T4rdis2 Tour 2 - Day 26 - 29 Northeastern France and Germany

Day 26

Tuesday 26th July 2016.  Hottest day yet. The Temperature gauge reached 33 degrees and we reached boiling point!

We didn’t really have a very good day today!  When we mention to people how we live  they seem to think it’s quite idyllic, and most of the time it is, however sometimes, the constant planning and moving can be quite hard work and stressful, and added to that, the ongoing heat and humidity  of the last few days had made us both a tad grumpy.  

So when we got up this morning and the temperature gauge was already touching 28 degrees, we weren’t in the best of humours. And today was the day that we planned to cross over into Germany which meant we had to come to terms with new road signage and language, and also the Aires had now changed to Stellplatze and the only book that we’ve got telling us about them is written in German!

Crossing over into Germany into the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, was as simple as continuing to drive along the road, so immediately after we were over the border we set off on our first mission which was to obtain an ‘umweltplaket’ that would allow us to enter low emission zones of which there are many in Germany.  This was accomplished easily and quickly, but after that we encountered several irritating misfortunes that didn’t improve our humour at all, especially as the interior of T4rdis2 was around 35 degrees and we were melting!  



First we ended up driving in the wrong direction and had to turn tail and retrace our tyre tracks, then we got stuck in a traffic jam for nearly an hour (the first we have encountered on this tour), and then the Stellplatze we wanted to stay on was closed - and by this time John had had more than enough of driving and just wanted to get parked up for the evening!  

We ended up staying on a bit of rough ground that called itself a Stellplatze near the town of Mullheim, but it served a purpose - it let us rest and gave us time to make a proper ongoing plan for the next few days.

Day 27

Wednesday 27th July 2016 - It’s cooler - only 26 degrees today and with some cloud cover!

The Church at Todtnau

Our plan for today was to drive up into the hills of Schwarzwald - The Black Forest, specifically initially to visit Todtnau and it’s Tourist Information Office.  Then we thought we would continue our journey to Lake Titisee and spend a few days on a camp site there which would allow us to time to explore the area more toughly.  However, when we arrived at Todtnau after another lovely mountain drive, we discovered a very pleasant Stellplatze that wasn't marked in our book and plenty of walking routes in the area, so for tonight we are staying put.  






Following lunch we set off to find The Hangloch waterfall - at 97 metres it is the highest natural fall in Germany - so as you would imagine, it was all uphill to get there.  However, thankfully we were mostly walking in dappled shade and there was also a nice breeze that cooled us as we went.

We did think that after all the dry hot weather there might not be much to see, but the water fell in two huge pretty cascades so our effort in getting there was amply rewarded, and we were also able to watch, on the opposite side of the ravine, a huge toboggan run and cable cars that took mountain bikers up the hill, thus allowing them to come down under their own steam! Sharon, it would have been just your cup of tea so fingers crossed there will be something similar in the Czech Republic!


Day 28
Thursday 28th July 2016 - Another nice cool day - only 24 degrees!




This morning we left our Stellplatze at Todtnau and headed deeper into the Black Forest passing by deep ravines and chugging up steep hills to reach the lake at Titisee where we planned to splash out and spend the next couple of nights on a campsite. When we arrive the site seemed fairly packed but we were offered a choice of about 20 pitches, and most with a lake view, so T4rdis2 was soon snuggled in amongst lots of other campers of many nationalities.







Then we had a lazy lunch before toddling off into the lovely town itself - and it really was as if it had been painted on a picture post-card. The streets were absolutely spotless and full of pretty flowers, as well as numerous shops selling everything from bread in a bottle (not ships) to cuckoo clocks. We also found something that vaguely looked like bacon but when the shop keeper gave me a taste it seemed to be more like tough shoe leather so we declined to buy.





And finally, we couldn't quite resist the invitation of Germany's most favourite alcoholic tipple - which is beer of course! Apparently they drink an average of 100 litres per year per person, so we settled down in a beer garden right beside the lake and purchased a drop of their famous black beer to start our tally! Cheers to you all - and very nice it was too.






Day 29
Friday 29th July 2016 - Another warm mostly sunny day

This morning we set off to walk around the lake - a distance of about 8kms - so we weren't really expecting it to take us to long, but it was a very pretty. To start we climbed up a steep path on to a heavily wooded plateau where we found lots of ancient pines lining our way, along with numerous signs identifying it as a winter cross country sky route. When we came across a bench with a pair of skis on it I think John got a bit confused as to the activity he was surpossed to be undertaking!

