Simone's Journey - Day one

19th of July, 2025

Travelling days in front of me to get to our beautiful site. I got up at 01:45 in Osnabrück, then drove with a rental car and so much luggage for the camp (e.g. facial masks, new backpacks, equipment for sample conservation) to Düsseldorf airport to check in at 05:00 a.m. The plane left to Paris at 06:40 a.m on time, and I change to the big international flight to Libreville at 12:10 p.m. Then it is time to relax with a glass of champagne served by AirFrance and catch up on some work, movies and sleep. Arriving at 07:45 p.m local time and the always crazy procedure getting the Visa and all the luggage starts. After a wake-up adrenaline kick, due to my personal suitcase not to be found and luckily showing up between other solitary suitcase 1,5hrs later, the taxidriver drives me safely to our favorite hotel, the Tropicana. It is close to the airport and offers clean rooms, nice food and the first brise of the Ocean and Gabons‘ atmosphere of the dry season. I am dreaming of seeing some sea-turtles at the beach either laying eggs or baby turtles crawling out of their eggs to the sea, but it is not tortoise season.

Paris

Simone and the luggage

Breakfast with Tobias Deschner at the Tropicana