Here we go again with another European camping trip. This time, we rented a vehicle larger than the previous one and hoped it would offer more comfort. Our Air Canada flight landed in Frankfurt. We were lucky to fly with AC because on that very day, Lufthansa pilots were striking. Indeed, at our arrival in Frankfurt, we found the terminal quieter than usual!
We booked an hotel downtown Frankfurt, close to the train station. The Premier Inn Frankfurt City Centre, located at Elbestrasse 7, was indeed very close to the train station and at a walking distance from Frankfurt historic quarter. We had never visited Frankfurt and shortly after checking in, we walked to this location. Frankfurt has been heavily destroyed in 1944 by British Airforce bombardments. The historic old town of Frankfurt, one of the largest and most beautiful in Germany, was razed to the ground. Around 1200 late medieval half-timbered houses fell victim to the firestorm, and 1001 people died.
And now Frankfurt is a modern city with a very small historic quarter that is worth seeing but does not take more than an afternoon to explore.
One day later, we drove with the tramway S13 to Road Surfer location bureau. We were the only clients that afternoon. Our session of photos and videos lasted one hour at least. We wanted to make sure that any kind of imperfection is noted so that no reclamation can ensue for an issue that we did not cause. The vehicle was Ford with a completely gray interior (matching Frankfurt's weather!). That same day, we drove to a Stellplatz (camping car parking location) in Laudenbach to fill our watertank and familiarise ourselves with the vehicle before continuing the trip.
Next day we drove mostly on the N4 through Alsace and Lorraine, crossing the Parc Régional de Lorraine before an overnight around Saint-Dizier. On our way south, we decided to visit Troyes and Auxerre. during our last visit to Burgundy, very rainy weather had stood in the way of visiting those 2 towns.
Troyes was really charming. Its stained glasses, dating from the medieval ages, are stunning.
And the town had the most beautifully preserved timber frame houses !
Next day was dedicated to another town in Burgundy that we missed the previous year: Auxerre. Auxerre lies on the river Yonne and the Canal du Nivernais. The Gothic Cathedral of St. Étienne (11th–16th centuries) offered a beautiful vista when walking towards town.
That evening, we decide to leave Burgundy and head straight to the Pyrénées. The mountain weather promised to be sunny and warm and so, next day, we travel about 450 kms on the A20 and reached a pretty village by the name of Queyssac in Dordogne. We took a walk, visited a small gallery and had a quiet night.
On April 19, after another drive of 300 kms, we finally reach this magic place in the Pyrénées called Plateau du Benou.
We loved our walks, each of them offering great vistas of the mountains!
And then we drive north again, towards Lourdes' camping that we very much like.
We order baguette for next morning...and relax with a glass of wine, enjoying chatting with other campers. A Belgian-German couple of our age was very chatty. Walter especially, en francais! So seldom that we actually chat with fellow campers...nowadays, people are in their Womo and stay by themselves. Lourdes is an exception. A miracle? 😉
Although we like the place very much, we don't have any new excursion in the area and we slowly start meandering north again. For the stats, we drove 1458 kms from Ladenberg, Germany to Urdos in 15 days.
And the next stretch from Lourdes to Sisteron will amount to 744 kms.
We leave Lourdes early in the morning after our baguette and café breakfast. We head towards Montgaillard on the D937, D935 and then on the D938 before reaching Rimont, where we spent a quiet night, alone. On our way there, we made a halt at the Chateau Mauvezin. This Castle has a fascinating history https://www.chateaudemauvezin.fr/en/castle-history/history-of-the-castle
and even more fascinating views over the Pyrénées and the surrounding countryside.
Rimont and the Abbaye of Combelongues
and our night spot!
We have beautiful weather and take the suspended bridge to admire the views! This bridge crossed the Arnette Gorges 70m above the void.
town of Narbonne along a the Canal de la Robine. There is no shade and it is very hot...
