Back

Calais | Day 200 of my 2023 Journal of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Jul 19, 2023· 3 minutes

🇩🇰 Read in Danish 🇬🇧

The police were out all evening checking the bunkers, looking at the seals, and politely sending their “bonjours” in our direction when walking by the van and the RV. So, even though we had just stopped alongside the road, we thought there would be no problem staying the night. I hope the police were there to protect the seals and the rest of the natural site. Maybe they were. Perhaps I have to gain a bit of trust in the authorities.

We slept in silence and woke up to cars and bikes arriving, a good amount of people enjoying a walk or a run, a good vibe, and a lot of smiling. And we joined the movement: Walked with morning coffee in hand all the way to the low tide to dip in the cool waters and again meet the seals. You have to be respectful, it is their territory, so we retreated when the guarding one became guarding five. And just like last year, we had to run to save our bags, as the tide was coming in fast, and we did not notice.

Moving through the day, we had to get practical things done and place the vehicles at the station for campers, watch a documentary, and go for a walk to look at Calais.

We might need to give Calais more time. On the other hand, there are so many other great places in France. I love the natural site, and the fries were very, very good in overwhelming portions (two portions filling all five of us!) - and walking along the waters in and out of town was equally lovely. Except for the heavy rainfall we got caught in on the way back.

But then there was a rainbow, and we hung all the wet things in many new creative spaces invented there and then in the van, and had tea and some avocado and stayed up very late as it was our last evening with Bjørn and Ina.

In the night, the rain came back, and I listened to it on the van's roof while grateful for this beautiful life and all elements of it, including getting caught in the rain with some friends in a not-so-interesting place in France.

Love and light

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

See more images on Facebook

🇩🇰 Read in Danish 🇬🇧 

Thank you for reading
I would love to hear from you. Listen to your thoughts and reflections - or praise :) It is often emotional to share our life like this, and we get very happy when we get feedback from you. So feel free to share a comment below 😋 

An awe-inspiring day at the Mayan cities of Chichén Itzá & Coba, where history & adventure intertwine. Join us on our journey to these wonders of the…Read more
Subtle changes in our daily habits are shaping our family's journey and connections while traveling in Mexico. Read more
Having TWO little dogs, BOTH on heat while in Mexico, of all places, has proven a challenge that will go down in our personal history. We are at a po…Read more
The adventure is the adventure, and we embrace it. After a day as gringo tourists, laughing while watching the first Die Hard and yelling Yippee-ki-y…Read more
We got a cultural shock. It was a strange thing, the whole thing. How something we expected to be an experience of nature was more like … an amusemen…Read more
We are making peace with the facts of life here. This is not the Mexico we came to see; this is not a place where we will ever go back - yet somehow,…Read more
Sometimes, you just need to take a long walk to uncover life's simple joys. From birdwatching to appreciating local ingenuity, Join me on a journey o…Read more
Explore the depths of self-discovery and the pursuit of balance, inspired by tales from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to 'Alice in Wonderland'. A person…Read more
I am in no state to write. I feel like I have nothing to say. Equally, I feel like nobody is listening anyway. Who am I even talking to? The rough v…Read more