Our 100th day on the trip began with an unexpected rain surprise when we were taking down the tent. We quickly improvised, stretched the groundsheet over our bikes and found shelter in a small wood. When the rain subsided and the sun came out, we dried our tarpaulins and continued our journey at around 11am.
The route took us through fields, small villages and vineyards. We stopped in Mortagne-sur-Gironde and were overwhelmed by the beautiful view: The charming houses, the view of the river, the harbour and the impressive rock faces gave the town a special flair. We treated ourselves to a break for chips at the harbour before continuing along the Gironde and a stream. After around 57 kilometres, we finally found a suitable place to sleep, where we rounded off our anniversary day with dinner and setting up our tent after sunset.
Of rain, ferries and a warm welcome
We continued our journey at around 11.30 a.m. after sheltering from a rain shower under a tree. The route took us through small villages and vineyards to Blaye, where we took the ferry across the Gironde. After the crossing, we again spotted fishermen's cottages and stopped at a picnic area before continuing our journey and seeing a church with a round steeple, a windmill and many castles and vineyards.
When we arrived at our Warmshowers hosts' home, we were warmly welcomed despite being an hour late. We were allowed to sleep in the guest bed in the living room and cooked a delicious dinner together in the kitchen, which we all enjoyed together.
A quiet working day
The day began with some practical work: we waterproofed our tent, hung up wet clothes to dry and worked on our laptops. In between, we enjoyed a warm shower. We received a special surprise in the form of an enquiry from stadtlichtern, a magazine from Lüneburg, which wanted to report on us. Apart from that, the day passed quietly and without any special events, which gave us some time to catch our breath after the many adventures of the last few days.
A conversation and a game
Today we had an exciting phone call with a reporter from the magazine stadtlichter in Lüneburg, who wanted to report on our trip. In the evening, we spent time with our hosts' children, played a game together and then enjoyed dinner together.
Continue to Bordeaux
After saying goodbye to our hosts, we cycled through endless vineyards towards Bordeaux. In the city, we cycled along the Garonne, briefly explored the city centre and then continued our journey out of the city.
A long, straight path
Today we cycled 35 kilometres in a dead straight line, without any significant deviations - a real monotony compared to our otherwise varied routes.
Impressions of the Dune du Pilat
We visited the Dune du Pilat, Europe's largest shifting sand dune. The sheer size and the view were impressive. After a short stop, we drove on, saw a beautiful sunset and many more dunes. The road led us constantly uphill and downhill. At a supermarket, we met a nice couple from Bielefeld with whom we had a long chat. In the evening, we were glad to be in our sleeping bags.
Random reunions and clear nights
After the first few kilometres on the bike, we bumped into the couple from the previous day and cycled a few kilometres together before we parted ways. We stopped at a large lake near Biscarrosse, where Annkathrin went for a swim. The water was pleasantly warm and a nearby aqua park provided music in the air.
After a long section parallel to the country road, we looked for a place to sleep. Under a starry sky, we set up only our inner tent up. Despite the cool temperatures, we stayed warm in our sleeping bags.
A day full of small experiences
After breakfast in the tent, Annkathrin walked to the supermarket while Nico collected plastic bottles in the nearby forest. We then drove on and discovered a caravan park with free Wi-Fi. We tried to upload a video there, but despite booking additional data volume, the laptop battery was not sufficient to complete the upload. Later, our camping neighbours from Heilbronn offered us some leftover pasta and we chatted late into the evening.
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