Harleys

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Peter and Nia — Leave a comment

Track to Date

After our stay in Heidelberg we drove down through Switzerland and spent the night at La Balme de Sillingy ( N 45.971242 E 6.031601 ), an aire by a lake near Annecy. The forecast for Northern Europe wasn’t great and we wanted to head south quickly, so we took the Autobahns and Swiss motorways to the French border. We had to pay €27 for a 10 day permit for the Swiss roads, valid for a year.

La Balme de Sillingy

The next day we drove down to Chambery, just south of Aix les Bains, to stock up on paté, camembert , French bread and other essentials. After Grenoble we took the N85 (Route de Napoleon) through the Alps to Pont du Fosse.

Lunch Stop just off the Route Napoleon

Aire at Pont du Fosse

The aire at Pont du Fosse (N 44.667226 E 6.234741) is a large woodland stopover, very good for dogs, and a short walk along a mountain river to the village.

Wine on the Terrrase at Pont du Fosse.

Sudden influx of visitors into aire whilst we were having Breakfast.

We set off early (10.30am!) for the 80 mile trip down the south side of the Alps to Provence. Driving through Sisteron Nia spotted what looked like a nice aire for our lunch stop and did a sharp left.

Aire at Sisteron

Citadel at Sisteron

Sculpture at Hotel de Ville

Harley-Davidson

Sisteron appeared to be the lunch stop for a Harley-Davidson convention and the beautiful beasts were everywhere.

Easy Rider

Prêt a Poser

This glider was suspended in the centre of Sisteron to advertise a gliding meet at the local airfield.

Looking Over Sisteron from the Path up to the Citadel.

Orchards

Moving on down to Provence we passed thousands of acres of orchards, trees all covered with netting. Against the sun? Or Frost? We know someone who’ll know.

Road into the Luberon.

Driving into Provence

The sun came out as we reached Provence.

Swimming Stop

We turned off towards Forcalquier and stopped at this deserted lake for a swim (well three of the party swam). We are in the Luberon, the mountainous bit of Provence made famous by Peter Mayle and ‘A Year in Provence’.

Destination

We stopped for the night at the aire in Saint Michel L’Observatoire ( N 43.910152 E 5.715058 ), named for the astronomical observatories established on the hills nearby in 1937.

Aire at Saint-Michel

Windmill Overlooking Aire

The village

There is a village close by with a small café, a boulangerie, one or two shops and a restaurant. And not another English tourist in sight.

Tagged with: cycling, france, Germany, Luberon, Mavis, motorhome, photography, pont du fosse, Provence, Saint michel l'observatoire
Posted in - France, 2014 Spring, Pont-du-Fosse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Saint Michel l'Observatoire, Sisteron

Heidelberg

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Peter and Nia — Leave a comment

On Tuesday we drove up to Heidelberg. We stayed at a slightly damp Camping Heidelberg; a grassy site on the River Neckar, about 5km from the centre of Heidelberg.

Our great friend Farshid has a house in Heidelberg and he spent the next two days showing us around this lovely historic University town.

Heidelberg Castle

On the Wednesday we saw his old medical school, then went up to the castle which sits up on the north side of the Neckar valley looking out over the city.

The Powder Turret

This is the powder turret, riven by an explosion many years ago (and described in a travel book written by Mark Twain in 1880).

Peter and Farshid

We had a sunny afternoon to explore the castle.

We are trying to decipher a Latin Inscription

Nia, Peter and Farshid

The North Wing. Well Ventilated.

Anniza Lee

We met a charming lady from Hong Kong, Anniza Lee, who took some shots for us.

The Castle Clock

Another Timepiece.

There are extensive gardens with some huge specimen trees.
There are several pools and fountains in front of an old underground reservoir which collected the mountain water.

Neptune

Neptune looks at a bit uncomfortable here on a bed of rocks.

Heidelberg has a long history of teaching medicine and the art of the apothecary and the castle museum has an impressive collection and exhibition giving the history of the apothecarists trade over the centuries.

Now where did I put my valium?

The Pharmacy Museum

Heidelberg

The Castle from the City

After looking round the castle we drove down to Heidelberg and met Farshid’s friend Peter for a drink.

Farshid, Peter and Peter

Goethe’s House

There is lovely old architecture everywhere you look; Goethe used to live in the house shown second left in this picture. Heidelberg was unscathed by the war, reputedly because one of the American Generals in charge at the time had a girlfriend living in the city.

Brewed on the Premises

We dropped in to this bar to try the local beer…cold, hoppy, slightly cloudy….delicious.

The Old Bridge over the Neckar.

The next day we visited the gardens at Schwetzingen, about 15 km from Heidelberg.

Schwetzingen Schloss (castle) and grounds.

The well preserved castle in Schwetzingen is surrounded by many acres of beautifully manicured gardens, hedges and trees, interspersed with statues, old temples and even a pink mosque.

Temple

Castle Lawns.

Pool at Schwetzingen

The mosque.

In the evening we met up with Mohsen, a friend of Farshid’s from early student days, and we had a scrumptious meal in one of his restaurants on the Hauptstrasse, the traffic free shopping street that stretches through the central city.

Mohsen’s Restaurant.

Dinner with Mohsen

Tagged with: Germany, Heidelberg, Mavis, motorhome, photography, Schloss
Posted in - Germany, 2014 Spring, Baden-Württemberg, Heidelberg

Flying Over the Vines

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Peter and Nia — 10 Comments

The Mohlin

On the second day at Ile du Rhin we cycled up through the forests on the German side of the Rhine. The cycleway crosses the Mohlin (a tributary of the Rhine) first, then there are lots of deserted tracks through the forests on the north of the rhine here, ideal for cycling with dogs.

Sailing on the Rhine

We cycled back on the cycle path alongside the Rhine, then over the bridge and back to the campsite. There is a very good baker just on the German side of the bridge…lovely brotchen (= rolls I think)…I bought seedy dark ones….full of malt and rye…delicious.

The next day we drove north along the superb german autobahns to Bad Durkheim.

Route to Bad Durkheim

Winery Close to the Stellplatz.

We landed on a Stellplatz (N 49.474015 E 8.191595), in the heart of a wine growing region in Southern Germany. The Stellplatz looks out over rows of vines and is very close to the Bad Durkheim Flugplatz…a small airfield. We had a lovely afternoon sipping the local white wine in the airfield bar, watching the light planes coming in to land over the vines.

Coming in over the Road

A Bit Lower. Lucky its not a Jumbo Jet.

These two were pretty good and got down first time. One of the pilots however must have been learning, or perhaps just had a heavy night on the vino, and bounced in and out of the vineyard on his first two approaches, which he had to abort. He got in on his third attempt.

Gliding In.

This chap glided in very neatly.

Max likes it here

The Stellplatz is quiet and linked to the campsite nearby…€11 for the stellplatz and an extra €1 for the water. We barbecued peppers and sausages for tea.

One of the Locals

Anyone know what this is? (I know its a bird…is it some sort of crow?)

Baby Grapes

The vines are covered in bunches of micro grapes.

Bad Durkheim Centre

There is a very good network of cycle tracks here and we started off by cycling into Bad Durkheim.

What’s all this about?

This is a large building we passed on the way to Bad Durkheim; there are large suspended swathes of black fabric material with water running through them…..not sure what they are and our German wasn’t up to asking. Anyone know?

The Worlds Largest wine Barrel

There is a bit of a wine theme here.

Heading East from the Stellplatz

After lunch in Bad Durkheim we set off into the countryside, again along an excellent cycle track through forests and fields.

Dogs and Dog Roses

There is much in bloom at the moment.

Blossom

There are a lot of trees covered in these white flowers…looks a bit like laburnum but the wrong colour.

Local Industry

Beehives everywhere.

Busy

Spring Onion Picking

We passed an army of workers picking and bundling up spring Onions.

Lettuce Patch

And a few lettuces.

Tagged with: Bad Durkheim, Baden Wuttemberg, cycling, Germany, Mavis, motorhome, photography
Posted in - Germany, 2014 Spring, Bad Durkhein, Rheinland-Palatinate

Why is this Lady Riding a Fish?

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Peter and Nia — 7 Comments

Route So Far

We moved north on Thursday and stayed at Camping Etang des Forges (N 47.654693 E 6.864738) in Belfort, a small site by a lake.

The Lake at Belfort.

On Friday we moved into Germany and drove a short distance up the Rhein to Breisach. We stopped at a Stellplatz on the riverfront. A Stellplatz seems to be the German equivalent of an aire; there are drainage and water facilities on essentially a large car park. (GPS N 48.029657 E 7.575792). The overnight stay cost €6.

Stellplatz at Breisach

The Stellplatz filled up a lot during the day because May 1st is a bank holiday here.

Hagenbach Tower

Breisach is strategically placed on a hill overlooking the Rhein and has suffered from this by being alternately fortified then flattened several times over the last two millennia, A few of the old buildings remain, the Hagenbach Tower originally dates from 1319 and was named after Peter Hagenbach, a Governor of Breisach imprisoned here in 1474 for corruption, murder and other unpleasantnesses.

St Stephan’s Cathedral

Breisach is dominated by this cathedral, built on the site of a Roman fortress from the 3rd century. The Emperor Valentinian 1 stopped here on a tour of the Roman frontiers on the 30th August 369 (hope he had better weather than us….its been a bit wet…).

Weisswein

We stopped at a restaurant overlooking the river for a glass of white wine, or weisswein, as I now know it to be. The waitress was very helpful and threw in a bit of german tuition for free. The portions here are generous, a glass is 250 mls which is about half a pint.

Wine Press

The Museum

An old wine press stands outside the museum at the foot of the hill, which is just a short walk from the Stellplatz.

Breisach from Ile du Rhin

On Saturday we moved to Camping Ile du Rhin; a pleasant and quiet site on an Island between Breisach and the Alsace Canal, (GPS N 48.02274 E 7.577927). The site is very close to the ‘Grune-Straße’ or cycle way between Freiburg in Germany and Colmar in France. We headed in the French direction, as far as Neuf Brisach.

Power Station Mural

There is an EDF hydroelectric power station by the bridge, fittingly decorated by murals depicting mermaids swimming between insulators. Maybe the artist went swimming after a glass too many of weisswein.

Neuf Brisach

This is an unusual walled town, in hexagonal configuration.

Walls of Neuf Brisach

The Neuf I think stands for new; maybe some of Breisachs inhabitants got tired of having stuff lobbed at them and decided to move somewhere a little less strategic.

We reprovisioned in the Neuf Brisach Carrefour, and cycled back through Volgelsheim to the Ile du Rhin.

Sculpture in Volgelsheim

Sculpture in Munsterplatz, by St Stephan’s Cathedral

These are a couple of sculptures we have come across here….there does seem to be a theme…any caption suggestions would be welcomed…

Tagged with: Breisach, cycling, france, Germany, motorhome, photography, Stellplatz
Posted in - Germany, 2014 Spring, Baden-Württemberg, Breisach

La Voie Des Vignes

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Peter and Nia — 8 Comments

When the snow started to fall in Chamonix we decided to move on. We had planned to visit Switzerland but the forecast there was wet and cold, and, as the Missus says, we can do wet and cold in Cumbria whenever we want. So Switzerland has been deferred for the moment and we drove north-west, heading for the land of the Grands Crus.

Track so Far

We are staying at Camping La Grappe d’Or (GPS N 46.985617 E 4.768335) , a site just outside the village of Mearsault, near Beaune. This is the heart of the Burgundy wine area and the campsite sits on a terrace overlooking fields of vines spreading out in all directions.

Looking South from the Campsite

About 100 yards from the campsite is ‘La Voie Des Vignes’ ..a veloroute which extends from Beaune to Santenay, through the villages and vineyards of the district. At Santenay the veloroute links up with the Voie Verte (traffic free cycle path) which runs (cycles?) alongside the canal du Centre from Saint-Léger-sur Dheune to Chalon-sur-Saône.

Trompe-l’oeil

We set off along the Velo Route heading towards Santenay this morning. This faux shutter cleverly painted alongside a real window is in a hotel in Mearsault, first village on the route.

Winedow

Cycling Through the Vines

All the villages here are packed with wine sellers and wine producers selling directly to the public. Wine tastings are advertised on all sides but probably best not combined with a bike ride (if any of our friends in Cabo de Gata are reading this, they may agree).

Precision Ploughing

Most of the vines had been cut back to a thick stump in the Autumn and new growth had just started. The fields were busy with workers pruning, weeding, ploughing and spraying.

On the Straight and Narrow

Pruning the Vines

This lovely guy stopped his pruning to chat to us. He spoke very quick french, of which I got about 10%. We did pick up that his grapes were all Chardonnay, and that it was pretty dry and stony soil, ideal for the vines. He was rubbing or cutting off some of the smaller shoots

Stepping Over the Vines

Curious (to us) high wheelbase tractors buzz about through the vineyards.

In the Groove

Just Passing By

Gates

Some of the vineyards are limestone-walled and gated.

