The last days in France...at La Rochelle, Sainte, and St. Julien-en Born

Contrary to our intentions, today we decided to take the highway to cover some distance. A few hours later, we arrived at La Rochelle on a free parking lot (yeahh). It is packed with French motorhomes and we managed to get the last spot by the sea. The thermometer shows 25° and the sky is clear. You can feel that we are much further south now. There is also a small cape with bunkers from World War II and a coastal hiking trail that is one of a kind. In the evening, we barbecue burgers and friendly bonjours can be heard from all corners. We feel comfortable and 'at home' in beautiful and friendly France.

The next morning, it's low tide and countless people armed with buckets and rakes walk on the waterless beach to collect oysters and mussels. The sea has disappeared on the horizon. After so many weeks, we are still amazed by that. We decide to stay and take a hike along the coast the next morning.

In the city of Sainte, we make a stop and walk through the beautiful old town without our dogs, admire the magnificent basilica where an organ is being played (pure goosebumps), and light a candle for a deceased friend. The river Charente flows through the city and there are many great old bridges to cross. The city itself is deserted. Many shops are closed, but we are not upset...We practically have the city to ourselves.

In 'Cognac', we spend the night by the river and Kilian helps German vacationers with houseboats to open the locks of the canal...always an interesting spectacle.

We generously bypass Bordeaux (yes, I know: 'why?')...because we simply don't feel drawn to the big cities. Too crowded, too loud! We love being in nature...and visiting the small towns is more than enough for us. During our drive through the countryside, we pass through huge vineyards. We are used to vineyards in our homeland at Lake Constance, but what we see here is beyond description. Vineyards as far as the eye can see and wineries are everywhere. Beautiful huge estates with magnificent stone houses and huge distillery facilities can be seen.

In St. Julian, we find the ultimate dream place. For 9 euros, we park behind the giant dune in the pine forest. The beach is incredibly beautiful. Water and sand extend to the horizon...what more could you want? Here, the Atlantic throws powerful waves onto the beach and countless surfers ride the waves. The small beach village is completely geared towards surfers. There are countless bars, restaurants, and shops with sports equipment. Since the season is over, not much is open anymore. But that doesn't bother us. We take beach walks, climb the never-ending sand dunes, and hike through beautiful pine and fir forests. The 'strawberry tree' grows here and in October, the red fruits are ripe. They taste delicious and can be found everywhere. As we walk by, we stuff our bellies.

In addition, we have nice neighbors. We meet Katharina and Lars from Dortmund and the sympathy is immediate. Lars is also a surfer and rides the waves every day. It's a shame that they have to leave the next day. But the next nice people from Zurich are already arriving. Pedro and Eva are also on their way to Portugal for the winter and we sit together comfortably. It's wonderful how many different people you meet while traveling. The two girls Sonja and Daniela are also traveling to Portugal in their old Mercedes Benz Düdo...we exchange numbers right away...maybe we'll meet again? We spend 3 days at this wonderful place, which will also be our last stop in France. Tomorrow we will continue across the Spanish border and bid farewell to France. You wonderful country have given us fantastic weeks. The delicious baguette that can be bought on every corner, the countless parking spaces by the sea, the rugged coast, and endless sandy beaches with their friendly people have thrilled us. Au Revoir...Spain, here we come...

On October 14th, we leave France...again in pouring rain...