Vlissingen

We were up at 4am in order to catch an earlier ferry and make good use of our pre-cycling day. We gained a couple of hours and headed for Vlissingen which had been recommended by Diane, Kim’s mum.

We hadn’t bargained on a 2.5 hour journey from Dunkirk, so were tired and hungry and stopped at the first cafe we saw. It served the University of Applied Sciences Campus and looked very spartan

We ordered a cheese sandwich and it was absolutely amazing. We ate too quickly to take photos but it was a foot long baguette, stuffed full of cheese, egg and salad. Thank goodness we’d decided to share.

Fortified, we headed into Vlissingen where, in true Dutch style, it cost a fortune to park the Beetle for a couple of hours. We walked through the town past the cheese and spice shops to watch the container ships as they passed along Flushing Roads.

Vlissingen Yacht Harbour

A walk along the front took us past the Tidal Clock on the Dutch Pilots Organisation. This clock cleverly indicates the flow of tides at Flushing roads, the channel used to access the port at Antwerp. There is an information board with a detailed description, in English, of how the clock works. Frowning, we read it several times and were none the wiser.

The drive to our hotel at Burgh Haamstede took us over delta works dams which we’ll be cycling across when we return here on Monday. Hmm, they are long and very blustery. The weather’s not looking great either!

Our hotel is nestled amongst the dunes, at the end of a gliding runway. It’s very dated but the room is huge and the car park full of SUV’s with equally large cycle racks

Cycling in Zeeland

The day has come for Kim has to deliver on her promise to join John on a cycling micro-adventure. A number of destinations were discounted as either too hilly or too far until the lovely, flat Netherlands were decided on.

The next four days will be spent touring the dunes and delta works of Zeeland.

Each day we will cycle 30-40 miles on the Bromptons with our luggage travelling comfortably, between hotels, in a taxi. There is something deeply wrong with this sentence but we’re not quite sure what.

We are prepared for everything except really wet weather and are studiously avoiding the weather forecast.

There was a poor attempt to train for this but neither of us have been on a bike in 10 days. However, Kim has a new padded saddle and we both have proper cycle shorts. It does feel much like wearing a nappy but if it prevents sores, who cares?

If we survive the cycling, we are off to Arnhem which is holding a series of events to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Operation Market Garden.

Finally, this has been recommended and we have high hopes of it…..

Le tour de Vendée

Our final day had nothing specific planned other than getting to a Chambre d’Hote 40 minutes outside St Malo.

We started with a visit to the market in Lucon at 8am. It was early for us but not the French it seems. It was surprisingly busy.

It’s a shame we’re not here longer and self catering, the fish, meat and vegetables all looked amazing.

Having said that, we’ve not seen roti de cheval before

Luçon was transformed this morning – cars and people everywhere and a fantastic haberdashery stall. It would be nice to know if it’s every Saturday or just because it’s a holiday weekend.

We said goodbye to Madame and headed out to Fontenay le Comte, a medieval town 20 minutes inland. Compared to Luçon, it’s huge with a very long and straight main road and of course, as it’s France, a river and more market stalls.

We parked by a cycle shop owned by a Tour de France rider and John was in like a shot. He met a couple of English cyclists who’d cycled in from Vouvant. They were very impressed Kim had cycled the bridge on a Brompton – that was the highlight of her day. John was more impressed with how good electric bikes are getting.

Fontenay was very lively but we only had to walk a couple of streets back and it became calm and quiet.

We took a detour back to Vouvant to see if there was more going on than we first thought. It was so busy, we couldn’t park and may head back this way on our next trip to France!

Next it was onto the pretty town of Mervent with its fabulous views over the river Vendée, but unfortunately not much else going on.

Although their idea of a Triathlon was rather appealing

It was a long drive up to Dol de Bretagne for our last stop. We are in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere with a hostess that doesn’t speak a word of English, unless you count ‘Expedia?’

We didn’t book through Expedia but we have the room key so there’s no getting rid of us tonight!

Despite the language barrier it was made very clear that we must remove our shoes before entering. We think we’ve arranged breakfast for 8am tomorrow but only time will tell how well that discussion went and if we are permitted to wear our shoes.

We’re staying 3km outside Dol de Bretagne and ventured out to explore. The town has some exceptional medieval houses and feels like a film set. It’s a shame about all the cars lining the high street.

Apparently there are fireworks tonight for the annual Bastille day celebrations, they don’t start until 11pm so there will be no chance of us seeing them.

Some entertainment has been arranged for our 9 hour ferry journey home. Can England beat New Zealand in the cricket, or should we compare notes with fellow cyclists while watching the Tour de France, then again it could be the Wimbledon final or the British Grand Prix at Silverstone?

