The journey begins with the planning...

So, now the time has finally come - the working life is over. Ahead of me lies the calm and restless time of retirement.

And because this time must be approached carefully, the idea arose about 1 year ago to drive along the coast of southern France, through Spain, Portugal, northern Spain, and again France (Atlantic) in spring with a motorhome.

The most valuable thing about it should be the newly gained time - I have enough of that now (I think).

It should be 3 months, or even better: 80 days through southwestern Europe.

With a motorhome, it's a different story. We are basically newcomers and after two vacations with a rental vehicle in the fall, we struck and bought our own vehicle. After countless visits to motorhome dealers, open days, and trade fair visits, we came to the realization:

- A new purchase with our own configuration will never be finished and ready for delivery on 01.03.22.

Therefore, it had to be one of the inventory vehicles of the many dealers in northern Germany that we had visited during the summer. We chose the LAIKA Kosmos 509 L, which was waiting for us in Flensburg at

The vehicle fulfilled most of the wishes we had for our own motorhome. And it was new, driven 0 km, 160 hp, single beds in the rear, face-to-face seating area, separate shower and bathroom, appealing ambiance, and ... and ... and.

The acid test will show what is still missing.

Alright, enough of the backstory.

We're starting on 28.02. (Rose Monday). No, I'm not going through the Rhineland, but heading straight south.

From the 3rd day onward, I will reach the Italian-French border in Menton. From then on, the adventure begins, which I share with everyone interested on this page.

Here is the rough planning:

Part 1 of the journey - French Mediterranean coast from March 2nd - March 13th

Part 2 of the journey: Spain Mediterranean from March 14th - March 30th

Part 3 of the journey: Portugal Algarve and Atlantic from March 31st - April 19th

Part 4 of the journey: Northern Spain and the Basque Country: April 20th - April 30th

Part 5 of the journey: French Atlantic coast from May 1st - May 10th

Part 6 of the journey: Brittany, Normandy, the Netherlands, and the North Sea coast from May 11th - May 20th