It's a long way to...

Most of us don't associate this phrase with the famous marching song of the British Army of World War I, when the Irish battalion known as the "Connaught Rangers" landed in France in 1914 and marched towards the enemy.

For me, this half-sentence and the corresponding song rather remind me of a scene from the Emmerich classic "Das Boot", when the crew of U-96 sang this song as they sailed out of the U-boat harbor in St. Nazaire!

So... now it's not 1914 or 1942. It's 2024, we're writing in our vacation blog again, because summer vacation has started and the world still wants to be discovered.

How do we connect war to vacation? Quite simply... with the goal!

We have been in Brittany since early Saturday morning. This is where the British landed in both World War I and World War II, here in Lorient and St. Nazaire are still the former U-boat bunkers of the Wehrmacht, and, to make the ambiguity of the title perfect, it was a damn long way here! Hahaha...

That Brittany wants to be crossed off our imaginary list of destinations (or in the new-speak called "bucket list") was clear at the latest after our Normandy vacation in 2018!

After all, Brittany is supposed to be even more beautiful and visually impressive than Normandy!

And since our tent had to take a break last year and give way to long-distance travel, it was quickly decided that this year we would go camping in the homeland of Asterix and Obelix.

The corresponding travel guide has been available for a few years now, as I always want to buy a travel guide for every country that moves up to pole position during vacation planning. That's why we are also owners of Costa Rica, Panama, Albania, and Montenegro guides!

This speaks for plenty of ambivalence in vacation planning...

Anyway, on Thursday afternoon we first went to Bausenhagen to say hello to little Finn (Ida's new cousin), then to Unna, where we were able to load the borrowed Manfred trailer from Düsseldorf with a lot of assistance!

Our last camping vacation was still with a significantly larger car. All the equipment and luxury goods would have burst the new vehicle unfortunately!

On Friday evening around 7 p.m., the long journey finally started. With plenty of space thanks to the trailer and ample parental supply of provisions, coffee, cola, and sugar in our luggage!

After almost exactly 12 hours of surprisingly stress-free car ride, we finally reached our first destination. Or rather, our first planned destination, the campsite "Camping du Cap Frehel".

Because there is no reservation in advance here. All municipal campsites operate according to the principle of "Come, be lucky, and squeeze in between"!

That may sound relaxed and flexible, but for the classic German planner, it is already far outside the comfort zone during the French holiday season.

For this reason, we had ALREADY marked three additional spots in advance, in case the prioritized spot might be crowded.

But we were relieved to find that there was still a spot of land available for us. Fortunately, the Swiss, who we may have bothered a little with our tent and the hammering of the pegs, left shortly afterwards, so that we can now enjoy more privacy in the shade of tall pine trees than originally expected.

The peninsula around Cap Frehel was our first destination because it has many small and large bays with the widest sandy beaches to romp around, but also magnificent pink-colored villages and landscapes. Already during the drive accompanied by the rising sun, we were thrilled by the beauty and ruggedness of the area and felt strongly reminded of the Scottish Highlands!

After quickly and smoothly setting up the palace for three (Ida is now a really good and thoughtful help), we wanted to get a first impression of the nearby bay and the associated beach.

Thanks to low tide, we were greeted by an extensive sandy beach with large rock formations that were made for climbing.

The sea itself was predictably chilly, which did not prevent some vacationers from diving into the waves.

We were not among them...

After returning to the campsite, the sleepless night hit us with full force, so that even the car ride to the nearby Super-U turned out to be a challenge for our reactiveness.

The goal of staying awake until 8 p.m. in order not to be wide awake in the tent at 4 a.m. was only just achieved and by taking an evening walk through the still beautiful purple heath landscape here!

Twelve!!! hours of sleep later, we are awakened by two fighting or loving (one doesn't know) doves who think they should use our tent and the tree next to it for their tête-à-tête.

Which is also true for the whole family bladder, to leave the tent and visit the local sanitary facilities.

Unfortunately, it must be said that, as beautifully located as the place may be, the toilets and showers have fallen victim to a backlog of investment. Toilet paper, hand soap, clothes hooks, water pressure, and even sufficient light are unfortunately in short supply here. In the European guide known as the gold standard for wet cells, "Le Klosett de Camp", it rightly only receives 2 out of 10 toilet brushes.

After a extensive French breakfast with fresh croissants and baguette from the mobile bakery, the morning is spent reading and drinking coffee, or being supplied from the French mud kitchen à la Ida.

In the afternoon, we head back down to the beach, this time armed with shovels, buckets, a frisbee, and a kite. We still don't dare to go into the water.

But probably we only have to wait 10-20 more years anyway, to be able to splash around in pleasantly warm 25-degree water thanks to the nonexistent global warming. Only outside the water it could be a bit too warm then... everything is not possible!

We end the evening with whiskey and tea, playing a game and listening to music.

We're slowly getting there!