed, all fine

    Of course I could have stayed with my brother’s family or I could have gone home the very same day. However, staying the night with Hector is different and it is all positive. You wake up in the morning and are somewhere else, out of the regular routine. For instance, my apartment offers neither view on the mountains nor view on the lake, so this a win already. The rays of the early sun invite me to a spontaneous jogging tour around the lake and I congratulate myself for the always-on-board equipment with sports shoes, towel and whatever I need.

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    Camping Via Claudia at Lechbruck – a fragment of the huge area

    The two hours of the way back are fine to exchange the compact holiday feeling with my working life. Lucky me that Hector will continue inviting me to little escapes throughout the upcoming summer weekends!

  • Physics say, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. What physics might have ignored is the sensation of a single-lane road, surrounded by heavy trucks and with construction sites speckled every few kilometers. The travelling part of the trip was mostly great, but next time I will look out for alternative routes rather than the Route National N70, even though it was the straight way from Bordeaux to Lörrach.

    Start of the Western part of the trip was St. Jean de Luz and then I followed intuition and the sun. Drawing the map of the main destinations was a lot going back and forth, but as I love that spontaneous way of travelling, I am totally at ease with some km more.

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    On the way South and a bit West, Uzès was great for 2 days in between (980km from Munich and 560 km from Bordeaux). At the West coast itself, I missed a lot of all possible places to go and things to do. There is no way NOT going back someday, continuing the tasting, the surfing and for sure: never stop travelling.

    What we missed = yet to come:

    • Canoe trip: between the étangs (lakes) and the sea, beneath the pont du gard, …
    • Bicycle trip: from the European bicycle infrastructure, the main part is available (so far) at France’s West coast with hundreds and thousands of kilometers – all waiting for sporty girls…
    • Bastides = defensive villages from medieval times, such as Sarlat, Domme, Beynac, Castelnaud
    • More of St. Émilion and its wine and eating culture
    • Places like La Roque-Gageac (micro-climate with unexpected palm trees) or Arcachon (oyster cultures) or the region of the Béarn.
    • Les Courses Landaises = ancient form of bullfighting (without killing the animals)
    • More food! More wine!
    • Flying at the dune du pilat: tandem paragliding

    Well, we are young, we are beautiful and we will come back (Hector, me and Linda or any choice of it).

  • How often can you live to see a perfect holiday trip? This for sure was one of them.

    The combination of travelling and relaxing, time for myself and common days with close friends, sightseeing highlights and new experiences – what else can you expect?

    I learned a lot about regional particularities, about myself and about Hector’s breaks still working fine when 100% of their pads are used up. I learned surfing and how to cope with an Australian accent. I enjoyed wonderful days with Linda and delicious food. I got lazy taking pictures and routine for regular sports. And, last but not least, most of the time I got good weather!

    While the most artful aquarelle of the route will follow, here comes the entire trip summarized with local highlights, prices and everything:

     

    1. Aeschi / Thuner See, Switzerland

    Beautiful landscape, inhabited by Swiss people with all their willful attributes. Camping Stuhlegg, Krattingen, is totally ok, for 1 van + 1 person I paid 29,40 CHF = 28,13 € by end of May 2016. Included in the price is the free bus to the close villages plus further rebates for local sightseeing.

    Highlights: “Feldschiessen” and lawn gnomes.

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    1. Uzès, France / Languedoc-Roussillion

    Romantic old town, surrounded by dulcet landscape. The entire region, especially in Uzès and in St. Quentin-la-Poterie has enough restaurants with delicious food to stay for weeks. Camping Mas de Rey is clean, relaxed and quiet, 2-3 km away from Uzès (parking close to the centre-ville Uzès is easy for any size of camper van with only a 5 minutes walk to the very heart of the town). I paid for 1 van + 1 person 15,60 € per night (still end of May).

    Highlights: Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard and fantastic dinners at Bec à Vin and at the central place beneath the arcades.

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    1. Carcassonne / Département Aude

    Everybody tells you to go here, it is supposed to be fantastic. In fact, it is above all crowded and touristic. I left within 15 minutes and that was not only due to the heavy rain.

    No highlights, no pictures.

     

    1. Isle du Tarn

    Sort of a wallflower region, located North of Toulouse. Hilly landscape with a lot of wine and farms and some old cathedral nearby. I only did a stop-over for a night on a vineyard with my France Passion pass.

    Highlights: Big calm, friendly people.

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    1. Pau / Pyrénées-Atlantiques

    Pau is a nice town to drop by. Close enough to the pyrénées to give an idea of the cold, rough mountains, especially when you see snowy peaks from the Boulevard des Pyrénées. You can park any size of car for free on the Place de Verdun.

    Highlights: Castle and mountain view.

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    1. St. Jean de Luz

    It looks like Pays Basque, it feels like it and it tastes like it: St. Jean de Luz is only 16 km away from Spain and shows the typical basque houses, regional food and relaxed atmosphere. The coastline is hilly and green with sandy bays scattered here and there. The typical basque churches may be plain white from the outside, but full of dark wood and galleries in the inside. Two campsites are available, one beside the other at the beach Erromardie: the better view offers camping le bord de mer, but as I missed its tiny entry, I spent two nights at Camping de la Ferme Erromardie. Both are less than 20 meters away from the beach (with no-swimming when the current is at full strength). In the first days of June, I paid for 1 van + 1 person 15,60 € per night, mini pool and okay sanitaries included.

    Highlights: Church St. Jean Baptiste de Saint-Jean-de-Luz, aperitif at the beach bar + dinner at the Bistro du Mata (both beach Erromardie) and the beautiful coast line.

     

    1. Biarritz

    If you look for a town that is not too big and not too small, with culture and history but with beach life and nature as well, with restaurants and surfers and with further sightseeing destinations around – then you will probably end up in Biarritz. I passed it by for only a couple of hours but enjoyed it instantly. Better than going straight downtown is the choice of a suburbian parking (eg parking floquet) and to hop on the free shuttle bus “Navette”.

    Highlights: Hotel du Palais, the Grande Plage and the walk to the Rocher de la Vierge

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    1. Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains

    Vieux-Boucau is much calmer than Hossegor, but with everything you need: endless beaches, 5 surf schools (best: Alternative Surf School), 2 camp sites and a small town. Here you are at the straight coast line with all kinds of surfing waves, the beach is inviting and clean, the water is clear. The village offers a choice of restaurants and shops and the lake is okay for a short bike tour. The Camping Municipal Les Sablères is much calmer (and in a better overall condition) than the expensive Camping Le Vieux Port. At Vieux Port, I paid 25,- € per night + 5,- € instable WIFI, located on steep / uneven ground and with a non-swimming beach due to the strong current. After I relocated Hector, I had stable WIFI for free on even, grassy ground and paid 16,70 € per night at Les Sablères. Best restaurant was La Plage with a nice view and friendly waiters, serving me delicious dinner.

    Highlights: The market (low season: Tuesday + Saturday), the beach and Surfing!!!

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    1. Saint Émillion

    The most adorable town of the entire trip 2016. It is fine by me that so many tourists prefer Carcassonne or other touristic hot spots, leading to less crowded streets at St. Émilion. The town bears the risk to get lost in wine shops, but that is okay. If only for wine + food, I would suggest to split 4 weeks up into 50% Uzès and 50% St. Émilion + vineyards around.

    Highlights: The town itself, the monolith church, macarons and wine. And the warm welcome at the vineyard Domaine de Grand Homme (for free due to France Passion).

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    1. Lacanau-Océan (+ Hourtin)

    “Chez Marie” at Hourtin turned out to be the best place for lunch – despite the quirky way of the waitress. Forget about Hourtin Plage and rather go to Lacanau-Océan: not the most exciting spot worldwide, but okay due to the surrounding with lakes, cycle paths and the Camping Les Grands Pins with the most modern and definitely most proper sanitary rooms ever. Plus restaurant, bar, 2 pool areas, wellness + massage, rental surf boards, skate park, rental bikes and whatever else you could ask for. We paid 21,20 € per night for 1 Hector + 2 girls with daily 2x 30 minutes WiFi included.

    Highlights: Dancing on stage with Linda, lunch chez Marie and massage appointments during heavy rain.

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    1. Montignac, Lascaux, Château de Losse

    Nice town with the Vezère flowing through and the camp site Le Moulin du Bleufond only a 5 minutes walk away from the centre. Lucky me the most inviting art gallery was closed when I admired some fine paintings, otherwise the holidays would have cost some more. For 1 van + 2 persons we paid 21,80 €. The camp site’s restaurant and the pool are inviting, the rest is okay for a night. When eating out, the regional specialties based on duck or goose were best. The Château de Losse was okay, with more stable weather the café surely is enchanting. The caves of Lascaux are worth every penny of the ticket prices of 10,50 € (assuming that all guides are as good as ours).

    Highlights: The paintings of Lascaux and seeing some more of the region Dordogne.

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    1. Bergerac + Monbazillac

    Take some time and focus on the small roads through the Dordogne – it is a lovely part of France and offers you food, wine and old towns. Bergerac has restaurants spreading out all across the historical centre and may be worth a stay for 1 or 2 days. However, we passed it by for just one evening, meeting nice and helpful locals and the central camp site La Pelouse. We paid 19,66 € for a night with modern showers, local ducks and a place directly at the bank of the Dordogne. The château de Monbazillac was a pretty sidestep on our way.

    Highlights: Picnic on the road, Bergerac, Monbazillac, relaxed travelling.

     

    1. Dune du Pilat / Pyla

    We checked out 3 camp sites around the famous Dune du Pilat but only one has this fantastic panorama and direct access to the Dune: yelloh! Panorama du Pyla. The staff is not interested in their guests or in their comfort, but the location is unbeatable. We paid about 25,- € per night in June which was okay (sincere recommendation: never go there in high season!)

    Highlights: Girls in a sandbox and the gorgeous view.

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    1. Carcans Plage

    A relaxed place with a clear focus: Surfing. Cycle paths, lakes and forests exist, but most of the people come for the pretty beach and the waves – leading to the best surfer camp atmosphere of the whole travel. There is only one (real) camp site, but it is pretty okay: Camping de l’Océan is large, but not crowded (in June). I paid something close to 20,- € per night with stable WIFI for free (available close to the reception only).

    Highlights: The surfing atmosphere among other travellers and Pete from Australia with his guitar and his poker face when being confronted with probably the worst coffee of his life.

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    1. Lörrach / Bad Bellingen

    My step-brother’s home, or: the marble palace. One of the best dinners I had for weeks, a warm welcome and my new nephew from Kabul. All of this is a highlight, however, a very personal one. Concluding the holidays with a personal highlight is probably the best way to come back to normal life.

  • Time flies when you’re having fun!

    Linda has to go back to the Netherlands while I still have three days left. We discuss our options: Me, staying on the current camp site feels too much left behind. Turn East and stretch the way back over five days feels like shortening the holidays. Finally, Linda goes to see some of Bordeaux centre, but gets handicapped by the European football championship: all baggage rooms and lockers are closed for safety reasons and Bordeaux with your luggage drawn behind is less fun.

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    Although Bordeaux must be beautiful, I am drawn to the coast to see some more waves. The nice German surfer that I met in my second week mentioned a pretty good camp site at Carcans, so after a big hug and farewell to Linda I turn slightly North and head for the one and only camping at Carcans-Plage.

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    I look for surfer’s atmosphere and in fact that is all that Carcans-Plage is about. Three restaurants, two snack bars and a ragtag music bar spread out over a hand full of tiny roads. Two souvenir shops, a supermarket and three surf shops, accompanied by a surf school and a camp site – there surely is a clear focus on touristic beach life. Even though the landscape with dunes und forest is a playground for further activities, I am fine with the beach and a rental surf board for the next days.

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    Baywatch at Carcans

    The beach and the weather work hand in hand with temperatures up to > 30°C. Due to yesterday’s full moon, the waves come up quite powerful and the current here is stronger compared to Vieux Boucau, but the beach surely is inviting. The afternoons fly by between warm sand and a swim (sort of) in the atlantic waves, while the morning hours are perfect for surfing practice.

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    The days at Carcans motivate me to continue with surfing until I am good enough for the change to agile fiberglass boards. The “mousse” boards that I currently use are just too heavy for a girl like me and the distance of 1000 meters from the shop to the perfect waves. Well, I wanted to exercise more anyway, so for these days I am fine. With Vincent’s guidance running through my head I try to read the coastline and identify the ideal spot with gentle swell and harmless current. Soon enough I start with my routine of jumping on the board, steering left and right and get carried along by the whitewash.

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    I always think, I should show more of the landscape. Well, this is my preferred one…

    Between surfing and beaching, the camp site offers relaxed and basic circumstances: Hector is parked among other solo travellers, all surfers (what else). The Swiss guy chills in his hammock while Pete from Australia plays the guitar. Some clichés are just perfect when they hit real life!

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    Pete: thanks for playing! And for ineresting conversations and, last but not least, for the wonderful surf-support!!

    On Friday, I start running out of time: I have to go back to work and this is the only reason why I turn the engine and drive 1.000 km straight East. After 12 hours of driving, my step-brother and my sister-in-law welcome me with luxurious dinner and with my new nephew from Kabul. When I lay down in the guest room I slightly miss the wind rocking my bed and the humming sound of Hector’s control panel. 4 weeks of holiday have not stopped my travel bug at all…

  • A_Dune3

    It is Friday, the sun fights its way back to the West coast and we have a couple of days yet to come. Girls like us should not be kept away from the sea for too long and thus we head for the famous Dune du Pilat.

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    Dune du Pilat: 2.700m long, 110m high, quadrillion grains of sand

    6 km away from Arcachon downtown, a choice of camp sites waits for Linda and me to check them out. The yelloh! Panorama du Pyla camping is the only one with direct beach access and sea view at least on some places. While most areas spread out in the shadow of high trees on hilly ground, a hand full of places is located directly on the shoreline. Based on detailed analysis of wind, sun, view and further comfort factors, Hector settles down a few meters from the edge.

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    The perfect pitch

    Not only do we have a 3-side panorama view on blue sea, blue sky and the enormous dune, we are furthermore surrounded by flying men.

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    After all we have seen those last travelling days (several camp-sites, cave of Lascaux, two castles, two cities and a lot of landscape), we now enjoy regarding the sea for quite a while. During low tide the oysters on the next sand bank are visible, while during daylight paragliders pass by above our heads. Every now and then we spend sunny hours at & in the pool, get suddenly stressed for keeping up with the ridiculous opening hours of the camping’s supermarket and go down to the beach. With the city of Arcachon being some kilometers away and with the steep, hilly landscape in between, we are fine with the lazy mode that slightly took over.

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    Relaxing days at Pyla

    Right beside our campground, Europe’s largest dune piles masses of fine sand up to 110 meters. Thanks to our home-base, we do not care about parking fees or tourist crowds on wooden paths, instead we just take a side step and start our walk already on 2/3 level of the total height. With Saturday, sun and wind coming together, innumerable paragliders take off from the dune and fly up and down all day long.

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    We walk straight to the top and enjoy the sensation of an endless desert horizon.

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    It is a very particular surrounding, bringing both your mind to a rest and your head to the creation of funny ideas. While the sea-side already has a reasonable slope, the other side seems to fall straight down to the forested ground behind. One guy jumps down there and lets gravity take down his half-naked body for 30–40 meters. Due to the sand peeling, his chest is already shimmering red, but the smile in his face tells us that he does not care too much about it.

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    downwards

    It is wonderful here: the landscape is so special, the sea lays bright blue at our feet and the fooling around in this endless sand box is a lot of fun. Linda jumps up, sails down, obviously carried away by life, the universe and everything.

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    The joy that brings a simple (but huge) quantity of sand is indescribable. We run down, step up, jump high and fall down again until we have a fling and change for a bath in the sea.

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    Holidays change your perspective

    In fact, there is not a lot you can do around the Dune du Pilat. You can wander the dune up and down and across, you can swim in the unruffled sea, spend time at the pool and that is it so far. Unless you are a paraglider, then it is sort of a paradise with the most gorgeous view of all.

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    Fly another day

    Finally, on our third day here, I remember my holiday mission: try out whatever is offered! Lucky us, the paragliders that offer tandem flights are right around the corner and we agree to fly with them later that day. Unlucky us, the strong wind decides to cease just that morning, destroying our flight plans. This eases our financial cash flow (most of the things at the camp-site have to be paid in cash with no cash dispenser being around) but is a bit disappointing anyway. We compensate it with perfect beach weather, delicious dinner, dancing at the beach and some profiteroles. And with the wonderful plan to come back some day.

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    A very special landscape
  •  

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    The region of Bergerac is famous for shimmering yellow sweet wine. Consequently, our first stop in the morning is Chateau Monbazillac, a castle surrounded by vineyards. Fortunately, this time we may find our own way through the building and do not have to follow a guided tour. The admission charge comes along with a flyer that offers information about the castle and its rooms, so all we miss is the repetition of “dö-dö” that still runs through our head from yesterday’s visit.

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    Rheingau or Médoc?

    Lingering through the chambers, Linda and I fantasize how we will furnish our shared house in here. We agree on two large rooms and an oriel for each plus some common space in between. As we will probably take over the entire staff, I greet the gardener outside demonstrative friendly.

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    My Home is my Castle

    The morning proceeds and it is time for the tasting: Linda tries the very sweet dessert wine and buys a bottle of it (if you are friend or family of Linda, please be ensured: yes, she did buy wine). After I take a sip from her glass, it is clear that we will not need to fight about it, it is all hers. For the choice of local white wines, I can confess that the least sweet one would be okay with fruits flambé, sunset and an austere man. However, it is unpredictable when all those ingredients get together, and consequently I rather go for six bottles of dry red wine.

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    In one of the villages on our way we stop for croissants, fruits and vegetables at the local market. Now fully equipped, we choose at random any of the Médoc vineyards for a picnic. Within a minute, we have our chairs outside and enjoy our culinaric prey in the sun.

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    We surely know how to hit the road

    After the sightseeing overflow of the last two days, Hector then carries on to get Linda and me to a beach. We pass by Bordeaux (4th time so far), aiming for Europe’s largest sand dune. Only there I will learn that there is no use looking for a camp-site I knew 20 years ago: the dune wanders quite some meters every year and my ancient memories are long gone.

     

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    Hector is more swimming than driving through heavy rain direction East, but finally we arrive at Montignac in the early afternoon. The small, attractive town is located in the Vallée Vézère and is the main base for visitors to the famous Grotte de Lascaux.

    The last rain shower of today leads us inside the beautiful church at the Place Carnot.

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    Peaceful and inviting: Church at Place Carnot, Montignac

    Right beside the church (take the perspective of the photo above, turn left for 15 meters and enjoy) the Salon de ThéUniVert” offers wonderful tea, perfect coffee and a choice of homemade cakes. With restored forces, we cross the brownish water of the Vézère and follow the signs to the office de tourisme. We buy tickets for one of the English guided tours next day, gather further information about the region and its camp-sites and stroll around some more.

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    La Vézère

    Montignac village itself is not even mentioned in most travel books. Only recently, art exhibitions and little cultural events try to lure tourists for more than just the ticket sale. With the camp-site in walking distance, additional camper van parking and a nice mixture of restaurants, cafés, bars and galleries, the village is inviting enough for a stay and today’s football match “Allez les bleus!” against Albany.

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    With Linda in the alleys of Montignac

    The next morning, we leave Hector at the huge parking beside the construction site of “Lascaux IV” (opening Dec. 2016) and walk up the hilly forest to Lascaux II. When they learned that masses of interested tourists destroy the 19.000 year old paintings just by breathing in and breathing out, scientists and artists worked more than 10 years on the perfect copy of the historical cave.

    The facsimile is only 200m away from the original, located in a natural cave somewhere in the forest. Once inside, we lose any feeling of “this is only the copy”, but are stunned by the sensation of fantastic pictures that fill walls and ceilings.

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    The tour guide presents some background of the paintings, evoking vivid images of the ancient artists. 4.000 years lie between the oldest and the newest painting, some of them layering one above the other on the cave walls, up to a height of 6,5 meters. Before we came here, I had some ideas of the oldest paintings worldwide (wrong), showing every-day-life themes (nope) that had been created by the inhabitants of some stony cave (wrong again: the cave has never been inhabited). In fact, the cave of Lascaux was reserved exclusively for art and ritual gatherings over numberless generations of the Cro-Magnon people.

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    The paintings show several different, identifiable styles and I am overwhelmed by the evident skills for perspective and expression. Suddenly, I understand Picasso who saw Lascaux and said: “We have learned nothing new.”