à bientôt

Geraint Thomas isn’t the only British cyclist in France!

John was determined to cycle the Ile de Re, across the bridge from La Rochelle, so that’s what we did…..despite grey, drizzly weather.

Not thrilled at the prospect, Kim worked out that a shuttle bus could get her back across the bridge if she was truly pathetic.

We set off, with John in the lead as you’d expect, Kim huffing and puffing behind, counting every lamppost she successfully cycled past. In case you’re interested, there are 65 lampposts from the start of the bridge until it levels out and 45 going downhill. Anyway, she made it without stopping and was rather proud of herself.

The villages of the Ile de Re are connected by a series of well marked cycle paths. Because of the weather, we didn’t go far, only from Rivedoux Plage to La Flotte, but we managed a few photo opportunities

Bromptons turned native with addition of a baguette.

Our route back took us past the ruined Abbeye Notre Dame de Re dite des Chateliers.

Then the bridge came back into sight. We hadn’t cycled far, only about 15 miles, so Kim didn’t even look at the shuttle bus, she was off.

There may only be 45 lampposts going back but it’s a lot steeper and, at one point, Kim thought her head would explode. She made it without a single foot touching the ground and almost caught a couple of cyclists ahead of her!

We decided Ruffec needed a revisit to view a property we’d dismissed as a money pit. It had character and potential so a viewing was arranged for tomorrow……..more about that later.

Back at Luçon, Kim visited the Jardins Dumaine, laid out in the late 18th century behind the Hotel de Ville. It’s not that large but a real oasis and well maintained, the gravel is raked daily and there was not a weed to be seen.

Next a tour around the main sights where we discovered that Luçon was a harbour town in the early 20th century and left stranded when the sea receded. It has a history of liquor making and still holds a popular market twice a week.

The evening was spent poring over house details, Ruffec was a three hour detour on our way home so it needed to be worthwhile.

We discovered the house only had windows at the front, no central heating, a dark dismal hallway and bathrooms which, despite so called ‘renovation’, are out of the 1970s. Viewing was cancelled!

House hunting in Ruffec

We have strict criteria for property searches in France. It must be a house in a town, no mote than 4 hours from Ouistreham or St Malo, no further than an hour from the coast, with bakeries, cafes and restaurants within walking distance. A garage or off road parking are a must too. How hard could it be?

Hours of internet searching had identified Ruffec, in the Charente, as a possibility for us. A question about the area on a Facebook group had offered up an opportunity for a viewing.

The approach to the house was gorgeous, along Le Lien river, past a little cinema and over a bridge by a mill. It was picture perfect (but we forgot to take one!).

The house was rather lovely

But…. Ruffec is over two hours to the coast and 4 hours 7 minutes to Ouistreham, something has gone seriously wrong with Google searches. In the spirt of scientific research we decided, instead of visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, we would house hunt in Ruffec.

We headed for the only Estate Agent open at lunch time and came away with details of 5 properties. A drive by dismisses three but 2 warranted leaving the car to investigate.

The first was a gorgeous townhouse on an unusual plot. It was empty to we trampled through overgrown grass to investigate. Ten years ago, we’d have taken it on but it’s not for us.

The next had us driving by several times before John dropped Kim off to walk past. After 15 minutes of suspicious behaviour we decided the garden was too big and we ought to move on before gendarmes were called.

It’s been an interesting and surprisingly challenging day. Kim loves being 30 minutes from the coast but a Ruffec has a lot to offer with swimming and water sports 5 minutes up the road on the Charente river.

We consoled ourselves with dinner at …….. The restaurant had been recommended by our hostess and it was delicious.

We were the last customers and you could tell we’d outstayed our welcome when lights were turned off at 9:45!

La Rochelle? Meh!

We have two days to update and have been busy. This will go on a bit, probably best to get yourselves a cuppa before settling down.

To start with, our breakfast is served in very elegant surroundings. We take great care not to drop crumbs or drip coffee on pristine tablecloths or mats.

Yesterday was spent in St Jean D’Angely, almost 2 hours from our base in Luçon. Most of our journey was spent stuck behind tractors or big, agricultural lorries. The fields full of glorious sunflowers helped to overcome the frustration.

Our first house viewing was in the small village of Landes, just outside St Jean, where the Old Post Office is for sale. We loved the outside space, the house was ok but the village was too quiet and sleepy for us.

Nest stop was St Jean where we viewed three very different properties.

A recently restored townhouse, 5 minutes walk from the centre of town was dismissed through lack of parking.

