France 2011

Wednesday 6^th June 2012

 

Well our odyssey for 2012 is about to start. Everything is ready, not a single item overlooked….if you ignore the fact that we  don’t know how the van fared over the winter….. or the fact that we don’t know how we get to Charroux at this point…..or the fact that we haven’t done any preliminary packing yet. But that is as close as dammit to everything ready.

And all is ready for our departure…if you overlook the call we got from our tenants that the roof is leaking….and we have to organise the sale of a car ….. and we are negotiating to maybe buy a property. But that is as close as dammit to everything prepared.

So what more could we ask? We leave Tulla at 3pm next Friday on a Singapore Airlines A380 flight to Singapore then, after a 3 hour stay, continue by A380 to Paris, arriving Saturday morning 7.30am bright eyed and bushy tailed, if the ads are to be believed. We choose to fly economy due to the extra side support provided by other passengers during heavy banking to port or starboard. We also find that extreme contortions required when eating  during the flight helps keep the upper torso supple. These advantages are denied the business class and first class passengers. To be fair, the deprivations are offset by the odd other advantage.

Once we arrive at CDG, we take the RER to Paris and the TGV to Poitiers where our adventures begin. The level of the adventure will initially be  determined by what -15deg C over winter did to the van. We have learned that the tarp we placed over the van, anchored by heavy pieces of wood, which would not move in a gale, did. Whether it is shredded or not we don’t know, but it did not afford a lot of protection.

Friday 15^th June 2012

Miraculously, all is ready and we leave at 12.45 courtesy of Scot who takes us to the airport. We are very grateful and bid him farewell until we see him near Frankfurt in about 4 weeks. He is spending four weeks from mid July with us touring Germany and perhaps Denmark and maybe even a bit of Sweden.

We pass through checkin without incident. This is partly through learning last year not to offer any information which is not asked for. So the 12volt  fan in one of the bags is left for security to puzzle over. We assume that it didn’t bother them as we heard no announcements and they allow us onto the flight.

But not before Ro mislays her passport at passport control. As she rummages through her passport safe keeping pocket (so safe it even  prevents her accessing it), the official gets uneasy and the security officers probably contemplate what sort of criminal mind is lurking disguised as a mild mannered middle aged woman. But after searching the three pockets ten times,  the passport is located, scanned by big brother and we proceed to boarding.

Once all have boarded,  stewards busy themselves by handing out what seem to be anaemic chicko rolls with tongs I remember using on Erlenmeyer flasks in chemistry 45 years ago. One steward we watch cocks his little finger, presumably because of years  of offering tea in noisy environments. The chicko. rolls turn out to be hot towels which are quite pleasant to use on the face and hands.We take off for Singapore, about 40 minutes behind time.   

Singapore Airlines seems quite good, although we find that the entertainment offerings  are not entirely to our taste. The stewardesses are beautifully dressed in tight fitting bodices and  long skirts which are somewhat restrictive of movement. We wonder if they have Velcro strips which allow them to discard them in an emergency  leaving them wearing  company supplied colour coordinated G-strings. Some of the black suited stewards look like they would like to do the same, but not for reasons of mobility. I am not a nervous passenger but I do find myself musing over emergencies. Not serious ones…..just ones which would require better stewardess mobility.

We arrive at Singapore later than expected and make our way to the next departure gate. What was to be a three hour wait ends up being far less before we need to board for our 12 hour leg to Paris. A slight concern is that the gate lounge is signed as being a 20 minute walk and boarding begins in 25 minutes.  Fortunately, they must have checked the walking time with an extremely slow walker as it takes us about 7 or 8 minutes.

 This leg will involve trying to sleep, which  is a major advantage in economy. With over 100 people in our section of the cabin, there is not one snorer! This is probably because there are no people sleeping! It is difficult if not impossible to sleep in a chair and certainly not to get to snoring. How blissful. Contrast this with business or first class or suites. At sleeping time, with people comfortably lying down,  it must be like feeding time at a piggery! And in economy we have  no stewards/stewardesses  bothering us with “ Would sir like to put a complementary babies dummy in his mouth?” or “Would madam like to put a tennis ball in the back of her silk pyjamas?”  or “ No sir, we are not experiencing mechanical problems. That is the passenger in suite  4”.

Some would say they want  first class anyway. But verily I say unto you “ Show me a man who says “Give me first class every time” and I will show you a man who will have trouble finding a benofactor. Enough of this rubbish: a result of too much time on my hands!

Having abandoned hope of sleeping despite the quiet cabin,  We amuse ourselves by walking to the toilet and back to keep circulation going. We use the supplied toothbrushes which double as floss as the bristles shed in ones mouth and lodge in the teeth. The short length of the bristles make it difficult to oscillate effectively, but fortunately, Ro has smuggled some actual dental floss on board right under the noses of security. We assume it is banned through fear of garrotting the pilots after breaking down the terrorist proof flight deck door.  The real dental floss we use to dislodge the bristles.

The toilets are well equipped and have drawers with various helpful requirements. One shows the contents as being shavers and as I have not shaved in 24 hours, I look in the drawer. Instead of a razor I find a comb.  It may be that Singaporeans grow facial hair rapidly, but I do not need to comb 24 hour stubble. I realise that razors would be banned as any self respecting pilot would cave in to any demand from a terrorist  threatening to shave his designer stubble. 

 

 

Saturday 16^th June 2012

Finally our sleepless ordeal is over and we land at CDG. Paris has turned on a cool, overcast and wet day. After reclaiming our bags we make our way to the transport exit and choose to take a bus to Montparnasse Gare (station) where we are to take the TGV at 12:15 to Poitiers.

The bus trip gives a good view of outer Paris suburbs on its route to Montparnasse. High rise apartments are common and signs of French architectural flare are not evident. However, as we get closer to Montparnasse, the familiar elegant buildings of last century and earlier come into view and we again enjoy the sights.

We pass  Gare de Lyon  which is a delightfully elegant building and  a long, old railway bridge which has been converted to an elevated promenade. It was suggested to us in Melbourne that we look at it and, having glimpsed it,  we decide we will return during our week in Paris in early September.

We leave the bus with our bags, one of which is smaller than last year, but equally unruly in its behaviour. It is our intention to find a locker for our bags so we can go walking in the area while waiting for the TGV which leaves at 12:15. After some unnecessary  circuits of the area,  we find the locker area, hoping that the lockers will be big enough for our big bag. However, one look at the X Ray machines and general security and we decide that it is not worth the effort. Instead we flop down  at a table, build a small pyramid with our luggage, and have a cup of coffee and a pain aux raisins (a raisin Danish pastry scroll). By this time it is about 10:30 and we board our train about 12 so it is not too difficult to pass the hour and a half. The architects of the station we guess were the same as those of the apartments we saw from the bus.  A lot of ugly concrete and little attention to aesthetics. Even when new it would not have been attractive.

Ro passes the time watching patrons of a “beauty bubble”, a gold fish bowl shop near where we sit. For 10 euro ($13) women have a  hair cut which takes about 3 minutes!! Little styling but quite an acceptable result. The hairdresser, a quite pregnant young woman, is kept busy with one customer after another. The customer sits on a plastic hair dressing chair and after a whirl of snipping is disgorged a few minutes later and is immediately replaced by another. Rather different from hair dressing salons in Melbourne. 

We know from last year that the platform from which the TGV leaves will be shown about 15 minutes before departure, so we wait near the scheduling board and go to our train when the platform number is displayed. This year we lashed out and spent an extra 12 euros for first class tickets. As no one will be sleeping except us, snoring won’t be an issue.

We locate our carriage, also less of a problem than last year as we know about the LCD screens on the carriages. We climb aboard with our bags and trundle through the carriage to the luggage section. In so doing, I nearly dislocate a passenger’s shoulder, but he is forgiving when he discovers we are not French…… what else could he expect?     

The TGV glides out of the station dead on time and is soon  almost silently zipping through the countryside.  As we speed through tunnels, the pressure wave assaults the ears rather unpleasantly and as a train passes the other way there is a percussive thump which is alarming until one is familiar with it.    With five minutes to Poitiers, I get our bags from the luggage rack and steer them through the carriage. At the exit, passengers afraid of missing their stop with their  luggage crowd around the doors. As the doors open, a tidal wave of bags and people gush from the train. For the uninitiated, it is a guess which side the platform will be.

This time we know there is a lift on the platform so there is no having to lug our bags up a flight of stairs. A definite improvement on last year!  Soon we are outside the station with our mountain of baggage.

We are expecting Mavis and Terry to meet us at the station and are slightly alarmed when they are still not there after 10 minutes. As their little car is too small for us and our bags, we expect them in the van and thoughts of breakdown or some other problem start to intrude, especially as we don’t have any easy way of contacting them other than by public phone to their mobile which involves guesswork as to which prefixes are required. However they arrive  in their Land Rover as they drove out this year in order to bring their three dogs. They had taken a wrong turn and had done an unintended  circuit or two of Poitiers.

The trip from Poitiers takes about 45 minutes through lovely countryside and villages before we reach Charroux  which is delightful and which we think of as home in France. It is nice to be back in the gite (the very tastefully refurbished barn) and we are soon starting to prepare the van.

We are cautiously then boisterously welcomed by the three dogs,  a Labrador and two Springer Spanniels, one of which is a 6 month old orally fixated puppy which continually jumps up on one with large and sometimes dirty paws.

The van has wintered reasonably well with the exception of a smashed bottle of water which had frozen in the van door. Not surprising as temperatures had reached -17 deg C in the depths of winter.  There is some mould in the fridge and on a few surfaces and on a pillow slip but generally all is well.

John, who helped us last year, arrives and we renew our friendship. He and his wife Carol will join the four of us for dinner in an  hour or so.

We enjoy  our first shower for 30 hours and change for dinner.  We decide to lie down for a minute or so………… big mistake. We wake an hour  later, fortunately not having held up dinner.

The evening is enjoyable with lots of laughs and the odd risqué joke. By  11 we have finished a tasty meal cooked by Mavis, including her delicious bread and butter pudding and some lovely trifle brought by Carol. Our tiredness is catching up so we retire to the gite and have a welcome sleep.

Sunday 17^th June 2012

We awake refreshed and ready to complete our preparations. Our plan is to leave Monday morning but there are two business requirements which we need to attend to before leaving. One is the van insurance which will expire  in August  and the second is a replacement vignette, equivalent to a roadworthy certificate,  for the windscreen which I had removed last year believing it to be an expired tollway vignette. Assuming we can get it replaced!

As Ro does some internal spring cleaning and washing of linen and towels, I wash the external surfaces of the van. Our polishing last year makes it easy to clean and soon it is looking presentable. We pack the things from our bags into lockers. Terry  has kindly charged the batteries so soon we are nearly ready for our journey.

However, before leaving last year, I had checked the wiring for an external light which was constantly on when a bulb was fitted. I thought I would just quickly dismantle the rear of the van to correct the fault.  After some checking, I correct the wiring and voila we have an external light! The bad news is that we have no internal light! The wiring leaves a bit to be desired. More tracing and the internal light is working. A bit more fiddling and the fridge ignite is working properly. Now all that does not work is the 12 volt on the fridge. But the fridge 240 volt and fridge gas work so the 12 volt can wait.

About 4.30 we are mostly ready so decide to go for a walk. We walk along country lanes  admiring the old buildings and thinking how nice it would be to do up a building. But we seem to think that in many areas…Croatian islands, Austria, Switzerland and so it is to be expected that we would also think that in Charroux. But Charrous is special as we have adopted it.

We return for a light dinner outside on a mild evening  and retire to bed about 11.

Monday 18^th June 2012

I get up around 6.30am as I have to  refit the panels and restack the cupboards. That done, we go over to Mavis for breakfast.

Around 9 am we set off for Savigne, about 5 km away, to get a new vignette and renew the insurance. After some discussions in French and English, we are told that the insurance cannot be renewed until August when the old policy expires. But we won’t be here. Can we pay over the internet? Non. Can we use a credit card? Non. We can pay be cheque…… but we have no cheque book. Finally we opt to pay Mavis and she will send them a cheque. Now the vignette. Where was the test done? Poitiers. Are we going there? No. Do we have the certificate? Yes. Then no problem….we don’t need the vignette. So let’s get out of here!!!

We visit the supermarket opposite for some money for Mavis and some groceries for us then finally get on the road to our first night’s stay which is 270 km away. Maybe a bit of morning tea in the carpark first. Now to leave. Unfortunately the gate is now locked with us inside! But luckily someone with a remote also wants to leave so we don’t need to spend our holiday in a carpark.

Finally on the road! Getting used to right hand side driving is fairly easy this year. No bumping of tyres on curbs and fewer toots from other vehicles. With the exception of two trucks who tooted their horns when I pulled over in a village to let them pass. With narrow roads there are few opportunities for trucks to pass and they trend to chew one’s bumper on downhill runs. The two toots may have been thankyous but were marginally too long for thankyou toots so they may have thought I indicated for too little time before stopping. When toots require complex assessment I see that as a sign I am fitting in to the driving culture.

We have left rather later than we expected  and as last year we program TomTom to avoid motorways. This makes the 270 km fairly slow going. However the rewards are beautiful scenery, quaint villages and little traffic. But our arrival time at our overnight stay will be later than expected.

Last year we became blasé about the beautiful villages but once again the magic is rekindled as we drive down narrow streets with stone buildings  abutting the road either side. Some villages consist of sparse buildings of simple design while others are crowded and show architectural merit from bygone days.

This year  we manage to find spots other than cemeteries to have lunch and morning tea. Not that it is easy to avoid stopping near one as every village worth its salt has a walled cemetery.

The kilometres click by and we arrive at our camping spot. The people are welcoming and speak quite good English. We set up in the designated area which is actually set aside for the disabled. But we agree to limp while we are there and so we set up on that site.

As we stayed there one night last year, we know there is a walk we want to try. Last year it was too hot for walking but this year is quite a bit cooler, despite this supposedly being the hotter part of the year. We negotiate a moss covered track wondering if the disabled spot had been allocated guessing we may go walking over mossy rocks. But all is well and we reach the bottom of the steep hill without incident. There is a stone borie (shelter) of the type we saw last year but smaller and the walk through the forest trees is restful after our drive.

We have our first meal in the van and retire about 9.30 for our first night. The temperature is pleasant and we sleep well, awaking about 6.30 for breakfast and a walk.

Tuesday 19^th June 2012

We plan to leave about 10am to arrive at Domaine de la Sabliere, 250 km away, by mid afternoon. The leaving at 10 goes nearly to schedule but the arriving  mid afternoon does not.

A right hand side of the road moment occurs as we leave the campsite. Expecting to turn left and forgetting the right side of the road bit, Ro points out we need to turn right, not left, just as a car enters the camp. Naturally I pull over to the left to make room for the entering car. Unfortunately that is where he is intending to drive. Fortunately it is a slow manoeuver  so with a bit of repositioning no harm arises. The driver is not greatly concerned and waves graciously at my embarrassed  flurry of steering wheel turning.

Along the way we watch for Liedel or Aldi stores as we find shopping there familiar and inexpensive. We often find signs which tantalize us with promises of certain things (Liedel included) which  suggest certain directions but which don’t finally deliver. Such  a sign was pointing to a Liedel store in a town. We drive toward the town, ignoring Thomnasina’s school marm directions to do a u turn or write out 50 times “I will not be disobedient”. This is a large town without the quaint stone buildings but instead consisting of the usual stores, petrol stations and general ugliness common in today’s society. But we cannot see any Liedel. Finally we see an Aldi and we muse about how piqued Liedel would be that their sign is inspiring us to buy at Aldi. We go to the door with our bags. The doors remain closed despite the store having lights on. Some other customers arrive, chatting excitedly in french and walking toward the doors expecting them to open. They don’t. Ro looks at signage and spots a poster to one side announcing in French that the store is closed for two hours for inventory. She proudly directs the french people to the notice and we all leave now understanding why we couldn’t get in.

We drive a little further and are just about to give up when Ro  spies the little yellow red and blue sign which announces Liedel.   A leisurely trip around the store and we are stocked and ready to continue.

Our route continues through verdant fields and pastures of various types and we see wild poppy and other flowers growing by the roads. The poppies are very delicate and shrivel after a short time if not put quickly in water. The significance of the poppy as a remembrance flower is powerfully brought home seeing them growing wild and in their natural environment.

However it is now about 3 pm and we still have 150 km to go. We are meeting an English couple whom we met on the cruise last year at la Sabliere and we had said we would be there early to mid afternoon. But all we can do is continue and hope the next 150 km is faster than the previous 100.

 It isn’t. Thomasina has plotted a mountainous route along narrow  poorly up kept roads with large drops next to the outside lane in which we are travelling. This is quite a tiring bit of the trip as I watch every turn for oncoming vehicles which sometimes career past with local knowledge of the room available which we do not possess.

Finally we arrive tired but happy to be a few hundred metres from our destination…….which is nowhere in sight. We has set the GPS coordinates into TomTom but, as we have sometimes found, they were in error. So we try entering the address and find our new destination is only 5 km away. Finally we reach Domaine de la Sabliere by 6pm.

The people next to our site say hello in English, despite the French plates on the van. How did they know when I had sain Bon Jour to them. Perhaps I need to work on the pronunciation of my vast French vocabulary of 4 words. But, no. Our friends had been looking for us 5 hours ago!

We are about to set up when they arrive and welcome us. They suggest we go to their cabin for a before dinner drink then go and have dinner at the restaurant and that suits us.

Domaine de la Sabliere is a very large site, well treed and with restaurants, pools etc and access to the river some 100 meters below down paved but steep roads. We are  here for six days and looking forward to walking and swimming. The weather is pleasant but not particularly warm so walking at this stage looks more in order than swimming.

Our emplacement is nestled amongst other sites but well treed so provides a pleasant environment. Access paths wind and twist creating  interest and  aesthetic appeal but it does make orientation a bit of a challenge. The access paths to emplacements are not paved but the main access routes are concrete or asphalt. This is necessary as the main paths are very steep.

Alan and Janice lead us to their chalet, a timber hut somewhat minimalist in design but well equipped. It has a large balcony where we have nibbles and a glass of wine or two. About 7 we decide to go to the restaurant for dinner. This involves a walk of probably 800 metre down quite steep serpentine roads. The river is another 40 metres vertically below the restaurant.

We order dinner of chicken and later have ice cream, served by a friendly young French woman. We have been discussing the word ‘Chambon’   with Alan and Janice who are proficient in French but they don’t know it’s meaning. We discuss further with the waitress who speaks reasonable English. However she does not know the word either. After some alternatives she offers that she knows a village Chambon but not a word. With a laugh we realise the sign Ro saw was a village name sign.

After dinner we return to our respective lodgings. The steep walk down now requires a steep walk back, but now it is very dark with no moonlight. We follow Alan hoping he knows the way and can see the road.

A shower before bed will be most enjoyable. However the showers are only tepid and the night is cool. Furthermore, they have push buttons which allow only 10 or 20 seconds before requiring re pressing. We find one which lasts 40 seconds and that is much better.

Wednesday 20^th June 2012

 We awake to light rain on the van. It is overcast but blue sky in the distance promises a fine day.

After breakfast I cycle up to the wifi tent to check emails. I start pedalling in top  gear up the steep hill. But soon I am puffing so much I walk up the rest of the hill.

The tent has three of four people tapping away on computers and I join them. The link is reasonable and I am soon finished. I return on the bike, down some steep hills with my front brake squeeling enough to wake the dead.

About 10 we walk to Alan and Janices chalet and we all decide to go down to the river. While they get ready we visit the pools which are located  toward the river. There are three pools including one heated and covered pool and two outside pools. They are set in attractive surroundings with a view toward the heavily wooded, steep and rocky sides of the opposite bank of the river. Rocks have been used to decorate the terrace and there are dozens of sun lounges which at this stage are mostly free.

Alan and Janice join us after 15 minutes and we swim and enjoy the sun for half an hour before walking down to the river. By now it is quite warm and the swim in the river is most refreshing. It is a beautiful and clean river with rocks to rest on and dive from.

Early afternoon we decide to go back for lunch. Unfortunately the steep walk from last night is now steep and hot so we are pleased to reach the van and have a  shower to resolidify. But the tepid shower of last night is now too warm. The temperature is the same but our requirements have changed and the temperature is fixed. At least the evaporation of the water cools us.

We adjust the van position to make use of the shade and eat lunch inside the van which is starting to get hot. I wire in the fan I brought from Australia and the air flow helps.

Ater resting we return to the pool where Alan and Janice have located themselves having used the pool as their preferred method of cooling off following their walk from the river.

They suggest we join them for dinner at their hut and we do so, leaving the pool about 6.45 when it is still hot and sunny. Dinner consists of a rice entrée followed by a delicious spaghetti bolognaise. After spirited discussions on a variety of subjects, we return to the van, shower and go to bed about 11pm.

Thursday 21^th June 2012

 Today is starting warmer than yesterday, which probably reached mid 30s. We have our usual breakfast of fruit, muesli , pre toasted bread and jam and coffee. Then a bicycle ride to the wifi tent.

This time I take a less steep road which allows me to keep pedalling but for longer so I am puffing just as much when I reach the tent.

A cheery Bon Jour to the sole occupant and I pick up my emails and download my scribblings. Then back on the bike for an easy trip back. The brakes are squealing less today and are much needed. Falling off on the road would remove a lot of skin and disrupt our journey.

We have suggested to Alan and Janice that we go to the river with the van so we have facilities for morning tea and lunch. We drive to their cabin at 10 and down to the river, staying in first gear all the way. It reminds us of our trip over the alps last year where we stayed in first both up and down the alps for 20km or so.

At the river we find a spot to park and set up on the pebbly beach. We are glad we have brought water shoes with us as the pebbles and rocks are smooth but hard on the feet. Swimming down stream a few hundred metres we come across a pebble beach on the other side where we go for a walk, admiring the rocky banks in the deep ravine in which the river flows.

The river is about 15 to 20 metre wide and is quite deep in the middle and by the far bank. The water is pleasantly cool and clean with an overall green hue.

Around 11.30 we go back to the van, 50 metre away from our towels on the river bank, and have coffee and biscuits before returning to the river. The sun is hot now so we find whatever shade we can and apply adequate sun screen. The beach has become crowded with dozens of tanned people enjoying the natural beauty.

A little later Ro purchases some baguettes at the shop near the restaurant we ate at two nights ago and the four of us  climb into the van to eat them. It is a comfortable and convenient way to have lunch and keeps the insects away. Although we are pleasantly surprised how few insects  there are. Not anything like Australia.

We drive back to our site  late afternoon and have dinner in the van by ourselves. Alan and Janice leave tomorrow at 8am so they have their packing to do. However we have a farewell drink with them before returning to the van for a shower and bed.

We have enjoyed their company the last few days and look forward to meeting up with them in Britain next year.

Friday 22^th June 2012

Friday dawns clear and warm. After a trip to the wifi tent by bike, I return for breakfast before going to the pool.

We spend the morning between the van and the pool, Ro mainly staying in the van reading because the sun is quite strong. We have quite a bit to read because Janice donated a shopping bag full of novels to us. Some of the synopses of the books look quite good  and we each start reading. 

It seems like the perfect day to find out how effective my evaporative cooler is. However, on the plane trip, the seal for the water recirculation pump (otherwise known as a windscreen washer pump)  had been broken so the first job is to enlarge the hole in the plastic sewerage pipe I used for the body of the cooler. I had already asked Janice and Alan if I could  borrow their 16 mm drill bit, which any self respecting holidaymaker carries as a matter of course. This should not be taken to mean I have no self respect because I didn’t bring one. But as luck would have it, they had forgotten to pack theirs, as had another camper I asked who claimed to be an engineer no less!!!  Faced with this dilemma, I was contemplating life without an evaporative cooler when Ro suggested I heat a bit of metal and enlarge the hole that way. Shear brilliance! As luck would also have it, last year when we destroyed the push rods in the engine, I had kept one severely bent pushrod and the head is the right diameter. So I heat up the pushrod and it slices through the plastic making a neat hole unto which I can fit the inlet to the pump. A bit of ducting out the window and there we have an evaporative cooler. It remains to be seen whether it does anything. But even if it doesn’t, the fan moves the air quite effectively so that will be of some use.

About 11.45am we realise that the minimart closes at 12 and we wanted to get some bread. As the minimart is about 1 km away down a steep hill, near the restaurant at which we ate the other night, I hop on my trusty bike and speed off to buy the bread. I purchases one baguette and one larger baguette, called ‘un pain’ for under 2 euro,  That was the easy bit. Getting back involves pushing the bike 90% of the way back up the hill. So back to the pool to cool off again.

The afternoon is spent similarly until 6pm when we decide to walk down to the river. During our walk we see lovely treed emplacements which we think we will move to for Saturday night By the time we return to the van, up the steep hill and via the pool, we have instead determined we will move now and stay by the river for two nights.

The emplacement we saw which we liked is booked from 30^th so we can use it for a few nights without any problem. We are not sure whether we have to let anyone know we are moving but assume we don’t. When we arrived the helpful guy at reception said we could move if we wanted to but did not make it clear whether we needed to inform them when doing so. I think he said as long as there is no reserved sign we can use it. If he did not say that, then my faulty memory has worked to our advantage.

The site is beautiful . We enjoyed where we were but this one is far better, with the sound of the running river and birds more audible and abundant greenery including total dappled shade over our van. Tomorrow we will decide whether we will stay on another day or so. We have until mid July to get to Frankfurt so staying here a bit longer will not have any adverse impact.

 

 

 

Saturday 23^rd June 2012

We notice that our new site is much cooler when we wake up. During the day we discover a bottle of water in the euphemistically termed freezer has actually frozen, proving the site is cooler. That may be the first bit of freezing the freezer has ever done! Certainly it is our first experience.

Talking of fridges, the electric ignition has stopped again. It seems to work for a while then stop for a while. But tomorrow I am going to check the fridge 12 volt so I should correct it then.

The day is spent  either near the river, by the river or on the river, A very relaxing day, without any trips up steel hills.  The flat terrain makes  riding back and forth a pleasure.

Walks along the bank and in the river are very enjoyable, with few other people encountered.

By nightfall, we  have decided to stay an extra day before heading toward Annecy which has one of the purist lakes in Europe so the  tourist guide claims although  60 years ago the lake was  almost dead through pollution. Annecy also has  a 17^th century ‘old town’ which has retained much of its original authenticity. Two million tourists visit annually so we are hoping the other 364 days are very crowded.

Sunday 24th June 2012

We spend another day alternating between cooling off in the river and warming up in the sun. Plus a little bit of walking and bike riding. All very relaxing.