Poppies and other wildflowers line the roads.

We stopped at Santenay, about 10 miles to the south west, for a coffee. The veloroute winds through several villages, all immaculate and geared up to the wine business…Caves, Chateaux and Domaines everywhere.

Canal du Centre

Just beyond Santenay the veloroute connects with a voie verte alongside the Canal du Centre. This is a peaceful, traffic free ride, disturbed only by the occasional duck or heron. And just now and again a serious cyclist flashing past at the speed of lycra.

After a few miles along the canal we retraced our steps and headed back along the voie verte and the velo route.

18th Century Windmill

There is an old windmill just outside Santenay.

Dogfighting

There is a lot of wildlife. Kites abound and we saw these two (a kestrel, and possibly a buzzard?) having a minor tiff above the rows of vines.

We will uproot shortly and head east into the Franche-Comte region.

Tagged with: beaune, bourgogne, bugundy, france, Mavis, meursault, motorhome, photography, wine
Posted in - France, 2014 Spring, Bourgogne, Mearsault

The Aiguille Du Midi

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Peter and Nia — 3 Comments

The Drive to Chamonix

We set off early (well 9am) from the site at Lake Annecy and drove the 57 miles to Chamonix. It would have been shorter but we were taken on a very interesting diversion, or deviation as they say here. There was much hairpin bend practice and a few sharp intakes of breath from the Co-Pilot, sat in the line of fire in the left hand seat.

Camping Mer De Glace

Following a suggestion from my brother-in-law Chris, we stopped at Camping Mer de Glace (GPS: N 45.938333 E 6.892011). This is a wooded site 1 1/2 miles east of Chamonix. There is a small wicket gate at the back of the site, which leads on to a path through the woods to Chamonix…very convenient. The Frenchman and his English partner who run the site are charming and helpful.

The Mountain Behind Chamonix

In the afternoon we cycled into Chamonix and took the Telepherique (cable car) up the Aiguille du Midi. The Aiguille is one of the peaks of the Mont Blanc Massif.

The Cable Car

There was a full load when we went up but we didn’t have to queue. I guess it is much busier in high season.

The Departure Lounge

We set off from this base station on the valley floor. It is about 1000 metres above sea level.

View from the First Cable Car

The small point just visible at the top of the picture is the station at the top of the mountain. There are two cable car stages and a final ascent by a lift in a shaft cut through the solid granite of the peak.

Approaching the Top

On the left as you go up is a mini glacier; a huge snow drift which has compacted into ice at its base.

Terraces Just Below Summit

The second cable car takes you up to this collection of terraces just below the main summit.

View from the Terraces

The View over the Alps from the Terrace.

Chamonix

Looking down to Chamonix 2800 meters below in the valley.

The Glass Room

Into the Void

A glass (maybe perspex?) room juts out from the restaurant at the top of the summit so you can walk on air for a few moments.

Nia on the Top

Almost in Space.

We both felt a bit light headed and woozy with the reduced oxygen pressure….10 minutes isn’t much time to acclimatise to the height. We were forced to restore our equilibrium with tea and (in my case) tartlette aux pommes when we returned from the stratosphere.

Gathering Clouds

The clouds were building up as we descended and by the time we cycled back to base camp it was a full blown monsoon.

Tagged with: Aiguille du Midi, camping mer de glace, Chamonix, france, Mavis, motorhome, photography
Posted in - France, 2014 Spring, Chamonix, Rhône-Alpes

Cycle Trip to Annecy

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Peter and Nia — 6 Comments

On Tuesday we had a leisurely drive from Digoin to Camping Municipal Les Champs Fleuris ( GPS : N 45.825801 E 6.188371 ) on Lake Annecy. This is very friendly campsite, almost deserted now, on sloping grass terraces. We are parked at the top of the site, with a view of the lake. There is an impressive backdrop of snow-capped mountains.

Camping Les Champs Fleuris

Ready to Go

Yesterday we cycled along the well maintained two wheel only voie verte (cycle track) to the town of Annecy. It is an easy and level 10 km ride. There is quite a bit of traffic, a mixture of high speed lycra clad experts, a few rollerbladers and an assortment of out of condition middle aged puffers. Guess which group we are in.

Embarcadere

We arrived at the Quay where the the big pleasure boats tie up. There are restaurants on board.

Lunch on the Lake. Starting at €50.