The second townhouse had huge potential…….to be a bottomless money pit. Kim had to be restrained from making an offer based on the Kiwi, Apricot and Fig in the back garden. John wasn’t even tempted by the 70m2 garage.

Then the agent offered to show us an apartment she owns right in the historic centre of town. Hmm, this one had too many pitfalls to mention here but we’ll happily bore you with the story on our return.

On to today. We’re only 30 minutes from the coast at La Faute Sur Mer and, in 30 degrees, we decided to cycle from there to Tranche Sur Mer.

The Bromptons truly enjoyed their day out.

John is keen to cycle from La Rochelle across to Ile de Re before we leave (Kim hopes you’ve noted that John is keen) and we took the opportunity to find out where we needed to park.

We managed to find ourselves in the centre of La Rochelle, parked and had a wander. Now, you may remember that we did Venice in a couple of hours, La Rochelle was lucky to get an hour and most of that was spent in a coffee shop where we were given a gizmo to tell us when our food was ready. We were enthralled- it had been a long hot day and we were slightly delirious.

We ventured out. It was still hot and there was lots of pushing and shoving.

We’re sure it has a lot to offer, just not for us.

Our final stop was in the car park by the bridge to,the Ile de Re before heading back to peace and quiet in Luçon. Kim would like to point out that it looks steeper in real life!

A short break in France

We’re touring in France and not doing the blog….. other than it appears to be ingrained in us. We miss our old apartment in Normandy (it was always for too grand to be a flat) and John fancies finding somewhere with some winter sun. Our destinations of choice are the Vendée and Charente Maritime, neither of which we know much about other than they’ll be warmer than Bagnoles-de-l’Orne and nearer the coast.

The overnight sailing from Portsmouth to St Malo was a first and we rather enjoyed the leisurely crossing. Brittany Ferries’ plinky plonky alarm music didn’t wake us until almost 7am with a lovely view of St Malo

We’re staying in Luçon for the next five nights and chose to explore a couple of possible winter locations on our way. First was Vouvant, a very pretty town in the Vendée.

It was rather twee and quiet but obviously popular with the artist community as every shop and house was some type of gallery. However half the customers in the bar were English and a large expat community isn’t what we’re after.

Next was Fontenay Le Comte which looked far busier. We only managed to drive round and it merits a revisit. John’s quite taken with it, Kim’s not so sure as it’s quite a large town.

We found our ‘hotel’ in Lucon and it appears we’re sharing a rather lovely family home quite unlike anywhere we’ve stayed before. Much as we hate to name check, thank you Booking.com!

We’re off to St Jean D’Angely tomorrow, 1.5 hours away. Our hostess says the town is ‘special’. We’re not quite sure what that means.

Still winning….

…to quote Captain Obvious from Hotels.com.

Ken first quoted the above phrase on a hot, stuffy train from Pisa and it has kept us company ever since. Through broken wing mirrors, dislocated beds, miserably cold, wet weather and dodgy backs we have convinced ourselves we are ‘still winning’

And we are! The four of us have managed to remain together and have some fantastic days, despite Ken’s obvious discomfort and lack of mobility. Jacky deserves a bravery award for sharing a 6m x 2.35m space with him in this condition.

The weather has created more resourceful campers, our route has been adapted and we’ve only stayed at a couple of pre-booked campsites. We’ve learned a lot this trip and only part of that is down to experience, the rest is due to the little Rainbow Camper-Van.

These things are never going to be a joy to drive but she has given us confidence to explore routes we would never have attempted in her bigger siblings (except when lost!).

Our final challenge, after the complicated process of filling up with LPG and negotiating the M25, is attempting to reverse her on the drive for unloading….we’ve spent a fortune having the wall repointed so we’ll have to be careful!

Another motorhome adventure next year? We’ll have to wait and see….

240 miles – Luxembourg to France via Belgium

Another early start, on the road by 9:30. Now 9:30 doesn’t sound early so we’ll explain what that actually means. We’re up at 7 and to to be able to move around the camper the bed needs raising back into the roof. That’s a 2 person job since the cable guard broke.

While the kettle is boiling the window blinds need to be removed and stored. It takes ages for the kettle to boil on the toy gas stove and who goes anywhere without a cuppa?

After a breakfast of muesli with fresh fruit and yoghurt, it’s the trek to the washing up block to clean breakfast dishes which need securely stowing, wrapped in kitchen towel to prevent continuous rattling while travelling which causes insanity.

Cupboards are closed and secured, heaven forbid you leave a cupboard unsecured! Contents fly everywhere in a quite terrifying manner.

Gas is turned off so we don’t spontaneously combust, electricity is disconnected and the cable reel rolled up which leads to a burst of hysteria from the heating and hot water control panel. How dare we take away its power supply without asking?

Then it’s a final check to ensure all external doors are secured, windows closed and roof lights lowered before turning off the master control panel. Finally, 2.5 hours after getting up, you’re ready to go.

Setting off for a new destination is all rather stressful and time consuming!

We faced our longest drive, it was cold but sunny when we left and we managed a mile down the road before we ground to a halt. Luxembourg was gridlocked and weren’t going anywhere for ages.

We were delayed by 30 mins with Paul Weller singing Wings of Speed, how does the iPod know the most tactless song to play?

240 miles of mainly motorway driving was dull and tiring. The most interesting thing we saw was how neatly felled trees were stacked alongside the Belgium motorway.

Our final campsite is at Eperlecques, about 25 miles from Calais. A lovely setting but the shower facilities reflect the fact that we are in France.

Our final meal together for this trip, classic Coq au vin in front of a roaring log fire.. a votre sante.

😂

A day in Luxembourg

It had been a long, cold night. Temperatures dipped to just 2 degrees and stayed there till the morning. Heating in the van just hadn’t been up to it until Kim read the instructions, it was running at half power on a low fan speed, it didn’t stand a chance! It’s a shame we know that with only two more nights to go.

By our standards it was an early start, out before 9:30 to catch a bus into the capital city. Our enthusiasm was misplaced, at the bus stop we faced a 45 minute wait in biting cold so decided to walk along the bus route to keep warm. Three stops down, and obviously looking like bewildered tourists, a local kindly provided some guidance and advised us where to get off. A few minutes later we were seated on a warm bus travelling into town.

Within 15 minutes we were in the centre of Luxembourg City, and still acting like bemused tourists. We had maps, Jacky even had a walking route, but we could not get our bearings. Google Maps rescued us, yet again, and directed us to a cafe for a well needed caffeine fix.

We orientated ourselves and started our tour of the city at the Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator with views across the valley towards the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge.

Kim and Jacky walked round the top fortifications via the Spanish Turrets, while John and Ken took the glass elevator down.

Fortifications around the old city are a UNESCO World Heritage site and we all met at the Bock Promentary and Casements with its fantastic views.

Following the Casement round and down into the Grund, or lower town was a smart move. There was a small art market on the bridge with live music. The sun was shining, we were out of the wind and they had refreshments.

Of course we felt obliged to support the local economy by sampling the local delicacy of chips with mayonnaise.

We checked the map again…..

Our next stop was the centre of the old city via a very smart Justice Quarter.

The state funeral of Grand Duke Jean had taken place yesterday and there were signs of his passing everywhere. He’d abdicated in 2000, in favour of his son Henri, and died in April aged 98. Jean had served with the Irish Guards, fought at Normandy and Arnhem before returning to Luxembourg to lead its liberation. It was obvious as we walked the city that there was a lot of affection for him. White orchids had been laid at the statue of his late wife, Josephine-Charlotte

Next stop was the Grand Duke’s Palace where the Guards kept us entertained with their foot stomping. (short video below)

More white flowers were laid outside the Palace

Another corner turned, another market appeared. This was more bric a brac but kept us entertained for a while before moving on towards the Cathedral

The cathedral remained wreathed in orchids and there were long queues to view the Grand Dukes final resting place in the Cathedral’s crypt.

We were weary and it was time to find a bus back. We took a look over the ramparts into the Vallee de la Petrusse below rather than walking down through it. It looked like a glorious walk but our feet were complaining.

Having just missed the bus, and not wanting to wait an hour for the next one, we debated options that got us on a bus within 10 minutes. We had a slightly walk at the end of the route but we were cold and buses are warm!

Our final evening ended in the local pizzeria, starting with some very tasty hors d’oeuvres and ending with complementary Limoncello. Somewhere in between were the biggest pizzas in the world.

Luxembourg here we come…

Another rainy night, and the downpour eased up just long enough to do the washing up and the view wasn’t too bad. It’s very rural and must be quite magical when the sun shines.

Kim thought she saw a stork this morning, apparently they have been reintroduced into the Alsace area around Strasbourg. There’s no photographic evidence but ‘it was definitely too big to be a heron’!

Next was the visit John had been waiting for, the St Louis-Arzviller inclined plane, An almost vertical boat lift located on the Marne au Rhine canal which enables the canal to cross the Vosges Mountains. It opened in 1969 replacing a run of 17 locks.

Google promised us a 15 minute walk along the canal, very cold and wet!

We couldn’t find a way through but were tantalisingly close.

Finally our walk was abandoned and we drove up the hill. Caution was thrown to the wind and we parked as near to the entrance as we could in an area reserved for buses, It was very wet!

