To France

It’s an odd start for a holiday, we had planned to get organised and packed yesterday afternoon and evening, but Arne’s come down with a viral infection and spent all Friday in the couch. I’ve at least managed to get the laundry done and some of the specific stuff like camera equipment, shoes, finalising the reservations, ..

Today we get up at six, take a brief moment to defrost and then get going in earnest. The packing check list comes in super handy , we don’t discuss or negotiate, just grab what’s on the list and check it off. After hugging the cats one last time, we set off around nine. We’re sleeping near La Rochelle tonight, almost 1000 km south, at least, if you follow the coastal route: it’s a bit longer than if you go via Paris, but much quieter!

We pass Calais, Rouen, Le Mans, Angers, .. sometimes in the rain, sometimes in the sun, but it’s always pretty windy. I do most of the driving, Arne is still pretty tired and takes a few naps. We make good time, even with the speed limited to 110 kmph when it rains. We arrive at our hotel around seven, it looks like a nice area to visit, but we’re too tired and have another long day of driving tomorrow, so we have a quick meal at a Buffalo Grill nearby and are in bed by nine.

We should really be trying to get used to the Spanish lunch and dinner hours, as of tomorrow it’ll be lunch around two and dinner around nine. It’s like a food jet lag: we’re staying in the same time zone but will have to acclimate anyway!

In any case, though it’s a last minute trip, we got it pretty much organised: the hotels are booked, the fancy restaurants as well, so it should be a relaxing jaunt through the north of Spain, with castles and abbeys, good wine and food and walks through green hills.