I eventually pausuaded him to get down and walk, and as we continued on our way we came across what was surpossed to be a beaver pond! We couldn't spot any beavers but we did find this little family of ducklings all snuggled up and taking a nap. Then, quite quickly we were back in the town of Titisee so we took advantage of one of it's pretty lake side parks to sit and have our lunch, before returning to T4rdis2 for another lazy afternoon of reading and, for me, napping. Tomorrow we plan to move on, first to lake Schluchsee, and then onto the River Rhine, where hopefully, we'll be a bit more energetic and get our bikes out again to do a bit more peddling.

Anyway, bye for now xx

T4rdis2 Tour2 -Day 21 - 25 Northeastern France

Day 21
Thursday 21st July 2016 - Morning very hot and afternoon humid with 1 torrential downpour

This morning we left our little campsite at Gerardmer and headed off to drive through the Vosges mountain range - specifically to follow part of the 83km Route Des Crete's.   We hadn't been on the road long when the climbing started, and as it was still very hot at this stage, we were very glad to have engine power rather than peddle power for our journey!  This area boasts 60% forestation with firs, pines, spruces and beech along the roadsides, and at times the trees did obscure the magnificent views, however when the vistas did reveal themselves they were breath-taking in their beauty with glacial lakes, flower filled meadows, deep valleys and cliffs all available to be admired.  Therefore, regular stops were necessary because to take ones eye of the twisty road with it's frequent hair-pin bends would have been to court disaster!

Now, I've already said the day was hot and humid, but as time passed cloud was also rolling in, so when we got to the highest point, which is at 1424 metres at The Grand Ballon, the mist was sweeping up the valley and shrouding everything in ghostly shadow, and unfortunately obscuring our view somewhat! Therefore, we aimed T4rdis2 at our next destination, which was to be an Aire in the village of Orschwihr on the Alsace wine route, but we have promised ourselves that we will return to this area sometime in the near future.



And it really was a good job we hadn't delayed because we had only just parked when the heavens opened with an absolute torrential  downpour.   We thought it might help to cool things down a bit, but  no, all it did was to make it even more humid, and the noise on the outside of the van was thunderous,  poor John had to take his hearing aids out cos it was deafening him!

The Aire is really very pretty (and free) and the village in which it is situated boasts no less than 27 'wine caves' - I think we might like it here!  It is also surrounded by rolling fields of vines as far as the eye can see, so later in the afternoon, when the rain had stopped, we strolled out around the village and up through the vineyards.   Here, we were very surprised to note the lack of any form of irrigation - we were later to learn that this is not allowed in this region - the vines have to rely completely on the weather for a drink!

Then later, when we were back home, a little tap came on the door.  It was one of the 'Cave' owners inviting us to come for a tour and tasting tomorrow - we'd planned to move on but it would have been rude to decline!

Day 22
Friday 22nd July 2016 -  Humid and hot in the morning - rain and much cooler in the afternoon (maybe we'll sleep better tonight!)

The plan for today was to go for our wine tasting in the morning and then to move on further up the road in the afternoon - it's a good job we can be flexible!  The morning went as planned and we were at the wine cave by about 10.30 and met by the lovely Marie Albrecht who spoke excellent English.

She showed us through their cellars and explained about the processes from picking the grapes to the finished product.  She also explained that, here in the Alsace region there are only 7 different grapes used and none of them are mixed or blended.  The Whites they produce are Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat d'Alsace, Pinot Gris,and Gewurztraminer, and the only Red is Pinot Noir.  She also explained that any of them can also be fermented a 2nd time (in the same way that champagne is) to become sparking Cremant d'Alsace - a bottle of which she gave us free along with our purchases.  The winery could trace it's origins right back to the 15th century, and Marie was able to show us her family tree, along with many other artefacts that had been used in  wine production over the centuries.


Now usually, John and I are red wine drinkers, but while we've been in France, and because it's been so hot, we've taken to having an occasional tipple of white and thoroughly enjoyed it.  So for our tasting we chose to try Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, but maybe what we hadn't banked on was the fact that Marie would be very generous and bring out different vintages of each, thus resulting in 5 or 6 little tipples - all absolutely delicious, but thus our departure from the village will have to be delayed till tomorrow!



Of course, after all the time Marie had spent with us, and because we'd enjoyed our visit so much, we did purchase some of their goods, possibly with a plan to save them till we meet up with our friends Sharon and Paul in the Czech Republic in August - but that will depend very much on how good our will power is (so don't bank on it Sharon)! 

Then it was back to T4rdis2 for lunch and a very lazy afternoon - but as I'm writing this the rain is pouring and it's lovely and cool so for the rest of the day it will be feet up - and just maybe we'll crack the first bottle!

And finally, huge congratulations to our daughter Sarah on landing your fantastic new job xxx


Day 23
Saturday 23rd July 2016 - A bit cloudy but with some sunshine. Heavy rain showers in the late afternoon

This morning we left our pretty little Aire at Orschwihr and headed for a commercial one at Kayserberg which we had been told (by Marie at the winery) wasn't so nice.   It turned out to be  just a big 'car park', however it has lovely views over the vine and forest clad hills all around it, and it's very convenient because it's only a few minuets walk from the very impressive town centre.  Kayserberg isn't mentioned in our guide book so we didn't really know what to expect, but it turned out to be a very pretty little gem with numerous medieval buildings and colourful flowers strewn all about.

As you enter the town  you soon come to the Weiss river that requires you to cross over a 16th Century stone bridge that is framed by several half timbered buildings.  This leads into the main streets where you are quickly surrounded by more ancient buildings that have flowers leaking from every orifice, and that house all manner of shops, cafes and bars.


We were also interested to find that Kayserberg was the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer, a winner of the Nobel Peace prize related to his establishing a hospital and leper colony in Africa.

We wandered around the streets for quite a while, mostly only window shopping, but occasionally we were quite amused by some of the goods on offer!  I think John quite wanted to buy the whisky product on the left but the name quite put me off, and I'm not fed up of him enough yet to buy the one on the right!

Eventually the heavy showers got the better of us and we just made it back to T4rdis2 without getting a proper soaking, but on the way back John popped into the loo and was even more amused with the signs in there!

One of the things we did purchase was Munster Cheese - another product of this area, and one that is supposed to be incredibly smelly.  As we had plenty of time on our hands when we got back we decided to scoff it quick  - we've had experience of stored smelly French cheese before and we know that every time you open the fridge door it stinks the van out!









On a more serious note, we've just been reading about the ferry crossing chaos in Dover - where people are being standard for many hours because of the increased security checks at the port. We're very glad we missed that and made our crossing when we did!


Day 24
Sunday 24th July 2016 - A bit overcast all day but it remained hot and humid with rain promised for later!

Happy Birthday Val - Hope you had a lovely day xxx

More heavy rain had been promised for today so we were quite undecided what to do this morning, but our guide book highlighted the town of Riqewihr as being the prettiest on the Alsace wine route, and as we're only about 4 miles away from it we decided to walk over and see if we agreed.  Our walk led us though more vine clad paths where we tried to distinguish between the different grape varieties, but all we really noted was that the vines were very heavily laden with  fruit, so hopefully, there will be a very good harvest to come.

The hilly terrain that we were walking through allowed us to look down on Riquewihr before we arrived, and from a distance it didn't look very remarkable.  However, once we entered the town properly we found a maze of narrow cobbled alleys with overhanging geranium clad balconies and galleried courtyards that are overlooked by more half timbered brightly painted medieval buildings.

If you look carefully the
signs say Duck,
DONKEY and Deer! But what do you
think they are!

The streets were also very thronged with visitors, stalls and restaurants that spilled into the walkways thus depriving us of  a quite corner to partake of our picnic.   We did eventually find a nice spot however at the side of the old ramparts where numerous sparrows came to join us, and the air was filled with the perfume of flowers that were blooming from an old cart that had wine barrels mounted on it.


Then it was back to the comfort of T4rdis2, and as I'm writing this it's about 6pm and the promised rain still hasn't arrived - I think we should ignore the weather man from now on!


Day 25
Monday 25th July 2016 - Another scorching day - temperature in the van 32 degrees!