Our provisions are getting low so we  spend a little time at the mini mart trying as usual to decipher French labels. We are improving in that area.

I also spend a relaxing hour pulling out the power supply to find our why the 12 volt on the fridge does not work. On opening the control box, I am confronted with myriad wires with no circuit diagram. But I am able to test the four relays  which work and to anchor the fuse blocks which now seems to make the fridge ignite work. Some more fiddling with the fridge switch shows the switch to be faulty. A bit of cleaning and the switch is made to work. Now the gas, 12volt and 240 volt all work, with 240 volt the best at cooling and 12 volt the worst, we think.

The day is probably the hottest we have had yet although where we are camped, the influence of the trees and the river make it very pleasant. Our only problem is  deciding whether we want to leave this idyllic setting tomorrow.

Monday 25th June 2012

It looks like it will be another beautiful day so by 9.30 we are still undecided whether to leave. By 9.31 we have taken an executive decision that we will leave. So after half an hour of frenzied activity we start the steep haul up to reception.

We intend to call via the campervan dump site. Contrary to what some may be thinking, this is an area where we can dump effluent from the van’s tanks. We have to pass it on our way out ….. but somehow we get to reception and have not passed it. We still have a way to go with our orientation so a quick circuit and we correctly locate it. The van is not fitted with a current cassette type toilet so emptying it involved setting a separate tank under the toilet outlet valve, connecting a flexible pipe between and opening the valve. To say it is like what a nightman had to do is painting a rather bleak picture, but it gives an idea.  Care is important as is the ability to move quickly. The grey water is a bit more manageable as it can be dumped directly down the drain over which the van can be driven.

That completed we drive to reception to check out. Despite my telling the checkout chick twice that we stayed an extra night, our bill does not include an extra night. I find it hard to believe that the meaning got lost in the translation, but that may have been the case.

As we are checking out, we say hello to a fellow Australian we met last Christmas in Melbourne. We were probably the only two Australian couples they had had there for weeks or months. The fact that we know one another would have confirmed for them that the population is so small in the little country of Oz that everyone knows everyone else.

Thomasina tells us in an admonishing voice that it will take 5 hours to get to Annecy going by the back roads which we insist on using. As we have left Domaine de la Sabliere a bit later than we thought and want to buy some more provisions on the way, we opt to stay near Grenoble for a night.

The trip to Grenoble takes us through more delightful stone villages which probably have not altered in 100s of years expect for the addition of power lines and other accoutrements of 20 century living.

We eventually see an Aldi sign but cannot find the store. Instead we shop at a Carrefour supermarket. The downside is that there is too much choice so it takes us 40 minutes. By now it is mid afternoon and Thomasina is getting stroppy when we turn other than where directed. She says we will be there by 7pm which we think is a bit rich. However Thomasina knows something that we don’t. And that is that the next hour and a half will be along very narrow roads which are very steep and very winding. The roads are so narrow that they paint the white lines thinner so the road looks wider.

But before we reach this road, we cross a wide river on such a thin single lane bridge that the van’s mirrors only just fit between the support columns at each side. Traffic lights control the very limited traffic which saves us having to back up for oncoming traffic.

The mountain road is slow and tiring but the views are absolutely magnificent.

Finally we reach our camp site about 7pm which thankfully is at the GPS coordinates given as I have had enough driving after the high concentration needed for the mountainous road.  

The people at the tiny reception hut are effusive in their welcome and explain all the facilities available. We get a dissertation on how to order bread despite my frequent comments that we are OK for bread. And we get a dissertation on the restaurant across the road, despite my frequent comments that we want to eat in the van. And so it goes on. Eventually, we are directed to choose a site and to inform him as to which one we have chosen. That is despite the fact that he can see from the hut where we have stopped. But  I would take effusive over surly any day so I am not complaining.

 

The camping area is at least as picturesque as our last few day’s stay. There is more grass and fewer trees but the view is fantastic. We are up in the Rhone Alps district and all our climbing has places us up near the top of the world. We hope it is not going to be cold. Our host assures us the days are very warm.

We have dinner and a shower and go to bed about 11pm.

Tuesday 26th June 2012

The view we have from our van when we awake is wonderful. The rocky ridge opposite us, which is the near vertical edge of a hydroelectric dam, is sunlit with white clouds drifting past just below the top of the ridge. Large faces of bare rock are interspersed with lush green vegetation.

We have breakfast with this view,  go to the pool for a swim then lie in the sun reading until morning tea.

We have asked what tourist attractions are in the area. The dam wall is one which is only 1.5 km away so we start there. The wall was built in the 1930s and there are pictures of the construction. It was certainly of gargantuan proportions. There is an observation area with more braille writing than I have seen before. Unfortunately  the non braille is French so we don’t get a lot of information. The observation area has a sturdy but low steel fence. A sheaf of flowers forewarned us of the shear drop of several hundred metres to rocks and water below. We assume someone met his/her demise off the  platform. Standing by the fence is slightly eerie for both of us. For Ro because she does not want to fall and for me because I want to jump! But after a short time we both adapt and enjoy the view.

Directly across from the platform is a train line which passes through tunnels through solid rock and along bridges perched on the side of the cliff face. However, one such bridge directly opposite was partially destroyed by a recent rock slide of thousands of tonnes. The train was used as a tourist attraction but will be out of action for some years even  if it proves viable to rebuild. It would be quite a trip to take.

Another attraction to which we have been directed is a Himalayan style foot bridge across the lake. We drive toward it but discover it is a 4 hour round trip to walk or a 2 hour bike trip. It is too hot for cycling or walking so we decide to get a closer vantage point.

But before this we walk to the lake edge and observe the many water sports being enjoyed on the lake. The wind is quite strong and there are wind surfers, kite surfers and yachtsmen ,  all travelling at remarkable speeds across the lake.

Lunch is also partaken of before  moving on to our next viewing point. We are parked outside a magnificent hotel/restaurant which has green ivy growing over its stone walls, a high pitched terracotta roof and gable windows. The well tended gardens complete the vista.

Getting to the alternate vantage point involves a circuitous path along the steep and winding roads of the area culminating in a drive across a suspension bridge with a drop of over 100 metre to the water below. I say culminating since at that point we decide that this suspension bridge will do us and we return to our camping place.

Part of the reason for returning was that we had been told we could walk to the lake in 15 minutes for a swim in its cool aqua waters. What we were not told was that during the walk we would descend probably 250 to 300 metre vertically….. and that we would also have to get back up! The 15 minutes proves to be  optimistic by 100% so by the time we reach the water, a swim is more a necessity than a pleasure. However the dreaded return hike proves to be not as bad as expected, albeit with  a few stops to allow our pulse rate and respiration to return to an acceptable level. On returning to the camp site, a dip in the pool is as much a requirement as the swim in the lake was on the downward trip. However the pool which seemed cool this morning seems quite warm this afternoon after the lake.

After  nibbles and wine we don’t feel we need any more dinner so we have a few more snacky things and some desert (no one to tell us we can’t have desert if we don’t have a main meal) and get an early night with the intention of leaving early…..ish.

Wednesday 27th June 2012

By 8.30am we are ready to go, however dumping waste water, filling with fresh water, checking emails, paying our bill and  giving the van a quick wash means it is 9.30 before we are ready to leave the property. We  leave  an Australian flag at the office and are informed we are the first Australian visitors. There is a post with different directions and distances to various European cities and we suggest  we could point the Australian flag to Melbourne. It is suggested it would have to point directly down! Perhaps the longer path around the earth’s circumference would be easier.

The trip is mostly downhill and easy driving but far busier than the recent roads we have taken. Our path toward Annecy takes us close to Grenoble which is a decent sized city of 155,000 of whom 60,000 are students. It is a centre of technology and we drive through a university precinct and past buildings which look like they would be at home in  Silicon Valley . Chances are they would as Grenoble has quite a name in nano technology and nuclear physics and it is nestled in a valley  with  alps peaking on every side.

Our trip is supposed to take 3 hours and, apart from a morning tea  at a shaded roadside stop, we seem to be on track. Soon we discover that If we had continued for another half hour we would have been able to stop by a river the waters of which are aquamarine like the lake we swam in yesterday.

The drive by the river is very picturesque, as is the Rhone Alps region generally, with tree lined roads travelling next to the river for many kilometres.

As is our want, we have chosen  a camping ground out of Annecy which is “off the beaten track”. In fact  the track ends up beating us.

Thomasina instructs us to turn right at an inconsequential road and we enjoy leaving the traffic behind. We start to climb into the alps. Nothing new for us until we are instructed to make a hard left turn into a narrow bituminised road. Still nothing  new, although I will get a bit of practice in reversing  down steep roads if we meet another vehicle.

We continue ever forward and upward in first with the upward bit getting faster as the forward bit gets slower. Engine revs also get slower. Challenges, if we have not been challenged as yet, are offered up as we meet hairpin bends which must be taken at speed so as not to stop as we would not start again if we did. After each hairpin bend the motor slows to a point where it is touch and go as to whether the motor will stall. Each time  the road just flattens enough to allow the revs to build up again.

We reach some stone houses where the road just squeezes past  a barn, still climbing steeply. We have 4 km to our destination when the road turns to a stone track. Should we continue? Seems silly to continue but sillier to stop when we have come so far. So onward and upward to our first hairpin bend. We round the bend and the motor drops in revs. Will we get to a flatter section? The revs continue to drop until the inevitable happens and the engine stalls. At this point the clutch has not been working because it does not slip but to try to start from here would overtax it and who knows what is ahead.

The origin of  flashes of wisdom is a mystery to me. Out of the blue we simultaneously experience an epiphany that this is not a good path to continue on. We think that the van realised that some time ago.

The reversing practice I thought I might get is only for a short stretch. And in any case I don’t have to do  much reversing as the van is slipping backward on the stones. We negotiate a reversal of direction and both the van and we are relieved to be going down rather than up.

We stay in first gear on the descent, with Thomasina repeatedly saying to do a U turn. Perhaps madam would like us to do a hand brake turn at the next hairpin bend? In your dreams, baby. We continue.back past the barn and down through the hairpin bends, hoping all the time there will not be another vehicle as reversing up the hill around hairpin bends would be somewhat unpleasant. No other vehicle appears. Maybe that is not surprising.

Where Thomasina told us to turn left we continue straight. She recalculates with nerry a word of apology. Maybe she had a red face but we could not see it. Or did I hear a quiet voice say “Did I say turn left? I meant go straight”. But she does not utter another word for a few km. When she does she has regained her composure and tells us to turn left at the next road. We are wary this time and are prepared to tell her to stick her left turn in her power jack if the road looks as sus as the  last one.

We take a chance and continue on another marginally less steep road which occasionally breaks into stone but then redeems itself as a bitumen road. Finally we come to a parking area with a sign saying our camping ground is 500 metre along a dirt and grass track. We decide to walk the track to see what problems await us.

As we walk the track we hear a symphony of cowbells. In a paddock is a herd of large milking cows. Around the neck of each cow is a wide leather belt  with a large cow bell. The 20 or 30 cows  are all moving and the  sound of the bells is extraordinary. The sound emanates from  within a magnificent alpine vista, with snow on far peaks and sun shining on all the peaks in the distance. We look down kilometres to villages far below, through wispy clouds which we are within.

Our walk takes us to a camping ground into which caravans are discouraged from entering. Other than those conveyed by helicopter. There are a few small campervans and small cars and tents and cabins. We decide once again that we have come too far not to go the last 500 metre so return and carefully drive up the track and up the final rev killing hill. The motor just continues to run up to the flat and after a bit of direction reversal we stop the van in an appropriate camping spot.

If the last two camp sites have been increasingly spectacular, this one continues the trend and is likely to be the pinnacle in both elevation and grandeur. The number of people about is inversely proportional to the grandeur.

We are welcomed  in the same effusive fashion we experienced at our last site. We start with a quick swim in the pool which is  set into a decking from which the view is spectacular. After a late lunch, it is now 3 pm, we are shown around by our host.

The main building is a century old barn with low ceilings and all of wood. Inside there is a wood fire for the colder months during which there would undoubtedly be snow and one would think it almost unreachable. Maybe our host is resident year round. He speaks mostly French with enough English to make himself understood.

A second building has recently been finished and is made of thick pine timber. The craftsmanship is excellent, with massive square timbers checked and notched into curved diagonal braces. Showers and toilets are a bit rudimentary but we can use those in the van if necessary.

Our intention had been to venture into Annesy with this as a base but the climb up and down has altered our plans. However the location  is so spectacular we are happy to stay here for two nights before finding something a little easier to reach closer to Annesy.

As we don’t have to be to Scot until 15^th July, we are in no hurry so we can relax and proceed without haste.

Thursday 28th June 2012

It is light by 5.30 am and it does not get dark until 10.30pm. However we have been luxuriating in bed during our trip and generally get up about 8am.  It is already sunny with wispy clouds and the quiet of the alps is only slightly disturbed by  a far distance rumble which is probably the motorway  passing somewhere relatively near by….probably 10 km away.

Last night we could see the orange street lights of a town far below us in the valley and its bustle may contribute to the rumble. As yet we have not heard the cow bells. Maybe they sleep in too.

After breakfast we walk back to the car park in which we originally stopped. As we walk, we hear the cowbell symphony both up the mountain and down in the valley. Stereophonic tinkling with one bass bell clanging from a lone cow next to the track.

We walk on from the carpark for another kilometre or so into the forest before retracing our steps.

The remainder of the day we spend by the pool and reading. By the end of the day, we are relaxed to the max and ready to continue tomorrow to Annecy.

We have found a campsite near the lake adjacent to Annecy and will travel there first. The guide book says there is a bike path around the lake which we had wanted to see so it should suit us. We may be able to ride into Annecy. And the camp site has a water slide!!!!!!! We love waterslides.

So off to bed about 10 pm as light is falling with a view to leaving early for the lake.

Friday 29th June 2012

We leave by  9am and commence the slow and steep descent. The exit track is only just wide enough for the van and the uneven surface causes us to lurch between trees on either side. There are rocks also waiting to assault the panels and at one point the electricity cable to the property is so low it is lifted by the roof of the van.

The bitumen road at the end of the track is a welcome sight, narrow as it is. As we descend the steep winding and narrow road, we hope not to meet another vehicle coming toward us. Presumably there are protocols to address such events but we don’t know them nor do we wish to learn about them. So it is relief that we turn onto the ‘main’ road, which is also narrow but purports to be two lanes. Two bicycle lanes perhaps.

On the flatter ground, we continue toward Annecy. As we near the lake, we see beautiful aqua waters framed by towering mountains. The lake reminds us of Lago Maggiore last year with houses built around the edge of the lake. The houses and lake size  are not on the same grand scale  but the lake is superior in water quality and general beauty.

After a half hour drive we reach the camp site we had in mind. The water slide is not very impressive, nor is the camp generally. We instead continue looking for something better. We see a bolangerie/patisserie and stop for some pain aux raisin of which we are very fond, and back track to a picturesque spot on the lake. We have coffee and cake then have a swim in the beautiful clean, clear water, which is cool but not cold.

Continuing on, a camping sign for a site by the lake attracts our attention. We decide to stay here and cycle into Annecy, about 9km away on a flat bike path. However, after settling in, we decide it is too hot (again in mid 30s) so instead go and swim in the lake again with the intention of moving closer to Annecy tomorrow and riding the last few km.

The site has 2 hours of wifi for 4 euro so we take the opportunity to Skype Scot and Jacinta. The contact and laughter is a huge pick me up as we are feeling the effects of language barriers. It is lovely to hear of life back home. (Tip: send an email to  travelling friends to make both you and them feel good)  

 As our provisions are a bit low  we cycle into the  nearby town and visit the supermarket which, thankfully, is air conditioned, allowing Ro to re solidify. With back pack overflowing and shopping bags swinging wildly we ride back and read.

After dinner we ride by the lake  until 9.30pm without requiring any headlight. We wear as little as possible as it is still hot.

Tonight is going to be one of out hottest this trip. Hope we sleep OK ready for our bicycle riding tomorrow.

 

 

Saturday 30th June 2012

 The night is hot but does not impact on our sleep. The morning is cloudless and sunny and will be hot. We decide, instead of cycling 9 km , to drive closer to Annecy and cycle from there.

Our drive reveals nowhere to leave the van which will be safe from marauding  parking inspectors or whatever they have here. We learn later that there was a camping car parking area on the way in but we did not see it. We end up driving through Annecy proper and out the other side along the lake. Finally we finds a roadside parking area which looks safe so we remove the bikes and cycle the two or three km into the town, taking towels and bathers for a swim when we get hot.

We cycle to the tourist bureau and get some pamphlets about the old city which we want to see. It is a convenient place to leave the bikes so we lock them to a railing and set off.

Annecy we have been told is magnificent and we discover this to be so. From the lake to the Jardine de Europe to the crystal clear  little Venice canals and 16^th century buildings, the place is a treasure and well worth a visit. It has a lot of religious history and in times gone by was a major manufacturing centre.

Our attention is attracted by a church, Annecy’s Notre Dame (literally meaning ‘Our Lady”) which is inauspicious externally  but architecturally inspiring inside, including a glass dome which lights the church wonderfully well, in marked contrast to most other churches we have seen which are generally dark and dingy inside.

We walk around the old town for some hours until we feel it time to return to the van for lunch as we do not want anything heavy and cannot not see anything else we fancy. We do find some delicious fruit salad which we enjoy in the park. Also, we are ready for a swim as it is very warm. Cycling back to the van, we change into bathers and cool off in the lake. Although not any of the  crowded beaches, the rocky banks where we enter the water are still crowded.

After our swim, it is our intention to park the van in the camping car park we have found out about then ride back into the town. Most parking areas have height restrictors at 2 metre so our 2.8 metres limits where we can park. Getting to the camping car park involves driving back through Annecy, about 5 km from our current position. Progress is extremely slow due to traffic which we have observed building rapidly during the morning. Later it is pointed out to us that the school holidays have just begun, it is a weekend and it is very warm.  Perhaps half the 2 million visitors per year are here today.

We finally get to the parking place  and join a queue which it transpires is the queue for vehicles wanting to reverse out of the overflowing park. Our plans are modified and we end up returning to a shaded spot near last night’s campsite for a very late lunch.

It looks like we should have visited Annecy a day or so earlier. Contemplating the crowds of people and cars we are likely to encounter, we decide to continue and maybe visit Annecy again some other time not in school holidays….or on a weekend…but definitely when it is warm.

It is now 5pm and the camp site we want to reach is 1 ½ hours away according to Thomasina. Excluding the 20 minutes it takes us to get through the kilometre long traffic jam. Just before we get into Annecy, we thankfully turn left and are amazed at the continuous line of cars, solid for  1 ½ to 2 km going into and out of Annecy. We are back in  Melbourne, Sydney or any other major city. But Annecy only has 50,000 people.  Plus 2 million visitors.

After a bewildering number of ‘keep right’ and ‘keep left’ and ‘exit the motorway’ (which we had asked not to use) we are finally clear of traffic and we go back to our usual fare of small windy roads with quaint villages.

We are getting close to the Swiss border and some towns have the Swiss emblem on them, suggesting we are moving in and out of Switzerland. Our campsite is in France but Genera, in Switzerland, is only 10 km away.

By 7pm we are at our camp which is very green and grassy with few other visitors.  Our plan is to stay the night, visit Geneva then decide whether we will stay another night or continue on.

But first things first. Swim time in the pool, an interesting structure built partly below and partly above ground and made by Zodiac. The pool ia about 10 metre long and looks just like a Zodiac semi ridged boat, but quite a bit bigger. Another difference is that the water is inside rather than outside. But the rounded, inflated sides are very safe and automatically exclude toddlers. A good idea.

After dinner, we have another swim about 11 pm before showers and to bed.   

Sunday 1st July 2012

Sunday morning is rainy. Not heavy but different from what we have experienced to date. We must buy a bike cover as our bikes are showing some signs of rust after only one year.

There are a few chores to be done, including fitting another rack to the kitchenette (if that is not to grandiose a term. Ro suggests kitchinetteisimo) to increase available bench area. We now have 2 postage size areas for working on instead of one.

By 2 pm it is still quite wet so we decide to skip Geneva and continue on toward Belfort, our next stop, where weather looks better.

Two  hours of driving later the weather is still not much better.  We have gone up more steep mountain roads, some in first gear, and down the other side also in low gears, driven through more quaint villages and stopped here and there.

We continue intending to reach Belfort by 6.30pm . Along the way we come across a small road block with a sign in French we don’t understand. We are now in Switzerland and the villages with French names have Swiss emblems next to the name. As another vehicle has driven past the blockade, we do so too.

After 5 km we understand the sign. The next village is blocked completely for some festival. A road block person with no English explains in detail about the blockade…. but we don’t understand. The bit we do understand is that the blockade will be open a 6pm and we should have a coffee until then. That is 2 hours away so we decide to try to get around another way. That involves retracing our tracks and going up and down another mountain along tiny roads.

However, by the end of it all, we have saved 5 minutes, avoided more caffine and taken less than 2 years off the life of the van. And we will get to Belfort by 8.45pm, which is a bit late but if we cannot get into the camp at that time, we can always wild camp.

By 8.45 we are only a few km from our camp site. The last km is a dirt road and slightly muddy. Continuing along the track, following Thomasina’s instructions (we are astounded at the tracks she knows about) we end up at the gate to the camp site. It is closed and after a few moments we realise that either we have the wrong gate or it is not open now, something we encountered last year but later in the season. Better return to the main road and look for another entrance.

It is still quite light and reversing to a turning point is reasonably straight forward. Just keep on the track. Ro looks out the rear window and helps with direction…..too late. A rear tyre goes off the path and looses traction.

I try a few moves forward and back but cannot regain traction. I try digging a little and using our plastic chocks but all I succeed in doing is getting the rear wheel deeper.

Half an our later, having nearly cooked the clutch by the smell and having created clowds of blue smoke from the tyres skidding on the plastic ramp, we understand that we will be wild camping here, albeit on a 10 degree angle.

There is heaps of timber on the ground, but it is all slippery and rotten. In a last ditch effort for tonight, I decide to fell a tree to help us. Well not a full tree, but a limb of 80 mm diameter. Using out trusty battery powered drill and a serrated kitchen knife, I fell the mighty limb and try levering the tyre upward to get a chock further under the wheel. The limb is supple and does not break but bends to the ground without lifting the vehicle. If only I had a car jack, or to be more precise, a car jack  which was not in a locker which is now so close to the ground as to be inaccessible!

Living in a camper on a 10 degree angle presents challenges. Standing upright is one. Stopping dishes sliding off the table is another and getting water into the drain hole in the shower is a third. It is not unlike life in a boat except that the 10 degrees  does not alter as it does in a boat. Perhaps like living in a sinking boat, which may be an appropriate analogy.

Monday 2nd July 2012

We awake as crumpled heaps in the corner of the bed. It has been a less than comfortable night for sleeping.

After breakfast from the lower corner of the table, we circumnavigate the campsite to see if there is another entrance. The campsite is quite interesting as it has been built on the site of an old castle ruin. A deep wide ditch ditch, maybe once a moat, moat encircles it, with a 4 metre high wall to the bottom of the moat and another stone wall on the other side. At the entrance gate where a bridge  provides  access over the moat , a security camera has a red blinking light. But as they say, the light is on but no one is home. This is despite Ro tooting SOS on the horn numerous times and shaking the gate while calling “Au secours”…… help in French.

There is also evidence of concrete bunkers  we presume are from the second world war. This is confirmed when we find a memorial to 25 resistance fighters who were killed by the Nazis. We understand the memorial to say “they died so we could be free”.

Some more digging and levering leads us to the belief we need a tow. As we prepare to look for a farmer, a farmer turns up!!! He speaks no English, but the angle of the van and the amount of removed dirt tells the story in any language. Tractor is the same in English and French.

So he disappears and in 15 minutes a very large tractor turns up. Ro has developed a special liking for tractors. The driver who is a younger man that the earlier one, drives toward the van with his hay   forks lowered and it seems his means of correcting the situation may include impaling the van with the forks. Instead he reverses the tractor and gets a steel cable which I place round the rear axle.

In a few moments we are again on our way. We offer money which he refuses then offer an Australian flag which he accepts with a huge smile. We farewell with copious ‘Merci Beaucoup’s and continue on our way. It is 12 noon so we have not lost a lot of time. And the wood was a lovely spot to spend the morning.

Setting off for Colmar after being freed from the bog, we feel wonderful. There is nothing like adversity to make  mundaneness seem special. We celebrate by stopping for morning tea in a village and not parked by a cemetery. Special in itself.

After more hills and dales we reach Belfort where we find fuel and a Lidl for some provisions. While Ro looks for things to eat, I inspect the hardware. Rather surprisingly there is a telescopic builder’s prop which is exactly what I was needing to get. Although internal renovations in camping cars don’t generally need builder’s props, it is useful to me because Ro has a fear of falling from the bunk above the cab.  It is perfect for making an anti fall out barrier. What’s more it is only 2.89 euro!!! Ro says look again and in the time I have reinspected the price it has become 11.99 euro. Still a good price. The thing  for 2.89 was a telescopic magnetic retrieval device which could also come in handy……… stop that.

Back to the sightseeing, the first visit of which is a village called  Adincourt, 4 km SE of Belfort   where there is a modern chapel which is supposed to be of architectural merit.

It is buried in amongst suburbia and a cursory glance suggests we have wasted our time. We walk around the outside and see on a plaque that indicates it was built in 1951. That alters the context somewhat as it would have been well before its time then. As we are leaving, a woman who has observed us photographing it says in French that the keys are available at a house nearby for us to see inside. We go to a house and are offered the keys by the charming occupants of the house.

The chapel inside seems well before its time. That is slightly difficult to assess given what we know now, but imagining ourselves back  at that time we can understand how it would have been viewed. Internally there are vibrantl stained glass windows with a circular baptism room with wall to ceiling stained glass. The stained glass is very contemporary  rather than those found in medieval churches.

Nearby is another chapel completed in 1955 by the famous architect Corbusier and which is also of architectural merit. After returning the key, we set off for that. It is 15 minutes drive away in a village called Ronchamp. On arrival, we visit the tourist bureau and are told it is a 20 minute walk away. We set out with waterproof clothing as it is drizzly. After a short distance, we see the start of a steepish climb and decide to drive. The reason we had not driven was that the arch under the rail bridge looked a bit narrow. But what in Europe isn’t? So we walk back to the van and drive instead. The van fits easily and the steepish hill proves to be first gear all the way. It would have been a tiring walk and 20 minutes seems optimistic.

