![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241004_112008-1038x576.jpg "Dune du Pilat")
On my last “true” vacation day, I went out into nature once again: I made a trip to the Dune du Pilat, the highest wandering dune in Europe. Continue reading Dune (of Pilat)
Country Archive: France
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241003_125033-1038x576.jpg "Place de la Bourse (Bordeaux)")
Stopover in Bordeaux
Who says you can only make a stopover when flying? As my train journey back home took me through Bordeaux, I stopped there for three nights (but actually only two days). I used one of these days to explore the city. Continue reading Stopover in Bordeaux
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241001_162550-1038x576.jpg "Tarbes City Hall")
Waiting in Tarbes
Actually, Tarbes only made it onto my travel plan as a base for renting a car. But then I thought that I could give it at least a morning for some sightseeing. Unfortunately, that did not quite work out as I had hoped. Continue reading Waiting in Tarbes
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241001_120817-1038x576.jpg "View from the ridge up towards Pic d'Estibat")
Farewell to the Pyrenees
Today, I drove back to Tarbes to return my rental car. In order to see a bit of the Pyrenees one last time, I did not choose the (slightly) faster but longer route via the motorway, but instead took a more direct route over a Pyrenees pass, the Col de Port. Continue reading Farewell to the Pyrenees
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240920_123415-1038x576.jpg "Col d'Aubisque")
Crossing the Pyrenees
My next destination was actually less than 35 kilometers away as the crow flies. However, as the Pyrenees lie in between, the journey by road was more than four times as long (and around three and a quarter hours’ drive). To break up the journey a little, I went on a short hike at the Col d’Aubisque en route. Continue reading Crossing the Pyrenees
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240918_112022-1038x576.jpg "Valley at Sers")
On the slopes of the French Pyrenees
The weather forecast for my last two (full) days in the French Pyrenees was not so good. Therefore, I did not drive deep into the mountains anymore, but rather went hiking on the mountain slopes around my accommodation. Continue reading On the slopes of the French Pyrenees
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240917_134205-1038x576.jpg "Cirque de Gavarnie from Pic de la Pahule")
The mountain cirques of the French Pyrenees
I dedicated my first two full days in the French Pyrenees to a few mountain cirque – although some of them were originally not on my list. Continue reading The mountain cirques of the French Pyrenees
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240915_141114-1038x576.jpg "Lac de Gaube")
Welcome to the Pyrenees!
Today, I finally managed to reach the Pyrenees: After picking up my rental car in the morning (not without some hiccups), I went on a leisurly hike from Pont d’Espagne to Lac de Gaube in the afternoon. Continue reading Welcome to the Pyrenees!
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240914_115351-1038x576.jpg "Cimetière du Montparnasse")
Across France
Today I spent practically the whole day on the train, travelling across France: My train journey began at 7:32 a.m. in Karlsruhe, and at 7:21 p.m. I finally arrived in Tarbes just North of the Pyrenees. Continue reading Across France
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/20230518_114619-1038x576.jpg "Dunkirk")
The Towers of Dunkirk
Having already explored the city center of Lille in the past few afternoons (after work), I decided to go to Dunkirk today (on my first “real” vacation day). Continue reading The Towers of Dunkirk
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/20230516_140114-1038x576.jpg "Grand Place in Lille")
Short Workation in Lille
Only three working days after being at Devoxx UK (in London) last week, my vacation (in London) was scheduled to begin. Therefore, flying home was out of the question. Instead, I spent these three working days in Lille – because a cozy apartment in the city center there is cheaper than a small single room on the outskirts of zone 2 of the Tube in London (even when including the train journey from and to London). Continue reading Short Workation in Lille
![[Picture]](https://bernies-journeys.at/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/norge2005.jpg "Trondheim, Norge")
Visiting some Fellow Students
What do you do in the weeks before your final exam at the university? Travel, of course – why learn at home?