This morning we left our Aire at Kayserberg and headed a few miles up the road to The Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg - a huge fortress that looms 2500 feet above the pretty Village of St-Hippolyte.  To get there we trailed up the steep hillside, only to find hundreds of people had arrived before us, but luckily, T4rdis2 managed to sneak into just about the last available parking place, and then we were required to walk the last half a mile in the very hot sunshine, however it was well worth the effort.

The building team

The castle can trace it's origins back to the 12th century, but the original was destroyed in 1462, and then following it's re-building it was destroyed for a second time by fire in 1633.  Then for a couple of hundred years it stood as a ruin until the architect Bodo Ebhardt restored it at the beginning of the 20th century as a precise reconstruction of the original.

It's very hard to find words to describe this magnificent and breathtaking reconstruction of a feudal chateau with it's mellow sandstone walls, it's fierce drawbridge, it's pointed corner turret and rings of fortifications that would have provided additional protection for it's inhabitants.   Our tour also took us through creaky arcaded galleries and gloomy Gothic chambers, many of which were complete with furniture,  frescos that adorned the walls, as well as myriads of hunting trophies.

We also had the opportunity to visit the kitchen area where we viewed a wine cask dating from 1670 - apparently the oldest in existence in the Alsace and capable of holding 8,500 litres of the good stuff!

And can you guess what the picture on the right is? The answer is at the bottom of the page!

I'm not sure what he
was playing but it was very
nice!

Eventually, we tore ourselves away, mostly because we were starving, then we dropped back down the hill to a pretty little picnic spot where we had the pleasure of watching Monsieur Stork while we ate.

And finally, we headed for a camp site that is very near to the German border, because our plan for tomorrow it to continue our adventure in a new country.  However, at the moment my only access to the internet is via our 3 modem, but as Germany isn't a 'Feel at Home' country the cost to use that will be extortionate, so my blogging may be interrupted until  we manage to source 'a pay as you go sim'.





So for now I'll say 'Goodbye', but hopefully I'll be back soon with our continuing saga!
Take care xx  


62 metre deep well that was dug in the middle ages!

T4rdis2 Tour 2 - Day 17 - 20 Northeastern France

Day 17
Sunday 17th July 2016 - Blazing hot all day, and not a puff of breeze!

We didn't really do much today because it was just to darn hot!  We moved house - about 70kms up the road - from the Richardmenil Aire to one at Thaon Les Vosges - a place that seems to be very popular with French Motor-homers!  We just managed to nip into the last available space, and once again we're parked right on the edge of a canal that has frequent boats pottering up and down.  Following lunch we did consider getting our bikes out, but in the end all we managed was a little potter around the pretty village before we flaked out, and like all the other guests here, just contented ourselves with relaxing in the sunshine.  However, even that proved to be more than we could manage, because the burning sun soon resulted in chasing the shade around T4rdis2 as it's shadow moved - so why didn't we just go inside - well, even with all the windows open the indoor temperature was touching 38 degrees - like I say - just to darn hot!  Oh and dinner, that had to be postponed till about 9pm when it was ever so slightly cooler.


Day 18
Monday 18th July 2016 - Another scorcher!

The morning dawned with clear blue skies and the promise of more lovely sunshine, however after yesterdays laziness we were determined to go out today, and we thought we would be cooler on our bikes than walking.  Therefore, following breakfast I soon got on with the job of packing our picnic, and I thought I could use some of the speciality meat we had brought on our last shopping expedition.  In the packet it looked like little slices of herb coated ham - yummy I thought.  However, when I opened it up it turned out to be little slices of herb coated ham held together with a thick glutinous jelly substance which I didn't quite like the look of.

John manfully tried it and said 'not too bad' so he got it in his baguette, me, I settled for much more traditional English fare - vintage cheddar cheese and pickle - but English supplies are running low now so maybe in the near future I will have to be more adventurous!






Anyway, once our picnic was packed we set off along the canal and river side, and all in all we covered a neat 52kms, and even though the sun was unremitting, the breeze we created as we zoomed along kept us reasonably cool.

The view form our lunch spot

However, the scenery was much the same  as our previous forays of the last few days, but we were quite happy because I don't think we will ever tire of watching the herons that flap up form nowhere, the fish that regularly jump up to snare insects, along with the iridescent damsel and dragon flies that often seem to try and race along at our sides.


Tomorrow we plan to move again, nearer to the German border, but specifically to Lake Gerardmer, and we might even treat ourselves to a campsite for a few days - so far, out of 18 nights we've only paid for 3 so I think the budget can stand it, and besides, the washing cupboard is getting a bit full.