The weather was so bad, we didn’t have to pay to wander round.

This extraordinary piece of engineering lifts boats up a 44.5m climb across the Vosges Massif threshold in minutes.

We’d hoped to do the boat trip but it was very cold and raining hailstones, have we mentioned the weather?

Just before reaching the Plan Incliné, we’d noticed a very shiny glass crystal shop and cafe and that was where we chose to dry off.

We arrived just in time to see a glass making demonstration. In about 10 minutes this talented man had made a very quirky glass stork. The best bit? It was warm in front of the furnaces and we started to steam gently as we dried out. There was a debate as to whether to stay there and make a mad dash to Calais on Tuesday!

Some of the glass was truly stunning. Kim was taken with the spiders which were about the size of your hand. Luckily we didn’t need to bring one home

Our route to Luxembourg avoided motorways and tolls. We drove through more rain, hail and snow.

Roads were narrow in places but often perfectly straight and really quiet which helped our journey along

The sun put in an appearance, but not for long

We passed through the village of Rauwiller and we’re surprised to see this unusual rockery feature.

We snuck into Luxembourg on a minor road, over the Moselle River via a bizarre section of cobbles. It was hard work in the camper.

Finally, why use bollards when you can paint trees white

Initial impressions of Luxembourg are that it’s very expensive apart from fuel which is only just over £1/lite. Our camp site is very smart and organised, we have even been issued with a set of site rules that must be followed.

John’s best day…..

Guess where we have been?

It rained heavily all night and we slept in a tin can disguised as a motor-home, you can imagine the noise!

We packed up and waved goodbye to the Bodensee with France as our next destination. Then John saw signs for Stuttgart and Google told us it was only a 30 minute detour to the Porsche Museum so that’s where we went.

Kim emailed the museum, requesting camper parking. There was at least a 10 minute delay in responding, shoddy we thought. With typical German efficiency, the reply came back with detailed instructions, photos, and a map – absolutely amazing!

The instructions were spot on, the camper was corralled in a dedicated space and we did the 2 minute walk to the museum. It’s not often it’s that convenient to park and we were very grateful.

As museums go this one deserves a return visit, we didn’t have time to do it justice. Attention to detail and a desire to provide visitors with a quality experience is wonderful. Every exhibit is in full working, drivable condition. Exhibits change regularly and there is a real sense of pride in Porsche’s history, development and current standing in the racing and motoring world.

Kim chose her car of the day….

John chose his two favourites. The “Pink Pig” from the 1971 Le Mans 24 hour race.

And a German State Highway Police 993, slightly more cool than a diesel Vauxhall Astra.

Kim hadn’t quite thought through our 30 minute detour. We came out of the museum with 130 miles and 2.5 hours driving still to do. As we left, the Porsche Factory closed for the weekend and we were swamped by workers…. think Vauxhall at clocking off time! It was busy.

Leaving our dedicated parking was a challenge. We’d been warned the road was narrow, and that was without parked cars on either side. It was a hairy 500m drive but we came through unscathed, as did all other vehicles.

We hit the motorway and arrived at the campsite at Hofmuhl at at 5:30.

It’s easy to tell we’re in France, campsites are not a patch on those in Germany or Austria. We are sandwiched between a road, river, canal and railway. Facilities are very French and the cliff opposite is propped up with brick pillars.

It’s a little unfair to grumble , the young man on reception was lovely, spoke perfect English and couldn’t have been more helpful.

Tomorrow, we visit the St Louis Arzviller Plan Incliné before wandering of to Luxembourg.

Hagnau to Uberlingen and back….. on a bike!

Yesterday’s sunshine continued so we stayed on at Hagnau and decided bike hire was a good idea for travelling the 7 miles to Pfahlbauten (Pile Dwellings Museum) at Unteruhldingen.

Kim and Ken opted for e-bikes – Ken had a good excuse with his bad back, Kim just dislikes hills.

John was most impressed with how the cycle hire shop organised their workbench and tools.

As we set off the owner told us to enjoy our trip as after Brexit we were unlikely to be able to return!

We managed 3 miles into Meersburg before a coffee stop was deemed necessary.

Kim was all set to stay there, when it was pointed out that she had proposed the museum. As we left the owner of the Cafe came running after us, although Ken had asked for the bill he’d forgotten to actually pay it!

Cycle routes around this part of the Bodensee are reasonably flat, wide and well signposted, they meander through pretty lakeside villages with a mixture of older established properties and crisp modern houses most with a view over the lake.

Pile dwellings on the Bodensee date back to Stone and Bronze Age times. Over 100 settlements have been discovered around the lake and the museum recreates 23 houses from 4000-800 BC.