But the town has a nice flair. We visit the Halles de Narbonnes, its cathedral and enjoy walking on the main avenue to look at the street vendors antiques merchandise. We end up eating a pizza at a restaurant near the cathedral before resuming our hot walk home.
A few kms away, Narbonne Plage. We get a lovely aire with grassy spots on which we can put our chairs and enjoy the warm sea breeze. Heiner goes for a swim, life is good. A quiet Sunday.
Next day, we visit the Gorges d'Argentesse and stop for the night in Uzes where there will be a market next morning!
Next morning, we return to the market and buy some goat cheese from a lady whose sister lives in Québec: the world is small! We buy 3 goat cheeses and other goodies for our apéros: olives, truffle salt, asparagus !
After our visit to the market, we continue futher east and decide to stop in Gordes as it is highlighted in our guide. What a contrast to Uzès! Mass tourism !!!! Too too much. Nevertheless, we admire the view of the town as we walk towards its centre.
Our trip towards the Haute-Provence is enchanting with its trees bordering the roads!
We planned a stop in the stunning town of Sisteron with its huge Rocher de la Baume overlooking the Durance river.
.
Part III of trip
As we leave Sisteron On April 29th, we are beginning the third part of our trip that will end in France (Neuf_Brisach). A total distance of 611kms. And so many different landscapes and towns.
May 1 is coming up, a big holiday in Europe. As we drive towards Annecy, we find a lovely spot with a Napoleon related historical site: Laffrey. This site has quite a reputation: "Napoleon passed through the village on 7 March 1815, during his return from Elba at the beginning of the Hundred Days. At a site in Laffrey now known as the "field of the encounter" (prairie de la Rencontre), Napoleon and the handful of troops accompanying him were met by a battalion of soldiers of the royal 5th Regiment of the Line, who had come to arrest him. Leaving behind his men, Napoleon presented himself to the soldiers and declared, "If any of you will shoot his Emperor, here I am". The soldiers defected to his cause, crying Vive l'Empereur! ("Long live the Emperor!"). An equestrian statue of Napoleon by Emmanuel Frémiet, installed on the field in 1930, commemorates this event.(Wikipédia).
The air has become colder as we are nearing the Alps region. But Annecy has such a lovely mild air and thousands of visitors. It proves impossible to find a parking spot at this time of the day (Friday afternoon at 16h00 on May first!). It is also nearly impossible to cross the city! We decide to overnight somewhere else and come back early in the morning as we wish to visit the town.
It was worth coming back to Annecy early Saturday morning. We found a parking spot and were able to enjoy the town and the water! Heiner went swimming in the 16C waters of Lake Annecy.
Au revoir Annecy la pittoresque!
On May 3, we are facing the reality: our car has a brake issue. It has been sending us messages for a couple of days now, urging us to have the brakes fixed as they are reported to be used up!!!
The long ordeal of discussions and phone calls to Roadsurfer begins. Luckily, we are close to Germany. After having visited several repair shops, we realize that the week of May 1st is absolutely useless for having anything done in France. Everybody is on holiday. The country is paralyzed.
To make a long story short, we finally get the go ahead to have the brakes fixed in Germany as we are not very far away.
Before doing so, however, we make a visit to the Alsace town of Eguisheim (as suggested by our friends Nicole and Bernard). And it is really a gem of a town. We buy cheese, cow not goat this time. The cows have been feeding on serpolet or wild thyme, according to the farmer who sold them to us! It was very tasty!
Last stop in France...Neuf-Brisach. Another interesting story about this town and fortress that was erected as the (old) Brisach, on the other side of the Rhine, had been conquered. Very charming place..despite the rainy day.
The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of quintessential military fortifications and its testimony to the influence of Vauban on military architecture during the 17–19th centuries. In fact, the work began in 1698 and Vauban died in 1707 before its completion. Vauban's last work was completed by Louis de Cormontaigne. Neuf-Brisach was to be built as an ideal city as was popular at the time, with a regular square grid street pattern inside an octagonal fortification.