Day 19
Tuesday 19th July 2016 - another raging hot day with cloudless skies

As planned this morning we moved on to a little campsite within spitting distance of Lake Gerardmer and we've got a lovely shady spot under some trees.  By the time we were settled in, had  lunch and done the washing the afternoon was wearing on, but we still took some chill time to sit and enjoy a sip of beer and a good book.   Therefore, by the time we pottered down to the lake side it was about 5ish but no cooler, and it was still very busy with families bathing, boating and generally messing about on the water.

After a while we did pause to sit on a semi shaded bench but the area was heaving with big ants - and John said it looked like I'd got Tourette's with all the flapping about I did while trying to prevent them from crawling on me!  So we didn't linger to long before exploring the busy streets of the village that were full of colourful eateries and the usual tourist shops.  Then it was back to T4rdis2 where we sat out in the warm evening and watched the sun disappear over the pine tree clad hills.  Tomorrow we'll try and be a bit more active but another very hot day is forecast.  Oh, and surprise surprise, we've taken a very big liking to chilled French white wine!

Day 20
Wednesday 20th July 2016 - even hotter if that's possible, and not a cloud in the sky!

We seem to be alternating between lazy days, and ones where we are a bit more active - and today was to be the latter  and more cycling was planned - John did say there was a hill to go up, but he failed to mention just how steep it was going to be - our first ride out in the Vosges very nearly defeated us!

We left T4rdis2 at about 10.30, and almost straight away we found ourselves poddling up gentle slopes which I mistakenly thought was the hill that John had mentioned - BIG MISTAKE - we had only covered about 2kms when we reached The Route Forestiere  and where the climb  really started, and only probably another 500 metres more before the steepness knocked us of and changed our planned ride into a 'cyclo-hike'.  Indeed, the hill rampt up so sharply, and the searing heat from the sun sapped our energy so much that we/I were even struggling to push, and later we both admitted that, at that stage, nausea nearly got the better of us!  However, we did persevere, only to be dismayed as a gentleman of about 60 years shot by us with great ease on his mountain bike - he was being very ably assisted by a battery - maybe we need one of those!













Eventually (just before I was ready to give up) the climb became much more gentle, and thankfully more shaded, as we cycled along the pine tree clad road admiring the steep ski slopes that exited on our left and that would have provided a very quick way down - it wouldn't have been for us but my bezzie mate Sharon might have considered it!

Anyway, it was onwards and upwards until we spied a bench overlooking the lake in the valley below, and we both quickly agreed it was a perfect place to stop for coffee even though we had only ridden/walked about 6kms.  We sipped our coffee and then set off again, and it was here that John gained an extra mile in distance over what I did!  We'd gone about half a mile up the never ending hill when I suddenly realised I'd left my sun glasses behind on the bench - it's a good job I've got a Knight in a shining Tourmalet Shirt!








Our ride continued up the gentle slope, and eventually, when we had gained 3253 feet in height, we found ourselves able to change of our granny rings and pick up a bit of speed as the terrain became more level. The road eventually lead us to our picnic site at Fontane Charles Ferry - a crystal clear and icy cold water spout that looked as if it might have been drinking water.   While we were eating a French chap came along and filled his water bottle from it, but we weren't quite brave/stupid enough to risk it, we made do with our lukewarm squash that we had brought from home, and I just contented myself with splashing it over face arms and legs - and the coolness of it felt like bliss!


From there it was the long charge downhill, but in many places the tarmac looked to be  melting and sliding down with us, so my maximum speed only got up to 34mph, and my brakes by the time I got to the bottom - red hot - but better safe than sorry.  And John was right, it was only a 20km ride, but under the conditions it was quite far enough and when we got back to T4rdis2 we were both quite happy to put our feet up and do not a lot in the afternoon.

Later we'll have to make a decision whether to move on tomorrow or to stay put on our lovely little campsite spot.  Unsurprisingly, there are thunderstorms forecast but we've agreed to wait till morning and decide what we're going to do then - oh boy, it's a hard life!