These early farmers, who settled by the lake, often built their shelter in the water possibly for easy access to fishing and protection from wild animals.

Houses were built on stilts, which were driven 2-3m into the silt – all without the help of a JCB.

These settlements are quite astonishing when you consider how few tools were available. They also had fantastic views across the lake and would command quite a price these days.

UNESCO has declared 111 Prehistoric Pile Dwelling Settlements as part of the World Cultural Heritage of Mankind. 11 of them can be found on Lake Constance.

It was well worth the visit and we were obviously slightly lightheaded when we decided to cycle another 5 miles on to Uberlingen. It was another pretty German town with glorious views.

One thing we haven’t mentioned before are the painted trees.

We saw painted fruit trees in Italy and google told us that it’s chalk, often mixed with latex, to deter ants and boring insects. That’s insects that make holes rather than dull, dreary insects!

The fountain in Uberlingen famously depicts a 16th legend and was sculpted by Peter Lens. We were more interested in the young boy playing with the water and wondering at what point he’d fall in.

As we cycled back, the weather changed. Skies darkened, the calm lake became agitated and the wind became stronger. Beautiful Cherry blossom was blown from trees onto the ground creating pink paths.

Our cycle hire shop was a 700m climb up a steep hill which after cycling 25 miles was hard work. Kim however was suitably smug being able to cycle all the way thanks to the assistance of the e-bike, normally she would get off and push!

The Bodensee area where we are stopping is well known for fine wines and any spare piece of ground no matter how small is covered in well tended vines. John decided to visit the Hagnauer vineyard on the way back. The rest of us didn’t appreciate it was a free wine tasting and headed straight back to the campsite for a cuppa!

Rain has set in so it was a case of dining in this evening. Another banquet using up left over food found in the fridge.

Tomorrow we are off to France.

Meersburg and other wanderings

Before we start, an apology. WordPress sent a notification a couple of days ago congratulating us. We have officially wittered on about our travels in over 200 posts….. sorry and thank you for reading.

The sun came out, John put his shorts on and we caught the ferry from Hagnau to Mainau, via Meersburg.

Cruising silently at an altitude of a 1000 feet, the Zeppelin NT on one of its sightseeing passenger flights kept us company for part of the voyage. Should you be tempted a 45 minute flight costs €370

Ken and Jacky waved us off at Meersburg.

The town looked interesting and will have to wait for another day.

Mainau is maintained as a garden island and model of environmental practices. Managed as a foundation, by decedents of the original owners the gardens both in location and planting were stunning.

Gold of the Italian Floral Water Cascade glowed as the water tumbled down.

An unusual Insect Garden with some clever and amazing habitats.

There are over a million flowering bulbs across the site in spring, in formal beds and woven through meadow planting.

A stroll through the vineyard. Wine has been produced on the island for centuries and is now only available for special guests and tastings, which didn’t include us.

Our final stop was the Palm House which hosts an Orchid Show until later in May. The Palms were completely hidden by orchids and people. We hadn’t realised today was s bank holiday and the whole island was very busy.

The ferry route back was slightly different and we left from the quaint harbour.

Our evening was spent relaxing by the lake at the campsite before al fresco eating. This is the first time we’ve managed it this trip and it was a real treat.

From Austria to Germany

As we left site today we noticed this German camper van demonstrating how it should be done, spotlessly clean with full-width awning and ground cover, bikes carefully positioned one side and a barbecue the other. They even have a beer crate for empty bottles.

Only 150 miles covered today and we managed to make it last 7 hours. John was determined to enjoy the drive by avoiding motorways. We did and the drive would have been even more stunning if the skies had cleared.

It started with Google taking us an unexpected route out of Natterer See, we thought there was only one way in and out so this was a surprise.

We followed the D171 Tiroler Straße through pretty Tyrolean villages and past the Stams ski jump.

Followed by the D189 which was fine other than rocks the size of footballs started rolling down the hillside into the road. Luckily we were able to avoid them but it was rather a shock.

Elevenses was at a remote mountain top restaurant in Biberwier, overlooking Blindsee, where a cup of tea was eyewateringly expensive. There was a chance for an atmospheric photo though

Past Ehrenberg Castle and it’s 400m footbridge suspended across the gorge. The footbridge was an amazing site as we drove under it and we were too surprised to take a photo, sorry.

We arrived in Friedrichshafen to visit the Zeppelin Museum. We’d failed to do so last year having been spooked by low bridges and unable to find anywhere to park last year’s monster van. No such problem this year with Kim’s new friend, the Campercontact App.

The museum was fascinating, charting airship history from early 18th century with the first powered flight taking place in 1852.