Back in Germany...Ihringen, Roadsurfer's headquarter. We were supposed to get a replacement vehicle - but despite previous promisses, there was no vehicle available Arrrhhh! We insisted that they inspect the brake pads to see if they have enough thickness to allow us driving on. They did and gave us an "all clear" for the last leg of our trip towards Frankfurt.
Back on the road ...
Our wish is to spend time in Freiburg and surrounding areas of the Blackforest, parts that we have not had time to visit in the recent years. Heiner has certain places in mind that he would like to revisit. He had been to the Blackforest in the late 1950s, a family trip, of which he has very fond memories.
The weather is coolish but sunny!
Again, we begin with a visit to our Freiburger friends. We had a great time with them. And Freiburg is always such a great place to visit!
We meet them for a drink at Augustiners and end up eating our evening meal there. Unfortunately, these big eateries do not offer great meal quality anymore... Next day is rainy unfortunately...but we have a great Kaffee und Kuchen at Sabine und Eric at their apartment on Schulstrasse! There, the food was excellent!
We left Freiburg with the goal to overnight in Guetenbach. Before getting there, however, we parked for a few hours in Sankt Peter, then Sankt Margen. And taking backroads into the deeper forest, we stopped at the Hexenmuehle for a beer and some delicious food.
Our destination for the next 2 days was Guetenbach. Heiner had lived there for a few years while doing his studies in Furtwangen, about 8km from there. And, of course, we had 2 big pieces of Schwarzwaelderkirchtorte!!!!
Schwarzwald could not have been prettier!
I
After such a fantastic day, we moved on to Gengenbach as it was supposed to be the "German equivalent" of Eguisheim! Indeed, it was very beautiful, yet very different than its Alsacian counterpart! Vive la différence!
Oppenau:
Heiner's parents brought their 3 children on a first "long distance" trip to Oppenau. Of course, the place has changed, but the nature has remained as pittoresque as it was. We had a nice parking aire in this small town, with walking distance to a bakery.
Another highlight was the hike to Allerheiligen waterfalls and its Kloster ruins. The falls have 7 cascades and are among the highest (83 meters) natural waterfalls in the Black Forest.
Our last night in the Blackforest region was in Kappelroddeck. What a sweet place it is! Located in the valley Achertal, between Offenburg and Baden-Baden. Unfortunately, we found the parking aire not very userfriendly for non-European (!!!) residents: you must pay your parking fee of 14 Euros in cash money (small change only!) or with a Blue debit card (for Europeans only). Luckily, a couple in the camper besides us helped us out and we were able to secure our spot. It was also very noisy with the kids playing soccer ...and the ball hitting the tall metal fence every minute!!! 😕😖 But we loved this wine growing area where the Blauer Spaetburgunder or Pinot Noir is king! And what about these magnificent rhododendrons growing everywhere! The place was really special! and we enjoyed our hike in its Weinfelder!
Next stop after Kappelrodeck is Gernsbach, Baden Wuertenberg. Die Stadt is located on the river Murg.
Next day, we drive to Ladenburg. Still in Baden Wuertenberg but this time at the Neckar river (located north of Heidelberg).
We enjoyed walking around this charming town but have to continue further north. We want to stay in a campsite to clean the vehicle and pack our stuff. The weather is gray and rainy... and we look forward to have a hot shower and spend our last evening in the camper. The campsite Mainkur is very pretty, we can see the Main river from our camper window! Unbelievable that we kayacked on this river 40 years ago!!!
Next morning, we have a very short distance to drive to Roadsurfer's office.
Our friend Uwe meets us at the rental office and after having delivered the vehicle, we drive with him to Mainz where we had reserved a hotel before heading to the airport and home. A chnage from living in a camper van for weeks. We are really enjoying our hotel room and the city of Mainz. This place is definitely much nicer than Frankfurt for our last 3 days stay.
And that's it!
Auf Wiedersehen!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment