Finally departure - Day 1 - 790.7km

After 4 years, it's time for another long trip. I spent a whole day packing chairs, boxes, kitchenware, and clothing for hot days. Food and some drinks also need to be packed carefully. Everything is secure and tightly packed - nothing will fly around during braking. That's how it should be.

Departure - planned for 9am - with fresh bread rolls in the luggage, I set off fully fueled towards France.

The first stop will be an overnight stay at a pension - hopefully, I will find a shady spot outside and spend the night there in peace. It's good that no one is planning to empty me yet. So everything stays in place until the campsite.

On the way through the Ruhr area, Bonn, Merl, Koblenz, and Trier, I will head to Luxembourg. I should get fully fueled here. Indeed, I can get 36 liters of diesel for €1.82 per liter - that's a good deal.

There was a close call though - when the truck next to me lost its wheel arch on a three-lane highway in France. Skillful braking and careful swerving probably saved my windshield and also prevented considerable damage to me. Phew...

After three breaks, two ice creams for the drivers, and dinner at McDonald's in Dijon, I finally find my long-awaited shady parking spot on a quiet "Rue du Parc".

Accompanied by beautiful sunflower fields in France, passing through the Eifel region by the Mosel River with temperatures reaching up to 39 degrees Celsius, it was an exhausting, scorching hot, but fantastic first day!

This will be the first of 26 planned nights on a tour through France and Spain. And tonight, I will sleep fully loaded alone on the street and enjoy the tranquility.

The two ladies are actually stretching their legs at the nearby park and will end the day with a cold shower.

I'm looking forward to everything that awaits me.