Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and France

We left Bastogne in Belgium and aimed the Mac shack towards Luxembourg. We were not going to stop in Luxembourg though as we had found a place to stop in Germany next to a lake at bierdorf am see, which looked really nice, and it was free. There were no services so we would only be able to stay for one night as we would need to fill with fresh water and dump our waste on Friday at the latest.

We drove up and down very steep hills (14%) and through some beautiful forests to get to the park up and stopped for a lunch break at a lay-by half way down one of the hills near Preischeid.

///feasts.streaky.numbing

We needed to stock up so we looked for a Lidl once we crossed the border into Germany.

Eventually we pulled into the car park at biersdorf am See, ///bathrooms.montage.betrayal and shut down our mobile bungalow.

A wander is in order and although Andy was suffering huge amounts of discomfort due to the mozzy bite on his toe he donned his limping boots and we walked along the side of the lake for an hour.

Back to the van for din dins and bed promising ourselves a bike ride in the morning.

18th Oct

Once the quarry lorries packed it in for the evening it was quite a quiet night and we slept well. The lorries started moving their loads again in the morning but it fine as it was 'up time' anyway!

We got on the bikes to explore further afield and road all around the lake and up to the church.

We got back to the van and stowed the bikes and set off for our next stop, Kobern-Gondorf, near Koblenz, the oldest city in Germany. (Apparently!).

We pulled into the town and squeezed under the road through a tunnel which led to the park up next to the Moselle river and on the other side the road and railway line.

///invited.affably.crumble

We stopped at the service area and dumped our waste etc.  The clean water was €1 for 100 litres. Then we choose a spot for the night and got the chairs out to relax in the last of the sun for the evening 

The railway was noisy when the large freight trains went through but the passenger trains were surprisingly quiet!

19th Oct

Andy slept well (he always does) but Sue found the noise difficult to sleep through.

We got on the bikes and cycled the short distance to the Niederburgh castle ruins. We locked them to a post and started the climb up the scarey slope to the castle. The views from the top were amazing.

We finished our bike ride with a scout around the streets and then along the Moselle before returning to the van to relax.  We decided to rough it for another night as it was only €5 and we settled down for another noisy night.

20th Oct

Moving on today and after visiting the service area again we set off south after deciding that Koblenz and Winningen were too built up and busy for us to visit. We had spent hours searching for a suitable park up near to Winningen but there were none in the area. 😒

After two strikes when the park ups that we had choosen turned out to be shut or non existant we eventually found one at Ockenhiem ///topple.minimum.spun.

This is a beautiful spot in the vineyards on the Rhine. 

We stopped at the office and paid €9 for the night. There were the usual services which were extra but still cheap. 

We treated ourselves to a bottle of red and one of white which came from the vines in the village. €5.50 per bottle and once we had parked we sat outside in the evening sun and enjoyed our wine.

21st Oct

What a great nights sleep! It was so quiet! (Except for the church bells!).

Up and at 'em this morning and we got on the bikes and cycled down through the vineyards to the Rhine. It is massive and where we are it has a few islands in the middle too.

We cycled along the tow path for a while before turning around and cycling the other way as far as the Hindenburgh bridge, or what's left of it as it was bombed by the allies in the 2nd world war and never rebuilt.

Back to the van, bikes stowed safely and off for a walk. We paid €9 for another night as it is so beautiful here and peaceful at night.

We took a leisurely stroll past the church and through the village, (which was shut!) and back through the vineyards, fighting the millions of black flying ants on the way back to the van.

Exercise completed we sat and relaxed in the fresh air until dinner time. A good day!

22nd Oct

A little bit of rain through the night but it was a nice by the time we got out of bed.

We had ordered bread rolls and croisants from the local baker last night and he delivered them this morning so breakfast was sorted.

It was shower day for both of us so off Andy went first as the guinea pig. The shower was €1 for 5 minutes and he used €2 but the shower was hot and plentiful.

Back to the van to report to Sue and off she went for hers. (€3 girl shower!)

We were sparkly clean now and it was time to service the van, well, empty the waste at least as we didn't need clean water until we got to our park up tonight.

That done we got going and hit the road. It would be a long drive as we were heading for the black forest, Baden baden and Buhl.

