Dunkirk

Odometer: 157620

We started our day, as planned, with a breakfast out.

Today's leg would take us to France. On our way, we made a quick stop to dispose of our wastewater and at an odometer reading of 157600, we topped up half a liter of oil; however, Gary's coolant level remained stable.

Since our eleven kilos of butane on board would certainly not last the whole trip, the plan was to rent a French bottle with a French connection thread in northern France and return it later in the tour in southern France. Sebb had already arranged the appropriate adapters in advance. So we bought a suitable butane bottle at the supermarket right at the beginning in Dunkirk, the northernmost city in the country. Because we were well prepared, everything actually fit together perfectly.

Then things got a bit more serious, as Sebb had decided to visit the museum dedicated to Operation Dynamo in Dunkirk. The small museum was housed in the former Bastion 32 in the dunes and told the story of the largest rescue operation in world history up to that point. Operation Dynamo was the codename for the military evacuation operation of the British Admiralty during World War II, where 85 percent of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and parts of the French Army were able to be withdrawn by ship and boat back to England. The troops had previously been encircled by the Wehrmacht at the Battle of Dunkirk. From May 26 to June 4, 1940, in just nine days, 338,226 soldiers were evacuated, including 198,229 British and 139,997 French, leaving almost all equipment behind.

We concluded the evening more casually with a walk on the beach, homemade marinated herring, and of course red wine, which we had bought in a 3-liter package.