We guess the Captains dream of taking the boats out in to more exciting waters, `Lake Geneva maybe, or the Atlantic.

I am taken for a walk

We moored the bikes outside the Hotel de Ville, and continued on foot.

Almost Cloudless Sky

Hotel de Ville

Flower Beds near the Cathedral St Pierres

Restaurants and cafes pack the narrow streets running alongside the canals of Annecy. We arrived at lunchtime and business on the streets was clearly thriving.

Lunch by a Canal

Back Streets of Annecy

Some sort of old Sluice Mechanism

French Windows

There is much to photograph here.

Wisteria Lined Lane by the Chateau

Palais de L’ile

Cafe on the Rue de la République

We stopped for a glass of wine at the top of the old town.

One of the Canals dives underground here.

We walked back along the canals, had a picnic lunch on Les Jardins de L’Europe, then mosied back to the bikes.

The Canal du Vassé with the Pont des Amours in the distance.

Boats for hire on the Canal du Vasseé

Calm Waters

Lake Annecy

We cycled back in the afternoon, photographed out.

Tagged with: Annecy, cycling, Duingt, france, Haute-Savoie, motorhome, photography
Posted in - France, 2014 Spring, Annecy, Rhône-Alpes

Pierrefitte-sur-Loire

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Peter and Nia — 6 Comments

We explored Digoin in the morning; it is a short walk up from the aire along the Rue Nationale, past the Office de Tourisme. The tourist office was closed for Easter.

Off the Wall

Not sure why this Tour de France guy is cycling through the wall. Not a bike shop in sight.

Tight Fit

In the afternoon we headed off across the canal bridge to cycle along the Lateral Canal of the Loire.

Lock Sign

En Route

The canal passes close to the Loire at some points.

The Loire

This is the route along the canal. Our track is in red. We cycled about 35 km in all. We got as far as the inappropriately named Pierrefitte-sur-Loire. Thanks to Tony for putting me on to the Strava cycling app. Tony and Rose have a blog at https://rosiepike.wordpress.com ; we met them at Nonancourt last month on the way back to the UK.

Canal Junction

Canal Signs

A Lock in the Distance

Double Parked

Looking back Downstream

The Canal

Tagged with: Burgundy, cycling, digoin, france, loire canal, Mavis, motorhome, photography
Posted in - France, 2014 Spring, Bourgogne

In the Loire

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Peter and Nia — 3 Comments

Welcome to Digoin

Yesterday we left Salbris mid morning and drove 130 miles east to Digoin, a small town about 80 miles to the north of Lyon.

The Aire

There is a good aire here, essentially a very large car park overlooking the Loire and close to the ‘Lateral canal of the Loire’ which crosses the Loire a few hundred yards upstream from the aire.

Looking Upstream from the Aire

There is plenty of good walking close to the aire; you can walk up and down the Loire on both banks.

Climbing Wall

And there is even a beginners climbing wall next to the aire (not so easy if you are wearing sandals).

Canal Bridge over the Loire

Crossing Traffic

We walked over the canal, then down onto the far bank, downstream to the road bridge then back to Mavis.

The Canal

There looks to be a good cycle path by the canal which we will explore at some stage.

Boats are raised up in a lock by the bridge.

Just Puttering Along

Sunbathing by the Loire

Those of you who have been following us for more than a few weeks will know that we swung through Van Gogh land….Arles…in March. Our friend Jane has sent us some interesting comments about the artist which I will quote in full for any art lovers out there:

‘I knew Van Gogh was up to something down there in La Sud, so it was interesting to hear that this was where he hung out and painted stuff. I don’t know much about him at all, but I think there was something about an ear? I think he may have bitten off his own ear. He was very poor and often hungry, so he may have eaten it with a green salad. He was a genius, of course. Very few people can successfully bite off their own ear.’

Tagged with: Aire, canal, cycling, digoin, france, loire, Mavis, motorhome, photography
Posted in - France, 2013 Spring, Bourgogne, Digoin

Whelkome to South Korean Cuisine.

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Peter and Nia — 2 Comments

We are at Camping de Sologne, 43 miles south of Orleans. This is a pleasant medium sized ACSI site on a lake in the small town of Salbris. ( GPS N 47.430214 E 2.054411 )

The Lake at Camping de Sologne

The site was recommended to us by Barry and Val, a delightful couple that we met in Pont de L’Arche. Barry is involved in the export of whelks to South Korea where they are valued for their perceived aphrodisiac qualities.