The chapel on the mountain is shrouded in mist and some is precipitating as the odd drop of rain. A fairly recent building houses an entrance foyer where we are relieved of 16 euro. The site has had cathedrals on it for millennia. In the early 1900s a fire destroyed the original building which was rebuilt then destroyed again in the Second World War. The new structure was completed in 1955 and is an astounding design, again well before its time. It is a pilgrimage site for thousands of architects every year.

Externally it is a large white edifice of concrete with a sweeping concrete roof. Inside  a gently sloping floor has one aisle of pews of heavy timber beams supported with solid concrete  blocks. Two or three pulpits are cantilevered from the walls. There are two bays with alters. The description here  cannot in any way convey the building itself which I loved but which Ro did not like very much. After looking through the chapel, we look at some other buildings built at the same time, including a small monastery then look at some carvings, all about 300mm by 200 mm, which are on exhibition. We call them Jesus friezes. They are intricately carved scenes of the life of Jesus and are remarkable. All carved from timber of different types, the artist has used the grain very effectively in the images. For example, a cross section of a timber with wavy grain depicts the sea with another timber’s straight grain depicting the sky in the same carving. Remarkable craftsmanship. The site closes at 7pm and we leave at that time.

As we drive back to Ronchamp, we stop at a coal mine pithead for coffee and a squiz. The pithead is housed in what looks like an old building but which has a lot of what looks like fairly new concrete. Rather confusing and not of great interest.

We are heading for Colmar and expect to reach our camp site by 9pm…. on a dirt road. Why do we get a feeling of déjà vu again? But this time we arrive without incident and the camp manageresse kindly admits us at 9pm.

Neither she nor her husband has no English and we struggle for a short time in French. I then ask if they speak German and they do. Pity I speak so little. However, between French, German and the odd English word, we can communicate. We will stay two nights, visiting Colmar tomorrow and maybe somewhere else next day.

Now for dinner, a nice shower (not timed!!) and bed.

Tuesday 3rd July 2012

Another overcast day is expected, but it is a pleasant temperature without rain. We have breakfast and do a few chores then set off for Colmar, about 20 km away.

In Colmar, we first visit MacDonald’s for some torturously slow wifi. They seem to have altered their wifi so we cannot just sit in the carpark anymore and the speed has been reduced. A couple of people are on Skype so we have two quick conversations. One to Pat and Dave, with whom we had coffee in Zurich last year, is very quick because we cannot hear them. The other, with Jacinta, is a bit longer. There is no privacy and we may have shouted a bit, but as it is in English, we feel some degree of privacy.

Continuing on to the old town, we find a parking place one km out and ride in by bike. A visit to an unsmiling tourist office girl supplies us with a map and a wave of the hand toward where we should begin our walk. Where do they find these people??

The Unter Linden Museum is our first port of call. There are many rooms of art, furniture, archaeological  artefacts, armour, weapons, wine making presses and other eclectic objects. The religious paintings we find rather morbid and move on to other areas.

By 6pm we are ready to explore the rest of the old town. It is extensive and very well preserved. Houses from 14^th century onward are in abundance, all well cared for and well preserved. There are few signs of the modern world, apart from the people and some not so well hidden lighting. There are two magnificent churches, which never fail to amaze me.

By 8 pm we are ready to go back to our camp site. It is still full daylight and the ride back to the van is flat and obvious. We have brought Thomasina with the parking place marked in case we get lost but we don’t require her. But we do utilize her talents to get back to our camp.

Dinner, shower and bed again. Yet another day has slipped by. On Friday we will have been away for 3 weeks, but it does not seem that long.      

Wednesday 4th July 2012

A warm night is followed by what promises to be a very pleasant day. The expected temperature is 26 degrees with some cloud and no rain. After breakfast, we decide to spend the day here as it is a lovely site with a 15 metre by 7 metre pool which is 24 degrees.

First we want to wash our towels. There is a washing machine of sorts available which consists of a tub with a plastic barrel which is driven by a small motor in the lid. First add the towels. Then add the water with soap. Then lift the drain pipe up so a small portion of the water we have just added remains in the tub rather than immediately draining out the hose as has just happened. Now add more water and soap and set the machine for 6 minutes. As the barrel is rotated back and forth we watch in fascination. This must be the simplest washing machine ever…… apart from hand turned ones. After washing draining and rinsing, we transfer the towels to a spinner which is a small plastic device on a sink which quite possibly doubles as a coffee machine later in the day.

Our chores for the day finished, we spend the rest of the day walking round the well kept 5 acre property, swimming and reading.

By 9.30 pm it is starting to get dark so we retire early with the intention of travelling to Strasbourg tomorrow. It is only 100 km away but we want to stop at various towns along the way so expect to get there by early evening.

 

Thursday 5th July 2012

Thursday is dry, slightly overcast and warm. After breakfast we go by the office  to pay for our three night’s stay. We are given a placemat with the camp logo and we in return give an Australian flag, which elicits the same broad smile we have experienced before.

Our first stop is a wall paper museum which is part of a factory which is world renowned for wallpapers and wallpaper scenes. They still make the intricate scenes which stretch around three walls.

Although it is a factory, it is some factory! The building is called the Commanderie and it was built mid 1700s but was added to over 50 years. It is a very elegant building, U shaped with smaller buildings enclosing the front of the U. It has been  used for numerous purposes including troop billets, a prison and a military hospital. It was purchased in 1802 by Jean Zuber who founded Jean Zuber and Co and has been making wall paper since then. Fortunately few structural alterations have been made

The building now houses the museum on one side, the factory on the other side and the Town Hall and municipal offices in the main section. As Ro takes some photos, a fountain obligingly starts to shoot water high into the air.

The museum has printing machinery over the period from 1802 to 1980s set up on the ground floor. The first floor shows wall papers over the same period. It is amazing how intricate some were. Wall papers from the 70s onward are also entertaining, including some from the 1990s which are quintessentially French in their design audacity (but not really their content). On the top floor are shown some scenes which cover three walls. Some are placed above wall paper panels similar to those in the great royal palaces and the effect is very good. A timber moulding enhances the three dimensional effect. The scenes are remarkable in their complexity and creativity.

After  morning tea overlooking a small park, we continue on to Eguisheim, a very well preserved village from the 1300s.

This is the best preserved town we have seen. There are two outer rings of houses in an oval shape around the other houses , churches and communal buildings. Cobble stone roads are either original or remade as original. I suspect they are original as there are some which have been replaced by a red coloured asphalt material which are sympathetic but do not come near to the charm of the original. Walking along the curved roads, probably 2.5 metre wide, with houses of infilled timber, with their crooked and curved beams is like being back  100s of years.

There are two churches to visit. The first is much older and is attached to another building which is a private residence now and was probably the minister’s residence. The church has quite music playing inside which adds to the mood generated. It is in good condition with copious amounts of tiling and paintings. It is only small and has an unusual alter with a wide arch above.

This contrasts starkly with the other church which also has music playing but is much grander and has a flat ceiling which is unusual in churches of that period and It does not look like it has been damaged and rebuilt  with a modern ceiling.

Later we are surprised to note that the  village is not in the Lonely Planet guide. This must rate as one of their most significant oversights. We were just fortunate to have seen the brochure at our camp site.

By 5 pm we return to the van. As we walk back we notice a parking station into which we realise we should have deposited some money. Thinking back to Zurich last year, we approach with trepidation hoping not to see anything on the windscreen. But our luck is in and we have escaped a fine so we  are ready to continue to Strasbourg. Or more particularly to  our camp site 20 km from Strasbourg.

We arrive by 6pm in time to have a walk, pick up some emails and have a leisurely dinner. We will probably stay here for a few days as we have arranged to meet Adi in Offenberg on Monday to do something about the rear floor which is in poor condition.

During the night, there is continuous light rain. Our Strasbourg visit last year was wet. Hope it won’t be the same this year.

Friday 6th July 2012

Friday  is also drizzly and promises to be all day. Once again we are seduced into a day of leisure. Feelings of guilt overwhelm us. This is starting to be more like a holiday than a sightseeing  trip. We promise ourselves we will get back on track tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the drizzle diminishes allowing us to walk toward the town. Once again we see stone buildings which cry out to us to renovate. Maybe after the van. One such building is of two or three storeys and has long thin arched windows. We would love to see inside. It also has various out buildings which are in need of renovation. However a sign proclaims in French that the local architect has a planning permit in place to do the renovation. Missed out on that one! Maybe a good thing as a bucket load of money would be a necessary starting point.

Returning we relax for the rest of the day until 5pm when the day is quite dry and intermittently sunny.  As our pain has diminished (baguettes actually. We didn’t get pain yesterday) we walk into the village to acquire some. Walking with a shoulder bag from which a long pain is sticking  makes us feel very French.

Ro is quite susceptible to overheating, so the 2 or 3 km walk back to our camp site in the now full sun means a swim is called for. The pool is a comfortable temperature although we are the only ones in it. Rejuvenated we spend the next hour listening to Chopin’s nocturnes. However a buzz in one of the speakers makes it sound like someone thought castanets suit Chopin. We don’t agree. A good thing we missed  the renovators dream. Our van still needs a bit more.

Saturday 7th July 2012

By 11 am we have had enough of this sitting around and decide to get back on the road. We will travel to Offenburg via Strasbourg hopefully with a boat trip on the canals.

It is a 30 minute drive with a few challenges on the motorway. Being in the correct lane at the correct time when getting near a big city is important. As we approach petit france, the old part of Strasburg, we enter  parking as a point of interest into Tom Tom. As we arrive, the area seems familiar. It is because it is where we parked Adi’s little red car last year

Removing our bikes, we cycle along the canal to the point where we had seen tourist boats  overflowing with passengers,  Determining that one of the boats which looks  a bit past its prime is in fact the ticket office, we purchase two tickets for 18 euro for a 1 hour 10 minute cruise along the rivers and canals of petit france and surrounding areas.

A slight problem is that we have paid for the maximum of two hours of parking so we need to go and feed the meter some more money. Riding back using Tom Tom to guide us, we come across a parking person booking cars in our area. Fortunately we have enough time for him not to be interested in us. But we move to another parking spot and buy another two hours (3 euro) which will cover our trip time and a bit of to-ing and fro-ing.

We return to the boat on our trusty bikes, lock them up and stand in the queue to board. The boat is open top and takes 140 passengers. It has commentaries in different languages which we can select from a channel selector. Our commentary is spoken by an Irishman with almost no intonation, unusual for the irish. Maybe when he recorded it he had had a bad day.

The trip is somewhat informative and the perspective from the water enjoyable. We pass through two locks which alter the boats level by 1.8 metre. The boat being open has its virtues but the downside is the unrelenting sun which is occasionally mitigated by the odd cloud. Had the day been entirely cloudless and five degrees hotter, it would have been very unpleasant.

After our trip, we cycle through the cobblestone streets and revisit Notre Dame, once again overawed by the craftsmanship and  engineering .

It is getting on to 6pm and our intention had been to wild camp in Adi’s yard as we did last year. However the trip back to our camp site of the last two nights is only 30 minutes and that site is far more enjoyable than an industrial concrete yard. A further advantage is that we can return to Strasburg tomorrow and spend some more time in the alt stadt.   

  Arriving back at the camp site, we are both quite hot so a swim is very refreshing. Our provisions are getting low but there is just enough for a dinner of salmon steaks and vegetables. A bit more reading and off to bed.

Sunday 8th July 2012

Overnight there is a lot of rain which makes us glad we went to Strasbourg yesterday. However, as the morning progresses, the day clears up and it turns out to be perfect; pleasantly warm and clear.

We are travelling back to Strasbourg by 10.30am and find a lovely spot next to what may be the Rhine to stop for morning coffee. It is opposite a boat club which has about 20 boats moored perpendicular to the bank. The river is probably 40 metre wide. The boats remind us of our boat we had until recently. Cruising the rivers and canals here would have some advantages over Port Philip Bay, not the least of which would be calm waters. The view is very peaceful with lots of green trees including graceful willows.

Removing our bikes, we ride toward what I think is petit france. Some kilometres later, I bow to Tom Tom’s expertise and we get where we want to go. We have marked our parking spot and need to be careful not to flatten the battery as we will need her to return.

We again visit Notre Dame and spend some time enjoying the peacefulness. We could climb the tower but decide not to, instead cycling around the streets before deciding to return to the van for lunch .

Our return path is along canals which is very enjoyable. We are fortunate to see more of the canals than necessary until we again use Tom Tom for guidance. But it is a pleasure to get lost in this environment.

Eventually we end up back at the van, which is where I am writing this; gazing across to the boats, one of which we have watched messing about on the river. They went down stream and reappeared from upstream. The canals and rivers provide multiple paths to return to ones starting point.

At this point it is our intention to stay here until 10.30 pm when there is a light and water show at Notre Dame. The light bit we understand but the water bit has us a bit puzzled. After that we can go to Adi’s, about 30 km away and it is not locked so arrival time does not matter.

After lunch settles, we want to ride along the river a little. Riding downstream of what we discover is the Rhine we come across a music stage with a group playing bluesy/rock. We sit and listen for 10 or 15 minutes but they seem not to be going anywhere so we continue.

The number of white swans is astounding. We have never seen so many. They don’t seem as aggressive as many flocks we have seen but this may be because there are so many.

The weather is great for riding. Not too hot and slightly overcast, with a gusty breeze  but without any rain. Riding further we come across converted barges moored as houses. Some which are moored outside look like they move periodically. What a life! Floating down the river until a city takes your fancy then staying until you want to move on. The barges are quite big so living accommodation could be quite spacious.

After about 10 or so km we turn round and ride back. Strasbourg is very flat and extremely bike friendly, with  paths and crossings separated from pedestrians and cars.

We get back to the van by 7.30pm. We will eat dinner here then go to the light (and water?) show at Notre Dame.

As we have dinner, we watch a boat opposite on which two people are living. Ro notices that there are two flags flying….and one is the Australian flag!!! As it is late we have insufficient  time to ride over there so we put our Australian flag in the window. However, our flag is so small that they would need to use binoculars, which coincidentally, we are using. There is the opportunity to call out “Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy Oi Oi Oi” but somehow that is not quite us. So the opportunity to converse with a fellow countryman or woman passes by. We think it was probably a woman as the French flag flew at the bow of the boat with the Oz flag languishing on the Port side, occasionally flying in the light breeze.

At 9.30pm we drive to our parking place of yesterday and walk to Notre Dame. By 10.15 we are among the expectant crowd and as 10.30 arrives a hush is heard (or not heard) followed by an “Ahhh” as the light show commences.

For 20 minutes, lights cast fascinating coloured splashes of light on the hugely ornate face of the cathedral in time to some piece of music we don’t recognise. At the end we walk along the narrow alleyways back to our van.

The drive to Offenburg takes 30 minutes along rather poorly lit roads. Finally we reach Ardi’s yard where we intend spending the night. To our surprise, the yard which was unlocked last year has a sliding gate which is locked this year.

But there is an area outside the property where we can stay and we do so and have a quiet and comfortable night.

Monday 9th July 2012

Monday morning we drive into the now open yard to a very warm welcome from Adi. We chat about what we need to do and how we each have been and how Adi’s daughter who has been a volunteer in Tanzania has been. Although we have not met her, we think she is  marvellous doing that. As we discuss her exploits over the next few days our admiration only increases.

First thing is to visit Lidl for some provisions and for some work wear.I find a pair of shorts which will do but no tee shirt. But there is an old one in the van so that will do.

So onto the task. First is to remove the bicycle rack. Not particularly easy but it gets done. Now to remove the spare type. We discover that the device which lowers the spare is inaccessible due to the storage box fitted. Without the box, it can be lowered. But the bolt which releases it is frozen solid. Had we had a flat, there was no way we could have got to the spare. But we can correct that now.

Next remove the waste water tank and inspect the damage…….

Generally life has not caused me to think that what needs to be done is beyond me. So this is a new experience. The rot is extensive. Had we not done something, it is likely that one day we would have climbed on the steps and the rear of the van would have fallen off.

Adi spends some time with me in removing rotten plywood and seeing what support timbers are rotten. The outer timbers seem usable and the inner two. Four fall apart readily. Not that we haven’t seen similar rotten timber. Roman ruins are full of the stuff.

Adi is a very competent and positive person. However I hear him mutter that maybe it is not repairable. We both keep removing damaged timber and determining the best way to fix it. Adi says that he has a nephew who is a carpenter and is employed building motorhomes. That could be of some use. After a phone call  Miguel is organised to visit us in one hour to add his tuppence worth. Hopefully his advise will be threepence worth.

When he arrives, I offer him a box of matches but  he thinks that is premature…….or he thought I was joking. We determine that the fridge and kitchen need to be removed but the bathroom can remain. As it happens, most water damage is below the fridge rather than the bathroom. Melting ice left to run into the timber over the years has taken its toll.

With Miguel’s help, the items are soon removed. Although I had hoped that he would have knowledge of how these things are held together  it seems that each is different. But brute force judiciously applied to rotting timber can dismantle anything.

There is still a lot of removal, cleaning and cutting to be done but Adi suggests we go to sort out some new materials. If he is still thinking that the damage is irrepairable, he is now keeping it to himself.

We go to two hardware stores. These stores are like Bunnings but double the size.  The range of goods is astounding and the prices low compared with Australian prices.  We find what seem to be the best prices for the bearers and ply we  need.

Time for lunch. Last year we had lunch with Adi on two occasions in a company sponsored  cafeteria which has a choice of three hot meals and a choice of  three or four sweets. A main meal, a drink and a desert costs 7 euro or $9.10.  Adi has lunch with his brother two or three times a week which makes for a close family relationship.  In discussing our plight, he suggests a timber supplier near the workshop which has good prices. On checking there as we return to the workshop, we discover they have the board we need but also some preservative treated wood just the right size for the support beams.

By the end of the day things are looking better. The method is clearer and the extent of the damage is  known. But it is late and we are both tired.

We are staying in the van and the inside is, shall we say, dishevelled. That is, that which is not open to the elements. Despite removal of the floor from below the shower, a bit of temporary flooring and the shower is usable. The availability of a hot shower, albeit with low flow rate and limited water available, makes the van tolerable to live in.

We sleep soundly….that is , after the other occupants of the complex finish revving motors and testing mini bikes which is complete by midnight.

Tuesday 10th July 2012

I am up at 6pm getting stuck into cleaning back the rot and cutting the new timber supports.

As Adi fixes small inexpensive cars for resale, he loans us one for trips to the hardware. However, the sheet of 2400 x 1700 ply will not fit in the car. So he tows a trailer to the timber yard to get the sheet. He is, without doubt, one in a million and we were so very fortunate to find him last year. Perhaps he was less fortunate.

After purchasing steel brackets, a box of bolts, waterproofing paint and assorted other components, I set to rebuilding. While I do that, Ro is cleaning and  brushing with a bit of reading between.

The day disappears, including lunch again with Adi and his brother, until about 8 pm when we want to get some dinner.

We drive into Offenburg, 5 minutes away, and find a restaurant where we have a lovely dinner of rump steak, a little too rare, apple strudel and coffee, served by an attentive and helpful waitress.

Then back to the van for a quieter sleep as the activity ceased much earlier.

Wednesday 11th July 2012

Up again at 6 to continue the work. Things are falling into place now, although proceeding a bit slowly. We pick up Scot on Sunday morning and all must be finished well before that. Adi does not work Saturday and we do not wish to inconvenience him.

By Wednesday night, the framework is mostly in place and the ply has been marked out. I was hoping to be putting the kitchen back in today but that will not happen. Maybe tomorrow.

The van has electric stairs at the rear which have been  modified from time to time by people  not retracting them when moving off. Thus they are rather bent, rusty and the electrics don’t work. The reason for repairing the floor was that the steps tilted significantly when stepped on because of the poor floor. However now is the chance to fix the steps too. The electrics are determined quickly to work so a bit of mechanical repair and paint and they should be good as new…..nearly.

Some panel beating, welding and painting later they are stable and should be operational when installed.

So the day closes at 9 pm with a light meal of bits and pieces followed by a rejuvenating and cleansing shower and an even more rejuvenating sleep.

Thursday 12th July 2012

Another day of repairs but no outside lunch today. We are getting anxious, especially because today it is raining which makes work slower. Although it clears up to a fine day, by the end of the day, the inside floor is down and the styrene foam insulation is in place on the right side of the van but the left is still incomplete and the kitchen is not installed. Time is ticking away.

Friday 13th July 2012

Again it is wet and Adi has no work for the morning so suggests we take the van into the workshop and place it on the hoist. By 1 pm we have the floor complete, the steps in place, the bumpers back on, the waste tanks in place and the bike rack on.

To celebrate we go to lunch. On our return, we work on the kitchen but discover there is a bit of wood missing. Looking high and low, we cannot find it. We decide it must be in the workshop. But, although Adi lives within 5 minutes, we don’t know his address. Another group in the complex are having a barbeque so we ask if they have his address. Yes, but not the street number. We check the telephone book and find the number. The people ask us to join them for a steak and drink after we go to Adi, whom we cannot raise on the telephone.  

When we knock on the door, we are invited in by Adi’s wife whom we have not met as yet. She is welcoming and speaks quite reasonable English. Between the four of us, we have a conversation, somewhat laboured due to our minimal German and their lack of familiarity with English, superior though it is to our German. Adi readily returns to the workshop but we cannot find the wood in question.

Perhaps tomorrow we will find it. As it is late, I go to the revellers and excuse ourselves from their generous invitation as we are very tired.

Tomorrow we must be ready to leave for Russelsheim where we pick up Scot Sunday.

Saturday 14th July 2012

Maybe the relief of seeing the end in sight allows us to sleep to 8am. However there is rain again. Bad,  as we have decided we must put sealant around the cable and pipe through holess as there is a smell of diesel. Also we need to seal the fridge for efficiency and lack of fumes.

We must leave by 4 pm however by the time we return from OBI with an armful of hardware, it is close to lunch time. But by 4 pm everything is ready for us to go, albeit without some sealant around the kitchen bench  which we will do soon.

Somehow another two or three hours fall into the black hole that is repair work so we are actually on the road by 6.30. We want to travel to Russelsheim for the night as we pick up Scot from there at 10am.

The two hour trip takes a bit longer….partially because Thomasina mentions casually that there is a 150 minute delay on the motorway. I think that would warrant a bit of shouting and screaming but Thomasina is a cool customer and recommends another route which is only 7 minutes longer than the normal motorway trip and is the way we usually choose to travel anyway, using minor roads.

By 9.30 we are near where we were to camp but we think it too late to check in. Instead we stop at a parking bay by the motorway which has some trees shielding the motorway noise and some trucks and cars for company.

Sunday 15th July 2012

After a quite night, apart from the trucks leaving, cars wizzing by  and jets above on a flight path to Frankfurt, we wake to a cool morning and have breakfast.

As we are meeting Scot at 10am we are in no great hurry. We will arrive by 9 anyway. But when we do, there is Scot sitting on a rock and he has been there for one hour.

Russelsheim has a fortress, the private residence of Mr Opel and a lovely park in which there is a mausoleum for Mr Opel. We spend an hour looking at each before setting off for Mainz. One highlight is an a Capella  group singing in a rotunda and dressed in traditional costumes.

Scot has arranged to meet with David, a German friend of 16 years who is a teacher of English and French. We are to meet him in Mainz, about 10 km away. Scot is fighting tiredness from his flight but wants to stay awake until local bed time. We have some coffee and biscuits in the van and leave Russelsheim about 12 pm.

Mainz is quite a large city. We have set Thomasina to guide us to the Hauptbahnhoff, the main railway station, and she leads us through the intricacies  of the road system, arriving in a small street with a bus blocking the way. Rather than toot the bus, we assume it will move soon so turn off the engine to wait. Another bus pulls up along side. The driver indicates that we should not be there. I indicate that I cannot get past the bus and we both shrug our shoulders. But the presence of the new bus seems to cause the stationary bus to move so we are on our way again. Just us and 40 busses.

We expect David to arrive at 1.20 pm but a text tells us he will arrive at 2.40 which we later find was due to a change of train in Bonn which adds 1 hour to his trip.

Parking the van is never easy. Where we stop is parking by meter even on Sunday and only allows a maximum of 2 hours. Instead we drive up a road and find a spot between two trees just made for us. The nice thing about trees is that they take a long time to move too close, unlike spots with cars either side. In Paris last year we saw cars parked with bumpers touching bumpers of cars back and front. Getting out must have involved a lot of co-operation

Walking back to the station, we explore some of the streets then return to the station to find David.

We visit three churches, each different and all very impressive. The first was built in 1897,  destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1951. It is quite different from others we have seen; quite open, airy and contemporary. The second is unimpressive outside but stunning inside, with ornate carved icons and religious artefacts all heavily gilded. The final one is huge and hugely impressive outside but dingy and dark inside. All give a sense  of peacefulness.

Next was a walk down to the river and, lo and behold, there is a beer festival in full swing… or is that full swig. Scot and David’s eyes light up and they sample some of the wares. Ro and I are not so enamoured of the wares but instead have some rolls purporting to be steak or ham or something similar.

By 6 pm we are ready to return to our wohnmobile, farewelling David at the train station on the way. We have chosen well as there are no surprises on the windscreen.

We also farewell Mainz and travel to our overnight camp site. We arrive by 8.30pm and are not too late to be admitted. It is a large site with a large lake for swimming. But the weather is not at all encouraging of swimming and we will leave fairly early we hope.

Scot is more than ready to sleep. Inspiring him to go to the shower block is not very easy as he seems to be falling asleep between words, having made the mistake of lying down on the bed above the cab. However he does shower, returns to the van and is asleep in 30 seconds.

Monday 16th July 2012

Today we want to visit Fulda and a couple of other towns before heading east. A bit of a sleepin is justifiable so it is 10 before we are on the road. Normally it is 10 before we are on the road anyway but on some of those occasions it is not justifiable. But we don’t have to be anywhere by any time so we can suit ourselves.

While people are getting organised, I fit a new battery and finally correct an intermittent fault in the step control switch. It has been rather frustrating that when the box containing the switch is unscrewed from the wall, the steps work but as soon as it is replaced they don’t work. This happens 5 or 10 times until I discover a loose terminal or two. Now we have solid steps and reliable electric operation. Surely happiness cannot be greater than this.

On the way to Fulda we stop at a small village bakery and buy some delicious apple and blueberry danishes, if that is not a mixed something or other,  and have coffee parked by the side of a quaint little village street.

Continuing on we get to Fulda about 3 pm and find a motorhome and bus parking area. Walking from there we reach a magnificent property which was the weekender of  some geezer who was not short of a bob. The gardens  are highly symmetrical and magnificent. We spent half an hour walking around them before returning to the van via the Alt Stadt and via a cathedral which, without wishing to be repetitive, was superlative in its ornate workmanship.

Continuing on we look for a camp site. Unfortunately our maps are a year or two old so Thomasina gets tongue tied in the extreme causing us to do two loops of de je vu until we finally find the camp site. It, naturally, is up a steep, narrow and winding road through a dark forest.

The manageresse is a  plump happy and welcoming German who directs us to a site which is adequate but not much more. However our stay is made special by the meal we have there. The menu lists 50 pork schnitzels, 50 chicken schnitzels and numerous other main courses. The huge number is probably designed to create a healthy appetite after reading the menu.

The meal is very nice and of a size which precluded desserts. It was also inexpensive, as is everything in Europe. By 10 pm we are ready for bed.

Now with three people in the van, organisation is paramount. As Scot is still tired, he is delegated to the bed above the cab. With the extra floor space now available, Ro and I can make up two beds from the lounge and the dining table. So to sleep.

Tuesday 17th July 2012

 A reversal of last night’s procedure renders the van functional. We have breakfast, fill the water and wind our way back down the mountain.

Scot is interested in visiting Point  Alpha which is an observation point which has been preserved from the time of the cold war and the separation of east and west Germany.

During our trip there, we take the opportunity to have coffee by a field where we are making a U turn to correct a misunderstanding of Thomasina’s directions. As we have coffee, Thomasina periodically interrupts with comments such as “Make a U turn when possible and correct your last idiotic mistake”. In a Haal like response we turn her off as she cries “Dave, don’t do this”.

 By 11.30 we are at Point Alpha. The border crossing has been  preserved as a tourist attraction, for want of a better word,  and a memorial. There are remnants of the first border fence, a single barb wire fence, the later double barb wire fence and the full monty, a 3 metre expanded mesh fence with a trench and concrete wall, guard dogs and trip wire activated anti personnel devices. Not nice stuff but historically interesting. There was also an American observation tower. The nearly 1400 km of border  also had a concrete road which is now a bicycle path…… a bumpy bicycle path. The one positive is that the 500 metre exclusion zone has now become an environmental green corridor 

Scot visits the museums and returns by 2 pm just as it starts to rain. The last few days have been quite cool with some rain but this is quite serious rain. As we drive toward Eisenach, we pass Geisa which was one of the closest  towns to the border on the east and Tann, the equivalent in the west. There are minor differences evident and a closer observation would no doubt reveal more due to the different regimes under which they existed.

Driving through the east is interesting. We understand the east was quite dilapidated prior to unification but the difference is less apparent now. However differences in the building construction are evident.

We arrive at Eisenach and drive to the castle which we want to see. It is closed but we hope we may be able to stay in the carpark as there are no camp sites closer than 30 km. As we are deciding whether we will stay there, we see a sign to a motor home overnight park which is 7 km away. That will do us.

It is actually attached to a motor home secondhand dealer and parts shop and consists of 6 parking spots with some water and a dump point. Not much different from others we have stayed in but smaller. By 9 pm the 8 or 9 places are taken.

We have dinner in the van, shower and sleep well.

Wednesday 18th July 2012

The morning is overcast but dry. The weather is certainly cooler which suits Ro but disappoints Scot who has just left cold Melbourne and disappoints me as I always like hot weather.    

Fortuitously, the shop attached to the parking place has a fitting for the toilet which I had had trouble getting last year. I had also tried contacting a company in Offenburg  earlier this year but had no success so it is an unexpected surprise to find the part here. What’s more, it is very inexpensive.

After leaving we have a trip to OBI to change a bike cover which is faulty and buy a few more bits and pieces. Ro talks me out of a battery jig saw, which is a severe disappointment. But one learns to roll with the punches when travelling. Next port of call is Lidl for some provisions then up to the Wartburg castle high on a nearby hill.

The castle was built in the middle ages and was refurbished in the 19^th century. After walking up a steep path, climbing many steps and feeling like we have really used our muscles,  we finally reach the top and are rewarded with a  panoramic  view of the surrounding countryside.

There is a drawbridge with the operating mechanism in tact, although from what period  we don’t know. It is heavily rusted and appears hundreds of years old at least. A busker is playing guitar (Bach minuette 3)  in the tunnel leading to the castle courtyard. The area looks very authentic and a tower with an external timber staircase captures our attention. Above the staircase is a steep cantilevered roof which follows the stairs and quite is different from anything else we have seen. Once again it looks as though it is straight from medieval times.

There is quite a lot of scaffolding in various places as a lot of renovation is still being undertaken. One area which looks like there is no access is in fact the entrance to the tower we have been looking at. There is a turnstyle which allows access for 50 cents. We observe people putting coins into the turnstyle but the turnstyle still bars access. However as people exit through the turnstyle, the technique is to put in the con, then half rotate the turnstyle outward and squeeze by. That is what we do. This is quite convenient because we have no coins!

The climb up the steps affords an even better view of the surrounding countryside. We are fascinated to observe from above  birds hovering in the valley because of the wind strength.

Leaving Eisenach about 2 pm we drive into the country for lunch of rolls we purchased this morning. Arriving at Weimar about 4.30, we follow signs to the “Welcome Centre” which sounds like a Soviet euphemism   for a work camp but is actually the term for a tourist office. 

The signs stop without actually showing us our target. I speak with a local  using my limited German and she takes me to “The Atrium”, a modern shopping complex which could be in any country. Hidden on the second floor is the Welcome Centre staffed by a woman who probably was the welcoming officer for one of the aforementioned work camps. She did not speak much English and did not obviously welcome tourist questions.

We are directed to a park in which we can stay the night for 4 euro. My questions about the availability of wifi meets with a blank  stare. But we can get internet access at Roxanne’s internet café down by the Market Place.

First to set up for the night. We stop next to another motorhome and to our great pleasure there is a boxing kangaroo on it. That can only mean one thing! ….. we hope. But our hopes are elevated when an Australian voice says something to the effect “I think we have some fellow Australians”.

Ro is overjoyed as she feels the language barrier acutely. Clark and Ellen are from Sydney and have been travelling since Christmas. They intend to continue to next Christmas. After a chat, we excuse ourselves to try to find some internet access. They suggest we come for a drink when we get back. 

Scot and I ride into town, about 2 km away, and ask directions to Roxanne’s, which turns out to be a grotty, smoke filled little bar with three computers equipped with slow internet access. While Scot reads some emails, I investigate obtaining a SIM from a local company.

Returning to the van, we have drinks with Clark and Ellen and chat with them for 2 hours, discussing touring adventures and misadventures, including some hair raising stories of crumbling roads in the Atlas mountains in Morocco. We see their Moroccan cliff story with a  ‘too steep to continue” story and raise one “pulled out of a bog by a French tractor” story.

By the time we get back to our wohnmobile after an enjoyable evening of frivolity  it is 10 pm which is a bit late for dinner. We have purchased some chicken nuggets so we have those with salad and we are in bed by 12 am.

 

Thursday 19th July 2012

Our plan for today is to look around Weimar then head toward Berlin by 4pm.

After breakfast Scot goes for a swim in a large rather chilly outdoor pool. Ro and I ride to Vodafone to find about buying a German USB internet dongle. For 55 euro we purchase a modem and 25 euro of topup which will give us 50 x 15 minute sessions, if we understand the package correctly. Returning we  spend some time getting the dongle working before we leave the area where the shop is. Clark had mentioned that in Spain, one Vodafone  shop was not interested in a problem with a product purchased from another Vodafone shop so we want to avoid such problems.

Finally we walk into the town and enjoy the alt stadt  buildings and walking through a lovely garden where  Goethe had spend some time.

By 4.30 we are on the road again, travelling our usual narrow roads. Along the way we stop at a Real store which sells everything from white goods to clothing, hardware and groceries. I spend 15 minutes combing the store to find Ro as we become separated.

Back on the road again, Scot reads a brochure which says there are shoes on special today and he needs a new pair of shoes. As it is too difficult to return to the store we have left, we reset Thomasina for another Real store in a town 10 Km away.

On arrival, we park on a handy footpath, the German way, and Scot visits a rather grotty and smaller Real store in Jena. There are no shoes available here. However, while he is away we find a camp site only a few km away on Tom Tom so, as it is 6.30pm we decide to stay there.

It is a popular site with few facilities but all we need. In particular, our waste water needs emptying, as does the toilet and we are nearly empty of water. With three on board, the vans resources in the above areas only last a few days.

Ro and I go for a walk along a river and return just as it starts to rain.

Dinner of salmon and a lovely hot, untimed shower and we get to bed by 10. Maybe tomorrow we will leave early.

Friday 20th July 2012

We don’t. But the upside is that Ro does a heap of washing which was overdue and we get on the road by 10am.  

Once again we are travelling through small villages and along picturesque roads, although now through less wooded areas. On our way to Berlin, we stop for morning tea  just off the road near a field of wheat. Some hours later we stop by the road for lunch of rolls.

By 2.30 we have arrived at Wittenberg. A parking place is readily found and we walk to the alt stadt. Our first church is a Lutheran (protestant) church which was substantially refurbished in the 19^th century. It is very light inside and notes tell us what modifications had been made. These included internal buttresses to adequately support the ornate vaulted ceiling which is very open rather than compartmentalised between the columns as is usually the case.

Walking further down the cobbled stone roads, we visit the building where Martin Luther spent a lot of his time. By the time we return to the van, it is 6.30pm and we are tired and drive to our overnight campsite.

Our campsite is a former Soviet military camp which has been a campsite for 8 years. It also has a marina by the river. A lot of money has been spent at some time but obviously the return has not been adequate.

There is a semi circular building which was protection for the bridge in centuries past which houses an underutilised hotel  with an underutilised restaurant where we eat. The meal is quite reasonable in content and very reasonable in price.

After dinner we walk along the river down to the marina. There is an old crane for lifting  boats into the river which was made in east Germany and is interesting to climb over. Various other bits of hardware  which look like ex military bridge making bits are stacked next to some underground bunker which is locked. All very interesting.

The shower block which is well appointed has showers which have such high pressure they hurt. But they are hot and, although fitted with timers, are easy to keep  continuously running.

Saturday 21st July 2012

Finally a bit of sun! It has been overcast since Scot arrived and we are all a bit sick of it. If we had wanted overcast, we would have stayed in Melbourne for the winter.

After rearranging the van for day use, we hear the bread delivery. It is a slight bump on our steps. The 8 brotchen are warm from the oven and will be enjoyed throughout the day and hopefully to tomorrow morning.

At this camp site electricity is provided by kilowatt hour rather than the flat fee charged at most camps. We alert the office that we want to leave and are promised that the meter will be read in 5 minutes. Last night’s 5 minute connection took half an hour so Ro goes for a walk. She returns to tell us that the crane we were interested in last night is removing a boat from the river so we hot foot it down to watch. It is not unlike watching tortoises racing but it keeps us occupied until the meter is read. We know it has been read because the extension lead has been released from the locked power box.

By the time we are on the road, we want to stop for coffee. However, such is our discipline that we buy some things at the bakery and drive for a further  20 minutes before finding a stopping point. Our trip to Potsdam is only 1 ½ hours so we don’t need to travel much anyway. Furthermore Berlin, our destination for today, is within 10 km of  Potsdam.

At Potsdam we want to see Sans Souci, the German equivalent of Versaille, When we reach  Potsdam, we decide to have lunch before  our exploration of the palace area. Stopping by the Havel river we eat a roll or two from our breakfast delivery and observe with mirth a bus which blocks the way of a number of parked cars. The driver, sporting a rather fetching Frier Tuck hairdo which we see him combing in the buses windscreen,  is indignant that mere car drivers should expect him to move his bus. The indignation of one female driver is demonstrated as she goes forward and reverse probably 15 times in order to avoid having to go down the road to do a U turn. Much traffic chaos is created in the process but we enjoy the spectacle. There is the odd toot which is the closest thing we have seen to road rage in Europe.

Driving up to Sans Souci we park in the car park with the other Big Boys. If we stay 4 hours we will pay 10 euro. What we don’t notice is that after 7pm there is a further 10 euro charge until 8 am. Shame we did not see that as it turns out. We arrive at 3pm thinking we have until 7pm to return but when we return at 7.07 we have to pay 20 euro. Bugger!

The Sans Souci park is immense. Shonbrun last year seemed big but that was a Sans Souci outhouse.  We start with The Orangerie, of which many palaces seem to have one, It was for storing plants in the winter and is a large building itself. It has views over three ornate gardens. Next onto Sans Souci which is built above 8 or 10 large concave terraced areas, each about three metres above the lower one and joined by sweeping stairs. On each terrace wall are alcoves with windows which can be closed during winter to protect the fig trees within. At the bottom is a formal garden with a large fountain. San Souci at the top is not such an immense building and was used as a summer stay over for guests. Once again the number of man hours to create these remarkable areas is immense.

We have already walked quite a few kilometres and it is getting on to 6 when all the buildings close. However we see the New Palace in the distance, probably 1.5 km away. We may not return so we will walk there now.

As we approach, the New Palace, the mammoth size becomes evident. It must be 350 metre long by 100 metre with 3 towering storeys, with huge numbers of statues and ornaments on the external walls. And this is just the back! It puts your largish 50 square Oz  house into perspective. In front of the palace is another large building which has a large structure of temporary seating for some event which Scot reads is some international equestrian event. What the building’s usual use is or was we don’t find out.

A 2 or 3 km walk returns us to the van where we pay our 20 euro parking fee. Expensive parling.

Scot has chosen a camping place by the lake I Berlin. It is a 30 minute drive and we are pleased to arrive…… to a closed camp site. It closed at 8 and we arrive at 8.15. Seems to be the story for the day; However the road is appropriate for free camping so we do that. If anyone asks, we will say we were too late to get into the camping area. But no one does.

With our new battery and our water tank full and waste tanks empty, we can stop where ever we please.

Sunday 22nd July 2012

Today we decide to buy some transport tickets for moving around Berlin. We drive to a parking place which is free on Sundays until 9am Monday morning then walk to the train station.

After some indecision on which ticket to get, we buy a three day pass which allows unlimited travel on bus, train or tram. Our first train ride is to Bahnhof Zoo station, about 15 minutes away where we visit the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church which was a magnificent building before being mostly destroyed in WW2. It has been replaced by a modern cathedral and tower. The new cathedral has 10,000 glass panels which give a subdued blue light within the church. The destroyed memorial is being stabilised but will not be rebuilt. I feel a great sense of sadness, as I have before,  at the wastefulness of war.

From here we get a bus to the Brandenburg Gate where there is a large square, called the Parisier Platz with large numbers of people, including buskers, beggars and souvenirs sellers. From there another bus to Alexander Platz  where we have lunch and visit a church or two.

Scot is interested in going up the television tower which has an observation deck 204 metre above the ground. It is just on the east side of Berlin and was built in the early 60s by the GDR in part to show off to the West. It is still the second tallest structure in Europe after the one in Moscow.

However there is a 1 ½ hour wait so we buy tickets at 3.30 and go off to look around until 5pm when we will be admitted. We can have a text automatically sent  to Scot’s phone for our exact admission time but if we have to wait a while at 5 that will not be such a problem.

We walk across to the museum island which is formed by the river parting similarly to Paris’s Isle de la City but it seems quite a bit bigger. The amount of open areas and greenery throughout Berlin gives it a feeling similar to Melbourne. However the open areas are bigger and more numerous. Later we see the city limits from the tower and as the population is similar to Melbourne’s, we assume the population density is much higher.

At 10 to 5 we are back at the tower. Ro wants to visit the ladies. There is quite a queue but we have some time…. or so we think. As Ro disappears into the ladies, Scot sees screen which suggests our ticket number has already been admitted.

I call through the door to Ro, somewhat startling a german lady exiting. We move to the entry area and I cross a barrier or two to find out what we can do. All is OK. I get the impression that the system does not quite work as it should so the numbering of tickets is only an indicator.

We queue for another 10 minutes before reaching  two queues for the lift which are random in selection as one seems to be a VIP queue randomly populated with non VIP ticket holders. We could have purchased a VIP ticket for 7 euro extra but the benefits of such tickets was not explained. We guess that such tickets avoid waiting. Unless you stand in that queue anyway. A bit like Croatian Air conditioning last year.     Getting into the high speed lift which whisks us up the 200 metre in 40 seconds at 6 m/sec.

The day is quite clear and we can see 30 or 40 km. It gives us a good view of Berlin’s layout. It is interesting to see the differences between the capitalistic growth in the west and the communistic growth in the east. The east is very rectilinear and ordered.

After an hour or so we decide to have dinner in the revolving restaurant one floor above. It rotates once in 30 minutes. Our table is one back from the window as window seats are booked until 8 pm. The view is still good and the food we order is reasonably priced and very tasty.

Leaving by 8.45pm we walk to the station and take a train back to Spandau where we have left the van.

As it is now 9.30 we expect that camp sites will be full. As are our waste tanks. That makes wild camping difficult. The toilet holding tank is completely full and the grey water is too. We can dump the grey water but dumping the toilet is more of a problem.

The camp site we drive to is 20 minutes away and is closed for the night by the time we arrive. An open restaurant provides us no help as the occupants tell us the camp is locked until 8 am. We instead are able to wild camp by a lake.  The grey water somehow leaks out but the toilet remains full….as do we.

Monday 23rd July 2012

Next morning a helpful resident says  we may be fined by the council if they see us there so we move….to an illegal parking spot it turns out.

The lake is cool but not really cold so both Scot and Ro go for a swim. I am more selective about how I get my masochistic pleasure so refrain.

Another helpful resident points out we are illegally parked so we move on. First stop id Lidl where Scot investigates some shoes they have on sale but rejects them as poor quality. But we do have a delightful breakfast in the car park.

Our next stop is a camp site on the other side of town to which we have been recommended. It is about 50 minutes away. On arrival, it turns out to be an ex gas works. The parking bays are just OK given we will be away all day. But it is good to allow the van to uncross its legs by emptying the holding tanks and refillng the water.

We have lunch then walk to the station about 5 minutes away. We just miss the train we needed so take the next one, about 10 minutes later. First sight is the Soviet memorial. Of 55 millon people who died as a result of WW2, 25 million were Russian. Figures like these roll off the tongue, but a moments reflection reinforces the suffering and futility that  war brings to so many for the glorification of so few.

On Saturday when we saw Sanssouci, I thought that gardens on such a huge scale were a thing of the past. Yet the size of these memorial gardens seem to contradict that belief. They were built in the late 1940s and refurbished in the 1990s and have been well maintained since. The focus is a huge statue in bronze of a soldier holding a child and trampling a swastika, symbolizing the victory of the Soviets over the Nazis. It is probably 15 metre high and sits on a huge pedestal on top of a hill with steps leading to it. The statue faces a garden area which is 300 or 400 metres long by 200 wide with 8 large stone monuments either side. At the opposite  end is another statue with two huge curved stone edifices pointing toward each other. This is only one part of the monument which extends well beyond the garden described  above. The whole monument is remarkable in its size and grandeur.

From here we return to the train and go to look at the monument to the Berlin Wall. This involves a tram ride which thunders down narrow streets with cars either side travelling at breakneck speeds. Remind me never to pull out in front of a Berlin tram. Scot had wondered where all the hoons were in Berlin and the answer it seems is “Driving Trams”. And most seem to be women.

Parts of the wall have been preserved as part of history. One section has a concrete watch  tower preserved and the No Go zone between the two concrete walls. There is a memorial to 140 people who died because of the wall, including photos.

By 6.30 we are a bit footsore so get on a train to return to our camp site. When we get off the train, we want to find a spot to eat to save Ro any cooking in the van. There is a hotel on a corner so we sit at a table in the warm evening late sun and have some beer and local fare.

The walk back to the camp site is 5 minutes walk and we are pleased to get back. The day has been warm but the evening is cooling off so the van is a comfortable temperature.

We will try to be in bed before 11, which we have not succeeded in doing recently.

Tuesday 24th July 2012

Up by 7.30am. Maybe we will get going earlier today. After breakfast, we are on the train by 10am. Some sort of record for us.

Our 72 hour pass is valid until Wednesday lunch time so today we are doing a Green Berlin tour on the public transport system. First is a train ride to an interchange where two lines cross at right  angles, one above the other. We change trains and head toward Peacock Island, a world heritage site in Wannsee, a large freshwater lake. While waiting for the number 218 bus which goes through Grunerwald, we have coffee and a Danish or two. Returning to the bus stop, we just see our bus in the distance…..going, not coming. The next bus is 1 hour so we try another tack and get a bus to a stop.

The number 218 leaves from there in 40 minutes so we fill in time by walking to a War Cemetery. This Berlin trip is turning out to be a barrel of laughs. Instead of visiting the War Cemetery we end up in a Jewish cemetery. We wonder when this was established. Presumably after the war as most headstones we see are post 1950, although we do see one headstone for some people who perished in Auschwitz.

We are back at the bus stop in plenty of time to see the bus arrive rather than leave. It is a double decker bus and the trip through the wald is quite a slow one as the speed limit is 30 kph. It is very picturesque and remarkable being so close to such a big city.

At the terminus, we leave the bus and get a punt the 100 metre across water to the island for 3 euro return each. While walking around the island we come across various buildings built by various kings. None is really big and all are in just acceptable repair, but not accessible to the public.

Lunch is available in a clearing and we enjoy the quiet surroundings for 45 minutes over a ubiquitous beer. I have had more beer in Berlin than I have had in the last two years. Which is not a lot anyway. Back to the punt via a small schloss which looks interesting but is not accessible either.

The days recently have been hot so we decide to look for a swimming spot by the lake. Selecting the stop at which we wish to alight, we leave our seats and make our way to the stairs. However the driver does not wait so we miss our stop.

Hopping off at the next stop, we walk by a circuitous route to the lake but are confronted with a ferry terminal and no swimming areas. Returning to the bus stop, we instead get on the train and get off at a station Scot believes may be near the lake. A short two km walk and we are at a swimming spot.

The water is OK for swimming but not pristine. Also the gradient is very gradual so we have to walk 50 metre to get to waist deep water. It is very nice to cool off. After 40 minutes or so we walk to a bus station which takes us to the train station.

Our intention is to eat out. Alighting the ring train loop near the city,  we walk through a rather bleak concrete jungle in search of an eating place. An Italian restaurant does not look appealing and there is little else. Abandoning the idea of eating in this area we carefully inspect the tram route map and take a tram which will bring us back to Kopernik, our camp site……… we hope.

We have chosen well and end up in Kopernik down by the river where we find a little bier garten where we get a meal which is quite tasty and ridiculously cheap and  washed down with some beer and water in Ro’s case.

By 9.30 we are ready to walk the two km home. Another late night by the time we get to bed.

Wednesday 25th July 2012

Our last morning of transport sees us with different sights we want to see. Scot wants to see the DDR museum and we want to see the Charlottenburg Palace. This means Ro and I need to work the system ourselves, Scot having been the guide over the past few days.

Take the S3 to OstKreuz then the ring anticlockwise to Westend. What could be easier? Piece of cake.

Having stopped for coffee and cake near the palace, we are in a ubiquitous queue by 11.15. Standing in the hot sun is not Ro’s idea of bliss so I stay in thr queue while she seeks some shade.

Tickets in hand we go to the entry. I have a backpack which I must leave in a storage section. We do this and return. We can get a free audio set if we wish. Just go back to the storage to pick it up. We do this and return again. All set now? It would seem so, so we spend a few hours gong through the palace using the good  audio guide which has been selected for English. Electronic audio guids we have found to be very good  throughout our trip, especially as the preferred language can be selected at will.

The palace was extensively damaged during the war and has been rebuilt with quite a few of the wallpapers still in tact or recreated. The floors are all in tact and the presentation is very good.

Our arrangement was to meet Scot at 2pm. We won’t make that time but shouldn’t be more than 30 minutes late. Walkng back to the station, we enter the station and go to the required platform. We want the ring clockwise to retrace our steps. Checking the sign, we climb aboard the waiting train which leaves within a few moments.

We have a carriage to ourselves… a rare treat. As the train travels along the track at less than usual breakneck speed, a view down the rest of the train reveals that we probably have the whole train to ourselves. Maybe we got on a terminus train which is going off to a siding. Good guess.

The train pulls into a siding next to another one and stops. It is quite hot in the carriage with little air flow. There is a mesh platform outside but none of the buttons opens  any door. Because Ro’s thermostat has ceased to function , she is getting very hot and feeling a little panicked. There is a red button we assume for emergencies. I break the seal, press the button and speak into the sound device. Nothing. I repeat and still nothing. We look around for other emergency devices.. There is an emergency door  opening device. Maybe we should use that.

As we contemplate this, the train driver walks past. We make our presence known and he comes over to talk. Fortunately he has quite good English and after trying a few switches and buttons in the end of the carriage has the door open. Cool air! Ro laps it up.

The driver says the train will return to the station in 15 minutes  and that we should not get off the train for safety. He will announce when the doors are closing. I have been wondering  how the train is powered and I take the opportunity for a discussion regarding that question with the driver. He is very helpful and informative. It may be Ro standing in the door panting which causes me to forget the question I had about regenerative braking. Still,  terminating trains are a dime a dozen so there will no doubt be other opportunities. After our discussion  we apologise for interrupting his break but he dismisses our apologies and says Germans regularly do this also.

In ten minutes, he announces in English that the doors are closing and the train returns  to the station probably 2 km away. We thankfully get off the train as others stream on to the now In Service train. I wave to the driver at the start of the train and he waves back. We compare how this may have played on a French train and are thankful that was not the case.

More cautious this time, we board the correct ring train to Ostkreuz and count down the now familiar station names. Alighting at Ostkreuz, we walk down steps to S3. But this one goes to Potsdam, the opposite direction so we walk up again and along to the next platform where our train awaits…..with other passengers on board.

The train is stationery for some minutes and I decide to test my german to check the train is going to Kopernik. “Entschuldigung bitte, Fahren dieser Zug nach Kopernik?”, I ask a woman near by , I am expecting this to mean Excuse me please, does this train travel to Kopernik? The answer of Nein causes us to start shuffling off the train. Ro is on the platform when another  woman in the same party says “Ja, etc etc” which I take to mean it does. Ro climbs back on board as I anxiously hope the doors are not about to close with Ro outside and me inside as there are a lot of people both on and off the train.  She reboards among busy discussions in german which I don’t understand. I ask them to excuse my terrible german.

We exit the train at Kopernik with further comments and laughter from our german helpers.

It is about 2.45 and Scot has just returned from his visit which he thoroughly enjoyed. He learnt of the ways East Germany operated prior to the wall coming down, sat in a Trabby, the iconic East German car which ceased production in the 1980s.

