Alsace trip, 2 April

Although where we were driving was technically from Strasbourg to Mulhouse, the Satnav took us mostly through Germany and almost to the Swiss border. We thought we were going to be stopped crossing into France, as the van in front of us was, and I was just about to go and rootle out our passports from the cupboard where they live while we are travelling when they waved us through.

We arrived here at the Ecomusée d'Alsace at about noon, and parked up in their Aire, such is very nice and peaceful, or would be were it not for braying donkeys, screaming peacocks and clattering storks! 

After an early lunch we went to the museum, and very interesting it was, too. Some houses and sheds made us feel old, having stuff we remembered from our childhoods, but not all. We would have liked to have seen the milking, but it didn't happen and I rather suspect the cow was dry. We did, however, see smiths, carpenters and saddlers at work, and ate locally-baked goodies. And there was a drink of local liqueur given out - took one's head off, but still!

Alsatian houses, though, were much of a muchness - the front door led into the kitchen (if it was 2 floors the was a lobby for the stairs), with the "Stube" or living-room on the right. This was where you are, slept and entertained visitors, and was probably the only room that was heated, usually by a big ceramic stove.  The one we saw had a great bench all round it, instant press, I shouldn't wonder!  If there was another room, it would be to the left of the front door.

By the end of the afternoon my head was spinning rather, but it was nevertheless well worth visiting.

Alsace Trip, 1 April

I went back to sleep after my alarm went off​, oh dear, so we were not very early setting off!  But once we had had breakfast and tidied up (so necessary, in such a small space), and I had been very clever indeed and managed to tether my Kindle to my phone to download a book I had bought that was published today, we were set for the day.

We walked into town the pretty way, via an oxbow lake, and our first port of call was the tourist office where we bought day tickets for public transport, and found out about sightseeing trips, which here are done by boat. To get into Strasbourg, at least until the end of this month, one gets a no 21 bus from outside the tourist office, and changes to the tram at the end of the line.  The tram is being extended out here, but won't be ready until the end of the month.

We arrived in the centre of Strasbourg and had a lovely walk around the old town, enjoying the sights, and then had lunch - traditional Flammekueche, with beer, and an ice to follow - before getting on our boat. The tour takes you right round the island on which the old town is built, and then out to the European quarter, where there are the Parliament buildings and the European Court of Human Rights.  You then return to your starting point. Thoroughly enjoyable, but not very comfortable, alas.

When we got off, we walked back to the nearest tram stop, and decided, just because we could, to take a tram back out to the European quarter, and then back to the main railway station, as we had been told it had been built while Alsace was a German city under Kaiser Wilhelm, and we wanted to see whether it was as overblown Gothic as Metz station is. Well, the European buildings were almost more impressive at street level, and we passed a load of Art Nouveau houses, which was apparently a Thing here back in the day.

The station was, indeed, a Gothic palace, but has a modern atrium built out the front, like Kings Cross, which spoils it slightly. However, we made use of the facilities and I bought some coconut water since I was really thirsty. I don't like it much, but it is very refreshing.

The tram back to Germany was in the basement of the station, which was rather fun, like a metro, and the next excitement was that the bus was stopped by the border police and our passports were checked!  Then we couldn't find the entrance to the shopping centre and walked all round it, and of course it was where I had said it was all along, but still. So we did some unexpected German shopping and then walked the hundreds of miles (it felt like) back to the motor home, where it was fortunately beer o'clock....

Alsace Trip, 31 March

We were up betimes this morning - well, the Swan Whisperer was - we had been told the bread van would arrive about 8:00, which it duly did. After breakfast, we went for a walk into the village which was very pretty,

but sadly one could not do a round trip, but had to walk back the way we came. Then we said goodbye to our hosts - we will certainly go back there - and set off to drive round a few more very pretty little villages until we reached the banks of the Rhine, where we had lunch. I drove for about 10km, gradually gaining confidence, but I do find it heavy to drive.

After lunch we came down the motorway to Strasbourg, where we had hoped to spend two nights, but the aire there was closed, although the services were open.  So we crossed the river to Kehl, a suburb of Strasbourg that is actually in Germany (how are we going to manage after Brexit if we need visas for every separate country?), and found a very nice aire here with services.

The Swan Whisperer went for a walk and when he came back we had a cup of tea and then walked into the town to find somewhere to have a celebration meal, as it is our wedding anniversary.  We found a nice resto that did us very well indeed, and are about to wander back to the motor home. All the signs here are in two languages, and we hear more French than German spoken!