Scale replica models accompanied the history and it was interesting to see how airships were further advanced than aeroplanes of the same era.

Sections of omega shaped aluminium were still being riveted together by hand until the 1990’s although the latest airships now use carbon fibre.

During WW2 the Zeppelin factory was used to produce V-2 rocket propellant tanks resulting in the town of Friedrichshafen being heavily bombed by allied forces. It seemed surreal looking at photographs of damage to the town we had inflicted.

Our next couple of nights are at Hagnau on the Bodensee. Hagnau’s a 15 minute walk along the lakeside and is very pretty. We have high hopes of some sunshine.

A day in Innsbruck

Firstly, we’ve had our most comfortable night by far. Who knew that leaving the heating on overnight would keep you warm?!?!

Our van was abandoned at the campsite as we caught a bus into Innsbruck, with a map of the city and no real objective other than to find a riverside cafe and make a plan.

John held on tight to Kim to stop her disappearing into the shoe shop. Prices were eye watering but the shoes were very sparkly.

Situated on the outskirts of the old town, the cafe we found was opposite Markthalle.

There has been a market on this site since 1460. These days you can have a Tyrolean breakfast which seems to consist of bacon or cheese dumplings while watching local farmers sell freshly picked fruit and other produce with each stall offering free samples. We opted for delicious Apfelbrot, a soft dark bread with apple and walnuts.

John liked the idea of visiting the Anatomy Musuem and the Tyrolean Railway Museum. Both were closed, so the Bell Museum located at the Grassmayr Bell Foundry became our destination, via the Triumphal Arch.

Grassmayr has been casting bells since 1599 and obviously have the hang of it. As museums go it was tiny but fascinating. John was disappointed to see that the first bell ever cast was by the Chinese even if it was 5,000 years ago. We watched a short film showing the casting of a commemorative bell in 2017 and wandered into the foundry. You would not have been allowed to do this at home…

Bells could be struck with mallets to hear different tones and notes!

And view a selection of bells displayed in a small garden.

John then turned his attention to the Bergisel Ski Jump, which we could see towering above the city. Google Maps said a 20 minute walk so we were off, hard work as of course it was all uphill.

We bought our tickets and took the small funicular up to the viewing platform at the very top where the ski jumpers make their descent.

‘Why would you do this?’ is the question that sprang to mind and it became more incomprehensible the higher we went!

Those of you who know Ken and Jacky will appreciate, plans often have a habit of changing, and following yesterday’s tearful farewells in Italy we’re all still together. Ken is walking almost upright although it takes him most of the day to achieve this and he has purchased a walking stick to assist.

We leave for Helmsdorf on the Bodensee tomorrow and wait to see what happens next.

Life is short….

Please forgive any repetition, we stayed at Ferienparadies, Natterer See last year and just had to come back. It is the land of magical showers (underfloor heating, spotlessly clean – the list goes on)

We are on the same pitch as last year and here’s the photos to prove it

It’s a shame we don’t have the weather but underfloor heating more than compensates!

P.s. other campsites in Austria are available (apparently).

A change of plan

Sadly, Ken and Jacky have made the difficult decision to head for home. Ken’s back is worse, there’s a 45 degree roll to his walk and he does look rather comical. We’ve been very good and not laughed.

Before leaving Sistiana, we spoke to a Scottish couple, Brian and Shirley, who are on the road for 4 months and heading to Croatia. There was a long chat about vignettes in Slovenia (we hadn’t paid!) and the merits of different size motorhomes. The small Rollerteam Rainbow has been by far our best choice but even Kim doesn’t want to own one anymore!

The seaside town of Grado had been recommended to John and was only a 30 minute detour on our way to Lake Garda.

En route, we were distracted by the plant seller at the roadside and Kim couldn’t resist purchasing an Oleander.

She’s researching if it will have to be abandoned before leaving Italy, because it carries a risk of Xyllela pathogen and we’ll have to disinfect the van. It’s currently living in the van’s garage.

The drive into Grado was worth the effort but the walk along the seafront was completely underwhelming.

To recover from our disappointment, we stopped for elevenses in a small bar.

The route out of Grado had us reconsidering our view of the place, the lagoon side was rather nice.

We had a decision to make, should we head for Garda as planned or try and meet up with Ken and Jacky who were going straight to Innsbruck. We checked weather and campsite check in times and crossed Garda off our itinerary! 5 hours across the Dolomites and through the Italian Tyrol it was.

John wanted a more interesting drive so we left the motorway north of Udine and followed the SS52 along the valley of the Tagliomento River. It was raining hard but the villages were pretty. The little Fiat van breathed in as we squeezed round some very narrow roads. Alarm set in when we started to see cars with snow on them.