We drove over the service area and did our business and then parked in a nice spot on the end in the sun.

///olive.overheat.fusions

We needed a stock up so we walked to Aldi which was 10 minutes away! Four beers and a bottle of gin later we got back to the van and had a tasting (tasty) evening.

(The beer was €0.99c per can and the gin was €5.99 for a 70cl bottle at 35%)

We had a boy racer in the evening dashing around the area wearing his tyres out but he was nowhere near our park up and he had to be indoors by 11:30 to get his stuff ready for school the next morning so it was quiet by midnight. 🤣🚗🚓

23rd Oct

It's bikes out time today as we want to have a look at the black forest! (Not all of it obviously as it's about 200km x 60km) so we jumped on and headed upwards, and even more upwards, blimey those hills were steep!

Eventually we parked the bikes and took to walking. We got to the top of the 2nd or 3rd hill and our legs were burning but, wow what a view. 

We will let the following videos tell the story.

We finished the afternoon off with Irish and Amaretto coffees at a nice resturaunt where we sat outside in the sun.

After a quick exploration of the town we headed back to the van to sit outside with a beer/gin.

24th Oct

We had no boy racers during the night and awoke refreshed and ready to continue our journey.

We left the park up and continued south along the border of France and Germany using some motorways and faster roads.

We followed the Rhine south and eventually crossed the river and pulled into the camping car park 'ille du Rhine' which was indeed and island on the Rhine! ///welding.reaches.pollens

We were still in Germany but a few metres from France which was just on the other side of the Rhine.

After filling up with water we parked and connected the EHU after testing for reversed polarity and had some lunch in the beautiful sunshine. It was 25 degrees!

We got bored very soon just sitting around and decided to have a walk into the town of Breisach. We discovered a car park full of motorhomes, some of them were illegally parked in the spaces for cars as there were only around ten official spaces for motorhomes. The price for 24 hours was €14.

We found a bar and sat with a couple of large beers as the rain started and counted our blessings as we had sat under a huge parasol which kept us dry.

Back at the van we checked the bus time tables for tomorrow into Colmar, France as we wanted to explore 'Petite Venise' and it was too far for the bikes.

25th Oct

Our bus was due at midday from the bus stop opposite the camp site. Typically, we got to the stop with about 20 minutes early and waited in the blazing sun for the bus to arrive.

We paid €4 each one way to Colmar and got there in about 40 minutes, getting off one stop early at least and walked the 15 minutes to 'Petite Venise' which was as beautiful as you would imagine with a name like that.

We wandered around, marvelling at the architecture and the canals which were busy with punts and expensive restaurants/cafes.

Eventually we stopped at a restaurant called 'Version originale 68' and had Cannelloni and flat bread (Pizza) with a beer and wine €46.

Then we walked back into town via an indoor market and found a bar where we had a beer and wine and got talking to a Dutch couple on the next table.

Back on the bus back to the van and shorts on for a half hour in the sun. We were shattered but both agreed that it had been another brilliant day!

26th Oct

We are heading into France today and saying auf Wiedersehen to Germany for this trip. We were aiming to visit some friends who have an aire which they call 'Eden' just south of Limoges and west of Clermond-Ferrant and had agreed to accept some post for us which had been sent from the UK, (Andy's meds.)

We drove over to the service area and emptied the tanks and set off across the border and into Germany. We had found a free aire for motorhomes at a village called Ferrette in France and passed through some lovely villages and forests on the way, eventually pulling into the aire and choosing our spot. ///welding.reaches.pollens

Once the van was secure we got on the bikes and headed for the super market, getting lost for a short time and heading in the opposite direction to the shop but correcting ourselves without too much stress.

Shopping done and back to the van for dinner and rest.

27th Oct

As the cloud cleared and the sun came out it got hot again and we set off on foot for Le Chateau Ferrette, a ruin which was over 1000 years old and had seen some battles in it's time!

What a climb though, up steep, rugged paths through the forest and out into the medieval streets and beautiful homes some hundreds of years old.

Once we got to the top and into the grounds of the Chateau we were rewarded with some spectacular views over the valley and into the distace where the hills to the west of Colmar and to the south, Switzerland!

Back down the hill to the van and a well deserved rest, tomorrow we move on further south!

