After our breakfast we cleaned up, showered and then did laundry. While waiting on the laundry we decided to clean and pack things up. Yes we have two and a half more days here but the forecast is rain and more rain. 

Our awning (luifel in Dutch) needs to be put away dry. So it was the first thing to get dried off and put away. The rug for under the awning needed to be rinsed off so we could put it away, it’s plastic. And then of course food, table, stove, yeti all needed to be inside. 

With all that done we decided to go into town for dinner well more like a snack. Soon after after returning the rain started. So it was good we planned ahead. 

It rained throughout the night but this morning the sun is shining so we will take advantage and head out for a walk. Hope you have a great day. 

Well I think the most interesting and challenging thing so far for me with camping is nighttime. We figured the cold thing out with our blankets and a small electric heater that we bought yesterday. The other part I’ve mentioned also which is the bladder. But last night there was some strange bass thumping somewhere just close enough to be annoying. It was like when a car passes you and you can hear the thump, thump, thump. 

And then it started raining. ☔️ I was awake for three hours. Noël commented that rain usually helps me sleep. I agreed but again this was the first time sleeping in a tent while it was raining. It won’t be the last rain is in the forecast for the foreseeable future, maybe even snow. ❄️ it will all be fine. (I have never found earplugs that work for me.)

We had another nice day. Took another walk into Lille. On returning we repacked our boxes and will be able to significantly reduce what we take next time which is next week. 

There were three other people staying Saturday. When we woke this morning they were all packing to go. So for now we have the campground to ourselves.

After we finished reducing boxes we noticed the little tapas bar at our campsite was open so decided to give it a try. We had pieces of steak brought to our table on a hot stone and we could cook them as long as we wanted, paired with fries and a nice glass of red wine. 

Super nice day. And even with the lack of sleep it was a good night. I finally slept. 

The night was nice and cozy, a three bears kind of night. Not too warm and not too cold. But just right. 

The morning took a slow start and so we had brunch instead of breakfast. After cleaning we decided to walk in to Lille. It’s about 12-13 kms round trip. We found a nice little cafe and had a snack and found a camping store. So we went by it because of a few lessons learned, such as more light for winter camping, a non stick pan just doesn’t cut it, the small coffee pot was just too small. So we walked home a bit more laden than when we left. 

We had planned to do laundry when we got back but decided it could wait until Saturday. 

After dinner we sat awhile around the table with our new brighter light. 💡 

Something interesting about being in nature for consecutive days, even when it is cold, at least for us is that we are sleeping better. If it weren’t for the bladder waking us up we would sleep through the night. 

All in all we are really enjoying ourselves!!

Well the extra bedding worked well, too well in fact. We stayed very warm. I u fortunately had a very restless night. But the upside of that was hearing owls. At first they were calling to each other from far away (at least that’s what I thought) and then they were in the woods right by our tent. It sounded like there were owlets too. Very cool. 

It rained during the night and continued all morning. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and toast, with coffee and orange juice. Delicious! Clean up and off for our hike. 

We were told there is a nice walking path around the campgrounds (which are quite large) and we could see several beautiful ponds. So off we went. First pond was really a bunch of weeds, second and third were grass and the fourth resembled more of a swamp. But still beautiful nature. Even saw some goats. 

We had chicken fajitas for lunch. I prepped them before we left and froze them. It worked perfectly.

As I mentioned we brought waaaay too much stuff. So after lunch and clean up we spent some time organizing and rearranging. We didn’t get rid of anything per se but were able to combine boxes. When we get back we will be able to reduce even more. 

After a quick shower and a coaching session we had our tomato soup with meatballs (another pre-prep meal). A note about coaching I have to figure out something better for WiFi. We use HolaFly eSIM but still struggle with connection at times. Any advice for nomads would be appreciated. 

We took a nice evening walk to the little cafe. They were having a show of jewelry and fancy Christmas cookies. Lots of lively conversations and laughter. It was fun to sit on the sides and watch. 

We are trying a new set up for sleep. Still in the tent with air mattresses only the covers are changed up a little. I’ll let you know.