Alsace Trip, 30 March

We had obviously travelled far enough east for the time zone to behave itself, as when the alarm went off at 07:30, it was light, which it totally hadn't been in Calais yesterday.  The Swan Whisperer went for a run and came back via the bakery, armed with croissants and a baguette.  We then discovered the services were out of use, unfortunately​ after we had put in €2, rather than before.

So we programmed the Satnav to take us to the services in Reims, on the grounds that they would be more likely to be working than the ones in the next village. And, indeed, they were. We had a bit of trouble finding them, as they had barred of the end of the obvious road to go down, but a very kind man redirected us.  When we got there, they were behind a barrier, but there was a telephone number to ring, which i did, and the person on the other end gave me the barrier code (in English - I think he was American}, and they were working perfectly plus there was rubbish and recycling.  So we made the van comfortable and then set off.

I had thought we might like to have lunch in Nancy, but it became rather obvious that we were not going to arrive there until nearly 14:00, by which time lunch would have been over, so we stopped in a small town called Void-Vacon and found a place recommended by Google. I had a steak with "pommes aux robes de champs" (boiled or steamed potatoes served in their skins) which came with sour cream, and a bit of lettuce, and the Swan Whisperer had a "Salade Vosgienne", which had ham and potatoes as well as the usual salad stuff.  Then he had a custard tart and I had an apple one, and we both had coffee.  I also had a beer (of course!).  It was good value for money, but not outstandingly good, we thought.

We then set off again and, after stopping in the outskirts of Navy to get diesel and a spot of shopping, really had a lovely drive across country, through tiny little villages, past fields and woodlands. I even saw two storks in a field!  Eventually we arrived here, in the village of Obersteinbach, which sounds as if it ought to be in Austria, and is very near the German border, but still in France. It is one of the farms in the France Passion network, where you can park up for the night and they offer you a chance to buy their products, in this case mostly goat cheese. I bought plain, black pepper and sesame, and I regret to say we sat down and tasted them on a Hob Nob with a cup of tea, in a greedy sort of way!

Then we went over to the milking-parlour to watch the goats being milked, which was fun and enough different from the cows milking we know about to be really interesting.

And now the Swan Whisperer has gone for a walk, and I am relaxing before supper, which will be eggs and bacon as we had a full meal at lunch, and will doubtless eat out tomorrow as it is our wedding anniversary.

Alsace Trip, 29 March

I fell asleep on the crossing last night, but woke up when we drove over the junction between the carriages on our way off the train. The back of the van is not sprung!  We parked up in Cité Europe as usual - huge numbers of motor homes in the parking; last time it was just us.

I didn't sleep terribly well, but we got up at about 08:30 French time (do bear in mind that last week it would have been 06:30 UK time!), although we didn't get away until 11:00, what with doing a bit of shopping, etc.  We decided not to pay motorway tolls, so the Satnav took us via Lille and Valenciennes, almost to Belgium (there was one place, only a few yards, where we couldn't have been nearer!).

We had a couple of stops, including a relatively long lunch break, and arrived in this little town at about 5:00. It was just as well we were not later, as there is only room for five vans, and there were already two, obviously friends. So we parked up and went for a leg-stretch round what is a not very pretty little town, but full of champagne houses!

  When we got back to the van, the other three motor homes in the party has arrived and were a bit anxious.... we did offer to move over, but they squooshed themselves up and have fitted in somehow!

From Spain, Wednesday 18 January

It was bitterly cold in Calais, although we were snug and warm in bed, and the water didn't freeze.  We put the heating on when we woke, and it was lovely to get dressed in the relative warm!

I then had some bits of shopping to do, so after breakfast went over to the Carrefour and did that, and then we still had a bit of time, so we drove into Calais and said "Hello" to the Burghers, who were surrounded by a funfair.

And then we went into the Shuttle and were offered a crossing an hour earlier than scheduled, which was nice, so we took that and were home by 3:00 pm UK time, including a stop for lunch at Maidstone Services (our own lunch, not that sold by the services!).  And unpacked the van and did a couple of loads of washing.... and so it goes.  Lovely to be home, but we'll have itchy feet again very soon, no doubt.

From Spain, Tuesday 17 January

We basically spent all day driving up from just south of Poitiers up to Calais. We left our friends after breakfast, and stopped off at the Auchan in Poitiers for bread and diesel. Then we stopped for lunch a couple of hours later, and a final stop for a splash of expensive motorway diesel before coming straight to Buffalo Grill for our now-traditional Last Supper. 

As I didn't sleep very well last night, I slept a lot of the way, but it was a lovely day for driving, although cold. The trouble with driving days, though, is that there are few, if any, photo opportunities.

Tonight will be cold, but not as cold as in the Massif Central. All the same, bedsocks and hot water bottles, and rugs on top of the duvet.... cosy!