Department Pas de Calais

We landed back on mainland Europe.

The first, fun challenge wasn't the motorway and right-hand traffic, but the fact that turning left on a roundabout is simply faster the British way. Currently I tend to lean towards the left on small roads, but my clever co-driver quickly helped me!

We have been here in the Pas-de-Calais many times, but always just passing through, only 12 years ago there were a few nights. This time we made up for it because we don't have any real time pressure at the moment. It was a funny thing because the wind was strong, but at the same time the temperatures were really mild for the beginning of October!

I went on a hike alone with Loki, which Christian and I had just explored 12 years ago, it was gigantic! The sun on the Dover Cliffs could even be seen without binoculars, which doesn't really show up in the pictures.

A lot has happened here since the first hike, the paths are well marked and some of the paths are gravel. BUT you can also see the consequences of global warming, because the beach is now smaller even at low tide and the erosion is so severe that coastal hiking trails have had to be rerouted and changed for about 5 years because of quarrying and the risk of falling.

Loki and I saw a lot, he even looked at the hunters who hunt the grouse here, no joke, in a totally relaxed manner. Nerone probably wouldn't have stayed so cool.

The next day Christian, Nerone and I went on the beach hike that we already knew from before. We were observed by some students who were probably having biology or geology lessons on the beach. As a German, you're already ashamed when you see the war memorials, but when a teenager shouts to her friends that she has to call her mother because the Germans are guarding the beach with dogs and patrolling again, then that's it that's really intense.

I'm not as fluent in French as I am in Italian or especially English, but that really hurt...

Nevertheless, I like the coast, I like the super relaxed approach to dogs, the beaches and also the savoir vivre.

Baguette and tarama are obligatory...