And yes, there we went. We were a bit hesitant because the Dutch beach was at its best on Saturday, so why would we sit in the car for fourteen hours for the same feeling and triple prices?

But Saint Tropez is Saint Tropez (and my weather app painted a much less rosy forecast for the coming days) and besides, we had a revving Renault Espace Initiale Paris that really wanted to shine on the French autoroute.

I immediately made a huge impression on my beloved by effortlessly turning a hatchback into all five rear seats with a smooth press of a button. And I also thought it was really cool that I only had to approach the car and it would pop open. And when I left, it locked itself automatically. I wanted to check that again, which made it pop open once more...

Furthermore, I was very impressed that when I turned off the engine and opened my door, this Espace would slide my seat back a bit to make it easier for me to get out. Those kinds of things...

Traveling with children is always a task (I need to pee, my movie is in English, mom we forgot lady (the rocking horse), I think I pooped a little bit, and... oh dear, there goes my apple juice and now my dress is wet), but in this vehicle, it was a breeze. My oldest daughter was lying in a position comparable to KLM's business class in the passenger seat (after enjoying a relaxing massage for half an hour, that is), the youngest was on my lap in a mathematical construction with the middle daughter, who had her head back on the lap of the smallest. And I wrapped my arms around them again. I believe I was the only one who didn't really sleep well, but that was only due to the composition and wishes of my crazy family.

After a nighttime nap somewhere at a nice Aire and the traditional traffic jam to ‘Trop’, we finally reached the beach of Ramatuelle. Kon Tiki Villages. Aka: paradise. Think palm trees, huts with thatched roofs on the beach, Nikki Beach within hopping distance, and the most beautiful yachts in sight.

We ordered apple juice and Badoit and for us an ice-cold bière and Chardonnay and looked at each other. Our life, it wasn't so bad after all.

Until our oldest looked us deep in the eyes. “Shall we go home? In about half an hour or so?”