It got considerably worse, and there was no other way through. Temperatures dropped and rain turned to snow…

We followed a snow plough for miles- John was having the time of his life, wondering if we were allowed to overtake it.

The roads cleared for a while so we thought the van deserved a photo. There wasn’t as much snow on it as we had hoped.

Then we got to the point that a snowplough was behind us, we wished it was in front and even John was becoming alarmed by the conditions and wishing we had snow chains. Kim had been in a state of alarm for at least an hour!

We survived and re joined the motorway just south of the new Brenner Pass and, through heavy rain and snow, made it to Natterer See campsite just after 6.

Beer and chips in the campsite restaurant beckoned as a reward.

The biggest success of the day, apart from not crashing, is the van’s heating system is working. We are tucked up and toasty!

Three countries in one day

A beautifully clear morning greeted us, and we could see the fantastic view from our pitch which had previously been hidden in the haze.

We headed out with a 4 hour/150 mile journey to do and almost immediately left lovely smooth, EU tarmac roads for bumpy narrow Croatian ones!

The van bumped and twisted for the best part of an hour. Roads narrowed and hairpin bends appeared. Luckily, in all that time 3 cars, a coach and one lorry passed on the other side. We were too busy watching the road to take photos but it was lovely. John wants to return in something sensible, like a Porsche or Ferrari.

As we drove around Rijeka, the Adriatic reappeared on our left, it feels a lot longer than two days since our drive along the coast.

Heavy rain and dramatic lightning faced us as our route took us up over the mountains and back inland towards Slovenia.

30 minutes from the border, we joined long queues to enter Slovenia where recent hailstones had been rather ferocious – luckily before we arrived.

Slovenia, not surprisingly, was much like Croatia, with rolling forested hillsides but instead of cheese and honey it was pig roasts which were frequently available at the roadside.

Then we were back in Italy with great views across the Gulf of Trieste.

Our plan was to stop at Castello Di Miramar. As we drove out of Trieste, it appeared in the distance on the headland.

The satnav delivered us to within 100m of the castle, down a very narrow road with parked cars and pedestrians. A parking attendant waved us down and told us to turn around. Scenes reminiscent of last year’s accident came flooding back. We had to turn around in a confined space full of parked cars. Luckily a lovely Italian came to our aid and, with lots of exaggerated gestures described the best way to turn around! There was a queue of cars waiting to follow us out. We’d failed in our attempt to do ‘culture’ and so headed to our overnight stop at Sistiana. The campsite runs alongside the Rilke walking trail and has great views back towards Trieste.

Ken’s back is still bad so John stayed at the campsite, keeping him company with a beer while Kim and Jacky walked the trail out to Duino to see the castle. There are many fortifications along the route created during WW1 and used by the Third Reich in WW2, that have been converted to viewing points across the bay.

Tomorrow were heading to Lazise on Lake Garda.

Plitvicka National Park

Today’s plan was a visit to Plitvicka National Park, one of the most Instagrammed places in the world. Helpfully, the campsite ran a shuttle bus for the 19k journey rather than pack up and take one of our camper vans.

We were up and ready in plenty of time when we noticed Ken walking in a strange way. His back had gone and he was unable to stand upright or walk more than a couple of paces. He was confined to the campsite, heroically declined company and we set off with Jacky.

We’d reserved entry tickets, Kim had read that, at busy times entry is declined and we didn’t want to risk being turned away. It was 9:15 and this is the scene that greeted us.

Luckily Jacky read the ticket booth signs so Kim joined the shorter queue and an hour later we finally gained entry.

The park is famous for 16 terraced lakes, joined by 400 waterfalls that drop 500m down a limestone gorge. It was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The lakes are surrounded by boardwalks and hiking trails. Small electric boats ferry you up and down the largest lake and a bus service runs from one end of the park to the other – all for 100 khn per person (less than £12!)

We took advantage of the bus to get us to the bottom of the park and John was transfixed by the ability of a bus with two large trailers to negotiate very narrow winding roads. Talk about bendy bus

If you google images of the park, they are absolutely stunning and often heavily photoshopped. The water was crystal clear with light reflected in brilliant blues and greens. Our photos can’t capture the panoramic scenes adequately and stunning views lose their impact due to a lack of perspective but here’s a selection.

By the time the shuttle bus collected us at 3:30, we’d walked over 6 miles around the park, climbed 45 flights of steps, taken the ferry and bus between all their stops and felt that we’d made the most of the day. We were ready to head back. It was hot and tiring work avoiding coach parties on narrow boardwalks!

Tomorrow we head back into Italy, via Slovenia. Our wait at Border Control is rumoured to be lengthy….