It is very hot so we want to go to a lake for a swim. Taking the van, we set a destination on TomTom. We are considering hiring a boat so that is our destination. Arriving there and finding a parking spot, we walk to the hire place which turns out to be a tiny crowded swimming place on the river. We decide against trying to hire there and instead continue onto a point on the much larger lake.

The parking area we enter is extremely crowded and manoeuvring the van is in there neither smart nor easy. But we are committed, or perhaps should be. Moving around is not unlike one of those puzzles where you try to spell a word in a 2 dimensional frame with one empty location. However we are lucky and a car leaves a space just perfect for us.

By now, we are very hot and the water is very inviting. The scene is lovely with sand, grass shade and fresh water; technically fresh, that is. The water stays thigh deep for 50 metre  and the bottom is rocky, muddy and reedy. The water is quite particulate with weed and floating vegetation. However there are many small fish so it must be reasonably clean.

By 7.30 we are ready to leave, refreshed if not cleansed. The Alt Stadt which we saw last night but did not visit has a number of eating places , one of which we would like to sample. The Alt Stadt is on an island which we almost circumnavigate after parking. A bier garten by the water looks nice so we eat there. The3 food is three times the price of last night’s but probably three times as nice and still very good value.

Dinner is fairly slow in arriving so we have time to enjoy our surroundings. When we leave it is nearly 10pm. We walk to another place on the island called The Boat or something similar and has a floating small ship with three masts. The whole area has wonderful atmosphere.

Finally we return to our camp site and are in bed by 11.30. Scot decides to go out on the town but finds little of interest and returns reasonably soon. The night is very hot so we have a somewhat disturbed sleep.

Thursday 26th July 2012

Today we will leave but first a bit of washing, housecleaning and a haircut for Scot.  As we do our chores, Scot  walks into Kopernik for a 10 euro haircut.

We pay the rather loquacious manager and have some lunch then set off. A detour or two later and we are clear of Berlin and once again in the countryside. It is lovely to be back in our preferred environment. However our days in Berlin with Scot as guide and companion have been enjoyable. Although Scot has visited Berlin 3 times before and now considers it one of his favourite cities, he has seen mostly new things this trip.

We head for  the lakes area and as the day is hot, keep our eyes out for an appropriate swimming spot. Eventually we are passing through a lovely forest when we see a sign for a camping area. We drive into the dirt road past  the camp which  appears to be minimalist in the extreme. But that suits us, especially as it is buried in the forest.

Forests here are fairly sparse with lots of leaf ground cover from the previous winter and lots of mossy rocks. They are cool and green and we have fallen in love with them.

The camp fronts the lake and next to the camp is another swimming point so we gleefully park and enjoy the water for an hour. It is much cleaner than the lakes in Berlin and gets deep quickly. The water is quite cold 500 mm down but the surface layer is warm.

Checking  with some other people there we  determine that camping is only allowed in the camp site so we go and ask if we can stay a night or two. No problem.

The camp is indeed minimalist. One cold shower, 4 toilets over a septic tank (thankfully with no odour), no electricity but what scenery!

We spend the remainder of the afternoon swimming and a bit later having a discussion over a beer with the camp manager who is my age and with whom we rapidly form a bond, despite his speaking no English and my speaking a very poor facsimile of german. Scot’s language skills make up for my lack of and we have a good discussion which includes looking at Wolfgang’s excellent photographs of local wildlife.

We have an early dinner and are in bed by 9.30.

Friday 27th July 2012

I wake up at 6 as we have not closed our curtains and the early morning light brightens the van by dawn.

During the night, I have had cause to visit the toilets. Visit is not strictly correct as the night is so dark that, even with a torch, I am unable to find the toilets. I stumble around in the leaves and forest debris for 5 or 10 minutes before abandoning my search. I had had the presence of mind to put on the outside light on the van, which I fixed some weeks ago, and this is the saving grace which prevents me  sleeping the rest of the night outside.

At 6am I go for a walk as the sun is rising. The forest by the lake is beautiful and I have an extended  extra-glad-to-be-alive moment.

We have decided to stay two nights as we have been on the go every day since Scot arrived and will enjoy a day off, especially on a hot day in such a lovely environment.

First up is a trip to a nearby town for provisions and four noodles to use in the lake. We can buy a 3 metre long inflatable boat at Aldi where we are buying our groceries but we think this may be a bit overkill. After our groceries shopping we walk over to a shopping complex where a sport store has noodles for 4 euro each. With everything so cheap in Europe, these seem relatively expensive.

Back at the camp, we go to the lake to try out our new purchases. Scot uses two tee shirts to make a floating submersible lounge and we spend the afternoon enjoying that in the lovely fresh water.

About 6pm, Wolfgang invites us to have dinner with him and his partner Monica. Liana, another  camper, joins us. We take an Australian bottle of red wine and over the next two hours we discuss things relating to Germany and Australia. Liana has travelled round Australia over three months. Once again, our lack of language skills is overcome through goodwill and a smattering of the other’s language. Scot’s being fluent in German may also have contributed. In fact he has the majority of discussion with Ro and I picking up bits and pieces and contributing here and there with mixtures of German, English and words belonging to neither language, accompanied by much laughter and some confused expressions.

Then back to the van to sleep about 11. A storm is expected tomorrow afternoon so we may swim until lunch then leave when the storm arrives.

Our plans are slightly altered when the storm arrives at 2am requiring  me to collect various items outside  which should not get wet.

Saturday 28th July 2012

Despite the small storm, the morning is warm and, although overcast, should clear by mid morning.

We decide to aim for an after lunch departure and spend the morning relaxing by the lake. The two days we have had relaxing has been very good for us.

Our destination is a lake about 100 km from our current location. We drive until 2.30 and stop for lunch by the roadside in a forest. Continuing on toward our destination we encounter a problem with Thomasina as she seems to get very confused and will not display the speed or speed limit. After some turn left-turn right-do a u turn type instructions she finally admits that there is no GPS signal. This could be a problem as we have been using her exclusively and, although we have a number of maps of varying detail, we have become accustomed to abrogating the responsibility  for navigation to omniscient Thomasina.

Without Thomasina, we rely on Scot’s iPad which uses mobile towers and triangulation to navigate. By 6pm we have arrived at our camp site by yet another lake. This camp site is as sophisticated as last night’s was minimalist. There are hundreds of tents and caravans and many people. It is much cooler than yesterday but if it warms up tomorrow, there are far more water sports and we may hire some sailing boat or canoe.

But for now we are pleased to settle in for the evening.

Sunday 29th July 2012

Overnight and well into the morning it rains. It is not too cold but the persistent rain means there is little point in hanging about here.

So after breakfast it is on the road again. The terrain we drive through is different from that through which we have driven in recent days. We still drive through wooded areas but they are smaller and have increased numbers of birches. There are more pastures and the towns are different, with a soviet influence evident in some of the large  housing estates.

About 11.30 we stop for a late morning tea. There is a market in a town so we browse the stalls. Same as markets everywhere….some trash and treasure, some clothing and some new bric-a-brack. We buy some apple danishes which turn out to be deep fried and like Crispy Cream donuts. We eat these in a motorhome park which has grass but is otherwise sole less. Nevertheless it is very crowded, a common theme we are to find  in these parts during the July holidays.

Continuing on for a few hours, we  look for  a spot to stop for lunch. We venture off the main road and find a park near a field. There are two or three large old barns, but apart from these we could be in Australia. After a walk between pastures we return, eat our usual lunch of rolls, cheese, ham and salad and continue on our way.

Our destination is the island of Usedom and as we approach  there is a continuous line of cars heading away. It is Sunday night so many will be returning for the working week, assuming all are coming from the island and that there has not been a motorway incident.  We pass under a bridge which has huge counterweights and hydraulic rams to allow opening for ships. Later we learn  that this opens for half and hour twice daily for ships and this may have contributed to some of the traffic jam.

On the island there are hordes of people. The first camp we try has no vacancies and she checks another which is also full. We try a third and they have a place available for the night. But it too is teaming with people, tents, caravans and motorhomes.

After parking we walk along the beach which is also very busy and into the town, likewise teaming. The Ostsee  is the place to holiday and the germans do it in droves. Scot comments he has seen this phenomena before.

It is about dinner time so we decide to eat locally. We pass a couple of restaurants we think look good but as we have no money with us and Scot has only 30 euro, we are relying on using his credit card. However in Germany Cash is King as most people do not use credit cards and as such most establishments don’t take credit cards.

Instead we will walk back to the van and get some more money. This we do, returning by 9.30. We approach the last restaurant we chose, now with an appropriate amount of cash. But the restaurant closes at 10 and will not take us. Same with all the others we can find except a kerbab place. Our dinner plans thwarted, we content ourselves with chicken and chips and a kerbab by the beach. Not what we had planned.

We walk back to the camp for a hot shower. Scot goes first using the card we need to do anything around the camp site. However on his return we discover that the showers close a bit after 10 so Scot got the last shower! Fortunately the hot water in the van only takes 10 minutes to heat so Ro and I shower there, pleased that we had ensured the water tank was full when we left our last camp.

Monday 30th July 2012

The morning g dawns cloud free so after breakfast we go to the beach for a while. It is our first swim in the Baltic Sea and we are pleasantly surprised at the temperature which is cool but not really cold. Also we are amazed at how low it is in salt. Normally exiting sea water in Australia leaves a significant salt residue on the skin but not so here.

If we stay after 12 noon we have to pay another night so we leave by 11.30. When we pay the bill of 32 euro we are pleased to be leaving as this is the most expensive camp we have stayed at  anywhere, either last year or this. Admittedly we have 3 people rather than our usual two.

Scot wants to visit Peenemunde which is on the island and where the V1 and A4 rockets were developed during the war. They were the first rockets developed and the successor to the V1, the A4, was the first man made space travel object to get to orbital height. It could travel at 4300 kph which seems astounding for the times.

We spend two hours looking at various technological developments, all associated with war unfortunately, but major advances in human endeavour. 

After a nice coop of tee we continue  to Greifswald which  involved joining the long line of cars which we observed on the way in……well hopefully another line of cars. It takes almost an hour to travel 5 km, only part of the holdup due to the bridge being open.

Finally we are clear of the island and we head toward Griefswald. Arriving 15 minutes later, we find an Lidl for provisions and a cash dispenser to top up our funds. Then we look for an overnight park. A sign directs us down a concrete road to an industrial part of town where  an inauspicious parking place for motorhomes is full of motorhomes. No room at the inn.

Another park is indicated on a map and we head there. It is by a river and we can stay for 5 euro to be aid to a parking meter. However we don’t have coins so decide to chance it without a ticket. Later I go to look at the machine again and there at the bottom of the machine is an unclaimed ticket allowing parking until 2 pm tomorrow. It is for a car rather than a motorhome but better than nothing so we put that in the windscreen and settle in for the night.

Tuesday 31st July 2012

Another overcast morning which is good for travelling but not so good for sightseeing we want to do around Greifswald.

Walking to the large town square we see the usual 16^th century buildings but with a difference. In these parts, bricks were used rather than timber or stone. The churches are termed brick gothic and seem to be a much easier way of building. One dates back to 13^th century.

There is a market with the usual stalls. We walk toward the wall of the city and through an underpass across the rail tracks and motorway to the Botanical Gardens. The gardens are among the first established in the world and are well set out but quite small in area. Griefswald is a university town  and one faculty is dedicated to their study.

On our return to the market place, Ro and Scot have fish rolls for lunch and I have boulettes which are meat patties in rolls.

Our next destination us the island of Rugen which is quite large and a popular holiday destination. Before going over the bridge, we check out the local aires (motorhome camping spots) and dump our waste tanks. Leaving the site, we head for the  bridge to Rugen. Thomasina directs us over the new bridge but we turn onto the old bridge  by mistake. That will still get us there. As we cross the bridge we see the new bridge towering above us. The bridge and approaches are over 2 km long.

As we join the road which the new bridge has now rejoined, we meet some roadworks and have a split second to go left or right. Thomasina is a bit confused with the new works which she does not have marked but is suggesting we go right. We do that and quick as a wink we are on the new road back to Griefswald. As we cannot turn, we get the magnificent but unintended view from the bridge. Back to Griefswald, a u-turn (which we made when safe to do so, Thomasina) and over the bridge again.

We travel to Prora where Scot wants to see the resort which the Socialist Nationalists (or Nazis) set up in 1936. It is a huge 5 storey building which goes on for 4 km and was intended to provide holiday accommodation for the masses. The building shell is in tact, albeit with broken windows, left unfinished as it was from 1939 when the war started. It is a monument to both the good and bad side of the regime.

It is getting late so we want to head for our camp for the night. Ro has seen a camp on a map which is about 17 km from our current position. On arrival, we find that the camp is similar to ones we have experienced in the past few days in that it is extremely crowded and quite pricey. Furthermore, the beach, which is across a busy road, is nothing to write home about (despite my writing home about it) and on top of that, the weather is unlikely to be beach weather.

All things considered we opt for a parking area beside the road which we saw this morning. We head for that and find another motorhome there  and park behind it. Later two more motorhomes join us. After a delicious dinner of mixed vegetables and chicken prepared with apparent ease as usual by Ro, we have an early night.

Tuesday 1st August 2012

Today our first tourist destination is the chalk coast of Rugen, similar we think to the white cliffs of Dover.  We drive to a national park and walk two and a half km through the forest  which is beautiful. We pass two or three small lakes, one of which is clear and still and another of which is brightly covered with a small green leaved plant.

At the end of the forest walk we continue down a path which leads to an observation platform high above a pebbly beach and overlooking a white cliff. We continue on and find a boardwalk down to the pebbly beach. The sign says there are 412 steps. We start the descent, Ro wondering if her knee will   make the distance. It does but we think there were way more than 412 steps.

Once on the beach we walk some distance admiring the pebbles and small rocks for their colour and texture before starting the long climb back. I count the steps and am surprised to find there are only 440… not so much more than posted.

At the top we have some coffee and waffles before walking back through the forest to the van. As always, the walk up the steps and back through the forest both seem shorter than the forward trip.

At the van, we have lunch then drive to our camp site near Alt Swerin, a town on a lake 180 km away. We have chosen this town as we are to meet David again in Schwerin, 70km away on Friday night prior to Scot’s leaving us until we meet again at Osnabrueck on 12 August.

Along the way we visit Lidl then stop at a lookout. It consists of a steel spiral staircase attached to a steel pole and about 4 metre high. It has not had a lot of traffic in its time and that may be because the view is not much better than on the ground and a two storey house nearby obscures what view there is from the top.

The campsite is well signposted but involves a 5 km trip down a single vehicle track. There are overtake points every 100 metre but fortunately only two small sedans avail themselves of the road. A car and caravan would be different. But narrow roads hold no fears for us now, unless they involve large farm tractors and high speeds.

Arriving at our site, Ro and I have a swim then Ro cooks a  meal and we have an early night.

Thursday 2nd August 2012

We are allowing ourselves a day of rest today. It is expected to be 26 or 28 and a day by the lake will be very pleasant.

As the day progresses, it is evident it will not be hot but it is relaxing nevertheless. We read , swim and do a bit of housekeeping including adding a few cable clips which were overlooked.

Around 6pm there is a thunderstorm and a lot of rain is dumped on the site and our van. However we are now fully watertight so we are not concerned. The downpour passes in 10 minutes and it is dry again.

Our plan tomorrow is to drive to Schwerin, 1 hour 15 minutes away. We may change our plans  by visiting Felix on Sunday, leaving Scot to explore Schwerin with David then to return to Cologne with him as had been planned. He would then visit Felix on Sunday 12^th, returning to Cologne then going by train to Brussels on 17^th for his flight to Thailand.

We will eat in again tonight and see what tomorrow brings with weather before deciding what time we will leave our camp site.

Friday 3rd August 2012

Today we will leave for Schwerin but when we leave depends on the weather. We can stay in our camp site until 1pm.

The office is only open until 10 am so we need to pay before then. A lot of camp sites now use electronic keys for access to various things and for charging for timed showers. Other sites which do not use the keys have push button timers or coin in the slot for showers. The push button ones use a mechanical valve which is pressed for times spurts of water of length varying from 4 seconds to 30 seconds, often in adjacent showers. Showering thus becomes a fine art which includes rotation under the shower of just the right timing to press the button while passing by with what ever appendage is available while washing off soap. This one uses a key to time the showers. The key is loaded with 5 euro and the exciting part is seeing how much shower we will get for our 5 euro.

Last night Scot had tried first. 30 euro cents to adjust the temperature. However the showering only takes a further 50 euro cents as the technique of wetting, shower off, soaping, shower on, rinsing, shower off is well rehersed. However Ro manages with only 35 euro cents. I blow the budget with 100 euro cents but that includes washing my hair twice. This leaves 2.85 euro on our key. But our first night was nothing  compared with last night when we  all managed to shower for a combined 75 euro cents!!!!  The question is : will this improve our shower habits at home or make us luxuriate under untimed showers. Only time will tell.

Paying for the two nights, 52 euro, we return the key and get our 2.10 euro back. This leaves us without a key to get out the boom gate but the office guy asks when we expect to leave and he will open the boom gate.

By the time we have packed up, emptied tanks, filled other tanks and are ready to roll, it is 12.07  We drive to the gate, 400 metre away, and hope the guy, who was not in the office, will be about. He isn’t. And we are making it difficult for others to exit and egress the boom gate.

We suggest to one car exiting the gate that they could open it for us. However the key is smarter than us and once the car has exited, it won’t let another exit using the same electronic key. Dam! Fortunately, the guy must have seen us there and uses some remote device to allow us to exit.

Travelling up the road a few hundred metres we come across a beach and stop for a swim before continuing on to Schwerin. The water is just as shallow and just as clean but the bottom is more sandy than where we were. After 45 minutes we continue.

Travelling back up the one lane road we meet more cars and one van. However the passing points are well understood by the locals and all works well.

About 2pm we drive off the main road to a lake where there are photos of the lake in winter where it is used for ice skating and ice yachting.  The signs are in English and provide some amusing translations. Although far less amusing, I am sure, than my attempts at German.

We reach Schwerin by about 5pm and find the hotel Scot and David will stay in. Scot checks in and we go sightseeing. The main item on our list is the Schwerin Schloss which is not hard to find. We are fortunate to get a park near by and walk over to the magnificent building. It was first built in 900s and is original except for 3 new sets of wall, 2 new gardens and new rooves. That is to say it was demolished once, burned down once(how a stone castle burns down is anathema to me but it happens……extreme carelessness I guess) and was totally rebuilt in the 1800s. Whatever its history, it is now magnificent, especially the gardens through which we could freely walk. It is used as a parliamentary building which explains the large amounts of money spent in recent times on its refurbishment.

As we walk around the extensive gardens, which include a Baroque garden, fountains, a grotto and elevated vaulted walkways, it starts to rain. That seems to happen frequently in these parts but does not last long, although it may be heavy for a short time.  We shelter under the largest plane trees we have ever seen until it passes.

Walking into the alt stadt, we look for somewhere to eat and settle on a Greek Restaurant although the only things Greek we order are the salads and the potatoes. A little later, three shot glasses of Ouzo are delivered to the table. As Ro doesn’t like alcohol and I am driving, it is up to Scot to down them. He does so and the relaxation is obvious.

David’s train was due at 10pm but as it is running late  David will not arrive until 12, As such we have a few hours to kill and spend them walking around the city. Everything is well kept nd the streets are spotless. It is a very lovely city.

Returning to Scot’s room about 11.30 we try a bit of wifi provided by the hotel, I have little success  but Scot with his iPad has the first internet connection he has been able to receive since arriving.

At 11.45 we all go down to the street: us to find a parking spot and Scot to meet David. We had passed a parking area for wohnmobiles    a short distance from the hotel so we head for that. It is just asphalt  and 8 euro for 24 hours. Ro thinks it will be too noisy so we opt to start for Osnabrueck and to look for a parking lace in the country. Given our plans have altered, we return to Scot who has just met David and farewell him again.

The night is dark and as we drive along I the countryside it occurs to us that finding a park place in the dark may be difficult. But our luck is in and we find a spot where a truck is parked overnight. There is a lot of traffic and it is likely that this place will be nosier than the one in Schwerin. But it is too late to go further so we stop there and go to bed without showers as we don’t want to wait for the hot water to heat, which is only 10 minutes normally. The noise is not a problem and we sleep quickly.

Saturday 4th August 2012

This morning we awake early, a little sleep deprived, have an early breakfast and are on the road by 8.30am.

We want to get to Osnabrueck today which is 5 hours away. As Felix and Kathrin will be out to dinner tonight, we head for a camp site outside Osnabrueck which we will leave early enough to get to Felix and Kathrin by 10am where we have been invited to brunch.

A five hour trip usually ends up taking 7 or 8  hours after stops etc. This time it may take a bit longer as I am a bit short on sleep so get tired a bit sooner than would otherwise be the case. Also we are wondering if the replaced floor still has a few holes which may suck in carbon monoxide. This gas, even in small quantities, can ruin your day……or life.

We stop for morning tea beside a busy road. There is a pile of rubbish which includes  some brochures for current motorhomes. We glance through them and are subject to a bit of consumer  envy before  deciding we are happy with our slightly ageing lady.

Later we stop for our usual brotchen , cheese, ham and salad which we always enjoy. We have the strong belief that the journey is as important as the destination. This is why we never regret our selection of “avoid motorways” on Tom Tom.

We press on, passing a town in which there is a museum of Da Vinci’s recreated machines. We don’t stop, but afterwards regret not doing so.  Without making any value judgements, and with the heartfelt belief that others will not either, we do stop for some iced coffee and very special ice cream.

Our ice cream turns out to be rather rich, which should not have been a surprise, so it will probably do for dinner. We continue on, passing near Hamburg. Along the way, we are interested to see some oldish wohnmobiles parked by the road. We see 5 or 6 with red hearts on the door. Presumably a chain of Rent-a-Bomb type rental vehicles. However the wording below the hearts is “Girls Girls Sexy Girls”. The penny drops (or is that 50 euro) that these are mobile brothels!!! Many times we have been impressed with how organised the Germans are, but this brings organisation to a new level.

We reach our camp site by 5pm via the usual narrow roads, crossing back and forth over a river several times and finally settle in for a relaxing night with more sleep than last night. What is more, the showers are hot and not times and there is a hot sauna. Life is good.

Sunday 5th August 2012

 We need to arise early to get to Felix and Kathrin’s by 10. This includes paying for our night’s stay.

Thomasina reports the trip as 20 minutes. We had said yesterday to the manager we would be ready to leave by 9.30 and we are at the gate by 9.27.In German,  he comments how punctual we are and we respond by giving him an Australian  flag. Most people see few Australians and often when told where we have travelled from are wide eyed in amazement, as if we are from another galaxy at least.

We arrive at Rudolfstrasse at 9.57 and are met by beaming  Felix and Kathrin. First problem is where to park the van. Around the corner we find an appropriate spot and manoeuver the van into it. We are supposed to have a green disc on the windscreen indicating we have paid a pollution tax allowing us to bring the vehicle into the city. We don’t have one and hope the policing authorities are not about today.

First thing is brunch of coffee, bread rolls, eggs and meat; a typical German breakfast. After discussion of what each of us has been up to, we go for a walk around the alt stadt of Osnabrueck. We do our usual church visit and look at the old Rathaus (town hall) where a treaty for the 100 years war was signed. Actually, the treaty was half signed there and half in the opponent’s Rathaus as there was still quite a degree of mistrust on either side. The Rathaus has been restored and includes a meeting room with church like pews fixed to the walls around the room and numerous portraits hanging of notable persons from the times.

One of Felix’s great loves in life, apart from Kathrin, is ice cream so a visit to an ice creamery is mandatory. The icecreams are called things like Strawberry spaghetti, Gnocci and pizza despite being all icecream and very sweet. It is  another treat but once again obviates the need for any lunch or afternoon tea.

We walk back to the flat and spend a pleasant few hours discussing things from mosquitoes (with which Felix works) to teaching methods(Kathrin’s area of study)to wedding plans and some of our adventures. As it gets darker, Felix heats some coals for cooking of German sausages which we enjoy with grilled fetta cheese,  salad and grilled vegetables . Later we grill marsh mellows over the still glowing coals.

It had been our intention to sleep in the van however Felix very kindly talks us into sleeping in the flat. It is nice to have a true bed and some additional space. We sleep well until 4am when I need to do some internet banking  for a transaction in Melbourne which is time critical. As it happens, I need not have bothered because the  funds I had hoped would be transferred were not. But a  check later in the day confirmed all is OK, which is good.

Monday 6th August 2012

Felix had promised to show us how he removes kidneys from mosquitoes in the course of his work at the university. We were somewhat fascinated with the fine abdominal surgery this must entail (to remove the entrail) In particular, I was keen to  see his skills in suturing when closing the abdominal cavity. I was to be disappointed.

We intended driving Felix to his laboratory in the van then continuing toward the Netherlands. We all climb in and I turn the ignition key to the resounding sound of nothing. How could the starter battery be dead? No matter, I will jumper the new house battery to start the engine. We have jumper leads so in a jiff I have them connected. However a slow turn of the engine is all I can achieve. A friendly passing council employee with an appropriate vehicle is accosted without success. He would like to help but the battery in his vehicle is inaccessible. Felix goes to seek a neighbour who has a car which may be OK to jump start the van.

While Felix is away, I try bypassing the negative lead and the engine jumps to life. Collecting Felix and apologising to the neighbour who is now on the street, we drive to the university, parking in a near empty student car park as they are on holiday.

The first stop at the lab is where Felix breeds his mosquitoes. Mosquitoes don’t smell but the mice ,also bred there for research, do. Boy do they smell. Felix says one gets used to the smell but I don’t think my life will be substantially deprived if I don’t get that chance. A tissue over the nose will do just fine for the short term. After discussing the intricacies of mosquito feeding (they have sugar for energy but only the females need blood for egg production) we go up to his lab to see Felix perform a “kidneyectomy”  on a mosquito. We are surprised that he wears no surgical gown, mask or gloves. The atmosphere is tense as the mosquito is anaesthetised in a bucket of ice then gently moved to the theatre using a patient transporter which could be mistaken for a pair of tweezers.

The delicate surgery is performed under a microscope which fortunately has two sets of eyepieces so we can watch. Felix has told us he can perform the op in 30 seconds when required. With bated breath we prepare ourselves to observe the lightening fast scalpel movements and sewing machine speed closure. Instead we see Felix grab the front end and rear end of the mosquito with separate tweezers and tug. That is it? What about closure? What is removed is a set of tubules which function in the mosquito like a kidney functions in us. As I understand, the tubules form part of the components which Felix studies. (Felix, feel free to add comments correcting this minimalist explanation) We also saw how potentials across cells are measured using extremely fine electrolyte filled glass electrodes. All very interesting.

