After the vacation is before the vacation

You have been waiting for a long time, but here it is, the final report of our France tour:

On Wednesday morning we set off to drive back to Germany. The route took us past Koblenz, Frankfurt to the Nieder-Mooser-See near Fulda. Along the way, it stormed heavily, so André had to hold on tight to the steering wheel to keep Herbert on track. When we arrived at the campsite, we had to realize that there was actually very little to offer. Occupied by 75% of permanent campers who had set up their weekend or summer homes with plenty of knickknacks, the bathing docks in the lake were closed, and only a few surfers could be observed. That evening we realized that we had arrived back in Germany. The internet reception was underground, which is why there was no blog. And after all the impressions and experiences, we decided to start the journey home after just one night's stay. Actually, we wanted to make a stopover in Bad Schlema, but the teenager was also too homesick for that.

We experienced so much in France, saw so much, took in so many impressions that it is impossible to process it all. It is already difficult to think back to the beginning of the journey or to assign certain pitches to the experiences or the weekdays.

So on Thursday we drove home (almost) directly. There was only one stop in Hohndorf to quickly cuddle the dear family and see them briefly. And of course, there was another food package from the butcher shop 😊

Arriving in Dresden (after several traffic jams and construction sites), we only collected the essentials from Herbert and then reluctantly went up to our own 4 walls. I really resisted, because as soon as I cross the threshold into the apartment, the vacation is finally over. But what needs to be done, needs to be done.

On Friday morning, we freed Herbert from his load again, thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the inside, and then it was time. After the exterior wash, he returned to his owner René, who was also glad to welcome Herbert back (except for a few mishaps).

Well, that's it for vacation this year, that's it for France. Phew! We managed 3850km with Herbert. And it was really impressive! From beach to mountains, from sunshine with 30 degrees to rain and storm and heating on, from packed days to chilling and doing nothing...everything was included. Camping vacation is exactly our thing! Anytime again.

I'll try to tell you a bit about our everyday life in the motorhome and review:

1. Comparison motorhome last year and this year

The Knaus of this year overall gives a higher quality impression in terms of equipment, but it is not far behind the Carado of last year in many points. We really liked the holders in the kitchen and bathroom, where you can put the toothpaste or salt shaker in the holders during the drive instead of having to stow everything away. The toilet in Herbert was also a bit more comfortable to sit on, although we mostly used the campground toilets. The alcove last year was great, because in Herbert we had to "build" the bed every evening and clean it up in the morning, which was a bit cumbersome. In the Carado last year, you could also access the rear garage from both sides, while in Herbert there was only one door. The emptying of the gray water in Herbert was easy. But no big deal. All in all, we really liked Herbert, it would be great if he had an alcove!

2. Our campground routine

In the morning, André always had to get up first. We usually set an alarm, because we needed about 2 hours before departure. He then made his round to the toilet until I got up. Remove bedding from the fold-down bed, prepare breakfast. Calvin was eventually awakened too, and we had a nice breakfast, sometimes with fresh baked goods from the campground. Then the outdoor area was stowed in the rear garage, dishes washed, all windows closed, the new destination entered into the navigation system, and off we went. I navigated from the front, Calvin read or slept.

When we arrived at the campsite, André and I booked the pitch at the reception, while Calvin checked if Wifi was available. Usually, it was only available around the reception building and weak on the campsite. But Mama's hotspot always worked.

Then we leveled Herbert with the wedges. André was in charge of the electricity, while Calvin and I inspected the sanitary facilities. In France, we often had to experience that no toilet paper was provided, instead, you had to bring your own roll to the toilet. Toilet seats were also very rare. You had to endure sitting on the bare ceramic. After that (weather permitting), the outdoor area was set up. The awning was rolled out by the three of us, chairs and table were set up, and we took the first sip of Radler.

