Early autumn holiday, 23 September

Gérardmer, or Gérômé, as it is pronounced locally.

So we are back in France, but not before shopping in Germany! I was delighted to score both Federweißer and a basket of squash to take home (I am about to drink at least some of the Federweißer!), among other things. 

We also stopped off at a DM, where I got various travel-sized bits and bobs.

Then we tried to get back into France, but roadworks on the bridge meant access was basically for cars and small vans only, and just too narrow for us, so we followed the lorry route which took us practically half way to Münich (I exaggerate) before getting back. We found out, too late, too late, that there would have been an intermediate route we could have taken, which would probably have been a great deal quicker. And then, if course, the Satnav had reset itself so it took us through the Saint-Dié tunnel, which we had asked it not to do! Pity it can't pay the toll for us, too!

We eventually arrived here and parked up in an enormous aire, which is free during the day, and just €7 overnight. I should have liked to have accompanied the SW on his walk, but feel rather tired and a bit achey - not unwell, just stiff - so decided it could wait until tomorrow, even though most of the shops will be shut. 

Early autumn holiday, 22 Se[ptember 2023

Kehl, Germany.

It's days like today when you know why you have a motor home and go on touring holidays rather than spending the time in one place!

We got up early this morning and we're away by 09:30, retracing our steps about 20 km to visit the town of Bitche (pronounced "Beach") which we had gone through yesterday and looked worth visiting.

Indeed it was. The motorhome aire was free, although we only used it to empty grey water (I believe buying water and rinsing one's loo out did cost about €2, but we didn't need to do that), and actually parked in the main car park. What we had come to visit was the Citadelle, which was up rather a steep slope - to my irritation, I couldn't manage it without a couple of stops for breath. But I got there in the end, and the SW was very patient with me!

Once we got there, we discovered that there was a path all the way round, about 1km long, and fairly flat, which they recommended you walk round, so that's what we did. It was seriously lovely, views both over the town and of the citadel itself, now a monument.

When we had gone all round it, we went back to the van and headed to a local Intermarché, where I did a shopping and the SW got diesel. I don't know why people say the French are unhelpful - this is almost never true in my experience, and today was no exception; the bill came to a little more than the authorised limit for contactless, and I'd left my credit cards in the WoMo - so she suggested I pay in two lots! Which I did. Very helpful.

Then it was time to head on - not very far today, just to Kehl, where we have been so many times before, usually much later in the year as a base for the Christmas markets in Strasbourg. The SW set the Satnav to cross the Rhine at a barrage - forget its name - and then take us up-river towards Kehl. It was lovely - you can't see the actual Rhine, as it is up a high embankment, but there is a small stream or canal flowing alongside - presumably for overflow purposes - which obviously has a lot of fish in it. We saw loads of heron, a coot or two, masses of swans, and a cormorant. I could not think what the latter was called, and had to have recourse to the silly poem about laying eggs in paper bags.

The aire is fuller than it usually is in December (such a surprise!) but there was still room for us. I would have liked to have gone into Kehl to shop, but when push came to shove, I realised I would get over-tired if I did; I still have to pace myself a bit despite being massively better. The SW set off to go to Strasbourg, but he missed a tram and then it started to rain, so he came back. And I had bought us choucroute for supper - we were, after all, in Alsace - so we have just eaten that, and I think it is time to close our shutters for the night. 

Early autumn holiday, 21 September 2023

Obersteinbach, Alsace 

I slept badly last night, with the result that I went back to sleep after my alarm clock had gone off, and didn't stir until gone 9. This put us late for the morning, and it wasn't until about 11:45 that we found ourselves in the blissfully warm waters of Thermapolis. We have been here twice before, and it was as good as ever, and rather less crowded. After a wonderful massage and pummelling that left me very relaxed and sleepy, we thought we had better do some shopping before lunch. 

However, when we arrived at the nearest E Leclerc, we found that the car park was surrounded by height barriers, so there was no way in for the likes of us! Well, if they don't want our custom, they needn't have it. Their loss! 

