A good friend from Freiburg tipped me off about a place called Darwin Camp & Écosystème. And today? It turned out to be the easiest parking spot search for my van ever!
This place is incredible. There’s a toilet, Wi-Fi, power outlets in the café, and running water. The site also boasts a skate hall, galleries, a café, and covered sofas scattered around the grounds. No entry controls, no barriers – and I can’t help but think: why doesn’t something like this exist in Germany? A space where everyone can gather freely, without restrictions, where anyone can find a spot, and people respect it enough to leave it clean?
I arrive in Bordeaux in the evening, and it feels like I’ve crossed some invisible boundary just past Tours – the cold is finally behind me.
Today, I play around midday on the Darwin Camp grounds, in a T-shirt. For the first time since the start of this journey, I’m not freezing.
At first, I wasn’t sure if it was okay to perform here without permission. I worried that I might get stopped for disturbing the peace, especially during lunch. But the exact opposite happens. Midway through my set, Nicole, one of the owners, approaches me. Instead of stopping me, she asks me to come back and perform here again.
This place really does feel like a lost and found – a haven where people can come, stay, and feel at home.
