# Tag 33 Departure towards 'La Bollen'

Saturday morning, we want to start the journey home. By now, we are no longer in Brittany and can therefore conclude that our round trip from last year is completed. The entire coastline around South-West Europe is now closed with Brittany, Normandy, the Channel Coast, the Netherlands, and the North Sea coast.

But before we go, there is something to be done.

At the campsite, an oyster tasting is offered from 11 am. I had read about it a few days before and as luck would have it, we are ready to leave at 11 am.

And the oyster stand is already set up. Now there is no turning back. I want to embark on the adventure and try the fresh oysters. It's a real bargain at a price of €5 for 3 oysters, including a glass of Muscadet. The fisherman opens the shell with his oyster knife by cutting the strong muscle of the oyster and puts 3 shells on my plate.

Uncertain, I open the shell and glance at the neighboring tables. The oyster flesh wobbles in the shell and I scrape it together with a small fork. Now a good squeeze of lemon on top and off we go. To swallow or to bite - I start chewing and I am surprised. The meat is mild and firm, and I don't have to gag. But still - a sip of Muscadet completes the experience. I enjoy slurping the 2nd and 3rd oysters and I am almost tempted to get more.

Simone remains firm and only takes a small glass of Muscadet - without oysters.

I have to admit that I have acquired a taste for it. I confess to the bistro owner: C'est la première fois et c'était mieux, que ce que je pensais (it's the first time and better than I thought).

Proud and buoyant, we set off and feed our GPS with the home address, without wanting to use toll roads.

And then the drama of the route guidance begins. We have often been sent by the GPS on routes that we would never have taken. The devices have a tendency to choose the shortest route, even if it only saves 500 meters. But the price for that is high and costs time. At first, you console yourself that you can also experience a lot of landscape and remote areas. After 2 hours, this consolation no longer works when you have only traveled 80 km in that time. We change tactics and ignore 'Lydia', instead Simone navigates with her phone. It proves helpful to define larger cities within a radius of 20-30 km on the route and then drive in a mix of GPS and road signs. It is foolish to leave a well-developed national road just because the GPS has calculated a 500m shortcut.

After 400 km and 7 hours, we have chosen a pitch on the banks of the Seine. The La Mailleraye sur Seine parking area offers space for 34 motorhomes right on the banks of the Seine.

For only €7, you have a first-class spot by the riverside and can watch large ships pass by, including some river cruises. The pitch is a recommendation for anyone in the area.

The Seine flows here in large loops through the 'Les boucles de la Seine' national park and is a bit reminiscent of the loops of the Moselle River - only the slopes and the wine cultivation are missing.

When the sun shines the next morning and it gets warm, it would be quite possible to stay here longer and explore the area.

That is then extensively enabled for us on the onward journey because we stupidly rely on the GPS again and are led into the most remote corners of the region. At some point, we are so annoyed that we remove the option 'avoid toll roads' from the GPS. Hopefully, it will now find a highway that will take us forward.

But far from it, in this area of Hautes-France, there are only highways from the coast to the inland, but none on our route to Belgium. A short stretch of A 28 makes us breathe a sigh of relief, but then it's over again and the desperate study of maps leads to the sobering realization that the route to Lille consists of many country roads, a bit of a national road, and lots of roundabouts. This reaches its climax on the 4-lane national road N 47 just before Lille, which turns into a roundabout every 800 meters - brake, downshift, enter, exit, shift up. And all of this a minimum of 10 times on a stretch of about 10 km. I am starting to doubt the meaningfulness of French traffic management and my threshold for irritability is reaching alarming levels. I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE.

Finally, the border to Belgium and the prospect of a highway. The A 22 just after the border is ours - and that of many cars. While the traffic in France was still manageable, the highways in Belgium are crowded. When we drive to a rest area on a truck stop for a short break, the next blow comes. It is Sunday and the entire fleet of trucks is standing at these truck stops. We can't find a parking space and drive on in frustration.

Simone is already looking for a place for the night and finds one on the coast in Holland. In Bergen op Zoom behind Antwerp, the pitch on the Binnenschelde seems quite appealing - right by a small beach, near the old town, and there is also a service area. That's where we're heading.

The disappointment on arrival at 7 pm - the beach is dirty, the sports facility is a fitness studio and an indoor swimming pool (still okay), and across the street is a McDonald's. And that's exactly where the problem begins. McD is a magnet for young people who buy their hamburger menus here and drive to the waterfront by car. They park wherever there is space, and if that happens to be next to the motorhomes - no problem. They turn on their music, make noise, and throw trash out of the window. Then they call their buddies who come on their mopeds, and the street becomes a strip of foam. Which car is the loudest.

Our mood is at its lowest point. How long will this continue, when will they go home? Or do we have to rethink?

Indeed, it becomes more bearable after 11 pm and after midnight, it is quiet on the beach.

Simone is so annoyed that she leaves a scathing review in the 'Stellplatz Radar' app and advises everyone against this place.

This experience also provides insights when choosing pitches - avoid city center pitches that are near McDonald's or other meeting points. Take the reviews seriously when they mention 'noisy' and 'car posers'. We are still learning.

The next morning, we enter the destination for the day - 'La Bollen' on the Weser beach. Do I still need to mention that we are initially sent through city centers and shortcuts? But then our technique with the selection of larger cities and the mix of GPS and road signs works quite well.

The direct route leads from Holland to Meppen and from there onto the country road towards Cloppenburg. This is once again the last challenge because it is obviously also used by trucks as the shortest route. The truck traffic on the country road is already massive and pushes the LAIKA to its limits when overtaking. Now onto the A 1 and voila, we're home.

The last two days have already cost us nerves. But that shouldn't cloud the overall impression. I can't draw a final conclusion yet. But I want to make some observations:

This part of the trip was more hectic and restless than the 3 months last year. We often stayed only 1-2 days at places and therefore didn't find rest. Rarely did we stay at one place for 4 days. Our journey was much more fragmented and took place in a narrower area. Some stages were only 60-80 km apart. But it always opened up a completely new landscape.

In comparison, we liked Normandy better than Brittany.

The weather in early May could be better.

France as a holiday destination is very diverse with varied landscapes. But one thing is the same everywhere - France is expensive. You have surely read that in the reports.

This is where this blog ends. I enjoyed sharing our experiences with you.

I'm curious about your reactions when we see each other.