Ernst Jünger writes in Annäherungen (1970) about the great charm of planning pleasant things; he writes that it gives him more pleasure to study the garden catalogs during the winter than to see the flowers in reality in the summer - "Wenn im Winter die Kataloge der Gärtnereien kommen, erwecken ihre Bilder ein lebhafteres Vergnügen als Sommer die Blumen, die auf den Beeten blühen." That is often true also of journeys and field excursions. Thus, it is high time to clean and wax the old hiking boots again and make all other arrangements for the (next) trip to the Western Front.Do not forget:
- a well-read copy of In Stahlgewittern or Storm of Steel
- a well-read copy of Das Begleitbuch zu In Stahlgewittern
- a notebook or another notebook and pencil
- IGN maps
- compass
- all would preferably "fit snugly" into a map-case, as Jünger writes about his own diary notebook. - heavy-duty shoes (the car-mat will get muddy)
- waterproof clothes
- camera
and the last things before leaving the hotel, B & B, camping etc: - a bottle of water
- a lunch package - perhaps only hot coffee in a thermos and a fresh baked baguette - it is not always easy to getting lunch at the French countryside...
- and finally, do not forget to have a phone number to a local car towing company or to somebody who knows how to find somebody local with a tractor...