We had, we realised, parked up by a bakery, so I went in and bought a multigrain baguette and a couple of chaussons de pommes, and we had a nice lunch, albeit without the carrot salad the Swan Whisperer has been longing for (I didn't buy it when we arrived as we had some coleslaw to finish; that has now happened). 

Then it was time to head on to our next port of call, here at Obersteinbach. We have been here before , too, but it stopped being a France Passion host during the pandemic. I was delighted to see that it has started up again - it has now put in loos and a picnic area, as well as the barn where you can see the goats.

We bought some yoghurt at the farm shop, plus a saucisson sec and a couple of goats' cheeses, one pepper and one "Garden vegetables". And an ice-cream cone each.

As we have Plans for tomorrow, and want to get away early, the SW decided to go for a walk in the woods, as he does love it. However, the sky looked very threatening and just as he said he was about to go, the heavens opened! That was a fairly short shower, though, and he dodged the raindrops to go up to the border and see a rock formation he likes.

And then he came back and we had supper (tomato and vegetable sauce with tortellini and cheese), and it is raining and raining! I do love to hear the rain on the roof, but I hope it will be away before morning. 

Early Autumn Holiday, 20 September 2023

Amnéville. 

Bother, bother, bother! We realised today that I had - and the Swan Whisperer had not noticed I had - misdated the spreadsheet, so we have a day less than we thought. It actually doesn't really matter, though, as the campsite where we had been going to go on 29 September closes the next day for the winter, so we can just leave it out and have the planned rest day then. I think, though, we might have to find a launderette a little earlier, we shall see!

I wish I could say that the Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, but he is not yet quite able for that, but he did go for a walk/jog before breakfast. After it, we both went for a walk into the village of Montaigu, which wasn't particularly attractive.

Then I went to the farm shop where we were staying and bought some pâté, eggs and some "porc en gelée", which will make a nice meal sometime.

Then it was time to head on, first looking for a burger bar in a London bus which was supposed to be in the village, but we didn't find it, and then stopping at the next village to go to the bakery, where we bought quiches and a lemon and a rhubarb tart for lunch (so we haven't had the pâté yet, after all!).

We arrived here in Amnéville at about 16:30, and after taking on more water (we will use the rest of the services in the morning), we had a cup of tea, and then the Swan Whisperer went for a walk and I read and knitted. Tomorrow we will go to the Thermapolis, our main reason for going this way. I hope the weather will remain as glorious as it has been all day - even now, at 20:15, it is still very warm. 

Early autumn holiday, 19 September 2023

Montagu, near Laon

We didn't hurry this morning; the Swan Whisperer went to get croissants and a lovely fresh baguette for breakfast, and after it he emptied the loo and the grey, although he didn't bother taking on any more water as we already had plenty. 

We decided to drive most of the way on the motorway, as it would have been much slower on non--toll roads. However, first we went to the Auchan on the outskirts of Calais and I did a shop and the SW tried to buy gas, but neither he nor the cashier could make the cage open, so he gave up and had coffee instead. 

After that, it was a matter of driving along a rather dull motorway. We stopped for lunch in a service area, and then didn't stop again until we came off the motorway when the SW made another attempt to get gas, this time successfully.

It was not long after that that we arrived at this France Passion farm, where we were warmly welcomed. The shop won't be open until tomorrow morning, but we hope to buy some charcuterie there. And maybe some eggs and some farm honey, we'll see what they have. 

Madame warned us that she closed the main gate at night, but didn't say what time, so the SW was reluctant to go for a walk in case he got locked out. We plan to have a walk tomorrow morning before we head on. He lay on his bed and read, and I did a tai chi practice, read and knitted, and then got supper, which was pre-prepared kidneys in madeira sauce, new potatoes and carrots, followed by the most delicious chocolate mousse with raspberries on the bottom. And I treated us to patisseries for lunch as it was the first full day of the holidays!