T4rdis2 Tour 2 - Day 12 - 16 Northern France

Day 12
Tuesday 12th July 2016.  Mostly Sunny but with heavy rain in the evening and overnight

We're parked up on a small Aire right at the side of the River Meuse in the village of Bogny, and for the next couple of days we plan to spend our time cycling, today in one direction, and tomorrow in the opposite one.  Therefore, once we'd finished breakfast we hoisted our bikes out of the garage and set off towards the town of Revin, however right from the start  I had a couple of new odd noises coming from my bike that were a bit unnerving.  This resulted in us stopping on several occasions for John to fiddle and twiddle, but despite his best efforts the rubbing sound and an unrhythmic clunking  persisted. 

However, despite those little disturbances our ride was quite lovely as we followed the dedicated tarmacked cycle way that runs along side the River Meuse for many miles.   As we passed through the villages of Montherme, Deville and Laifour the sun was shining warmly on us, and along our way we frequently passed under both new and old bridges that were  festooned with bright summer flowers, and had flags fluttering from them.

 
Then, as we neared our goal of Revin we cycled through a tunnel that was 224 metres long, and showered us with icy cold water that dripped form it's craggy ceiling as causing us both to shiver when a well aimed drip dropped down our necks.







By the time we reached Revin we had covered 27 kilometres, and as we would need to do the same for our return journey back to T4rdis2 we decided not to go any further - 54 kilometres would be enough for one day!

When we got home John was fairly determined to fix my bike, (because the noise was getting on his nerves!),  and also his own bike which had been making a clicking noise for quite a while.  So, out came his 'if any one can fix it Grandad can' T-shirt, and in no time at all both problems seemed to be cured!








Day 13
Wednesday 13th July 2016.  Heavy cloud and rain but occasional sunny periods.

This morning it was a 'shall we risk it day'.  The rain had pitter pattered on T4rdis2's  roof for most of the night, and while we were having  breakfast it looked a bit ominous, but our plans had already been made so we decided to stick to them, and additionally, John wanted to check out if his little tweaks had fixed our bike problems. 


And to start with, all seemed well - as we set off it was fine and warm, but we had only gone a few kilometres when the grey dark clouds begun to gather - and then the heavens opened with a deluge that forced us to quickly don our coats and take shelter under a tree.  The huge rain drops were literally bouncing about 6 inches from the ground, and the track soon looked similar to the river it was running next too, but luckily it didn't last long.  Another 6 kilometres saw us taking our coats off again, and from there for a while it was on, off, on, off, until we reached our lunch spot just after the town of Charleville-Mezieres,  when the sun came out so at least we didn't have to endure soggy baguettes!

Babies that we saw along the way - good job it's not venison

for tea tonight!

But oh dear, after lunch, the rain set in with a vengeance and we had 25 kilometres to cover for our return journey, in fact at one point, I thought John had taken a wrong turn and led me under a waterfall - it was just like riding into a cold continuous torrent!    Oh well, it was all good fun and, as always happens we eventually made it home - albeit in a rather soggy state, but nothing a nice warm cup of tea didn't quickly fix!  However, we did feel a bit sorry for our neighbours - we'd seen them back down the track sheltering under a bridge without any waterproof gear.  We've been back for an hour now and the rain hasn't stopped -  I'm sure that eventually they would just have had to get back on and ride in the rain but they had at least 10kms to go so I bet they were soggier than us!

Oh and the clunking - still there but not so loud!


Day 14
Thursday 14th July 2016 -  Mostly sunny but with occasional showers

Well, what a night that was!  We hadn't realised that today was Bastille Day - the celebration of the storming of the Bastille Prison in 1789 - and  festivities started late last night here in Bogny.  We had just settled down in bed at about 11.15, and no sooner had our heads touched our pillows than the fireworks started - and I've never heard such loud bangs - they caused the van to shudder and the actual atmosphere seemed to vibrate at times!  The major organised really loud ones went on for about 45 minuets, but less organised pops and fizzles continued till about 1am!  So this morning we were a bit reluctant to rise, but as we had planned to continue our journey, rise we did.


We aimed T4rdis2 for a place called Verdun where more fierce fighting took place in World War 1 and where there are many more memorials and cemeteries.  It was somewhere that we hadn't particularly heard of before but our guide book informed us that Verdun will be forever remembered for the horrors of the 1916 Battle of Verdun where about a million men died in a year of continuous bloodshed that was considered to be the worst single battle of the whole war.

We visited The Ossuaire du Douaumont - a building that contains the unidentified bones of over 130,000 French and German dead, and it is said that it also acts as a sentinel that watches over the regiments of graves that now occupy the battlefield below. There are 16,000 of them and every single one is marked with a rose bush.  We were also able to explore parts of the Thiaumont Plateau with it's many bomb craters and ridges that are a memento of it's bloody history from the constant bombardments it suffered, and it was here that we read a quote from one of the Officers

'Heavy shells fell continuously over all visible terrain, in the most fiercest moments up to 10 explosions per second are visible; at other times it's slightly less, but there are 12 hour periods without a single second of respite.  The ground shakes and everything, both around and inside us is constantly vibrating'

Another quote said (while talking about the partly obliterated trenches)

'it was here amidst the pestilential odour of decomposing corpses that French Soldiers went to ground for days, at times chilled to the bone and huddled together for warmth, with the only instruction - "to hold firm"'

One cannot imagine the horrific deprivations these poor men must have suffered.

From here we moved on to The Musee - Memorial de Fleury, but only to find more horrific information concerning how the civilians in the area suffered.  The story of Fleury-devant-Dauaumont - one of 8 villages in the area that was totally destroyed by the battles.  On 21st February 1916 the order was given to evacuate the village, so in the snow and ice families, many with small children, crowded into carts, or walked leading their livestock.

The village was completely destroyed  with only a huddle of smoking ruins to mark it's place.  However, in 1972 Fleury's streets were resurrected as a memorial, and a marker was placed at the location of each house or business.  We found the butchers, the wash house, the blacksmith shop, the school and the Town Hall,  and to allow visitors to walk amongst them, walkways have been laid out amongst the shell craters and newly planted trees.






Our day had been a very sombre and thought provoking one, so when we had finished all our visiting we were very glad to find ourselves tucked away beside the huge peaceful Lac de Madine watching the changing colours of the sky as the sun set behind us.


Day 15
Friday 15th July 2015  -  A bit cloudy but with long bright sunny periods.

We've had a quite day today - but we're very saddened to hear about the tragic going's on in Nice.

We passed by fields of sunflowers for as far as the eye could see

We've now left the Champagne region behind and we're heading deeper into the Alsace and Lorraine region which is in the Northeast corner of France.  Our aim for today was to do some more food shopping, to service T4rdis2 and then aim for a little Aire at Richardmenil where we had read valuable electricity would be available (for free) so that we could have a recharging session - computers, vacuum cleaner etc!  The Aire turned out to be a little gem in a wooded area with the Canal des Vosges and the River Moselle passing close by, and within easy cycling distance of The Lorranine's Capital - Nancy.  So, we'll be staying put for a couple of nights and Nancy will be tomorrows target.


Day 16
Saturday 16th July 2015 - Warm and sunny but with some cloud cover.

This morning as planned we set off for the UNESCO listed university city of Nancy, and as usual here in France, we could get all the way into the city by using dedicated cycle ways.  Nancy was about 20kms away from where T4rdis2 was parked, and for most of the ride we were peddling along a canal tow path admiring the numerous birds and brightly coloured insects and wild flowers as we went.

When we first arrived in the outskirts of Nancy I thought we were going to be disappointed with the city because the suburbs were a bit scruffy and littered, but once we reached the centre we were well and truly wowed.  We were aiming for the 18th century Place Stanislas which was named after a Polish king, and is laid out in an elegant square enclosed by ornate gilded wrought iron gates and railings which have been beautifully restored.


The square is lined with huge hotels, posh eateries, and has ornate fountains in two corners, and there is also a spectacular Arc de Triomphe, that once we had passed through, led us into The manicured tree lined Place de la Carriere with it's Gothic Palais du Gouvernement at the end.

From there we admired Nancy's Basilique St Epvre before nipping into the Parc de la Pepiniere to partake of our picnic lunch - we didn't think that in our bike gear we were quite dressed for the posh nosh restaurants - and really I think we picked the better place anyway.   The park was festooned with flowers and there was a beautiful roseraie from which drifted a lovely aroma that seemed to envelope the whole area.

Basilique St Epvre 

Following lunch we retraced our tracks back along the canal, and now that John has had another go at curing my bikes clanking, we're going to sit in the lovely evening sunshine and sip a drop of Pinot Gris, so I'll sign off quickly for now before it gets warm.

Take care x