France and beyond - just love it

Thursday
After leaving the sights of Lake Bodensee we seemed to climb and climb forever driving over the mountains through the Black Forest. I can see where it gets it name from and can imagine in past centuries it would have been even more dense than it is today in most parts. Mt Hornisgrinde was the highest parts around. We stopped at a beautiful lake that had loads of tourists because I think it is promoted as a mineral lake and supposedly very good for all the aches and pains. Very pretty but I’m not sure of the medicinal goodness. Then it was onto Baden Baden where we stayed again at another Free camp (these spots seem to be all over the place and even advertised in booklets…..that’s how we found it……put the address in the Tom-Tom (the invaluable little bit of technology…..thank you Tom-Tom) It turned out to be just a spot in what appears to us to be a back lane next to a sporting centre….(soccer, tennis etc)

#35 Looking across valley in Black Forest

#32 Black Forest

#31 Lake Bodensee

#33 Black Forest & Fort

Anyway there were quite a number of motorhomes there when we arrived so thought this is OK with us. So found our spot and settled in for a few beers and wines. Our neighbours here were very friendly, 1 couple only spoke German but were happy to converse in sign language and a few English words here and there. The neighbours on the other side (also German) were very quick to chat (they had rather good English – so all well there) They were so excited to hear we were from Australia as their daughter has lived a number of times and for quite some time in Aust and they have visited a number of times as well. This couple were most hospitable and invited us into their motorhome (we’d had a big storm) and we chatted and drank till about 1.30am. Most interesting people!!! On the stoke of midnight the wife announced it was then her husband’s birthday (20th May) so of course another wine for celebration was required.

Friday
Up and off gain we passed over the Rhine River which is probably bigger and wider than I’d imagined. (Lots of engineering works going on at this crossing.) and it was ‘Bonjour la France’.

#37 Rhine River crossing

Strasbourg was on our schedule but decided it being a large city and according to Lonely Planet really only offered more churches and official buildings so we decided to give it a miss and head off onto a bit of a back water Rob had earmarked in the ‘Back Roads of France’ (thank you Linda) to a place called Dabo. Through out France there are many canal systems where people hire boats and take off. We had been told to keep an eye out for a particular lock system that was most unusual and we came across it on our off main road trek. In normal canal systems the boats go in head first and the water either fills up of lowers and out they come the other side but this one actually works on a side way system. The boats go in head first and then the lock closes off and the whole section of lock actually gets lifted sideways up the side of the hill to deposit the boats in the canal about 100m higher. As I said quite intriguing.

#38 Horizontal Loch livt

Dabo, a small little village offered for its ‘place of interest’ a chapel constructed on the highest hill around that actually had a massive rock outcrop on top with the chapel on top of this. This chapel could be seen for miles around and on reaching (nearly the top) you therefore could understand as we could now see so far.

#39 Chapel Dabo

We were intending to head to Nancy but as it was getting on in the afternoon we spotted another camp place at a Marina which catered for the boats plying the river and also for camper vans. We parked nose in about 5 metres from the canal. It was quite pleasant sitting out with our afternoon happy hour watching the boats cruise by or tying up at the marina.

# 40 Dinner beside the canal

Saturday
We headed off this morning and stopped at Nancy. Another larger town/city and parking difficult to find again but we persisted and ended up striking one quite near to the city centre in the thick of the tourist sites. The old city centre of Nancy was quite impressive. It was a very influential city in the past but has been in and out of French ownership many times over the centuries. The town square – Place Stanislas is renown throughout Europe and did not disappoint. Cobblestones..regal buildings, opulent gold wrought iron gateways and of course the obligatory statue in the centre of the man himself the Duke of Lorraine the former Polish King Stanislas. Then it was a stroll through the Botanical Gardens attached. A nice place to stop for some lunch.

#43 Ornate gates to Stanislave Square

#42 City gates into Nancy Square

39a Ornate Wrought Iron work Nancy

#44 Gardens adjacent to Sq Stanlislas

After heading off again we decided to deviate our trip……….Metz was next on the list but again we decided to give it a miss and head to a place called Verdun. This was quite a huge site for battle during the 1st world war. In the 300 day battle that raged around here over 700,000 soldiers (French, German and US) lost there lives. We went into a US war cemetery with headstone after headstone and most of the soldiers died during Sept 1918. The war finished on 11th Nov, 1918. So sad to think so near the end. But I said if you had to be put to rest this was a lovely well cared for immaculate memorial cemetery to be placed in.

#47 US Cemetery

#46 Bald Eagle Us Cemetery

#45 Precision positioning all lines meet up

Tonight we have found another lovely camping ground, with a very well presented playground for kids and swimming pools with waterslides. The grandchildren would love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We’ve decided we might stay 2 nights here, there is a lot to explore and it will give us a chance to chill out from driving every day.

Sunday

Verdun: First off it was into the Citadelle Souterraine a series of impregnable tunnels used as a command post during the WW1 where 10,000 soldiers lived waiting to be despatched to the front. Now part of it has been converted into an imaginative audiovisual re-enactment of the war. Very impressed which gave us an insight to what the men had to endure at the front which was quite unbelievable.

Then we travelled out about 6klms north of the town into the hills where the actual battle took place. There were 2 major forts positioned at the top of hills. They had been dug into the hill but you would hardly even know they were there but once inside they were enormous Two storey with long tunnels, sleeping quarters, kitchens and of course a chapel. These forts changed from French hands to German and then back to French. The surrounding landscape is still littered with craters from where the shells fell during fighting. Oh so much to see and tell from this place!!!!!!!!!!

