I finished up my wood cutting at the HelpX place, then spent a day picking sureau berries (elderberries in English), separating out the stems and the green ones (which are supposedly toxic) and making jam (without pectin, and it actually set!) and syrup. The syrup is supposedly very healthy, often used to cure or avoid a cold. Yes, Deborah, you read that correctly - I actually made jam (with lots of help from the internet).

After I left the HelpX place I travelled west to Bordeaux, wine country that is close to the Atlantic ocean. Bordeaux is all about wine tours and wine courses, and since I'm not a wine connoisseur I'm wasn't too interested in anything except drinking it. One day I went to the ocean and climbed the highest sand dune in Europe, the Dune du Pilat - at 110 meter it isn't that tall but it gives you a great view of the ocean ahead and forest behind.