Through Europe and Morocco with putty

As I wrote earlier , when we got to Cannes it was already late and we didn't have much space to sleep. Noise and constant police patrols stood in our way.

Sometimes, however, with a little luck, the problems fix themselves. Without any particular idea of what to do next, we started tasting the previously bought wine. A nice Frenchman joined us. We offered a glass but he was a Muslim in the middle of Ramadan so he refused. Then his friends joined us, we started talking about what we were doing there. They liked the idea of the trip very much and they offered to help us. We spent the first night, or actually the morning, at Ichem's, with the male part of the team. In the afternoon, after we scraped ourselves off the bed, we went to the beach. I went to work, and Dominika and the girls went to fry. That evening we were going to sleep with Beverly and Sharleen, sisters who recently moved to Cannes. A party at night, so we didn't get much sleep.

The next day was going to be THIS day, that is, the day I was looking forward to. Namely, the day I buy fresh prawns and cook them on the beach. They were supposed to be bought at the port, not in the store, and taken on the beach, not the parking lot next to it, let's say it was close enough. We compensated for these minor inconveniences with the quantity, three kinds of prawns and a fresh baguette. Shrimps must be served with garlic and spices, fried in olive oil. It turned out delicious.

Then some more fun with the longboard and we headed towards Hyeres, where it was supposed to blow any day.

No, we didn't go that straight, because there was a stop in Sant Tropez and the famous Pampelone beach, where, while Dominica was enjoying swimming and sunbathing, I took care of the first minor repair of the car.

We got to Hyeres in the evening and as usual our accommodation was picturesque. Well, we managed to pass a small kite session. The next day, Dominika finally took advantage of the wind for her first kitesurfing lesson. Unfortunately, it was also her last lesson on the trip with me, because the next day, due to the crowds of people on the beach and in the water, there were no conditions for the next lesson. In the evening, packing and going to the airport, as unfortunately Dominika's holiday was almost over.

I was left alone and started to think about another spot. A friend recommended Sete to me, but the windguru advised me to stop early, a joke near Marseille. The place looked very interesting on the map. Lagoons, dunes, sand and nothing else. I found it harmful to drive up and see. The GPS unfortunately had bad data and the road it chose was closed. But a few keywords, some gestures and I'm on my way. Not too long, however, because the asphalt was over quickly, then gravel, dust, sand and small pebbles. I was a bit surprised when I saw two large stones in the middle of the road. I literally pushed my way through them, rubbing my tires against them. As it turned out later, Lagounes de Beouduc is a national park. And in France, you can pitch a tent in national parks :) The stones on the road were a blockade for trucks that used to enter there with tons of sound, hectoliters of alcohol and hundreds of people. After rave parties that took place there, there was garbage, damaged dunes and sleepless nights of people who came there to just relax. The nearest village is about 30 km from there, so such a party truck is not something that is dreamed of and expected by tourists visiting this place, looking for peace and quiet.

Now it's a real kitesurfing paradise. During the 5 days that I spent there, I spent hundreds of kites and as many as one windsurfer. I don't know why just one, but I didn't think about it and enjoyed the great wind conditions. I met a lot of interesting people, ate Belgian bread on a stick from the fire and finally used the full potential of the car and its preparation.

The next stop is Montpellier, where I visited old friends. There was a bit of work on the car. The trunk was hard to bear the weight of the equipment, so with the help of Fred and a forklift truck from Lidl, we took everything off the roof. Then the front beam, which was the most exhausted with life, was replaced with two new ones. By the way, I also swapped the trunk with the tent, thanks to which I have easier access to things in the trunk, and the tent tarpaulin can now be put on better.

These seemingly little things took me two whole days. So I didn't want to wait any longer and started towards Leucate at night. The forecast for the next day was great. However, my plans were broken by a truck driver who preferred the middle of the road as his private lane. He mowed my mirror, and it broke my side window. Then, as if nothing had happened, without pressing the brake, he drove on. I turned around and started chasing him. Driving over the fields did not help him. As the road ended it finally stopped. Nothing in English of course. Only when a record was broken he kept repeating "se bon". How "se bon" where is my glass? I took a picture of the signs and started calling the police. When I was on the line, the culprit escaped again. We managed to get along with the lady on the line, but the police car did not appear in the Polish style. After all, no one died ... So I'm calling this number again. I translate in English what's going on, to which I hear "ne parle angle" and the receiver down. I was stunned. I'm calling again. This time, without a word, the handset is down. Well, roasted cramps, someone would be murdered and a colleague ne-parle-angle: se la vie. The romantic frivolity on the alarm line knocks you down.

The case ended at the police station the next day. They found the guy by the car numbers and told him to come. When he arrived, he said it was my fault, and he ran away because I was aggressive.

And he saw my "aggression" in the middle of the night, in the departing car, without a rear-view mirror. He might as well have said he thought I was an alien and wanted to kidnap him. After all, the car had lights, and you know lights = aliens.

Another day of fun with the car, of course, the glass was gone. So I ordered a delivery to the station behind Leucate, and in the meantime I got a beautiful glass of plexiglass for free.

After the French and Belgians scared me how dangerous it was in Spain, I was about to ask if they might not have armored vehicles. So with a Renault Kangoo mirror, selected with the help of Silk from Norauto, and a plexiglass windshield, I headed for Leucate.

I was hoping to be able to swim again. My hopes were dashed by the boy who launched the kite due to the lack of wind. As it turned out, it took him a bit, so I helped him get over him and drove him to the place where his scooter was. By the way, I don't know if it was more of a scooter or more power tape, but it was driving. Then I met Olivier and Katerina, a couple of kitesurfers from Switzerland, so the evening was nice. The next day is a cool breeze and new friends with people from all over Europe. La Palme is the first place from Rügen where the water was shallow, so there were some new things to try. Only melon-sized jellyfish weren't encouraging. Fortunately, when dealing with jellyfish, there is a rule of thumb when the big storm rains, so they weren't too stinging. Then, in Spain, I saw even larger specimens.

Out of interesting people there, I met a young boy who admitted that he was growing marijuana in order to be able to do kitesurfing. From what I can see, in Spain such "business" is even more popular. But the law is also more liberal.

The next stop is Saint Cyprien. Unfortunately, there is not enough wind, but interesting people, about whom I have already written .

The next day, the car's windshield returned to its place. Another nice meeting with another old friend who had internships in Banyuls-sur-Mer and Spain.

Vive la Espana

CDN ...