#51 Entrance to Fort on ridge

#52 Rear of Fort on ridge

#53 Sleeping quarters in Fort tunnels

#54 Steps in tunnels to lower level

#48 - Tunnels - Verdun

#50 Soldiers of the time

#49 re-enactment of trench warefare

Monday

On leaving Verdun we decided we wanted to follow the Champagne trail (again a route out of the ‘Back road of France’ so we headed across country to Epernay south of Reims and to the home of Moet & Chandon and the Champagne house capital. We did a cellar tour of Moet & Chandon, quite incredible, 28 klms of underground cellars where they ‘elaborate’ the grape into wine. Of 34,000 hectares of vineyards M & C have 1,000 which is the biggest but they take grape from other growers too. (Only certain varieties tho) Of course couldn’t help myself had to buy some champers from the original source. (And much cheaper than we pay at home…..bonus!!!!!)

#62 no explanation necessary

#61 Racks for fiddling M&C

#60 Cellars - Moet & Chandon

#63 Grape crop

Last night we found another nice camping ground and again met a lovely German couple (Zigmond & Ilsa) who helped us pass the evening away with a few little sherbets.

Tuesday (today)

We have left Epernay and visited a couple more towns on the Champagne trail before heading onto Reims and the Cathedral Notre Dam in the city centre….just magnificent…..from the outside it looked as big as the Notre Dame of Paris.

#64 Cathedral - Reims

#65 inside Reims Cathedral

#65 Stained glass

I am now typing this as we travel on the motorway from Reims past Lille to Brugge in Belgium. The traffic has been pretty heavy particularly around Lille, so we’re not sure what will greet us as we head into Brugge. The geriatric came out in us today, as we stopped at the toll booth to pay the toll ……bloody hell……….. do you think we could work out how to pay….we had a bloody semi-trailer right up our clacker, in the end the driver got out…..thankfully a nice guy and showed us how ..thank goodness.

#71 Hold up on motorway

Renee tells us we must have mussels, a blond beer and chocolate while in Brugge so I’m looking forward to that.

Not sure when we will have the chance to publish this to the travel blog site so will keep typing till we can. This will be our travel diary when we get home so hope it doesn’t bore everyone.

Brugge

On reaching Brugge about 5pm after a long drive (Simon – Tom-Tom) took right into the Centrum of Brugge through all these little back lanes and narrow cobblestone streets we managed a park so did a little exploring straight away and ended up in the Market Square, a beehive of activity. We decided after a long day we’d sit and have a beer and wine to wind down. We were given directions to a caravan park which turned out not to be too far and is quite nice.

#67 Cafes in the square Brugge

#66 Belrey in Sq in Brugge

#70 Canals in Brugge

#69 Along the canals in Brugge

#68 Strawberries on sale at market in Brugge sq

Wednesday

We were up and off this morning, caught the bus into the Centrum and meandered around before hopping on a canal boat tour around the old city with commentary in French and English, very relaxed and enjoyable.

We had the popular hot chocolate before lunch and after meandering around some more we decided it was time to eat. We found a quaint little al fresco restaurant in a small square and ordered the famous Mussels and fries as well as Flemish Beef Stew washed down with a beer and glass of wine. Dessert was a scrumptious warm waffle, strawberries, ice cream with hot chocolate poured over the top……..yum yum.

We also had to buy some chocolate……..there’s a shop about every 3rd shop as well as a lace handkerchief as Brugge is famous for its lace work.

Tomorrow we head back into France.

Where are we

After Brugge it was time to head back into France. Again it was back to the little book ‘Back Roads of France’ and again Rob had earmarked a route he would like to take. It involved heading to Calais then to Boulogne sur Mer another walled town which we just drove through. By this time the weather had turned foul……(we were travelling just inland from the English Channel) so we had wind ……… rain ……. breaks in the cloud and more wind. Our driving map No. 4 had us touring through Agincourt……synonymous with the Great Battle the occurred there in 1415 between the English and French. It was getting late too late to travel further so our overnight option here was to camp in the parking area of the tourist information centre/museum. We felt safe and comfortable here so no problem as we were self sufficient. So it was up and into the museum at 10.30 to explore and broaden our knowledge of the 1415 battle which the Brits won against overwhelming odds which was one of the defining moments in British history.

#73 Agincourt Museum

#74 Rob as a Medieval knight ready for battle

#74a Rob can see himself on this horse

Friday

After leaving Agincourt we headed to Arras an area significant during the WW1. We visited the Vimy Ridge Memorial dedicated to the Canadian troupes. Vimy ridge was an area where the Canadians prevailed and won a significant battle against all odds. The area has been preserved as close as possible to when the war finished in 1918. The have kept the trenches, tunnels and the landscape with the craters from shells to remind all of the perils of war. This they feel is a reminder of the men lost in this horrendous war. There is also a wonderful memorial that has been build to commemorate the 11,000 odd Canadians who perished without trace. Late this afternoon we did a tour of the trenches and the tunnels that used by the Canadians for the assault that led to the capture of Vimy Ridge. It took 6 months of planning and digging which led to the successful capture of Vimy Ridge. One thing that amazed us was, the trenches of the Germans and the Canadians were only 40metres apart in the forward outpost and this stayed the same for near on two years. To be there and see how close the trenches were was just astounding.

#79 Memorial built by the Canadians to honour their 11000 Missing in Action

#78b Trenches under Vimy Ridge

#78a Sentry post from outside

#78 Looking thru the window frtom the German sentry

#77 This crater is the distance between the Allies trenches and the German trenches

#76 Trenches at Vimy ridge as they were without the mud and slaughter-not a true indication

#75 Vimy Ridge craters

#55 craters from mortars

Till next time home you enjoy reading about our adventures.