In the evenings, we often grilled. Sometimes we cooked, but we almost always ate outside. Then I sat down with a glass of wine and wrote the blog. It sounds simple, but I first had to formulate the text, collect the photos from all devices on the laptop, upload the text and photos to vakantio, and then save everything on the hard drive. But I gladly took the time for that. During that time, André usually read the latest news and Calvin retired to his bunk and read or contacted his friends.

Later, Calvin said goodnight first, and we had to lower the fold-down bed again, throw up the bedding, set the alarm, and get rid of various little creatures.

That was the average daily routine. Occasionally, we would go to the beach in the evenings or do sports (boules) or play cards (I still don't understand Magic).

3. Technology

We had the camera, drone, and GoPro with us, but unfortunately, we did not use them extensively. We lacked the passion, the enthusiasm, or it is simply not enough of a hobby for us. But the photos we have are enough to remember where we have been. Last year, my brother was on the road with us through Scandinavia, and he is almost a professional with the technology, but unfortunately, we cannot offer that this year. Anyway, the vacation was adequately documented.

4. Corona in France

Before the vacation, we weighed for a long time whether we should go or not. Ultimately, it was a good decision not to cancel, because the campsites were never full anywhere. We had enough space everywhere, and we are very satisfied with the choice of places. We never felt crowded or regretted our decision. But at the tourist attractions, you could already see that the French also vacationed in their own country, because it was quite crowded at the hotspots. In Tréport, it was very crowded, no sign of social distancing, in Orléans, there was even a mask requirement throughout the city, and the police were driving around to remind people to wear masks. Many museums were closed or you had to make a reservation, and some areas could not be easily accessed because they were cordoned off to avoid crowds. So there was a little bit of everything. Pros and cons because of Corona.

Language-wise, we got along very well. Apparently, the hosts - whether it was a campground or a restaurant - were also happy to have tourists like us, so they hardly resisted speaking English or German. We had heard before that they place a lot of value on the country's language, but we could not confirm that. Saying Bonjour, Merci, and Au revoir was enough for them, the rest often went well in English.

5. Food

What really surprised me was the mussel eating in Normandy and Brittany. It was August, but mussels with fries were offered on every corner. Typically, mussels are only available in months with an R, but there they seemed to be available all the time. And by the way, the French eat FRIES with every dish! No croquettes, potatoes, rice, baguette (which is only available for breakfast)...only fries. That's why French fries are called "French Fries" in English. I'm definitely done with fries now.

Otherwise, there is also a lot of beef on the menu, and there were also many cow pastures in the villages. Pork was less common.

6. Traffic and Shopping

Red lights are an exception. Roundabouts were everywhere, in any form. Painted ones, a flower pot in the middle, or very large: 3 lanes with 5 exits. But it flows! There are no queues because the traffic keeps moving. Red lights where you have to wait forever, definitely not.

I mentioned the toll stations in other blogs, very easy. However, it is unclear what the price is based on. André tried to calculate it once, but there is no clear line. We had everything from 79 cents to 18.50€.

Refueling was also not a problem, the price is a little more than in Germany, about 15 cents per liter more for diesel.

We tried out various stores for shopping. Lidl, Aldi, or Intermarché and Supermarché. The last two are comparable to Kaufland, so a large selection. Prices similar to ours.

7. Conclusion

As mentioned before, the last 2 days were like "the air is out". We saw a lot - not everything we had hoped and planned for - but still gathered a lot of impressions. As soon as we were back in Germany, we knew that the vacation was coming to an end. So we would only go on a continuous 3-week trip when we are retired. Otherwise, you can't process everything. On Monday, we will start our usual everyday life again and the vacation will be almost forgotten. That's why we returned Herbert one day earlier to calm down, let the impressions sink in, and prepare for next year. One more year until the next vacation, but as far as we are concerned, it will be in a motorhome again. Destination unknown...

I hope you had a lot of fun reading the blog and traveled the world a bit with us. I appreciate your feedback, but I have to say one thing: I will only do it professionally if someone pays me well for it 😊

Warm regards

Die3Bolis