Lake Constance is a lake situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps. The campsite was on the foreshore of the lake, which was a popular spot for windsurfers, yachts, boats and swimming. As soon as we settled in the wind picked up and we thought we better "batten down the hatches" as we didn't want a repeat of Schladming. We wondered if we had missed a storm warning as the camp site suddenly emptied and people retreated. It was all hands on deck putting in as many pegs as possible. As soon as we had everything prepared for an almighty storm the wind calmed down and all we had throughout the night was a light shower. We just couldn't seem to get it right!
We had lovely neighbours, some clearly locals with everything including the kitchen sink, some lovely pot plants and home made street signs, we came to believe our neighbour was the hub of the campsite as anyone and everyone dropped by for a lengthy chat, if only we knew what they were saying!
They took an immediate interest in us noticing that we were clearly not German. We were a little less set up than everyone else having no camping chairs we were eating dinner on the ground bohemian style with our beautiful Millie lying there with us. The couple across the road even moved their chairs at one point to get a better view of what we were up to. We drew an even bigger crowd when we all started our exercise routine of squats and push ups getting encouraging gestures and cheers in German.
We took a leisurely walk along the lake through the small villages, sighting an historic village set in the water before sitting down to a feast, our eyes are way too big for our tummies, starters all round before the mains, unnecessary! As we sat overlooking the lake watching the yachts we thought, we need a boat. So off we went and got ourselves one, €60 for an hour and without further ado or instruction we were all on the lake, including Millie dog. Definitely the best way to see the lake, we all had a drive, Phil quickly taught us the rules of boating, pros now for sure :)
Next in our sights was the Mosel Valley. Phil recalled that he and Margot had driven the Romantic Road to the Mosel Valley and they had both been blown away and promised themselves to revisit it. So the 5 of us (Millie included of course) embarked upon a romantic journey.
The Mosel valley was a sight to behold, never before have we experienced so many vineyards and on such inclines! Margot even had us believing that the locals were born with one leg shorter than the other to enable them to work the vines, good one Marg!
We found a camping ground in Wolf right on the river and quickly settled in before heading to dinner at Marika's, a local restaurant where we found ourselves on both nights in Wolf as the service was exceptional and the steaks cooked on the BBQ were the best of the trip (and we have tried our fair share). The wine was delicious and only €5 a bottle, you could not go wrong!
On Monday we left Wolf bound for Dunkirk in France, we meandered through Germany, stopped for lunch (and a spot of shopping) in Luxemburgh, soldiered on through Belgium and into France. It was a quick stop for the night before we caught the car train back to the UK for GLASTONBURY! Only one thing stood in our way, the UK Border Agency. Alright for some, dual citizenship for Phil and ancestry for Hils, but Kate and Marg, judging by the customs officers face, were an issue.
We were instructed to pull into a side bay and await another customs officer, we waited.... And waited.... And decided this was a technique used to make people freak out. Hils, Marg and Kate were called in, Hils was up first, after a few quick questions and a slight faulted under the pressure she was through. Meanwhile we could see Phil out by the camper in a camping chair reading the paper. Kate was up next and luckily so it turns out..... It pays to have an air tight, prudent, slightly anal itinerary with supporting documentation. After some serious questioning about the reason for not returning to Australia after the 2 year visa and several comments on how amazed he was at the itinerary he called Marg over. He asks, is your itinerary the same, to which Marg replies, yeah pretty much! More questions and then a check with his superior and it was time for some light hearted jokes, phew!!! OK Glastonbury, now here we come!
