1 April 2023

Bonjour – France

What could be tastier than good Brie cheese with crunchy baguette? Perhaps a fresh crêpe filled with white chocolate!

I loved France not only for its food but also for its impressive cities, beaches, and mountains.

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin

In Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, we found a campsite on a mountain. Except for a few donkeys in the background, there seemed to be no one else around. Haha. That would have been nice! After just a few minutes, a Frenchman approached us. He wore a loose, half-buttoned shirt and shorts. His hair was grayish, short, and a bit tousled. With a loud "Boooonjoooouuur," he greeted us loudly, trying his best to stand upright and suppress his swaying. A blind person could have guessed from his first sound that this man was definitely drunk. To our misfortune! The Frenchman talked and talked. Things that were not particularly interesting and, BY THE WAY, not understandable to us (due to his language). After hundreds of remarks, he started speaking English. That didn't make it any better. Now he told us about the donkeys he owned, his non-existent wife, and his life. Somehow, one could feel sorry for this man... When he finally got closer to our camper, we decided to look for another campsite.

And OFF we went.

Welcome to Saint-Tropez

Our campsite was only a 10-minute walk from the center. What more could you ask for?

Off to Hyères

In Hyères, it wasn't easy to find a campsite. We first drove up the castle hill: That was not a good idea!

Then it was back down again backwards, winding. What fun!

Finally, we parked on a meadow with a view of the castle. Not bad either!

Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer

After the beautiful sunset, we made some fresh pizzas with our Omnia oven!

Via Ferrata

The scariest Via Ferrata

Like in a horror movie! For some, a hanging bridge is probably already a scary experience, but the fog here tops everything!

Even though I didn't really see much: I knew it went verrrrry deep down!

No Risk – No Fun.

Nîmes

Bullfighting in the amphitheater

For the first time in our lives, we visited an amphitheater where a bullfight took place.

With mixed feelings, we finally sat down in one of the many rows. After being supplied with beer, it started. At first, we only saw the fighters in their white clothes standing in the middle of the amphitheater.

What now? No red cloth? No.

Suddenly there was a short warning signal, after which the big bull, somewhat cautiously, marched into the fight with his powerful horns. The goal was now for the white men (fighters) to touch the bull's forehead and to do so without getting injured.

It got exciting!

After a while, someone finally managed to touch the animal's forehead. Oh my goodness... Now quickly. He ran for his life and "SLAP" - he collided with the barrier. Our breath stopped. In seconds, he was pulled over the railing by several staff members. Lucky again, I'd say! The bull also collided with the barrier shortly afterwards. That could have gone wrong! The game was so exciting that I couldn't look away for a second. "Deux Euro". "Deux Euro" echoed through the speakers. Every time the bull's forehead was touched, the player received 2 euros. Risky 2 euros. Life-threatening 2 euros. The game continued. Occasionally, the bull slammed into the barrier with full force. It also happened that the bull protruded half over the railing because he had such speed that he struck over. Horrible to watch. Only the next day, traditionally, the head of the animal was cut off alive with the help of a knife. The horns were then pulled out and proudly handed over.

Shocking tradition. We agree on that.

We don't need to be part of such a "game" again.

Montpellier

On the way to Montpellier, a large truck drove in front of us, from which a big stone hit our windshield.

Great!

The windshield cracked bit by bit. So it was off to the workshop as quickly as possible. Fortunately, we were ADAC members, so we received reimbursement for a hotel night worth over 100 euros + transportation.

Crazy. One phone call and everything was arranged! It's definitely worth being an ADAC member!

The next day, with our repaired windshield, we found a new campsite in the middle of nowhere. After a quiet night, I prepared breakfast. Suddenly we heard a strange noise from outside. We opened the camper door and behold: