The alarm goes off at 3 o'clock so at the latest I go to bed at 9 o'clock....said and done. Totally easy ....hmm....I think I fell asleep around midnight. Unfortunately, not all sleep deficits turn into diamonds under pressure...
By half past 4 we were ready to depart. Unfortunately, Belgium is relatively close behind Aachen. And in that country, driving is as unpredictable as French people speaking English....right!- Not at all! Hour after hour, lantern after lantern followed. (No wonder the streets can be seen from outer space. What a waste of energy). One could replace the lanterns with lines and half of Belgium would be adorned with a barcode...
At some point, we left Belgium behind and entered France. The lanterns were replaced by toll stations. In France, everything is generally announced in the 'nearby' vicinity of the highway. Even the sea, which is hundreds of kilometers away, is announced. Only the toll stations are announced 1000 meters (!) in advance. So that you can't change your mind. At the first station, I got a ticket...and wondered what to do with it. Since the explanation was of course in French, the ticket could have easily served as a toilet voucher at the next rest stop. At the next station (the blonde) it became clear to me that it should be returned and paid for. (Variant 1 of the toll fees.) Variant 2 is direct collection and variant 3 is paying by credit card. It's a shame when you don't understand this and try to get a ticket OUT, even though you should insert the credit card IN and the line behind you keeps getting longer. I also stood at the gas pump for just as long, because of the same problem. Nothing works here without a credit card (my poor credit card bill....). Today, I got super gas for an absolute bargain price of €1.64...
In the parking lot of said gas station, Teewurst and I met a couple from Viersen with whom we first conversed in French and then in English, until we knew why the other's accent seemed so familiar. Yes, the Germans. We were also invited to have potato salad with meatballs. German food in France <3 The two were also on their way to Brittany. However, for the umpteenth time and to the southern part.
Afterwards, we continued. Over a bridge that looked like a roller coaster entrance....