Leaving Felix to his work, we return to the van and again the motor will not start. However, the solution is simply to clean the battery terminal and improve the inadequate battery lead connection and that is done as the kettle boils for coffee.

We will stay just inside the German border tonight as we need internet connection and that is lost once we exit Germany. We will get a French SIM  once we are again in France.

Last night we decided that not going to Felix and Kathrin’s wedding would be a mistake so we have altered our plans and will travel probably to Normandy then back to near Osnabrueck for the wedding. Appropriate clothing is still a slight issue but if we turn up in tee shirt, shorts and thongs, they can just say “They’re Australian” and we are sure everyone will understand.

We stay at a camp site in Borken and get a good night’s sleep between rain showers. They still have not perfected the concept of summer here.

Tuesday 7th August 2012

The morning is overcast and cool. But it does not stop Ro gong for a swim. The water is shown on a chalkboard as 24 degrees but who knows when that was. Probably not now. That may be  why  she spends the next two hours trying to get warm again, despite vigorous hand washing of our dirty clothes.

We are in no great hurry to vacate and the lovely German lady who comes to our van to settle the bill and who speaks no English, assures us that we can take as long as we like. At least, that is what we interpreted her to say.

Before we leave we have a cup of coffee. As we do so, a couple whom we met as we entered the site last night comes to say farewell. We invite them in for coffee and they accept. They are German but he teaches English and she has quite  good English. We talk for about an hour and swap email addresses. They have similar interests to us and who knows how we may arrange to meet again.

It is about 2pm when we leave, heading for Helmond, about 120 km away in the Netherlands. As always we program Thomasina to exclude motorways and enjoy the results. After stopping for lunch at 2.45, we arrive in Helmond about 4.30pm.

The reason for visiting Helmond is that we have a long standing friendship with Robin and Liz Helmond and thought we could send them a photo or two or a postcard. As it happens, we don’t see any open shops or many shops at all for that matter. We will have to content ourselves with an email with a few attached photos.

We find a parking place a few km from the centre and take the bikes off to ride in. We set Thomasina to our current location  in case we have difficulty finding our way back. All Europe is well set up for bikes but no country more so than Holland. Every road has separate bike paths and all traffic lights have bike lights which operate independently of the pedestrian lights, presumably because bikes travel faster than pedestrians. The only slight drawback with the bike paths is that they are shared with motor scooters who speed by at fairly high speeds. We assume they are not supposed to use the roads as they do not wear helmets.  

We ride by canals, houses and a city zoo which has free range animals such as alpacas, ox, goats, deer and assorted feathered creatures. Returning to the van, with a little help from Thomasina who calls out instructions from the bag around my neck (a slightly disturbing disembodied voice for those whom we pass), we refit the bikes and travel 12 km to our camp site. That is, 12 km if we can find the place. In programming the destination, the number of the road is not found by Thomasina. Instead we choose “Cross Anywhere” and Murphy’s law dictates we are delivered to the wrong end of a long road.

Finally we give up and program another camp site. As we drive away, we are directed  to do a U turn but being the disobedient beings we are, we don’t. Instead we continue along the original road and Thomasina reluctantly recalculates. But luck is with us and we see  a number close to the one we wanted and then the gate we want. Meanwhile Thomasina is saying in her usual exasperated tone to “make a u turn when possible” so we rather ungratefully turn her off.

The manager speaks English and is very welcoming. He offers us Dutch coffee, which turns out to be indistinguishable from other coffee, and we compare climates and similarities and differences between our two countries.

We have a light dinner and go to bed with little noise to disturb our sleep.

Wednesday 8th August 2012

The morning is slightly sunny and we lap up our time in the sun before clouds arrive. There is a natural pool which has a weed system for water filtration and assorted wildlife within, including salamander we are told. Whether it is this last fact or whether it is too cold, Ro decides against a swim. My sneaking suspicion is that it is the former.

Our destination is Middelburg which is on the coast and will allow us to see the dykes and the Delta Project built to protect Holland against floods from the North Sea such as occurred in 1953 with the loss of 2000 lives.

It had been our intention to simply cross the Netherlands on our way to Brugge in Belgium but as we pass through the country we feel a desire to see more. As always we choose  non motorway roads which give us a taste of the country we don’t believe we get on motorways.

Roads, even main roads, in Holland are even more narrow than in France and Germany. To make matters worse, each road has a bicycle lane of at least ½ metre either side marked with a white dashed line leaving little more than one lane for cars in either direction to fight over. If there are bicycles on each side, cars in each direction crawl behind the bikes until there is a place to overtake with sufficient margin for wind, bike wobble or other frailties. Some bike riders show some thanks for courtesies extended by drivers while others take it as their right. One rider when he noticed us crawling behind waiting for enough space to pass moved to the centre of the road rather than providing extra space for us by moving to the side.

Speed limits are low: 80 occasionally, 60 more often, 50 usual and 30 frequently. Only on motorways is the limit 100 or more. Furthermore, the speed limits are encouraged to be observed by “Drempels” which are speed humps in the road, the height of which is inversely proportional to the speed limit. However crossing a 30kph drempel at 30  causes the crockery and bikes on the back of the van to be ejected from rest and deposited elsewhere.  Although marked with white lines, the occasional lapse in concentration causes havoc. Bikes are checked on a few occasions and cupboards are opened with trepidation. 

 After an hour of drempels, we abandon the scenic way and opt  for motorways, saving ½ an hour and 5 plates. Finally we reach Middelberg and find our camp site. However it seems we should have booked as there is no place available for us.

A few km back we had stopped to look over a dyke to the ocean and this will do as a wild camping place. As it is still early, about 6 pm, we take off the bikes with the idea of riding along the dyke to Middelburg. After a few km we ask another biking person, of whom there are many, how far to Middelburg. He suggests 6 or 7 km which is more than we want to ride tonight, given the same return distance. We instead ride a few more km before returning to the van.

Dinner is mainly nibbles as we had lunch quite late and we go to bed with little noise but the Baa ing of sheep and the beating of ship’s engines only 100 metres from us.. Mind you, if that keeps us awake, we can count Baa s or the sheep themselves if we use a torch.

Thursday 9th August 2012

Neither bleating nor beating disturbs our sleep and we awake early to a  completely cloudless sky. Quite a change from past mornings. We eat our usual breakfast and head toward Middelburg where we want to cycle around the town.

Driving down a small road past a canal we pass largish houses in large grounds which are very attractive set against the canal. There are some parking places marked 2 hour however they have blue lines and the last set of blue lines associated with parking in Switzerland last year cost us 120 Swiss francs. A local confirms that blue lines mean residential parking and that we need a sticker to park there. We think the sign contradicts that but don’t want to take the chance. Instead we find a place close by near a service station, remove the bikes and ride from there.

It is only a 2 km ride following Centrum signs to the town square. There is a magnificently ornate church there but it is overshadowed by typical tawdry fair ground which is temporarily set up, one large ride obscuring a significant part of the church façade.  Fair grounds in Europe involve large trailer mounted machinery and this one  includes a ride which has an arm pivoted 30 metre above the ground and reaching 60 metre. They are setting up and the arm rotates sedately not unlike a 2  gondola ferris wheel. It might be a good way to view the town. However, once checks are complete, the arm is sped up to its full speed, inverting the gondolas during rotation and the idea of it as a viewing platform disappears. It reaches 4.5 g and 120 kph. Viewing of the town may well be replaced by viewing one’s stomach contents.

Everywhere in Holland there is water and this town is typical. Canals and bikes are ubiquitous. On one canal there is a boat ride available. However the bridges over the canal seem to have enough clearance for the boat but not the passengers. As  Ro shops for some shoes, I watch as a boat full of tourists returns. The skipper has a PA system and as he approaches the bridge he calls something in Dutch which must be something like “Mind your head” for as the boat passes at reasonable speed under the bridge, the skipper lies down on his seat and all the passengers follow. I wonder how many don’t get low enough fast enough but it does not seem to bother the skipper.

A small café away from the tourist area catches our attention and we have coffee and an apple flap for morning tea. After a leisurely break, we ride back to our van with a little help from Thomasina and continue along our drempel strewn way toward the Delta Project.

Zeeland consists of three fingers of land which have been progressively reclaimed from the sea. However, as mentioned earlier, storms in the North Sea in the past have caused flooding with disastrous results. Across the land fingers have been built massive concrete gates which can be closed off when storms threaten. A road passes over the concrete gates and that is the road we take.

Having travelled over one set of gates, we decide there is no point continuing further to see the other two. Ro observed way below us on the seaward side some motorhomes parked out on the rock and concrete banks of an artificial harbour. We drive off the main road onto a minor road which may lead to where the motorhomes are parked. After a wrong choice or two we find the correct road  and drive out to where two massive wind turbines are almost silently rotating. We have seen hundreds of these in Holland and assume they form a large part of the Netherland’s power grid.

After an hour we head for our camp destination on the Netherlands/Belgum border. Being a bit drempled out, we allow Thomasina to use motorways which means we are only 40 minutes from our camp.

Driving on the motorway requires a different set of skills which are a bit easier this year due to experience of the motorway system and knowledge of the van’s power, or lack thereof. It is nice to reach our campsite.

On checking in, unfortunately after the office has closed, we ask whether there is a dinner available. They believe there is enough room for two more. It is 5.30  and we need to be back to the clubrooms by 7pm. Just time to enjoy a bit of sun and get set up.

We had been warned by Adi that food in the Netherlands is not memorable. The fixed menu dinner consists of two beef olives each with tons of pommes fritte. That’s it. A bit of mayonnaise for the pommes frite as an afterthought. And chocolate cake with cream for dessert. Lift your game Netherlands!

After a bit of wifi to wash things down, we return to the van about 10 to a quiet nights sleep.

Friday10th August 2012

We get on the road by  11 with Brugge as our destination. We start with non motorways and drive through towns and villages.

The transition from Holland to Belgium is rapid. Houses in Holland have lots of flowers and colour. Those in Belgium seem to lack both. One street which is fairly major for these parts has houses either side with almost no adornments of colour. Brown brick houses side by side with a narrow walkway either side of the road. It looks more like an industrial area than a suburban streetscape. Maybe it is just this area.

We get to Antwerp and have to cope with city traffic for some kilometres. The city is like any other and from what we see, we do not feel the need to explore it.

 As we exit Antwerp,  one road alteration not known bout by Thomasina sees up doing the same 2 km loop twice and heading for a third time. That is  two times too many. Bugger the cultural way: we take the motorway. We will spend a bit of time in the sun at our campsite, about 16 km from Brussels.

We should have been alerted to a problem when Thomasina said “pardon me?” to the entered street name but we didn’t. All was fine until we received those usually comforting words “You have reached your destination”. Shouting “This is not the bloody destination” does nothing. Driving up a hopeful road does nothing. Fortunately asking a friendly cyclist does. In fact he guides us 1 ½ km to the campsite. Very good of him, especially as he had his son following behind on a smaller bike. The father’s lycra riding suit suggests the son is used to a follow-or-get-lost attitude.

The final 500 metres is down a one lane cobbled road with embankments either side so that meeting any vehicle would require some serious reversing skills. Fortunately we don’t. When discussing the situation with the manager he says he has never encountered a problem but that they have a very large tractor which would fix any problem that might arise. We did not mention that we know all about big tractors.   

Saturday 11th August 2012

We awake to a cloudless sky and  will stay here today to recuperate.  Since meeting Scot we have had less days off the tourist tasks and notice the difference. Besides which, I still need to seal the kitchen bench and to search out some leaks which allow the odd diesel fume in under certain conditions.

The work part is about one hour’s work  which can wait for the time being . We spend the morning reading and  swimming (in a very cold pool) and go for a walk in the forest which borders the camp site. We also pick blackberries but without a container can only eat them. We will return with a jar later.

In the afternoon I do the sealing work as Ro does some clothes washing. Then another swim and the day is coming to a close.

Tomorrow we will continue our trip, first visiting Leuven, about 10 km away which we are told is a lovely medieval university town, then on to Brugge.

 Sunday 12th August 2012

Today is more overcast. A good day to continue our travels. But as the day progresses, the sky clears and the lovely sunshine seduces us.

We enjoy reading and swimming then around lunchtime we make a few phone calls to Australia, one of which means it is prudent to stay here for internet access tomorrow morning. The sun is shining, there is no wind and we have to stay for internet access. Well that’s life. We will just have to put up with it. But life sometimes deals blows like this.

The rest of the day is spent reading swimming and going for another walk in the forest. Such is our abject laziness that there is not even any work to do on the van! Ro says ‘speak for yourself’ because she has washed four towels.

This morning we slept until 9am which is unusual having gone to bed at 9.30pm. Tonight we will leave the curtains open so we get an early start.

Monday 13th August 2012

Our early start is marred by the need contact Victoria Police regarding a fine issued for my driving the Avalon whilst unregistered. Two weeks before leaving Australia, I had dutifully vacated the lane of a high speed police car with flashing lights.which was approaching fast. Unfortunately I turned out to be the target of her pursuit. I immediately contested  the fine stating that we would be overseas and please to respond in two weeks or by email. Neither happened until August when a letter was received at home and opened by our daughter rejecting my explanation and requiring  payment of $611 by 9^th August. The problem was, our daughter could not give or get any information because of privacy. When I rang on Skype, I could not select from the automated redirection system as Skype does not send numeric input and there was no email address as “VP don’t do email”. I finally emailed the VP web support manager hoping he/she could pass on my email to the relevant department. I don’t really want to waste time wondering for the next month to what level the matter will have escalated by our return.

Finally we can leave. As we exit down the one lane road with the steep embankments either side we hope we will not meet any cars heading in the opposite direction. We don’t. We meet a boldly great green tractor! When we see him, both parties know there is a problem. Each vehicle only just fits in the gully in which the road runs. Fortunately there is a smallish passing bay and I squeeze as far into it as I can. The tractor approaches, the driver towering in his seat above my seated position.

He edges opposite us and stops. I creep forward. He creeps forward. I creep forward. He creeps forward. Now I can turn behind him and we can continue. And we still had 100mm to spare!

Unencumbered we sail down the road until it opens to a huge 1 ½ lane road which takes us to Leuven  We have been told that this medieval town is delightful but our experience is less than that. This is partially because we arrive just as the town is cleaning up after Marktrock, which, from the mountains of rubbish  and massive sound stages, had  obviously been a hugely successful rock event. We are glad we did not choose to visit yesterday.  However that obviously effects our enjoyment of the historic town and after riding around for an hour we think we have seen enough. Our one highlight would have to be the Rathouse, or Belgium equivalent, which is a magnificently ornate 18 century (or there abouts)  building. The sound stage which would have occluded the front was, fortunately, mostly demolished.

We continue driving toward Brugge, staying off the motorways to get a feel for Belgium. The drive is like that we had in the top of Italy. We always seem to be in suburbia, albeit rural suburbia, with almost no areas of open farm land. This may be because housing clings to the main roadways. The farmlands may be all away from the main roads. We also notice that there is less colour in Belgium than the Netherlands, Germany and France. Flowerboxes on houses  are rare treats.

Arriving in Brugge at 4.00pm, we look for a park for the van so we can ride around the city. As we have asked Thomasina to take us to the city centre, we find ourselves entering the historic section which is criss crossed with canals. Brugge, like so many other towns, is called “Little Venice”. It probably has more claim to the title than most. There are many cars, trucks and buses plying the cobblestone narrow roads but we feel we should not be here so head for an exit. However as we do so, we see  an appropriate park and, after asking a local, think we should be OK there as the parking officers have probably gone home by now. The nice thing is that it will be light until 9.30 at least.

Removing the bikes, we set off along a canal. Heading toward the town square we travel along cobbled roads with old buildings in which are displayed modern sculptures. We continue to the square which has magnificent buildings around its perimeter and the obligatory statue of a prominent person in the middle. The fact that I did not  note his name would, no doubt, be of concern to those who erected the statue: but such is life, to paraphrase an infamous Australian. The square reminds us a bit of that in Florence near the Ufitzi (?) gallery; including the hordes of tourists. Although we recognise we too are tourists, they are the problem; not us.

The town is well worth seeing from an historical perspective but we cannot help thinking there is a slight air of shabbiness. Riding further we watch hordes of tourists being  transported around the canals in long narrow boats similar to those we saw in Middelburg.

After an hour we think we have seen enough of Brugge, be that right or wrong, and we move on. There is still enough light for us to find a wild camp site and this we achieve by travelling down a small lane until we find a field which does not look like farmers will want to visit tomorrow.

We enter the field and find the van is quite level so that will do. Settling in, we have a quiet night after a meal of freshly cooked vegetables.

Tuesday 14th August 2012

After breakfast we are on the road by 9.30am. Our task is to find the coast road, the D940. Finding this proves to be a little like finding “The Romantic Road” last year. We expect to find the  French equivalent of “The Great Ocean Road” but it seems the French have as much of a problem with the concept of “Coast Road” as Northern Europe has with the concept of a sunny summer.

After avoiding a low bridge which threatens  to remove our top, we travel toward the coast and finally get our first glimpse of the English Channel, or from our side, la Manche. The day is somewhat humid and the mist obscures the English coast although the bumpy horizon is probable that coast thinly displayed above the sea.

Our end point is to be somewhere around YPort, about 200 km away or 4 hours along the non motorway roads.

We note as we travel that the villages are becoming more picturesque. The villages and scenery are far more attractive than we had experienced in Belgium.  However along the way we pass through Bologne sur Mer which is a big, dirty port city. We do not linger, preferring the green and peacefulness of the countryside.

The day seems to pass quite quickly and we wonder where it has gone and what we have seen. Some has been taken up by venturing toward the coast in the hope we will find a coast road. Each road leads to a village which may or may not have access to the sea but which is not connected to the next village by a coast road. We also hope we may see a suitable overnighting place but that does not happen either.

One such excursion leads us to a small village where we park and start walking to the coast. The walk turns out to be about 1 km and leads us to the top of a cliff which we gingerly peer over.  In the distance we see more of the limestone rocks which have parallel lines making them look like man made walls. We also watch birds below soaring on the air currents.

Another takes us to a lighthouse but before that we walk over to look at an emplacement from WW2. The bunker is open and one can venture into it. However the smell and tissue paper makes it uninviting. There are many such structures along the coast. What a waste of human endeavour war is.

It seems we will have to press on to Yport which we will reach by 9.30 pm now. But things are not quite as easy as we hope as we approach Yport. There seems to be some gathering or festival or something and cars line the road for kilometres along our path to our camp site. Hordes of people from the hundreds of cars pour along the road. Despite the narrow roadway remaining, cars pass in both directions with little room either side. Driving the van along here is not fun. Eventually we decide to bail out and do a multi point U turn while traffic waits patiently either side. Rarely in Europe are drivers impatient  over such things.

We are pleased to get out of the cramped driving conditions and instead continue on to Etretat, about 10 km further. As we enter we see a sign for camper car parking and thankfully head for that. As we turn in to the dirt parking area, a sign proclaims this a Camping Aire but  another sign prohibiting camping. Most confusing. But 10 or 12 other vans are not concerned so we stay there. By morning there are another 4 or 5  so the contradictory sign seems not to deter others.

Wednesday 15th August 2012

After a quite night’s sleep we awake at 7am. We think it prudent  to vacate the site in case the local constabulary want to check and disagree with our interpretation of the sign. We will have breakfast by the sea in Etretat.

This turns out to be a very good idea as the city centre and beach is all but deserted and the temperature is balmy. Furthermore, it is 7.30am and we don’t need to feed the parking meter until 9am!

Our first sight is the rugged limestone cliffs which include an undermined section which forms what is commonly known as an elephant drinking. The bridge section looks very much like the elephant’s trunk sucking up sea water. Claude Monet spent a lot of time here and painted the scene and others during the period 1886 to 1889. Walking up toward the cliff, there is a German concrete pillbox from WWII. It must have been traumatic for the locals at that time to see their cliffs scarred by such constructions. However, our history is full of such things, these seeming more relevant as they are more contemporary.

Returning to the van we have breakfast then walk toward the opposite end of the beach where there are more imposing cliffs, including a hidden gorge. As we walk back, it starts to lightly rain. I return to the van as it is approaching 9am and Ro stays to take more photographs. As I capture our travels in words, Ro captures them in photos. Each tells an interleaved and common storey.

On return to the van, we have our breakfast hot drink then walk around the town. It is a very attractive village with well restored buildings, hundreds of years old. One is all timber with what seem like stalls on two levels. It probably dates from the mid to late 18^th century and is operating with gift type shops on the lower level while the upper  level is not used. Other quaint, old buildings are used as hotels and restaurants.

The foreshore is filled with fishing boats and more modern sailing cats. When we leave at 9.30, the cats are rigged for the day’s use and the fishing boats are already out finding their day’s catch.

The tide here is quite high and warnings in 4 languages warn about checking tide tables before  going for walks along the beach. The beach has no sand; only pebbles which twitter as some waves wash them up onto the others.

Leaving Etratat, we continue to Le Havre which is about 20 km away. This is another fairly large, potentially grimy city. However the foreshore where we stop is undergoing quite a lot of refurbishment and is not grimy at all. We park and take the bikes off  after visiting the Office de Tourisme, where we get some internet connection and a map.

We want to ride to the Hanging Gardens about which Ro is interested. What they hang from we don’t know. Riding in the direction the map suggests, we ask a local, who speaks Englsh, for directions. He thinks they are 3 or 4 km away but is not quite sure where. We walk further in the direction the map suggests and ask another local, who does not speak English. We gain the impression that she thinks they are in a particular direction but does not know exactly where or how far. She consults another local, who also does not speak English and  who thinks similarly and points toward a road. Follow the road and look upward and they are somewhere there. We walk in that direction and eventually the road becomes an overgrown track. We ask another local who speaks a few words of English and is not sure where the gardens are but thinks with a laugh that they are very close. Perhaps I can climb a tree and scan the area. Finally we agree that a steep track at right angles to the one we are on may go in the right direction. We try one and walk through broken beer bottles and  rubbish and finally emerge on a grass lawn beyond which is a gate which looks like the gardens.

It is. The gardens have been built on the site of a fort the most recent buildings of which were built in 1856 (apart from greenhouses and tourist accoutrement).There is a magnificent rose garden and greenhouses with tropical plants, some of which are new to both of us. We spend 1 ½ hours then retrace our steps, including the rubbish dump, back to our bikes to ride back to the van.

Our next port of call is Honfleur, home of Eric Satie, whose piano music we enjoy. We decide to take the motorway as this cuts a  90 minute journey to 30 minutes. Leaving our parking place, we stop briefly to look through the cathedral built here after the destruction of its predecessor in WWII. The church is closed, so we continue. This is the first motorway we have used this year by choice.

As we head for the motorway, we are redirected by Police as there has been some incident! Typical! Thomasina, however, manages to find a way round the blockage. But to give credit where due, it is only because we ignore most of her instructions for 5 km and head where we think. The only minor hiccough is when we hit an unmarked speed hump which dislodges the bikes and launches  cupboard contents into unintended trajectories. Mind you, the locals were out in force watching the mayhem as the passengers of unwary cars were  projected off their seats. Even a bus went over the hump with an almighty crash which must have given the passengers considerable discomfort.

Having reattached the bikes and checked the cupboard contents we continue to the motorway the significant part of which are two bridges of considerable span and height which cross the gigantic Seine and another waterway. The approaches to the peaks of the bridges are very steep and the engineering  is most impressive.    

Arriving at Honfleur we discover the place is overflowing with tourists. The aire which Ro sees is chockers with motorhomes and parking areas are overflowing. Later we learn there is a jazz festival tomorrow and that may account for some.

We leave Honfleur to look for somewhere to stay the night and find a parking place 10 km out. Another van is parked but leaves after half an hour. A couple more arrive and leave. Looks like it will be just us tonight. 

Thursday 16th August 2012

Apart from the odd (and we mean odd) kamikaze motorcyclist passing by , the site is quite and we sleep well. We get up at 7.30, at least partially because we hear a car park near by and hope it is not someone wanting to move us on. But we do so of our own accord and get back to Honfleur before the hordes arrive.

There is a parking place on the river opposite the town main square and it allows motorhomes to park  24 hours for 3 euro. Nothing says we cannot stay here overnight so we may do that tonight.

Breakfast is eaten with  a view which one could imagine 19 century painters painting. Removing our bikes we ride over a small bridge to the tourist office then walk around the town.

The buildings are tall and narrow and again  would make wonderful subjects for painting. There is a jazz band playing in the town as a warm up for the festival. Their music is audible throughout the town centre and we stop to listen for a while.

Our prime tourist target is Erik Satie’s house. He was quite an unorthodox character, collecting dozens of umbrellas during his life. We expect to see other examples in his house. Before riding there we return to the van for coffee and  pain au raisin which Ro had purchased earlier today from a small boulangerie while I waited in our illegally parked van. But illegal parking in France is the only real parking and we have French plates.. Despite being fresh and authentic, the pain au raisin  are not as nice as others we have purchased from the likes of Carrefour and the pain was a bit overcooked.

Back from Erik’s home we now know that he had 200 umbrellas. Along with 50 false shirt collars, 60 pairs of shoes, 8 identical suits among others and other obsessive collections. He was a true eccentric. The museum is the house in which he lived and it is set up as eccentrically as its owner. Over three floors, one is given a glimpse into a highly creative and individualistic mind. Each room has objects which he drew  which have been built or recreated or are displayed. One room has a carousel which is peddle powered and on which visitors are invited to ride. There are four seats with peddles and when ridden, a large umbrella, from which are suspended musical instruments, turns. The quirkiness of the ride cannot be given justice. Suffice is to say, the musical instruments are a lyre with barbed wire, a trumpet with bellows in the middle, a violin neck with a boot attached and an  accordion with a book in the middle. As the carousel turns, carnival music plays.  Throughout the museum we hear his piano pieces, a CD of which we have brought with us in the van. The final room has a film running which shows very talented dancers moving and exhibiting characters which Satie created. The theatre is set up as a lounge room with tables and chairs scattered on which viewers

can sit. This is undoubtedly the most creative museum we have ever seen and we recommend it without reservation.

There is a “Garden of Personalities” nearby which we believe will be easier to find that Le Harve’s hanging gardens. It is, but far less diverse and interesting. We spend a short time riding around it before returning for lunch in the van. We had intended to get fish at a restaurant last night but were too late. Tonight we won’t be as we are just across the way from numerous restaurants in a seaside fishing port. What’s the bet they only have barramundi from Queensland?