Early autumn holiday, 18 September 2023

Calais, Rue d'Asfeld motor home park

One reason why I was a little stressed when the trains went wrong yesterday was because I knew there wouldn't be much time to unpack and repack before heading off again this morning. 

I had done as much packing as I could before I went to Bradford, but still had to sort out my overnight bag, and decide what knitting, etc, I wanted to take with me. And pack the second crate with stuff we needed until the last minute - tea bags, coffee (which I nearly forgot)), Marmalade, etc. And even then there seemed to be an awful lot of things to pack into various nooks and crannies. And I regretted not having packed the tomato chutney when we had our belated dinner! 

We finally set off at about 10:45 and half an hour later - not that we had gone that far as the traffic was terrible due to a road closure and the new LTNs - had to turn sadly back as the Swan Whisperer had left his phone behind. However, we arrived in Sussex at about 12:45, just in time for lunch. After which I went to sleep, but the SW was very energetic getting the motor home, transferring stuff from the car, unpacking that which needed to be unpacked, etc. 

We left Sussex at about 16:40 and had an uneventful journey to Folkestone, arriving at the terminal in time to be offered a crossing an hour earlier than the one we had booked on. So we said yes please, and went straight through passport control, etc, and only had to wait a very few minutes in the holding pens. An uneventful crossing, during which we finished unpacking, and then we drove to this aire in Calais, which is pretty busy, and the Swan Whisperer got supper, which we have now eaten and are about to have a cup of tea before going to bed! 

I haven't taken any photos today, so here is one of the cream tea I had on Saturday. 

Saltaire and Haworth

This weekend I'm in Bradford for the New Chalet Club Annual General Meeting. As they try to do every other year, but for obvious reasons haven't been able to do since 2019, it is a residential weekend.

I came up by train from London yesterday, changing at Leeds, although I had to use Plan B and go to Bradford Interchange rather than Plan A to Bradford Forster Square (which is next door to the hotel) due to a signal failure. However, it is only a short walk from Bradford Interchange.

Always lovely to meet old friends and make new ones on the Friday evening, and today was the planned excursions. 

In the morning we went to Saltaire, the model village created by Titus Salt, and specifically the New Mill,

as they call it, now a Venue with an art gallery, café, and various shops - antique, jewellery, expensive outdoor wear, books and stationery, that sort of thing. I had a cup of coffee and then went up to the top floor where there was a history of the place, and also a film about Sir Titus, as he became, and how he really did try to make his workers' lives better! Mind you, he was very against drunkenness, and did not allow a pub in the village (the one on the main drag is called "Don't tell Titus"!), but did build an Institute where people could go in the evenings for classes or to socialise and play games, etc. 

All very interesting, but I wanted to go to a craft shop that was just near where we were to get the coach, and time was getting on, so I came away and went to the craft shop, where I got what I wanted. The woman running the shop was lovely, but very slow, and I was nearly late back!

We ate our packed lunches on the bus, like a pack of schoolgirls rather than the pensioners that a majority of us are, and soon arrived in Haworth. It was a long, hard pull up to the village from the coach park, but I managed far better than I expected! 

First port of call was the church, which was lovely, and there was a memorial poster about Patrick Brontë, the father, who seems to have been a lovely person! You get the impression that he was a strict, joyless type, but not at all - he campaigned for better conditions for those in the workhouses, etc, and preached a God of love, not fear.

But the church was lovely anyway! I loved the Communion table and the mosaic thing of the Madonna and child near the font (apparently made out of toast!). 

Then it was time to visit the Old Parsonage Museum, which was pretty much as you might expect it to be, but still interesting. And then I walked down to look at the rather twee shops and found some of our party having a cream tea in a café, so treated myself to one, too,

and then, as we were all tired, went back to the coach to await the rest of the party.

Back to Bradford, and I nipped into the mall across the street from the hotel as I needed to go to Superdrug - gf course went in the wrong entrance for it and had to walk all round before I found it. Now back at the hotel and resting before changing for our formal dinner. Tomorrow is the AGM and Book Sale, and then back to London before heading off again on Monday morning!