Day No. 105 - Life is that... - Praia de Loulé Velho

...what happens while you're planning something else.

This morning, the sky is slightly overcast. This time it's the surf that wakes us up. The sea always sounds different in this place. Although there don't seem to be any giant waves or cavemen here, the waves that crash onto the beach look like works of art made of pure energy. To realize that water does not flow horizontally, but merely up and down, is hard to believe when you look at it. It is hard to imagine that it is mainly energy that is moving and not matter. - On some days, the waves run out onto the beach in long sweeps. Today they literally crash onto the beach. The energy of the sea can still be felt from a distance.

Swimming today is correspondingly tedious, but it's worth it. As soon as I get back to the beach, I feel like a switch has been flipped, plop happy. - I'm looking forward to the cold shower. It's funny how priorities shift, how my sense of entitlement shifts, how my sense of happiness shifts. As much as I enjoyed the warm shower and even more the hot bath in Cologne, I'm now enjoying the cold shower after the even colder Atlantic. The coffee afterwards, in the van, is not just a coffee, it's a source of heat. There's something special about holding the cup in your hands and warming it. Suddenly something so banal is enriching.

I take advantage of the moment and read a little more of my Brittany crime novel. - What I particularly like about it is the way Inspector Dupin describes restaurants, bars and localities. Here's a little sample from his fifth case, Breton Tide:

"At sea, the sky was always wide, gigantically wide, yes, but here on the island it seemed even wider, even higher, it puffed out, stretched, stretched everywhere, even the mighty Atlantic became just a narrow, flashing strip beneath it. Like a strong wide-angle lens that you looked through when lying down, that was exactly the effect, Dupin thought. And this impression, he was certain, was one of the things that gave the island its special atmosphere. It was a feeling of infinite space that made you feel small - and free at the same time. Strangely free. Dangerously free, perhaps."

I also feel free at this moment, the day promises to be good. We have planned to cook together with Anja and Michael today. It's going to be wild asparagus with prawns. Nice with garlic, a little spicy. I'm looking forward to it, but ...

Torgit, who wanted to take a short walk, suddenly returns frantically to the van. The GNR, the Republican National Guard, is there and starts clearing the beach area. That's how quickly a feeling of freedom can evaporate. - The ideal time? Unfortunately not. - We have everything outside that you can only have outside, solar bag, our rinse, shower, SUP and last but not least the bikes, which are attached to a tree. - If we don't want to be warned, and we don't, we have to hurry.

It has now proved that we have a plan B. Torgit and I have gone through the procedures, at least in theory. We've never packed and unpacked everything so quickly. - The roof down and parked out. In theory, there's another path leading out of the forest on the other side. I know that Etienne uses it more often. But he drives a Land Rover, we drive a van. I trust my instincts and take a risk, just stay on the gas. It works. On the other side of the forest, we meet a grinning Etienne.

We take a detour to the Lidl parking lot. Hector parks up and tidies up first. Then we shop for breakfast. In the meantime, the parking lot fills up with campers. Like us, only a few managed to get out in time. Most of them were on a list. Torgit is sure it was because of our faith that we made it. - I maintain that if you play with the dirty kids, you have to be able to run like rats.

We are in the year 2019 AD, to be precise, on December 18 - the whole of Praia de Loulé has been cleared by the GNR ... The whole Praia?

No! A DAF populated by an indomitable Oranje does not stop resisting. Why am I using the introduction from Asterix? - You should just see our neighbor. Not only does he look like a Gaul in his kilt, his DAF also has horns. - He's been written up for the fourth time today. But strangely enough, he's only ever been given a warning. He's the only one who hasn't even driven away. He only started the engine of his beast. - Maybe it's his vehicle, maybe it's him, maybe the GNR was just worried that he was throwing menhirs. We don't know. - But so far everything has always gone well.

As soon as we get to our old spot, the feeling of freedom returns. - Later, one or two familiar faces appear. Etienne is also back. - Instead of prawns, we have fried potatoes with salad today. Not planned, but extra tasty.

When I go for an evening walk, it has become quiet on the cliff. - Only four vans have found their way back. - Anja and Michael are not among them. - But they are old campaigners and we certainly don't have to worry about them.

Insight of the day: there is no substitute for a well-coordinated team. - Veni, vidi, vici