We have finally made it: We now live 24/7 in our self-built camper van! We still haven’t given it a name – the perfect name is still missing – but we are confident that sooner or later we will be ready. From Switzerland we start in direction northwest. Our first stop is in Colmar, France.

Sights in Colmar

In Colmar, we visit the famous, hearty old town with many buildings steeped in history. The market hall and a traditional crêperie are also on our list of experiences. While walking through the old streets, the small canal always catches our eye. This exudes a wonderful charm and let us revel in the ancient feeling of life. Twisting house entrances alternate with small Bijous. In some of them we can only guess at the assortment, in others we can’t resist and dive into the different worlds of experience: small bakeries, local handicrafts, camping gadgets and souvenirs alternate.

Local specialties are offered in the market hall. As with the souvenir stores, however, we can’t make a big splash here either, after all, we don’t want to fill our van to the roof right from the start.

A souvenir that we personally appreciate very much and that we can always take with us as an experience is the culinary. For this we visit a crêperie very close to one of the oldest and probably best-known buildings of Colmar, the Maison Pfister. An original Alsatian tarte flambée and galettes de sarrasin give us a good culinary introduction to France.

Overnight stays in France

In France we are standing freely a lot to take advantage of the full self-sufficiency of our van. It turns out: we don’t have to do without almost any luxury for a few days. This is possible due to a large battery, 230V inverter, a sufficiently dimensioned water tank and sanitary facilities at restaurant stops in this first phase of travel for four nights. Parking lots as well as “Aires” are more than enough – special elaborate searches or previous knowledge are not necessary in northern France from our point of view.

Stopover in Luxembourg

Out of curiosity and geographical proximity, a side trip to Luxembourg is planned as the next attraction. Crossing the border and entering the city is very uncomplicated in the European Union. We hardly notice that it is another country. Not true in some sense: as soon as we crossed the border the buildings are as well maintained as in Switzerland. In general, we feel much more comfortable in contrast to northern France, purely because of the external impression.

We parked our yellow home centrally and we explore the city center on foot. Since we are in Luxembourg on a Sunday it is rather quiet. Interestingly, the city Luxembourg is just called the city by locals to not confuse it with the country Luxembourg. In the core of the city, however, some stores and restaurants are open, so we enjoyed making this stopover.

The old town is separated from the new town by the river Petruss. The river is lower than the two parts of the city and flanked on both banks by a lush green park. This park is inviting and offers many recreational opportunities. From athletes to a large skate park to hearty apartment buildings that stand sporadically on the steep embankments. The river is estimated 100m lower than the rest of the city, our eyes roam over many new impressions.

Typical attractions we do not see on this Sunday. We are primarily satisfied with the well-kept ambience. 

Belgium – another unexpectedly beatiful stop

From Luxembourg we continue to Belgium, because after these great impressions we really don’t feel much like going back to northern France. Belgium seems to have grown together with Luxembourg. seamlessly. Here we notice the renewed border crossing even less. The landscape changes to Nordic looking forest and hilly landscapes. These are interrupted again and again by villages with stone houses. We like this style of building very much and find a suitable small village for the night. In Redu we stand on an official free RV park. Despite the small size of the village, there is a comparatively large church and well-kept restaurants. One has a very welcoming impression on us so that we stay for dinner.

Lille

In order to make progress on our way towards England, we next head for Lille, France. Without great expectations, we explore the city center on foot and are pleasantly surprised. A hip, colorful and lively city welcomes us. Here, the French charm we missed plays, and we try here, although on the “wrong” side of the border, fresh, Belgian frites – a treat! We can recommend NOCNOC right on the Grand Place!

Calais – Atlantic coast

After the stop in Lille, we drive directly to the Atlantic coast – we are both drawn to the sea. We haven’t been to the sea for a long time, so we are looking forward to the afternoon drive. Here we decide – also for safety reasons – to book a campground for our two nights. We find a simple, but comfortable place which lies 500m behind the sand dune to the coast.

Already at the arrival we are received by a German guest. It turns out that we miss the European Kite-Buggy Championship only by hours. But the buggies are still interesting – we quickly realize that most of the other guests on the campsite have participated in the European Championship and so we can have a close look at several of such buggies. 

The next day we only plan to book the ferry to Dover – and to see the kite buggies in action! At low tide, the beach has a very flat sandy area, which measures at least 600m against the waterline and seems almost unlimited in length. Here, during our exploration tour, 6 buggies are doing their last rounds since rain showers are announced. This is convenient for us. The buggies return one by one to our vantage point and we can have a close look at the technology. It is indeed the case that the riders have the kites attached to them and then simply sit in the three-wheeled buggies. At first, we had assumed that the kite would be connected directly to the buggy in some way.

Ferry to Dover, England

We consciously decide to cross to England by ferry because we are used to long tunnels from Switzerland. In addition: The view is better, the air quality anyway and the almost 50 km are behind us without heavy driving.

Ferries to Dover leave both from Calais and Dunkirk. Our campsite is located approximately in the middle of the two places and so we can decide for the most advantageous price of the crossing. For this we use online comparison portals which charge us around 115€ for the crossing for the two of us plus our van. A short online search will certainly save you a hefty price of sometimes well over 200€, too.

Now it’s: England, here we come! We are really looking forward to the upcoming experiences!