We're on our final vacation of the year, this time camping with our van at the Lac de Madine in the Grand-Est region of France.
image from gmaps
We're staying at a charming campsite with everything we could possibly need and more. Almost every morning, we head to the reception to pick up our baguette, which we enjoy with delicious French cheese and some good, cheap German coffee xD
image from gmaps
The first few days were super warm, so we mostly spent our time swimming in the lake, cycling to the nearest supermarket (6 km felt like 50 km in the heat of around 30°C!), and just enjoying each other’s company :)
image from gmaps
Yesterday, the temperature was a perfect 25°C with a semi-cloudy sky, so we decided to bike around the entire lake. This route, called "Tour du Lac," is about 23 km long. As someone who doesn’t cycle regularly, this was a big challenge for me, but we did it!
I highly recommend this tour if you ever find yourself here! But definitely go clockwise—the southern part has steep hills, and trust me, you don't want to ride those uphill (unless you’re looking for a torture!).
The tour offers plenty of wildlife sightings, from hundreds of dragon-flies, frogs and salamanders to horses, cows, many bird species, fish, and even a deer that my girlfriend spotted in the forest! (Sadly, all the great photos I took are on my real camera, and I haven’t transferred them from the SD card yet.)
If you’re planning to do this ride, be sure to bring snacks and plenty of water, as there are no shops along the route except in the northern part where the campsites are.
We were the only ones on manual bikes btw - everyone else seemed to have electric ones. Plus, we did this on our heavy Dutch roadster bikes, which weigh at least twice as much as regular bikes, so yeah, we put in a bit more effort than most of the cyclists we met 💪
Despite the challenges, the tour was a joy. The stunning views, the connection with nature, and the sense of accomplishment made it:
100% worth it!
Tomorrow, we’ll head back to Germany, with a stop somewhere overnight, and finally arrive home on Saturday. I already miss our cats and can’t wait to cuddle them!
Her name is Pommes
Her name is Mayo
I’m also excited to check on my garden and the cannabis plants I’ve been secretly growing. They started blooming just before we left, so 🤞 they survived. I can’t wait to share the harvest with some friends (and maybe save a couple of buds for 
Thanks for reading, and I’m sure we'll see/read us soon!
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