28th Oct

Wow, what a beautiful morning! Brilliant sunshine and so warm! Time to get the drone up I think.

Off we go then, the aim is to drive across the western edge of Switzerland and back into France to a free park up at the Chateau de Joux, ///entry.swiftest.twiddle

So, after visiting the service area we set off south west.

The journey was interesting and we crossed the border into Switzerland and passed under some security cameras, which we haven't noticed at the other borders.

We also noticed that there were quite a few tunnels which we drove through!

Eventually, we arrived at the Aire de Joux, a free park up next to the Chateau de Joux.

We had a walk up to the Chateau to have a look and to enjoy the views as the sun set.

29th Oct

The stars last night were amazing! There was absolutely no light pollution and millions of stars were clearly visible with the naked eye. 

We got up and walked up to the Chateau, bought two tickets for the guided tour, which was is French, and spent a good hour and a half exploring the fantastic Chateau. Although the tour guide was speaking French and we obviously couldn't understand much that was being said, we had our translator on the phone and we were able to use that but there is more information here if you would like to know more.

Whilst on the road to Mezeriat the sun dissappeared for a while but by lunchtime the fog evaporated and we stopped in a lay-by for a tuna roll and coffee, all home made, before continuing to the Aire as the sun was setting.

Scanning the membership card opens the barrier and logs your entry time and then you pay when you leave, using the same pre-loaded card.

We parked the van and settled down. This wasn't a site seeing area, just a rest stop for the night so not much to write about except that for the fee, €12.60 per 24 hours your get water, waste and 6amp EHU! and there is a railway track along side the Aire which goes into Switzerland!

Once the evening turned into night the road and the railway quietened right down and we both slept really well.

30th Oct

We are going to push on today and get some kilometres under our belts. We were on our way to the Aire de Eden, 'Terrasson la villedieu' where we had made friends with Marie and Bruno and some other campers in April this year as they are having a Halloween party on Saturday 2nd November and we are invited! 😊🎃🦇👻

But first we had a couple more stops on the way so we emptied and filled as necessary and set off to find the motorway so that we could get to our next stop before dark.

The journey was easy and as Andy's pension had been paid in he treated us to a McDonalds for lunch.

Back on the road and we were soon pulling into the Aire at Loisirs du Barrage, right next to a lake and mini golf!

///scarcer.edge.curiosity

What a lovely spot! Lac de Villerest was shimmering in the setting sun as we parked and got the chairs out. We sat for an hour with coffees just taking it all in and then Andy went to the mini golf kiosk to pay the €6.50 for the night but the chap said that there was no charge! Fantastique!

There were a few other vans with us at this park up but all was quiet and we had another peaceful nights sleep.

31st Oct

We awoke to a chilly but sunny morning and got ready to travel further west towards the Clermont-Ferrand area. This will take us nearer to the Aire de Eden, Terrasson-Lavilledieu where we will attend a Halloween party, mentioned above.

Firstly, Andy put the drone up for a quick look around.

The Satnag warned us that there were going to be some steep hills and windy roads and she didn't lie. Our ears were popping as we climbed to the top of the hill and then back down again whilst, at the same time, guiding the Mac shack around 180 degree hairpin bends for the best part of 90 minutes until we gave in and pulled into a lay-by for a rest and a bit of lunch, (noodles).

We pulled into the service station and parked next to the Revolution machines and got started on the washing, (well Sue did).

Sue then went across the road to Lidl whilst Andy looked after the washing and the van. He actually folded the dried clothing and got marked 7/10 for effort even though Sue ended up with one and a half socks out of the 3 pairs that she swears she put in the wash!

Wash done we went to the intermarche to get some more non Lidl provisions and headed off to Aire d'Orcines, our park up for tonight but, when we tried to switch the Garmin Satnag on it stayed dark and after multiple attempts to bring it to life failed we resorted to the google maps version on Andy's phone, which was not set for a 4 ton 8 metre vehicle and it took us through the centre of Clermont-Ferrand via some very steep and winding roads and lots of nail biting hill starts!

By the time we got to the Aire it was dark and we both sighed a huge sigh of relief that we had made it.

We parked it and settled down for an alcoholic evening, (any excuse!

Tomorrow will be a new month, November, so we will start November on a new page, see you there!