The journey is the destination

We start in our trusted configuration, car, roof box, our children (14 and 19) and our dog. The car is full again and we are finally excited to be on the road again.

After 7:45h of driving, we arrive dog tired in our first stop Verdun. Since we had a stressful week, we had to change drivers twice due to major fatigue and were sooo glad when the nice man from the B&B suggested that we could check into our room at 10:30am instead of 2pm.... including a coffee to pass the time.... 😊

...Wifi check before that😜

We wake up at some point and hunger sets in. We go around the corner to a steak restaurant. Ingo has been wanting to eat ribs again for a long time, delicious at 33 degrees. The subsequent ice cream is a treat.... still exhausted, we go back to the hotel 😅

So after breakfast, we're off to the next stop, which is 850km away.... We actually wanted to visit the Citadelle de Verdun and the battlefield of Verdun. The Battle of Verdun was one of the longest and deadliest battles of the First World War on the Western Front between Germany and France. It began on February 21, 1916, with a German attack on the fortified place of Verdun and ended on December 19, 1916, without success for the Germans.

Date: Feb. 21, 1916 - Dec. 18, 1916

Outcome: French tactical victory

We drive past the Citadelle de Verdun and are a little sad that we don't have time to visit everything...... since we still have a long way to go, but thanks to the internet, we turn it into a history lesson during the car ride.... The citadel is like a small underground city with constant activity: offices for the general staff and its services; huge dormitories for the troops; powder and ammunition storage facilities to supply the front; a bakery equipped with nine bread ovens and producing 41,000 rations per day; facilities intended for the rest periods and entertainment of the soldiers; a telephone exchange; a medical station; all illuminated by an electricity plant. Since they were never hit by bomb attacks, these underground tunnels played a crucial moral and logistical role.

As it symbolizes the resistance of an entire nation, the underground citadel is the scene of a moving ceremony on September 13, 1916. In the presence of political figures and French and Allied military authorities, the President of the Republic, Raymond Poincaré, presents 8 honorary medals to the representatives of the city of Verdun.

After a grueling 8.5-hour drive on 2-lane highways and €100 lighter (tolls for roads resembling country roads), we have now arrived at our 2nd stop near Bordeaux, where we will stay for 2 nights.

We check in and head to the pool... wonderful... Breakfast was arranged for half past nine and we go to the next town to eat something.... Pizza, nice, lots going on... the wines on the menu ranging from cheap to expensive and no trace of Corona here in the countryside near Bordeaux...

After a delicious breakfast with croissants and homemade jam, we drive to Bordeaux. Allegedly, Bordeaux has a large and beautiful old town that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. Well, that's something for me 😍...

Bordeaux is full of sights and not for nothing is considered the secret capital of France. Since the city was occupied by the German Wehrmacht for almost the entire time of the Second World War, it remained largely undamaged and has been able to preserve its historic appearance to this day. Accordingly, there is a lot to see.

The search for parking spaces is difficult, and finally, 4 hours for €15 🙊.... we let ourselves drift and walk through the huge city, many people, colorful bustle, interesting things to observe. We arrive at La Grosse Cloche - the bell tower, which is one of the oldest in France, once served as a city gate to the old town and as a prison. Next, we head to Touré Pey-Berland. It is a bell tower isolated on the south-eastern side of the choir of the Saint-André Cathedral, similar to an Italian Campanile (Campanile= is a free-standing bell tower next to a church building without a connection to it). At its top is the highest viewpoint in the city, but unfortunately it is currently closed, so you can't enjoy the view over the city. The tower is named after Archbishop Pey Berland, who initiated its construction in 1440.

The Saint-André Cathedral is a place of worship serving the Archdiocese of Bordeaux. The cultural monument was classified as a historic monument in 1862 and is protected as such. The cathedral has been listed as part of the "Jakobsweg in France" on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998... Yay, we walked a small section of the Camino de Santiago, as well as the Basilica of Saint-Michel, a Roman Catholic church. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Bordeaux and is dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It is also considered a stop on the Via Turonensis of the Camino de Santiago and has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998... and another section on the Camino de Santiago 😜
...Finally, we pass another city gate... the Porte Cailhau. It was built in honor of Charles VIII from 1495 onwards. The Porte Cailhau has been a listed building since May 28, 1883... Short break on the promenade by the Garonne River, which is a bit dirty.... discovered the Pont de pierre bridge 😃... Pont de pierre is the oldest "Stone Bridge" across the Garonne River. The planning of the bridge began in 1810, during the reign of Napoleon. We consider taking a short river cruise, but Hoshi is only allowed in a box, which of course we didn't have with us.... so we drive to the stadium of Girondins de Bordeaux just for Marvin (apparently they play in the top French league)... Then we quickly refuel and buy some baguette, wine, cheese, and salami 😉... off we go again and tomorrow we'll continue towards Spain 🇪🇸...

On our way to our first real vacation destination, we make a small detour to Dune du Pilat.... La dune, as the largest sand dune in Europe is called.

The dune is up to 110 meters high, 500 meters wide, about 2.7 kilometers long (estimated volume: 60 million cubic meters)

The journey on the French highway continues to be very sluggish, with short stretches of traffic jams and not really a speed that makes progress easier... we're stuck in traffic and give up our plan, as all the people stuck in traffic with us also need a parking space to see the great dune... so we turn around in the next roundabout and head to our actual destination..... It's a shame, but after about 2000 km, none of us feel like dealing with traffic.... But I looked at a few pictures on the internet and copied 1/2 of them 😉