    Later that day we make a stop at the Château et Jardins de Losse. After the impressive visit of the Grotte de Lascaux, the castle cannot keep up with the prehistoric art, but the tour guide’s constant repetition of “Jean II (deux) de Losse” with the sound of “dö-dö” over and over again comes up with a certain fun factor.

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    The garden of the castle is nice (but much smaller than expected) and the tour through the building reveals that success, money and taste may fall apart significantly.

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    During the afternoon, we follow small routes around the D45 to Bergerac. The first thing we see at Camping La Pelouse is the sign “complet” = full. Lucky us, when we ask for a pitch for the night, they still have three to offer and we choose the best site at the shore of the Dordogne.

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    Just in time for today’s match Germany – Poland, we cross the bridge to the historical centre of Bergerac and look for a nice bar with a TV screen.

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    Cyrano de Bergerac (strange enough that the movie had been produced at Uzès…)

    The compact vieille ville is a beguiling area to wander through. We pass by medieval houses, protestant churches and two statues of Cyrano de Bergerac, with inviting restaurants on every step we take. Thanks to the helpful advices of some locals on our way, we finally drop into a relaxed bar between the Eglise Notre Dame and the Place de L’Europe. It must have been a strange appearance: 2 girls walking in, talking English and aiming to watch the German Mannschaft in today’s European football comptetition…

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    Filled with today’s impressions of prehistoric art, medieval buildings, modern football and romantic poets, we follow the lights over the bridge to our luxurious home. For a second, I think of painting bulls and mammoths on Hector’s ceiling, but within the blink of an eye I fall asleep.

     

     

  • The Aéroport de Bordeaux Mérignac is willing to change Hector into a camper-convertible: all parking spaces have height restrictions of 2,20 m maximum. Supported by friendly police officers, we find a compromise between some airport company’s parking and the stop over lane that passes by the departure hall. After my chat with the policemen (“Where is your car parked right now?” “I can’t tell you – it’s illegal.”), Linda jumps in and our common holidays begin.

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    Facing instable weather predictions, we decide to look for a comfortable campsite at the coastline and count on sunny hours between short rain showers. Even though the airport is located on the western side of Bordeaux, it still takes 1,5 hours to pass by myriads of roundabouts that must have been built by the founder of the legendary rabbit hole, aiming for disorientation rather than constructive traffic guidance.

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    At Hourtin we stop for a late lunch and drop into one of those inconspicuous places where all local workers go for their déjeuner. The waitress has a very rough charm, but the meal is delicious and we even get half a bottle of wine offered by the man next table. Full of energy, our first try is the campsite La Côte d’Argent: expensive, dark beneath a cloudy sky and a dense forest, low-quality-sanitary installations and a water-playground-something instead of a reasonable swimming pool. Consequently, we invest some more 30 minutes of our precious holiday time and go next to the yelloh! camping at Lacanau Océan. All aspects are way better here, starting with prices at 20,- EUR per night, continuing with luxurious sanitary houses, less dark trees and 2 pools, with one of them for adults only and with 18 meters suitable for real swimming. Last but not least the sea is right around the corner, surf boards are available on the camp site and the next village is only a short walk away.

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    The next day is water day: The morning starts with a swim in our favourite pool and relaxed breakfast. A wonderful beach walk, accompanied by neat surfers out in the rough waves, brings us to Lacanau Océan downtown for lunch.

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    The constant rain during the afternoon is the perfect scenery for the campsite’s spa: we enjoy all indoor and outdoor pools, massage, hammam, sauna and jacuzzi for hours. Being slightly above 20, we are well aware of the responsibility for shaped bodies and smooth skin, you know.

     

    The next day comes up with sun, but also with unpredictable rain showers, preventing us from a bicycle tour around the lake Lac d’Hourtin. However, we are easy with relaxation, sunbathing at the pool and, without knowing it before sunset, head for a spectacular evening anyway.

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    Around 9:00 pm, our sunset drink at the open air bar of the camp site gets interrupted by uninvited rain. Just seconds ago, the animateur tried to persuade us to join the soirée dansante = local dancing event, at first try with no big success. But now, with the rain pouring in our drinks… We look at the stage: it has a roof. It is dry. It looks cosy with the coloured spotlights. Sure enough, it now is our place to be.

    And here we are, once more dancing without shoes but with lots of joy – holidays with Linda surely mean fun!