After a mid afternoon lunch, pedicure and siesta, we venture out by foot, exploring some of the other streets of Honfleur. We have become accustomed to the crowds and are starting to get an impression of the town behind the tourists. It has quite a bit of character with the old buildings surrounding the harbour. We enter an all timber cathedral which has two tall bays, the ceilings of which look like the upturned hulls of boats. This may not be surprising as it was built by marine carpenters. The cathedral has a warmth which is lacking in stone cathedrals.

By now we are ready for our fish dinner. We select a waterside table from amongst the hundreds crowded around the harbour. They are already packed. As it happens, Ro has fish and I have chicken. Both are tasty but are supplied to a mass market. The restaurant probably has one point of a Michelin star. However the atmosphere is memorable.

Returning to the van, we take our bikes to the nearby campervan aire. It is a poorly maintained asphalt area with perhaps 200 motorhomes crammed in. It is 10 euro per night to stay. Where we are parked is 3 euro for 24 hours. Maybe we need to read the notices more carefully.

When we return, we see  that the Motorhome and Caravan signs we took to be permitting us to park have a red circle with a diagonal line  above which means those vehicles are prohibited! We have parked there all day! Lucky the French regulations are mostly suggestions. Nevertheless, we don’t want to camp there overnight.

The aire at least does have dumping facilities and free water so we avail ourselves of those and decide to return to last night’s camp spot which is in the direction we want to head tomorrow.

When we arrive about 9pm, there is another van there for the night so we join it. By morning there are two other cars with occupants curled up inside. We are thankful for our beds.

 Friday 17th August 2012

 After another reasonably quiet night we awake early and drive on to have breakfast at Trouville, our next port of call. We understand it is a small sea side resort with a sister town called Deauville the latter of which it has been suggested the beautiful  from Hollywood have invaded and spoiled. We hope Trouville has not succumbed as yet.

Driving down the narrow wooded road, the view coming into the town is wonderful. Then we see a row of 19^th century hotels and accommodation buildings which are also wonderful but instantly remove any thought that the town is small. It has been a mecca  for at least 200 years and little has changed, apart from the odd 1980s abomination at the opposite end of the beach. Although we are there at 8am , the area is packed with cars,  their occupants still not  up and about as yet.

We walk along a grey wooden boardwalk with longitudinal planks which visually exaggerate  its length ,which, in any case,   proceeds along the wide sandy beach for over a kilometre. A big tractor (tractors here are always big) tows a scraper behind for sieving the sand of rubbish from the day before. We feel a little guilty putting our footprint in the newly smoothed sand as we walk toward the water.

Continuing along the boardwalk we look at 5 storey buildings from the 19^th century of French, Germanic and other eclectic designs. They stand  side by side in mostly good condition with steep steps up from  the sandy beach. There are small bill boards with colourful and quirky posters. Other   proclaim that not cleaning up your dog’s litter is unacceptable. Finally!

Returning to the van, we decide to leave before the hoards arrive. We will have breakfast along the road to Bayeux where we are heading to see the famous tapestry, which we later discover is in fact an embroidery. However finding a place to stop is not so easy so we eventually drive down a side road and stop at the edge of a field.

Our path to Bayeux is along the now familiar wooded narrow roads with little villages along the way. It is starting to get hot and the sun blazes from a cloudless sky.

We arrive at Bayeux about 12.30 pm and head for a Macdonalds to get some wifi. Leaving there, we drive to the town centre and find a park.  It is yet another beautiful town. Bayeux is a biggish town of 15,000 a few years ago. It has a nice feel to it, both the new areas we see and the old town built around a river which flows under buildings to be exposed either side. There is a cathedral dating in part from 11^th century  which is exquisite with ornate flying buttresses, towers and spire. We plan to look inside but end up not doing that partially because our maximum time for parking has been exceeded.

However we do visit the Museum which is dedicated to the 70 metre long tapestry and historical aspects surrounding it. We initially have trouble finding it but a couple whom we ask point out a sign which was obvious to all but us until we turn around. Remarkably, the sign points to another sign and eventually to the museum we want. Often if France we find signs are not followed up by others and we end up being no better directed than without any. So this sequence is good.

The tapestry is over 900 years old and is kept in an enclosure which is controlled in temperature and humidity. The lights are limited in intensity and flash photography is prohibited as it alters the molecular structure of the fibres and pigment of the woollen thread over time.

Over its 70 metres there are 57 panels which tell the storey of the capture of the English throne by William the Conqueror in 1066. Edward the reigning king was elderly and sent Harold to Normandy, across the channel in France, to find William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy and  a relative of Edward , to succeed him on his death. After finding William, Harold,  on his return, was required by Edward to take an oath of allegiance to William when he becomes king. However on Edward’s death, Harold takes the throne. William’s nose s severely out of joint and takes an army to England, defeats Harold’s army and takes the throne, in a bloody battle at Hastings lasting 14 hours,  for himself according to Edward’s wishes. The rest is history, as they say.

On the second floor is a museum which has interesting exhibits and wall posters. There is a full sized replica of one of the boats William used  and a number of models of Norman buildings and building techniques.  We then go up one more floor to a film which, luxury of luxuries, is in English.

When we return to the van, as mentioned, our time limit is up. We had wanted to see inside the cathedral but it is so hot, we decide to continue to our camp site which  is 180 km away. As the next few days are to be hot, we want to relax by a pool for a day or so.

We succumb to the seduction of the motorway to save half an hour and arrive at 6.30 where a swimming pool beckons.

The night cools off and we go for a walk about 9pm. There is a track down to a pond where we see an otter parent and two small offspring. Unfortunately we don’t have a camera so we resolve to visit tomorrow night with a camera.

Saturday 18th August 2012

Another clear day dawns with the promise of warm weather. At 9am we hear a toot from the bread van. We can go to a part of the camp site to buy bread. The queue rapidly forms  but fortunately we are near the head of the queue. We are seduced once again (we are soft touches) by pain du raisin, croissant, apple thingys and other breads. Last year I lost 4 kilogram on holiday (or maybe donated some to Ro) but I don’t think that will be the case this year.  

The rest of the day is spent relaxing in the lovely sun, reading, eating bread and the odd chore. This involves  putting some sealant in the bathroom and washing the van on my part and some hand washing on Ro’s part.

The day passes at a leisurely pace until 9pm when we again visit the pond. The young otters  are eating grass and reeds at the edge of the pond. We wait silently and they emerge from the water. After a time, a third offspring joins them but the parents are nowhere in sight.

I sit on the grass about 4metres from them and over the next 15 minutes, they get closer and I slowly move closer. Eventually I am within 1 metre and can see them well. But something startles them and the scurry back to the safety of the water.

As we get up to leave, we see both parents a bit further around the pond. Ro has taken many photos and we hope there will be some good ones amongst them. 

We return for a quiet night’s sleep.

Sunday 19th August 2012

The day is overcast. The question is: will it clear to another perfect day or should we move on?

By 11.30  it is still overcast so we decide to move on. After packing up, emptying and filling the appropriate tanks and generally mucking about, we are ready to pay our bill and go. But we have forgotten about the office closure until 2pm so we muck about a bit more then leave at 2. 15.

We are now in Brittany but I am wary about going further as we have to retrace to Osnabrueck  and every km we proceed we have to retrace. Despite my concerns, Ro wants to see more of Brittany so we venture 120 km  further. 

We take the motorway some of the way to the coast and, as it is quite late, stop for lunch about 3 at a large parking area just off the motorway. Continuing on, we reach Perros Giurec, about 150 km from the west coast of Brittany.

Stopping at a scenic viewing point high up on a cliff, we overlook the sea and think how similar it is to looking out over the Whitsundays in Australia. The design of the houses is different  but the spacing is more open than in other European seaside resorts ,more like those in Australian. In one of the bays there are hundreds of boats of various types.

We park the van in a residential street high on a cliff and walk along a road back from the cliff. The houses here are built of stone and more like those we expect to see.  One is in the process of being done up. It looks like a costly and slow process, but would be great fun to do.

Walking past the van in the other direction, we take a path which may lead down to the sea. However as the track becomes more overgrown, we are less inclined to proceed so ultimately abandon it and return to the road. Walking further down we pass a hotel which is built into the steep face and has two floors overlooking the sea. We toy with the idea of staying a night in the hotel and enjoying the view but decide to move on.

Returning to the van, we set the GPS for Mont St Michel. Our thought is to arrive early to join the crowd to miss the crowd.

We drive until quite late on motorways. Brittany, we notice, is more undulating than our path from Germany has been. We labour up  long hills and speed down the other side. It is getting late so we note a sign which says there is a motorhome park at the next exit. We take it but, as explained before, the French often provide a sign to a feature but then provide no more once that sign is followed. That is what happens this time so after ten minutes of driving back and forth looking for another sign, we abandon the search and go back to the motorway. Some way further on, another sign proclaims a park at the next exit and as I am quite tired by now, we try again. This time we find the park and drive into the entrance. It looks surprisingly familiar. Presumably the one design is used multiple times. But as we drive around, there is a trailer which was at the park earlier today. We have randomly returned to the same park!!! The odds against this seem huge but it has happened.

We set up for the night and have dinner. However there is a smell we don’t like and the park is huge and will soon be deserted. Somewhat refreshed we choose to continue on.

An hour and a half later and it is quite dark. I would prefer not to drive after dark especially as I am tired.  We are only 16 km from Mont St Michel when we exit the freeway and decide we will look for a park. Turning off the road, we find a small road which may be promising. It is not far from the exit ramp and as it turns back, there is a place by the road which will do. The road has a “No Through Road” sign or something which seems like that so ther should be little or no traffic. We finally set up , heat the shower water, shower and go to bed.

Monday 20th August 2012

Awaking early we set off for Mont St Michel. We will have breakfast wnem we arrive at the day carpark.

We are there in 30 minutes. The car park area is mammoth. The car parks used to be closer to the Mont but they were submerged during high tide and the numbers of tourists have obviously swelled. The park for motorhomes, of which there are enormous numbers driving around  Brittany, is at the end. We enter it and already there are relatively few spaces available. Parking we have breakfast then ride our bikes to the shuttle which takes us the three km to the Mont.

The shuttles are very clever in that there is a driver’s seat either end making it unnecessary for the bus to have a turning bay at either terminus. The place is obviously set up for huge numbers. At 9.30, there are lesser numbers but there are still queues to get on the bus and enter the Mont.

The Mont is a rocky island which is fully covered with medieval structures, and a few more recent ones. During the hundred year’s war, although it was besieged on numerous occasions, it was never breached. It recently celebrated its 1300^th anniversary. During this time it has been modified, added to and has served many purposes, from religious functions to prison functions, sometimes at the same time.   

Admission to the walled area is free and when the tide is more than about  60  percent  from low tide, there is only one narrow entrance. As high time changes, there must be times when huge queues await to enter through this door. As the tide approaches low tide, another larger door is available for use and later in the day, there are long queues to enter even this. But for now, the hoards are still getting organised so we have some time when it is just crowded, not super crowded.

Stairs are the order of the day. Other than one street  at the base, some walkways and the rooms of the buildings themselves, there are stairs everywhere and steep stairs at that. We start the climb up to the cathedral, the must see part of the Mont. The engineering is, as always, awe inspiring. Although it is built on a solid rock which means foundations for the structure are provided by nature, only the central nave (I think the term is) is fully supported. All other buildings have to be supported from many metres below. During our  tour we see eight 2 metre diameter  columns which support parts of the cathedral. Some of the roofs are timber to lessen the load on the walls and ornate  flying buttresses  are used extensively.

As we walk through the many parts of the cathedral and support buildings we get an impression of life in medieval times. Finally we are disgorged through  the obligatory souvenir shop from which we exit to a garden high above the water.

When we arrived, the water was lapping at the entrance to the Mont and the entry walkway was covered.  At that time, half a kilometre from the Mont, an excavator floating on its own pontoons was dragging itself, using its long arm, out to do a days dredging.  Now the excavator is sitting on its pontoons on the exposed sea bed. The pontoons have long caterpillar tracks which allow it to move on land.  What it is doing is unclear but the way it is amphibious is interesting.

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Now it is low tide and the water has receded as far as the eye can see . What was an  island two kilometres away  is now a protrusion from the sand and there are many shallow lakes of seawater.

 

It is a one kilometre walk around the Mont at low tide and one must take care not to be caught by the tide. It is said that the sea can return at the speed of a galloping horse in a 30 cm wave. This may be an exaggeration, but knowledge of the tide is recommended. It is now 2 hours past low tide so we should have ample time for the walk. Famous last words!

At this point I should say I was not in favour of the walk. At best it was likely to be a slippery, muddy walk in the blazing sun. However my complaints were ignored and we embarked on the walk. It was indeed slippery. There was what seemed to be mud but was probably very fine sand. The type which forms quicksand in the right places.

We walk a few hundred metres and come across a tiny chapel which is the opposite  extreme of the cathedral we have just visited. It is close to high water and has for many centuries suffered the worst of what the sea can dish up. But it is still standing and in good condition although not in use.

We walk further around the Mont’s base, rock hopping where we can to avoid the mud. In little more than half an hour we are back at the start. We have not been inundated by the sea. We have not slipped over (although another little boy was not so lucky…..and was thoroughly enjoying the mud) and we have not been burnt to a crisp. In fact, it has been very enjoyable and we can say we have circumnavigated the Mont. Besides, my shoes  now have a permanent mud stain to remind me of the Mont.

Taking the shuttle back to the bikes then the bikes to the van, we prepare to leave. But how do we pay to get the boom gate to raise? Various others  scratch their heads also as there is a slot to insert the magnetically coded ticket we got entering but nowhere to insert a credit card, coins or notes. A German couple say they paid at the Information Office one kilometre back but for a moment or two their paid ticket will not raise the boom gate.. Bugger!  Do we have to undo the bikes and ride back? However as we technically competent males crowd around the exit gate abusing the silly system, Ro reads some instructions, extrapolates to overcome their inadequacies and suggests we insert the ticket then a credit card into the same slot as there are some images of cards near the slot. Bingo! Insert the ticket and the machine shows 12.50 euro charge. Insert the card and……. Give me my card back you lousy French design-is-all-nevermind-practicality machine! But a few moments later the card is returned then the ticket. Now open the boom gate, machine Nothing. We try inserting the ticket again and voila the gate opens. The sequence in hindsight is quite obvious but to quite a few , admittedly male,  people it was not obvious to start with.  

Free at last! Our next  stopping point will be Giverney where Monet’s house and garden is. It is 4 hours away so we plan to drive to within 1 hour, wild camp then arrive at Giverney at 9.30am tomorrow to avoid the rush. Unfortunately Tuesday is a busy day as Paris museums are closed Tuesday.

We drive for a couple of hours which only gets us 130 km or so. Travel is slow in Europe. After  stopping for cheese and biscuits in a forest  we continue as we would like to buy some provisions. Finally we happen on a Lidl but there are only 6 minutes to closing. A rapid bit of shopping and we are on our way again.

We find a forest turnoff where we can happily spend the night. After dinner and a shower we enjoy a quiet and warm night.

Tuesday 21st August 2012

Our waking up early almost goes to plan and we arrive at 10am. As we drive in, there are only 10 buses. By the time we are at the gate after parking  there are about 20. It is going to be a touristy day.

Our plan is to stay here overnight if the place looks too crowded. The very friendly traffic direction person, on hearing we are Australian,  proudly shows us trinkets from Australia in his car although he has not been there. However none of the stuffed toys depicts an Australian animal so he may say the same if we were Bulgarian or Armenian. He does confirm that Tuesday is heaviest and Wednesday is lightest and that we can stay overnight in the carpark. And amazingly it is free. Later the tourism office says she thought we could not stay overnight but if the attendant said we could that probably we could. More suggestion du regulation.

There is quite a lot to explore in Giverney. As well as Monet, Giverney was home to an artist’s colony for perhaps 100 years. There is also a medieval area and countless galleries and museums cashing in on the Monet legacy.

We spend the morning walking around getting our bearings. Walking up to Monet’s garden we get the impression (what else would you get regarding Monet) that it will be wall to wall tourists so we will visit tomorrow.

It is quite hot so we visit a fast running creek where there is a bust of Monet in a position supposedly one that Monet found very inspirational. It is not hard to see why Monet and other artists would have found Giverney and its surrounds inspirational. The place oozes character: but whether this is a result of the town itself or tweeking of the town after the fact is unclear. It does have a lot of natural character.

As we walked up we had seen a café we liked the look of so decide to have coffee there. We ask the waiter for one of the nicely decorated  table under one of the shading umbrellas. For lunch? No, just coffee. We instead are directed to one of 5 undecorated tables in the blazing sun. My wife wanted some shade, says I. A shrug of the shoulders  and sorry is all the response we were given. Ah, the French. We instead get some takeaway and go to the creek where it is shaded and cool.

We want to check emails so ask at the Tourist Office. They do not have any but one museum has. We go there and pick up an email or two then have lunch there. The food is very tasty and nicely presented. We spend an hour in the cool, enjoying the French decorations and the food.

After lunch we walk further toward the medieval area but decide we will ride there later when it is cooler. The small, cool, fast flowing river beckons and Ro soaks her hot, tired feet.

Returning to the van, we open up to cool it a little. We contemplate visiting Monet’s garden today as the sky has become overcast and it may rain tomorrow. However it is 5.30 pm and the gardens close at 6. We will get in early tomorrow.

A bit later we ride back to Monet’s house and inspect the plan of the garden. We had not realised that half of his garden is across the road from the house and on the same side as where we have parked the van. The stream in which Ro soaked her feet has first passed through Monet’s garden. Maybe fortunate we weren’t upstream.

Returning to the van, we see six or seven other campers here for the night so we are happy it is OK. There is the odd train which passes by, but otherwise it should be quiet.

Wednesday 22nd August 2012

We awake at 8am and have breakfast in order to be at the gardens before 9.30am, opening time.

Instead of multitudes of buses, there are multitudes of motorhomes. We arrive at Monet’s house and are about 10^th in line but have 10 or 15 minutes wait until the doors open.

The gardens are extensive, with the largish house  at the top edge of the property, running along the street. There is another parallel road at the bottom of the garden, about 70 metre down the slope. On the other side of that road is the water lily garden. There is a gate in the fence of the upper garden and one opposite in the fence of the water lily garden across the road. A pedestrian crossing links them. However some years ago, an underpass was built between the two so the road need not be negotiated in passing between the two. Monet spent  30 years  developing the garden. He was also passionate about Japanese art and there are dozens of pieces adorning his walls…more so than his own paintings in most rooms except his painting studio.

We start by looking through the house. There are not too many people here yet so movement through the house is reasonably unencumbered. The main entrance is off a narrow terrace running the length of the house An entrance has a stairway to the second floor  and a  room off to the left which is predominantly pale blue with darker blue highlighting lines. The rooms  on the lower floor all have some predominant colour. Striking yellow in the dining room to the right of the entrance hall and blue in the kitchen beyond  Continuing through the blue room to the left we can go down half a flight of stairs to Monet’s studio but it has a group of tourists  so we instead go right up a narrow flight of stairs to the bedrooms above.

The main bedroom, which was not Monet’s, has two large open windows to the garden. The view is magnificent The atmosphere in the whole house is evocative; it is wonderfully serene for me and full of colour and vitality for Ro. It is not hard to imagine it when Monet lived there.

The house is dusty rose pink with beige trim and large amounts of bright green; all sympathetic to the colourful flower laden gardens.  It is quite long and thin; only one room wide. The position of the staircases means that one exits a room  into a small hallway and directly down the stairs. Alternatively we can walk from one room to the next without any external corridor. The far end of the house upstairs is not open.

Returning to the entrance hallway we look through the dining room and kitchen, both ecorated in the way Monet had them. Walking to the other end we walk down half a level to his studio which has 60 replica  paintings in it. Ironically, there are more people than before.

Now for the real reason for the visit: the garden and water lily pond. While he spent 18 years developing his magnificent garden, the water lily pond he bought as a separate piece of land. He did transform that area also but he did not build the pond. The stream we were paddling in yesterday runs through this land and two sluice gates control the level of the pond.

The house garden has pathways running away from the house along garden beds which are absolutely brimming with colourful flowers. Some paths are blocked off. Ro is in photographic  heaven and we spend an hour or so just soaking up both the literal and figurative atmosphere; the scent being overpowering in some areas. Monet’s paintings capture the brilliance of the garden with his masterful  portrayal of light.

The underpass to the lily pond projects us into the world of his waterlily paintings. His famous bridge is framed by willows and the pond just as we see in his paintings. Walking  around the paths is surreal and evocative. Ro even manages to get a few  shots without people, which we will treasure forever.

After  4 hours in the house and gardens we exit via the shop which was his second studio in which he did his large waterlily canvasses. Two replicas, probably 10 metre by 1.5 metre are on display.

Finally we exit and eat lunch at a café opposite the house which was there in Monet’s time. Monet lived from 1840 to 1926.

Back at the van, we get on the road to reach our camp, about 20km south west of Paris. From here we expect to visit Versailles and Fontainebleau and maybe the cathedral at Chartres.      

We check in about 7pm but by the time we empty waste tanks and fill water tanks, it is 8 before we are set up.

Thursday 23rd August 2012

Today promises to be clear, sunny and warm so we will spend the day here. The pool is  a very comfortable temperature, presumably solar heated although the solar collectors are not evident. There is also a sauna, steam room and gym. And the large pool, which is 2.3 metre deep at one end, has a diving board which is always fun.

On top of that, the site is 47 hectares, a significant amount of which is bush so we can ride our bikes or walk.

Throughout the day we manage to use all the facilities, albeit rather a cursory visit to the gym. I tried to do a leg raise on a wall frame and discovered that my six pack is only now a plastic frame as 5 of the pack contents seem to be missing.

Later in the day, Ro decides my hair needs cutting for Felix’s wedding and doing it now will allow it to ‘settle down’. What she means by this is that a hair cut with me balancing on a plastic bucket outside while she uses small paper scissors to adjust the shape of my head may not give the result she is used to at home. As I am not a patient patient, I read a book, periodically blowing tufts of hair from the pages. The next reader of the book may find it is moulting.  

After dinner we go for a walk in the fading light. Venturing into the forest seems a bit ambitious so we stick to the crushed rock path which is light coloured and quite visible. This proves to be a good choice as it is quite dark by the time we return. Getting lost in the dark would not be an enjoyable experience.

Having considered all our logistical options we have decided to visit Chartres cathedral tomorrow and leave our Versailles visit until we are in Paris as travel there is easy. We will visit Fontainebleau after that and work out our campsites as we go.   

Friday 24th August 2012

We wake early but go back to sleep again and do not leave early as intended. Still, as we are now going to Chartres instead of Versailles, time is less important. This proves to be useful as in programming Thomasina last night, I set her for Versailles and by this morning I have forgotten we had changed our destination after I set her up. As such, we faithfully follow her instructions to Versailles until we are 10 km away and have not seen any Chartres signs. A quick reprogram and we are back on track for Chartres. Pity it is in a direction significantly different from Versailles.

Finally we approach Chartres by 12.30 and see the edifice of the cathedral looming on the horizon. It is huge and dwarfs all around it.

We see a few motor homes parked; a sure sign that a tourist attraction is near. They are a bit haphazardly parked  but we try to park better to allow others room to park. It is 1euro90  per hour but as the French have 12 until 2 off for lunch, the parking meters do not charge for parking during this period. It is 12.30 but when we insert a 2 euro coin  the meter shows we are paid up until 15.03. Small compensation for the annoying times we have tried to buy a product at 1pm and find the shops closed.

The town of Chartres around the cathedral consists of  buildings all 100s of years old. The cobblestone road passes over the obligatory stream, which presumably was the reason for the town’s location, and up quite a steep hill before steps lead to the cathedral.

As I have said many times before, I am dumbstruck at the engineering, architecture and size of thinking that has gone into these buildings. To imagine this structure and convey those thoughts to the artisans without the aid of modern techniques never fails to amaze me. The precision with which the stone masonry was executed without sophisticated modern tools is beyond my comprehension. Had I not seen such things, I would not have believed them possible for the times.

The cathedral is massive with huge flying buttresses and vaulted ceilings. The floor looks to be original and it seems somewhat surprising that the precision in the carvings, columns  and building blocks does not seem to be mirrored in the stone flooring, which is quite rough and uneven.

As we enter the cathedral, there is organ music being played. The low note pipes must be  10 to 15 metres long. They are set high in the centre of the cathedral and the sound fills every part of the building.

One end of the building has been renovated and is clean and light in colour. The stained glass windows fill the area with light which is reflected from the pale stone walls and ceiling. The support arches in the vaulted ceilings  terminate in stone   annuluses  which will eventually be gilded and painted. A few are already complete and look stunning. The stone carving is intricate and exquisite.

There is a labyrinth on the stone floor of about 15 metre diameter. People with bare feet are prompted to walk around the labyrinth and pray as they move toward the centre and back out again. Unfortunately I am standing within the labyrinth before I realise the participants are not just tourists aimlessly strolling about. I hastily retreat and leave them to their task. 

We leave around 2 pm and walk around the outside, still marvelling at the structure. When we arrive back at the van, we have a late lunch and set off for Fontainebleau.

It has started to rain and we drive along wet slippery roads for one and a half hours before reaching Fontainebleau. We pass the palace which has closed.

We need some provisions as we have not seen our favourite Lidl stores for a few days. We settle for an Intermarche supermarket which is some kilometres away. It is grubby and not very well stocked with products we want but it has to do for now.

Returning to Fontainebleau we look out for aires or camp sites but see none. Fortunately there is plenty of forest here so we will drive a bit to find a wild campsite. Hopefully not too wild.

We find a parking spot in which another motorhome has set up for the night and join them. It seems likely  to be quiet and the rain has stopped. Hopefully tomorrow will be clear for our Fontainebleau tour.

Saturday 25th August 2012

The night was very quiet with just a little rain. We wake early and drive to Fontainebleau so we can get a parking place.

The parking here is far different from places such as Sansouci or Mont San Michel or even Giverney which have acres of space for hundreds of cars. If there are such parks, we do not see them. Instead we park in a payante area right in front of the chateau for 1 euro per hour. Once again we get 5 hours for 4 euro as  lunch time is free. We have until 14.00 on the meter.

First we have breakfast in the van then  walk over to the chateau. It is 10 euro for admission and an audio commentary; very good value compared with other tourist attractions. The commentary is  detailed with 35 areas covered.

The chateau has 1900 rooms. We expect  there will be some we will not see. Probably a good thing as the 60 or so we do see takes 4 hours.

