“Europe is not America”, some say, ‘Everything is much tighter, more complicated and more regulated here’, others warn us. Is it even possible to ride long distances through Europe? We wanted to find out for ourselves. In May, we made our way west to France. There we were tempted by the Vosges, the Jura and the Pyrenees.
We spent four months on the road in France. It was exciting and intense, with grandiose highs and abysmal lows. At times we felt like complete beginners - traveling with horses in Europe is really something completely different to America - and at other times we were completely in our element,...
...because the most important thing remained the same: We were out in nature with our horses and Charlie.
We had broken new ground with Europe. We had left our comfort zone - the wilderness of North America. It was exciting, challenging and often terrifying. Again and again we were overcome by the longing for freedom and the wild nature of America.
How do you summarize four months of adventure with all its ups and downs in one report? Maybe it's impossible. But we will try with lots of photos and give you at least an insight:
Trail Angels! They also exist in France! Two of them suddenly turned up at our camp, with a camping barbecue and good wine. The fact that we were in France is thanks to Jeanette & Thomas. Last winter, the two of them approached us at a lecture evening and spontaneously invited us to their pretty BearBnb. Little did they know that they had taken a difficult decision off our hands. Now we knew which direction our journey would take us this summer.
Sometimes I think that life is about finding the right place again and again. Sometimes just for one night. How does that work? With luck, experience and trust. We lacked experience in Europe, so finding a place to camp became the biggest challenge of the trip. Every blade of grass has an owner, but finding them and getting their permission to camp was not so easy. Finding a place to camp in the countryside used to be one of the most enjoyable tasks for me - in North America we were almost exclusively on state land and were allowed to set up camp anywhere - in Europe the search became a daily ordeal for me. In France, bivouacking is tolerated - but what was adventurous in Canada often seemed shabby here.
The High Jura surprised us with brilliant hospitality, which we particularly appreciated after experiencing the low point of the trip one evening shortly before nightfall: We had been evicted from our campsite - probably due to a misunderstanding. In the days that followed, we were passed from one host to the next. It was as if they all unwittingly and unconsciously wanted to compensate us for the horror of that night and prove to us once again how hospitable the French are. The evenings with these sociable and uncomplicated people were wonderful, but the days had their pitfalls.
We were horrified to discover that the Grandes Traversées du Jura à Cheval often run alongside roads - something we absolutely do not want. We have learned to deal with wild animals and the forces of nature, but motorists and motorcyclists are unpredictable and dangerous. On many a day in the Jura, we rode more kilometers on asphalt than in 16 years in North America. Later in the Pyrenees, we also realized that many hiking trails were too difficult for horses and we had to switch to roads. Our sad conclusion: we can't go where we want to go and we don't want to go where we can.
Frustration and joy are closer together in Europe because of, and thanks to, its proximity to civilization. After all, where in the wilderness can you find a French boulangerie in the middle of the trail? Günter was stunned when I brought him a crispy, stuffed baguette after a rainy night with a snail invasion in our camp"...that I could eat something like that again!
The hospitality of the horse people was immense, but the rest of the population - especially the Compté dairy farmers of the Jura - often gave us the feeling that we were more tolerated than welcome.
That was probably the biggest change between North America and Europe. It may have something to do with mentality. But the fact is that the Americans and Canadians often reacted to the sight of us with exuberant enthusiasm, while the Europeans were rather cool or indifferent towards us. What I particularly missed was the curiosity of the people. Was it polite aloofness or indifference?
Pyrenees - We were finally where we wanted to be. The landscape was magnificent, the trails challenging and the people open and uncomplicated. We often camped in the middle of the mountains, sometimes cows would come by, curious, but our presence didn't bother them and they didn't bother us. The cows in the Pyrenees were much more relaxed than in the Jura, where boisterous young Montbéliard cows had gotten on our last nerve. On the other hand, we had to watch out for the patous, the guard dogs of the Pyrenees. They protect flocks of sheep from attacks by bears and wolves. We weren't afraid of the dogs ourselves, but we were worried about Charlie.
Soon the heat and especially the huge number of horseflies made life difficult for us. We - especially Dino, Azabache, Rusty and Lightfoot - could no longer enjoy being on the trail. Our horses are not used to this plague of horse flies. In North America they never had to deal with so many insects as here. We brought the horses home ahead of schedule. Günter stayed with the horses, but Charlie and I were allowed to continue our hike through the Pyrenees on foot. The two of us walked west for four weeks until we finally reached the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, a little further east, Günter wanted to explore something new that summer. Together with Dino and Azabache, he set out along the German Green Belt. He was surprised to discover that wilderness still exists in Europe - it may only be a few hundred meters wide, but it is many kilometers long. A trip along the European Green Belt - Günter has been dreaming about it for a long time. Maybe we should make it happen... Let's see where the wind takes us next year...
