Tag 22 AUDIERNE 26.08.2022

Now things are getting interesting! The first night in our luxury two-person tent (with a glass bedside lamp and double socket for our chargers) was quite an experience. Well, more the opposite, actually!? The temperatures were freezing at night and I, who is usually the hot water bottle, couldn't get warm in Karin's fancy, blue, thin silk sleeping bag! Throughout the night, I put on a second t-shirt, then a pair of long jeans, and finally a fleece jacket. The climax was a blue blanket that I brought out of the car in the dark of the night! Wow! But Karin also froze a lot in her sleeping bag, and we wanted to better prepare ourselves for the next night!

Instead, we spent a long time in bed enjoying the morning sun slowly heating up our dwelling. There was no breakfast at home, so we headed into town and packed everything we needed for hiking. Sometimes it's quite a hassle, taking suitcases in and out and changing backpacks and outdoor clothes here, hiking boots there. Structure is needed, and at our age, we still have to remember it, right? We didn't smile with satisfaction until we sat in a street cafe in the front row on the street, surrounded by French people, observing people and enjoying our breakfast (smoothie, green tea, croissant, sandwich, coffee). Relaxing! Just like the other guests in the bistros and bars who already had their wine or beer in front of them. It's also possible to meet and chat or read the newspaper with just a glass of water. C'est la vie!

But for us, ...... STOP! Let's talk about the highlights: After breakfast, we strolled down the main street to the harbor, where we hadn't been before in this part of the port. And suddenly I discovered a restaurant that advertised "Fruits de Mer". The menu, which we examined in detail this time, included a wide variety of fish dishes, and there was also a menu available in the evening. Many restaurants have such a menu offer, which is only available during lunchtime and attracts customers with an attractive price. So, we were both convinced and reserved for the evening (7:30 pm, it can hardly get any earlier!). ... now it's time for the first hike on this Breton peninsula. We are in the area of ​​'Cap Sizun' and wanted to visit the two most famous landmarks there. In the south, it's the Pointe du Raz, and in the north, it's the Pointe de Van. These two points are about 5 km apart and can be hiked back and forth in 4 hours. But we're on vacation, it was already noon, and the sun was scorching, after all! We only hiked south, starting from a parking lot exactly between these two points. A smart decision, because the hiking trail (again the GR 34, which we also had on the previous peninsula and winds its way around the entire Breton Atlantic coast) was not without challenges. It constantly goes up and down through the small cutouts on the coast. This area is very rugged and not suitable for swimming. There were many hikers again, all following the same route, as there is no other way here. The entire coastal area is a protected area, and the vegetation is similar to the Lüneburg Heath. Continuous path markers in the form of taut wires and small signs make the trails clear. But often you can also see small footpaths off the trail that lead directly to the cliff edges or steeply down to the small coves. We reached our destination without any problems. Parts of this headland are naturally under military control, and the nearby mini island Gorle Greiz will belong to it too! Control over the Atlantic was once very, very important. Anyway, we rested while enjoying the view of this fascinating nature, the only thing missing were the huge waves breaking against the cliffs, shrouded in mist! In contrast, Karin discovered a French small family with three children, each a year apart. The oldest was probably 5 years old, and they all walked the same path as us. Not carried by the father, only partially holding hands with the mother, and having a great time relatively close to the shoreline. Then, each of them got a small bag of chips and pieces of green cucumber. Karin immediately adopted this great idea of ​​salt intake and healthy refreshment into our hiking snack plan. You just have to read about the next day! On the way back, we chose a more inland route to add some variety. Since we had a beach right at the parking lot, we had our first swim in the Atlantic. Simply wonderful to drop the sweaty clothes on the beach and plunge into the water afterwards. The waves were not easy, after all, there were many surfers, and we fought with the blue-green element. Fantastic at around 18°C and the sun shining bright!

Back home, it was noticeably cooler, and before we went to the restaurant, we prepared for the night. Karin took out a legging and got an extra blanket. I added a pair of warm socks to my sleeping set. Then off to the big fish dinner. We were lucky because our reservation had been moved from indoors to the glassed terrace. More people to watch and soak up the atmosphere! So they didn't have stingray (French: raie) on the menu, and Karin opted for the "Plat Fruits de Mer," and I put together a menu of fish soup, fish with rice and vegetables, and two scoops of ice cream. Karin chose a ginger drink as an opener, and I had a non-alcoholic virgin mojito. Of course, we also got a carafe of water (French: eau de robinet) from the tap, which is common and free everywhere. The fish dinner turned out to be another surprise: Karin received fresh seafood from the sea, including mussels, snails, light-colored shellfish, large prawns, and small langoustines (?) and 3 oysters. They were already open, but she had made sure that there were no closed ones. And after our experiences in South Africa, European oysters don't have a chance in terms of taste anymore. My meal didn't quite meet my expectations either! The fish soup was very tasty and could be enhanced with grated cheese and croutons, but the piece of fish was cooked and floating in a light sauce that I couldn't identify. The ice cream for me at the end and a chocolate mousse for Karin rounded everything off. Finally, a French fish dinner, but that wasn't all. The restaurant was fully booked, and many guests were looking for a place in vain. I overheard that there were more restaurants further down the street. So we took a digestion walk, and at the Albatross restaurant, we were offered an even larger fish menu, this time including stingray. Of course, we had to make a reservation here too, tomorrow at 7:00 pm!