The chateau has been altered, renovated, demolished and rebuilt many times over 800 years. Various monarchs and emperors have left their marks; some with their insignias placed monotonously frequently.  One, Francois !st had the letter F placed at intervals of 1 metre all along one room and elsewhere in the palace. Little wonder the revolutionaries referred to them as the effing monarchy before removing them, admittedly long after Francois, but the theme of untrammelled opulence proved to be their downfall. There are liberal Hs for Henry 4^th and Ns for Napoleon 1^st.

The opulence goes on for room after room, with coffered ceilings (ceilings with deep three dimensional reliefs), tapestries, paintings, frescos, panelling, parquetry and loads of gilding  on furniture and wall ornaments. If I was awe struck by the size and ornamentation of the Chartres cathedral, I am equally in awe of the size and opulence of these buildings.

It is also interesting to see  in some exquisitely renovated rooms that there are some parts which have not been restored such as window frames and the odd wall section which generally would go unnoticed by all but the stickiest of sticky beaks. It gives some idea of how much work has gone into the restoration.

Fontainebleau was not damaged in the revolution although some furniture was removed. Despite this, a great deal of the furniture of the time remains. The small apartments used by Napoleon and Josephine  are largely how they were in their time, including the furniture.

We are pleasantly surprised by the small number of tourists. Versailles has 15 million visitors or over 45,000 per day averaged; more in summer. Fontainebleau which is larger and arguably better presented and restored does not have the hordes.

We exit the chateau about 1pm and go back to the van for a rest and refreshments. There are notably few eating places within the palace so we have lunch in the van before returning to wander around the gardens for an hour or so. The gardens are huge with an artificial canal 1.2 km long and various other waterways, one of which is a carp pond where very large carp swim with no fear of humans.

We leave by 3.45 with 1 ½ hours to get to our camp near Troyes. When we arrive there are a few fun and games in getting through the locked gate, one of which involves driving to the nearby village to find a key,  but with some perseverance we get in and set up for the night. The Seine river is nearby and we walk to it expecting a huge waterway. Instead it is a tributary and only 10 or 12 metres wide. Maybe if tomorrow is warm we will swim in it. On a hot day I would like to be  in Seine.

Before bed, we use the shower complex. We were given three ‘douche’ tokens which will give us warm showers. Although the token gives us a four minute shower, the showers also have a timer button; Technically known as a double whammy. However, there is one shower which has, as well as the timer jet blast, another shower rose which is large and friendly and does not exfoliate the skin during use. We choose the friendly rose. Another complication is that Ro wants to wash her hair so we need to use two tokens. Unfortunately, a sign which says (in 3 languages) to dry hands before inserting tokens is ignored, so the second token sticks somewhere in the timer and we have no more hot water. One of the pleasures of returning home will be untimed, hot showers. 

Sunday 26th August 2012

The day is not going to be particularly warm but we want a day off anyway.

We spend the day reading in the sun and walking. There is also a little carpentry I want to do and there is audible evidence that someone is using carpentry tools. Taking my marked piece of wood over to the sounds, I ask the sound maker if he speaks English. He does not. This is reminiscent of last year trying to explain a jig saw. This time, I can pick up a saw he was using and show the marks on my wood. He indicates to wait a moment and brings back an electric circular saw. However I explain in hand movements that the electric saw gives a splintered edge and he seems to understand. Instead he brings out two trestles on which I can saw the wood and then proceeds to hold the bit I am sawing off. This jams the saw but fortunately, once cut he resumes his tasks and leaves me to it.

With a “merci” and a “je suis desolate, ne parle pas francais” (I am sorry, I don’t speak French), to which he responds “no problem” , we part and I fit the cut timber.

Part of the timber was to seal below the fridge where I suspect some fumes are being sucked into the cab when windows are down. We will discover tomorrow that this has helped and my driving fatigue is considerable reduced, presumably due to the lower concentration of carbon monoxide.

Sunday dinner is a bit light on as we had not found any provisions, but we cope. We fill up on vegetables and soup and feel great for it.

Monday 27th August 2012

It is not exactly warm but we have promised ourselves we will swim in the Seine, or at least a tributary thereof. Although it is very cold, we have a quick swim to fulfil our promise. The positive is that as we get out, our bodies are glowing with the blood circulation. We return for breakfast.

As our camp site has wifi available, we take the opportunity to search for a castle in France which is being built today using only medieval building techniques. It is only 120 km from where we are; unfortunately in a south westerly direction when we are heading north east toward Osnabrueck.

We vacillate as to whether we want to add 250km to our journey. As the day seems overcast, we decide to go but as the sky clears we decide to stay. Vacillation indeed.

While we decide, we will go back to the lovely, crystal clear river with our books and banana lounges.

The bank we went to this morning is still in shade so we go upstream to where a beach is in full sun. There is a small island which we wade out to through shallow but fast flowing water. The water on the other side is very fast and walking in it is difficult. It is not possible to swim against and just standing in it causes the small stones underfoot to be washed away leaving one’s feet in a deepening hole.

As Ro photographs rocks through the water and I play cat and mouse with the current, she calls out ‘snake!’. An 800 or 900mm snake is sunning itself on the pebbles, unaware of Ro’s presence. Although we believe snakes in Europe are non venomous, we would prefer to keep clear of them. The problem is that the snake has seen Ro approaching, before she is aware of its presence, and has taken off into the water just up stream of me. At this stage I am not sure where the snake is, however I now see it swimming rapidly across the fast flowing stream just metres away. How it manages to get to the other side without landing on me is amazing, but I am pleased it does. From the way it is swimming, it is too.

By 1pm we reluctantly decide to leave this sunny paradise and hit the road. Our plan is to drive to Guedelon, the castle site, wild camp somewhere and visit tomorrow. That gives us Wednesday to Friday to get to Osnabrueck.

The drive to Guedelon is very picturesque, as usual. We find a Lidl along the way and stock up on provisions. This is pleasing as we have not seen one for a week or so and our last shopping at Intermrache left us thinking we will not shop there again.

Arriving at Guedelon by 5.30, we look around the outside of the site. Although it closes at 7pm, we don’t think there is sufficient time to appreciate t so we will return tomorrow.

The tourist office on site gives us a map of some places we can stay and, as we don’t require any facilities other than those in the van, we opt for a park opposite a lake. There are three or four other vans here and it will do for the night.

Tuesday 28th August 2012

Leaving our overnight stay by 9am , we travel back 10 km to Guedelon. There has been a little light rain which has now stopped and should serve to damp down the dust without making things muddy.

At Guedelon we park with ease as we are here before the crowds, although already the car park is filling up. They get 300,000 visitors per year which is important as the income helps to fund the work.

The project  to build a 13^th century castle using only techniques of the time was proposed well before the laying of the first stone in June 1997. Since then, the castle, notionally commenced in 12 28, has progressed using only the methodologies available at the time, including those developed in medieval times during the construction period. The only concessions to modern technology are OH & S issues, which require bolts in the wooden scaffolding, steel capped boots, hard hats and  safety glasses and some engineering assurances that the castle will not collapse!!  Despite that, in our visit we saw nothing that hinted at modern day, other than tourists with cameras. Admittedly, the odd medieval worker had a walkie talkie strapped to his hip and at the entrance, ye old 2D bar scanner appeared  not from medieval times.

Many trades are used on site. We saw rope making, basket weaving, dyeing, tile making, stone masonry, carpentry, hoisting of stones, hauling of timber and others. All were using medieval techniques.

All the staff are prepared to explain their trades, albeit somewhat limited in English. Some of the mysteries of building cathedrals are explained  by our observations, but the long, straight, perfectly crafted column stones are still a mystery to me. What I did learn was that any continuous stonework feature was built at the stone shaper’s workplace and stones numbered for reassembly. Furthermore, all stones carry the artisan’s mark as payment was for each  piece which fitted correctly.

We start by walking to the castle which is probably half built. It was started in 1997 and is expected to be complete by 2020 The finished building will include 18,000 cubic metres of stone weighing 60,000 tonnes. All of those 60,000 tonnes are hoisted using 4 metre diameter wheels powered by a man walking within the wheel. Once again, OH and S requirements mean hoisting ropes are certified ropes and the brakes on the wheels ensure safety of the workers. However, our observation is that in Australia’s nanny states, such a project would be impossible. The public is protected against injury but is allowed access to areas which Australia would prohibit. Frequently we have seen evidence that the litigious society which Australia has become is at considerable cost to the cultural wealth of the society.

We walk up extremely narrow stone staircases and spiral stairs to rough hewn timber floors and stone floors over vaulted ceilings in the tower. We observe stone masons laying stone blocks and infilling the 2 metre thick walls. We see loads being hoisted up the side of the castle using a two wheel hoist.

There is a serenity over the site which partially comes from a total absence of any noise from power tools or motors and partially is a result of everything being done at a slow pace. No one is very hurried because everything takes as long as it takes. Maybe in medieval times there was a greater sense of urgency, but I suspect that was not the case.

After looking through the castle, we walk to the other parts of the village. All things in the village are geared toward servicing the building of the castle and the quiet sense of purpose is palpable.

We spend three and a half hours walking around the site and come away with a better appreciation of how buildings were built in those times. My feeling of awe is undiminished nonetheless. We have seen the German emplacements on the Normandy coast  built during WWII and these after 70 years are showing signs of decay. Conversely we have seen buildings 1000 years old which still stand. Maybe our technology has improved but our ability to build lasting structures may not have.

Leaving Guedelon we return to the 21^st century. Well not quite as we have a 20^th century escargot de wheels.

We need to think about being in Osnabrueck by Friday, 750 km away, so we head for Luxembourg. However, it is a bit far for today so we lower our sites to a camp  near Nancy. Nevertheless, it is 4 hours drive away, which with stops will take 6.

We pass through more rolling plains and picturesque forests and villages and eventually reach our site by 8pm. The gate is closed so we toot, as instructed on a sign,  and fortunately a friendly Belgium man arrives at the gate. After searching for some French words, the man asks if we speak English and things are easier. Speaking with a fluent English speaker is  a pleasure following the stilted conversations we have had over the past weeks. Having French plates on the van is not an advantage as most people expect that we speak French! After a 6 hour trip, it is nice to be able to set up for the night.

Wednesday 29th August 2012

This morning we will visit Nancy on the advise of the Noel, the Belgium man. It is about 30 km away.

We arrive at Nancy about 10.30. It is a medium  city of  350,000 people and gets a very good write up in Lonely Planet. When we head for a city, we ask Thomasina to take us to the city centre. Sometimes city centres are somewhat unexpected. We may endup  in a small laneway with a dumpster at the end when she proclaims we have reached our destination. When this happens we do not take this as a disparaging comment on our instruction following skills; just some glitch in the software. Another glitch is that she says “leave the motorway”, sounding triumphant for some unknown reason,  generally when we take a motorway! Very odd.

There is a parking area about 2.5 km from the city centre and we consider parking there and cycling. But he who hesitates more than one microsecond in a motorhome is doomed to miss the parking spot. Our hesitation is up around the 5 second mark so we travel on.

As we head down increasingly congested roads, I get the feeling motothomes would be better elsewhere. That feeling is considerably enhanced when we go down a one way street, cross a ‘trams only’ crossroad end enter a street with roadworks which leads us to a tunnel…….down which we are not going to fit. The other side of the street which normally takes vehicles higher than 2.4 metres is blocked off with plastic barriers and the height warning device looks vicious…….heavy looking rods hanging down from a crossbeam. We stop. What to do? Reversing ½ km is not  good idea. We can’t go down the tunnel. Roadworks block our way forward. Is this where our journey ends?  A bit like the children’s story of the overenthusiastic steamshovel who digs herself into a building basement and became entombed in the building which is built over her. Will our escargot de wheels become an objet d’art on the pavement?

A helpful worker, seeing our predicament, moves one of the barriers and we drive to the other side of the barrier. As we pass under the height warning device, it sounds like a wind chime made of lamp posts as each one clunks its way across our roof. Stopping out of the way of cars, I climb out to peruse our options. Ro thoughtfully turns on the hazard lights, just in case any of  the dozens of cars and hundreds of pedestrians have not noticed the chaos we have created. Ro retreats to the back of the van to avoid embarrassment, feigning helpful inclusion in the problems solution  by peering unobtrusively out the back window.

There is a delivery truck also with his hazard lights flashing. The driver is near his truck. By way of explanation, I mumble something about my GPS having brought me here. Although he does not speak English, he indicates that he is in the same predicament! Not a delivery truck after all…..just another victim of the roadworks.

We are now comrades in finding a solution. Walking back to the crossroad 50 metre behind, we decide we can use the tramway to reach the next vehicular crossroad. He moves a plastic barrier and starts reversing with flashers on when there is a convenient break in the traffic. Reaching the tramway, he moves out of the way of through traffic and waits for a tram free break. We likewise reverse through the barrier opening with Ro watching through the back window for cars, pedestrians and trams. What excitement! What fun! What a nuisance!

Now we both wait for our moment; which is a reasonable length moment as trams are not particularly frequent.  Fortunately the  tram route is paved similarly to the roadway so in a moment we are at the traffic lights of the next intersection. After a long moment as we wonder whether only trams cause the lights to change, they turn to green and we exit trying to look like a tram. The looks on the pedestrian faces suggests we failed.

But as a consolation prize we are  going in the correct direction it turns out as we stumble upon a parking area only a short distance from Stanislas square which we wanted to see. The square is light and clean, beautifully paved and wonderfully restored. There are gilded gates at each corner and the area is not teeming with tourists.

Another item on the agenda is the Musee des Beaux Arts, the museum of fine art. Its entry is off the square. The babe is charged 6 euro but the old geeza gets an OG special price of 4 euro. The babe doesn’t get the special price for a  year or two yet.

The building and especially the spiral (really a helical) staircase justify the 10 euro in themselves. They have been restored and look magnificent, with two superb chandeliers hanging at different levels. They have taken a slight liberty in painting the wall to one metre above  the steps a fake marble, but it is done so well that the effect is stunning.  

We start on the top floor as suggested by the very helpful and friendly guy at the ticket desk. Funny. I would have sworn he was French. The paintings work from 12^th century on the third floor to contemporary art on the ground floor and glassware in the basement. Ro is particularly interested in the glassware but we will look at the other artwork first.

The 12^th century paintings are the usual dark religious paintings where everyone looks grief stricken. Understandable given the circumstances of the foundation of their church but other than the odd serene face, there is not much joy, the intended result of ones religious beliefs,  evident. We pass through this floor and the next admiring the skill of the painters but not gaining a lot of soul uplifting.

The ground floor is a jolt into the 21^st century.. There is modern sculpture, modern art and avant guard architecture. Such things make one think a great deal. Admittedly, the paintings upstairs also make me think about the nature of mans desire to understand his creator.

Continuing down to the basement, there is a surprise in store. At some time in the fairly recent past, the foundations of a (Roman?) building were discovered and are displayed here, in situ. Having visited Guedelon and learned about tradesmens’ marks it is fascinating to see the marks on the stones, presumably facing outward as these are foundations. The mark of a particular tradesman can be seen on many stones and it seems to personalise what is otherwise an inanimate object.

While I marvel at the stonework, Ro marvels at the glassware. Before leaving we watch a film about the famous glassmaker and designer Daum and his glass creations presented by a mellow and soothing voice, unfortunately  in French.

Time to hit the road. We want to get to Luxembourg    tonight and Borken tomorrow night. Driving by the usual non motorway roads will take us 3 ½ hours. However, just as we leave, Ro sees a building she would like to photograph. She returns 15 minutes later, having discovered the ‘old town’ of Nancy which is middle ages. There is also a ‘new town’ which is 16^th century which we did not see. We had better return to Nancy to look further. Lonely Planet was right. Nancy is a gem.

We travel through France to the border seeing what we have come to expect from France. Picturesque villages and countryside. Entering Luxembourg we rapidly see a change to the villages: seemingly more modern and ordered. The countryside is green rolling hills and forests.

Eventually we reach where our camp site should be. But it isn’t and despite searching for 20 minutes, we cannot locate it. Instead we find a nice secluded forest path and that becomes our camp for the night. 

Thursday 30th August 2012

Today we want to get to Borken where we stayed in early August. We will stay there for two nights then travel to the wedding 70km away.

We will travel through Luxembourg, a bit of Belgium then into Germany so we have breakfast at our camp site then later will have morning tea in Belguim and lunch in Germany. Perhaps no different  from being near the corners of South Australia, Victoria and NSW and having a meal in each but the differences between countries is much greater than the differences between Australian states.

We drive through Luxembourg  (country of not city of, although the city was only 40 km away and maybe we should have visited) then enter Belgium. This Belgium seems like a different Belgium from the one we visited earlier in the month. Houses are neater, more colourful and  more picturesque, as is the countryside.

At some point we quietly slip into Germany, only noticing we are here by the increase in German numberplates.

When Scot stayed for a year in Germany, he stayed at a town called Kerpen. Ro recalls that it is near our intended path to Birken so we deviate slightly to look at the place he spent his year. On arrival, we call Scot by Skype and surprise his by saying where we are. We also get the address of his host parents,  Melanie and Peter, thinking we could call in for a few minutes to introduce ourselves. We had spoken to them by telephone when he was here, but that was 16 years ago.

Driving to their house we wonder if anyone will be home. We are able to park the van at the end of the street which is fortunate as the streets are very narrow and winding. After ringing the doorbell, a male answers the door. “Peter?” we ask. His expression is rather surprised until we say we are Rosemary and Derek, Scot’s parents. His face breaks into a wide grin and he warmly invites us in and calls Melanie, who is upstairs. We apologise for arriving unannounced but Peter says it is no problem for them.

Melanie appears and gives us a big hug. She says she has followed Scot’s progress on Facebook  including his recent travels in Germany. She would have liked to catch up with him and hopes maybe next time. Fortunately both Peter and Melanie speak very good English and we  spend an enjoyable hour and a half with them. We thank them for their hospitality to us today and to Scot 16 years ago……perhaps a bit belatedly but I would hope we did so then too. We part by inviting them to stay with us in Melbourne some time, which Melanie says she would love to do but which she cannot forsee in the near future. However life has funny twists and turns so who knows what the future holds.

We continue another two hours and arrive at our camp site. One of the luxuries of this site is temperature adjustable untimed showers with no buttons to press. Given the last 10 weeks of showers with some or all of those devices, this is luxury indeed. And we know where the camp site is so that has to be an advantage.

Another positive is a huge pool for Ro to swim in all by herself. The reason she has it to herself is that it is bloody freezing, with a water temperature of 21 degrees! Mind you we did swim in one pool at 20 degrees and that was cold!

Friday 31st August 2012

Today is our first cold, wet and miserable day. Ro suggests it may be good practice for next year in England

We can’t complain as it is the first bit of continuous rain we have had this trip. We spend a bit of time at our camp site reading and playing Black Lady with two people. The game is a bit self evident with only two people. If I don’t have a card, Ro does so the early part of the game has no surprises. After one game, we decide perhaps it is not the game for two people.

Late morning we go into the town of Borken. I am suffering withdrawal from OBI hardware stores. The normal symptoms :bad dreams, palpitations when I see and orange on beige sign, dryness of mouth when I think we may be near one. Thus it is with considerable pleasure that I see OBI listed in TomTom as a shop under Points of Interest. What I want is an outside light to replace the one removed by a friendly tree in Middelburg. However the English speaking assistant shows me a halogen lamp holder which is not quite what I wanted. Nothing else available. A slake my hardware thirst by buying some octopus straps for the bike cover. One more thought though: we still have the dead auto house battery to dispose of. I mention this and am shown new batteries. Once again not what I wanted. Ho Hum.

Returning to the van, we drive back to our camp site and await the end of the rain until later in the day when we decide it is cold enough to light our heater. Soon the van is warm but somewhat smelly due to burning dust. Outside, steam is issuing from the temporary aluminium can on the heater chimney, to the amusement or maybe consternation of passers  by.  

Once nicely warmed we turn off the heater and settle in for the night. Ro prepares a dinner of vegetables and something called ‘white sausages’ , the true identity of which we don’t know; but they are very tasty especially when covered with a sauce concoction of apple, red wine, tomato paste and curry of Ro’s design.

Saturday 1stSeptember 2012: Kathrin and Felix’s wedding.

Today the sun is shining and the sky is clear. And we have to leave. Why couldn’t yesterday have been like this? But the good news is it is perfect for the wedding.

We don’t have to leave until 12.30 so we soak up the sun in the  morning. Ro has a swim in the pool which has cooled off since last time to 19 degrees. I pass. Last swim before Melbourne. The sun is good because I managed to contract a cold a day or two ago, which is nearly gone, and the sunshine will boost vitamin D which will help my immune system. 

Before leaving, Ro has started doing her nails and I wash my hair to prevent the ‘lil Abner look I get from sleeping on wet hair as I did last night. We leave on time, filling with water and emptying the waste tanks as we have to be self sufficient for the next three nights.

The drive to Kloster  Bentlage, where the wedding and reception will take place, is about 1 hour 10 min. However we have to do a few things along the way and arrive at 3pm for a 4 pm ceremony.

We have 15 minutes to get ready. We had not expected to be able to attend the wedding due to time constraints so had not brought appropriate clothing. Ro has bought a scarf and some earings to augment a dress and top she has which will be appropriate. I have a shirt and dressy looking jeans and we have procured a coat which goes well with the shirt and pants. However we did not find an appropriate tie. Without wishing to spend our time looking for ties, Ro suggests a  Chanel silk scarf which she can fold like a tie and that is what we do. Daarling! It looks Oh So Paris.

After changing into our finery, the walk from the car park to the Kloster, a monastery built in medieval times, is quite long. Although I suggest we ride bikes, Ro is inclined to think arriving at a wedding on a bike is not the correct image. As it turns out, arriving on a bike would have been more dignified that arriving barefoot and limping as turned out to be the case.  Ro being of the female persuasion, had shoes which were supposed to look good rather than protect her feet. Males, well this male,  labour under the apparently mistaken belief that shoes are for protection rather than adornment. To be fair, Ro had considered this and had brought walking shoes….. which  were also adornments rather than protection devices.  Afterall, who would have seen the hiking boots during the  1 km walk to the kloster anyway?

We arrived with time to spare: 30 seconds to be precise. Kathrin and Felix shoo us in and  follow a respectable distance behind.

The ceremony, to our surprise, was in German so we missed a bit. It was the bit after “Willkommen”. There was some humour in the ceremony, which we missed, and some solemnity, which we missed, and some kissing and tears from the bride, which we got. Also there was some singing which was in English. We got that.

After the ceremony we walk, or hobble in Ro’s case, to the reception which is in a wing of the Kloster.  We learn some German traditions for Hochzeit, which literally translates as High Time (no reflection on the fact they have lived together for four years).  The ceremony sounds similar to those we know . A poem about Love is….without…. and assorted bits and pieces. After the ceremony, heart shaped balloons are released into the air and a group photo of all those present is take. Later we learn that periodically during the reception, rabble rousers  hit their glasses with a spoon and when enough are making a racket the bride and groom must stand up and kiss. This happens at an orderly intervasl at the beginning, becomes somewhat disorderly as the evening progresses, maybe due to libations consumed, then tapers off as this effect continues and people are insufficiently coordinated to tap in unison.

We have drinks on the grass and chat with other guests and the happy couple. Felix has assured us that 80 percent of those present would be fairly fluent in English and that proves to be the case. I feel a bit guilty that they are forced into our language as we don’t speak theirs sufficiently well. Was I to speak in German, they would rapidly realise  that the effort on their part to speak English is significantly less that the effort required to understand my German.

We chat with one of Felix’s supervisors about mosquito kidneys and other such matters as normally arise at such gatherings and with others about their trips to Australia, which, as is often the case, display how little we, as residents,  have seen of Australia.

At 7pm we go into the tables for the meal. The tables look beautiful. A particularly memorable touch is that Felix, who has quite a green thumb (although he washed it off for the wedding)  has propagated a small plant for each guest. Each is placed in a shot glass with a ribbon and name tag. We have been placed next to Hanna, Felix’s aunt, who has spent some time in Australia on a few occasions. Her plant looks quite like a marijuana plant. Felix explains that he had to raise the money for the reception somehow, but he may have been joking.

Another different aspect to the night is when we are given numbered parts of a photo which we have to reproduce with coloured pencils on a sheet  on an artist’s easel. By the end of the night, there is a reproduction by the guests of the original photo. A bit of fun but not of hugely artistic merit.  One of the guests, who is a professional artist, adds a dab here and a smudge there to improve the overall look. However he has an uphill battle and the resultant portrait bears little resemblance to the happy couple ….. thankfully. In Germany a couple must obtain a license to marry. Had they looked like the portraits, the license may not have been granted.

The evening is hugely enjoyable and we are so glad we made the effort to come. By 1.30 the reception is still powering along but we are aware that we have 1100 km to cover in the next 2 days so we better get to bed. As Ro cannot afford to be lame in Paris, I suggest I go and get a bike and bring it back. After walking back to the van, I decide I can drive to the Kloster.

The 750 metre one lane road/footpath to the Kloster is well lit but has few places  to allow two vehicles to pass. Hopefully, at 2am there will not be as much traffic as earlier.  Fortunately that proves to be the case. Except for the caterer’s van which exits as I am entering. He pulls over, perhaps imagining that the van can, at my instruction, collapse into a playing card thickness. As luck would have it, I have just passed a driveway and I can reverse a few meters into it and we can pass. Driving down to the Kloster, I return to Ro, spend half an hour saying goodbys then drive back along the path, fortunately meeting no more vehicles.

We return to our original park next to the zoo and there we spend what remains of the night.

Sunday 2nd September 2012

We have 1075 km to Charroux and two days to get there. Piece of cake in Oz but not so easy here. After breakfast we are on the road by 9.30.

The fuel price in Luxemburg was 1.32 euro per litre compared with 1.55 in Germany. Our route looks like it passes through Luxemburg so maybe we can refuel there and save a bit. Sounds like a plan. One problem is knowing which country we are in. Border markings are often a bit light on and we rely heavily on the number of numberplates which bear the country’s letter. However the more significant problem is we will not make it without more fuel and it looks like we don’t pass through Luxemburg anyway. So much for the plan.

Instead we exit the motorway to get fuel while still in Germany. We toss up whether we will turn to the village to the right or left at the intersection. We choose right.

Driving a few km into the town we ask directions of some people going to a fete. There is no fuel in this town. Next town has fuel.  However, this being Sunday, the servo in the next town 6 km away is closed. Fuel is getting a bit low now. We ask another local and he directs us to a town 14 km away which has 4 stations, one of which at least will be open.

We travel back to the town, passing the intersection where we should have turned left, and buy fuel before continuing on our merry way.

It is a long day of driving on motorways. Finally, by 9pm we have covered about 600 km and we stop for the night in a forest after fortuitously finding a track off the main road. It is one of the quietest nights we have had.