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  • Drive to Germany – Tuesday

    We slept really well (wine would do that to you) and didn’t wake up to a hangover headache.  The sun was shining and it was a beautiful morning.  We took a few photos at the lakeside with Tigger as he hadn’t been down there yet and was complaining his room mate the Marmot was snoring so he needed some fresh air.

    We had re-arranged the van the day before as we needed to accommodate several boxes of wine that we had bought the night before.  Griff’s space planning came in handy!  We arrived at the vineyard after leaving the campsite and was met by mama who had prepared our order ready for collection.  Unfortunately she didn’t speak much English but we somehow managed to understand each other with hand gestures.

    Van was loaded and big hugs to mama as goodness knows when we would be back.  This was going to be quite a long drive day as we wanted to get as far as Schaffhausen before we stopped.  Working for a DIY retailer in the sustainability department, we contract a few companies and I knew one was actually near Schaffhausen so I messaged Caroline to see if she and her hubby were around and free for a visit.  They were so the plan was to visit.

    The drive took us over the mountain passes of ‘Passover del Maloja’, ‘Julierpass/Guglia’ and ‘Passover del Bernina’ and they were all stunning. Lots of switchbacks and high altitudes. We stopped at a Camperconnect site at the top of one of the passes to have lunch and take in the stunning scenery.

    The drive had gone well so far and we had said to Caroline we would be arriving around 6.30 as was going to need another break.  I spotted 3 bikers in a lay by as we started to climb another mountain and didn’t really think anything of it as there had been a lot of bikers around today driving the mountain passes.

    The 3 bikers I had seen in the lay-by turned up behind the van.  First biker went by and when the roads were clear again, Griff gave the other 2 bikers the gesture to overtake.  The second biker to overtake was a lady rider and she came round at speed which unfortunately ment she was headed straight to a stone wall.  She tried to stop herself by applying the brakes but her bike tipped and they both ended on the floor in front of us.

    Of course we immediately stopped to help and the lady rider had taken quite a tumble as her helmet was all scratched and she was nursing her right hand which we think was either sprained or broken. We got the two bikes off the road to a lay-by which was handy and started to assess the situation.  The first biker came back and pulled in.  Luckily one of the riders spoke very good English and discussed what we should do.  There was a hospital 45 mins away and we agreed to take the lady rider and one of the others to A&E.

    The lady was Catherine and the young lad (who only passed his bike test the week before) was Steven.  We chatted as much as we could during the journey to the hospital just to make conversation and to keep Catherine alert and watch for any signs of trauma.

    We dropped them at the hospital and said our goodbyes. We left contact details in case the insurance company wanted to get in contact and to hopefully get an update on Catherine.

    The delay to Schaffhausen only cost us an extra 35 minutes and we got to Carolines just after 7.00pm.  Caroline, hubby Felix and daughter Alma were so welcoming. We had only planned to stopped for a chat and take them out for dinner but they had got a BBQ ready for our arrival (German and Swiss sausages) and they allowed us to park on their drive for the next few nights.

    After dinner they took us to Jestetten and we had a walk around and it was stunning and very quiet.

    Once back from the walk, we settled down for the night and looked forward to a day in Schaffhausen……

  • Vineyard day – Monday

    The storm passed by overnight with the odd rumble of thunder and rain.  Thankfully there was no high winds so we could leave our awning up.  There was a little bit of dampness around the back door but nothing like the cascade waterfall I had endured during my early morning wake up the other day.

    It continued to rain until lunchtime so we stayed put in the van watching Star Trek to pass the time.  We went for a small walk before we headed up to the Vineyard for dinner and the sun started to come out and dry everything off.  The holiday makers got back into their watersports and sun bathing.

    We didn’t do a long walk as yesterday’s one took it out of us plus we still needed to have the energy to walk up the hill to the vineyard. We stopped of at the hotel bar and had a cold beer which was nice.

    Back to the van and we got changed for the evening.  This was going to be the highlight of the stay in Domaso as this is the third time we have been to this vineyard.  Even during lock down and Covid, we ordered wine and had it shipped so we could still have the pleasure of drinking the wonderful wine.

    A bit about the vineyard. In 1997 the vineyard was started by the Travi family.  They aren’t novices as it is well known since the late eighteenth century the family had dedicated their life to oenology. They started off small with one hectare and over the years it has grown. They even built a new wine cellar within the mountain side they lived and this was all done by hand and took over 3 years.  Initially they made only 10,000 bottles of wine but now produce over 50,000 bottles a year which the whole process is done by the family within their home.

    After the long walk up to the vineyard, we were greeted by Silvia, the daughter who I’ve remained in contact with over the years. The evening consists of one sitting of a four course dinner which is prepared on site and each course has a different wine to complement the dish.

    Just as we remembered it and still as wonderful as we experienced before. Silvia would after the dinner courses were given and the wines poured, would give the diners an intro to the wine and some history of how it was produced.  At one point she even mentioned that they have an endorsement of a celebrity and George Clooney regularly buys his wine from them and even had their wine shipped for his wedding to Amal.

    Once dinner was finished, we ordered our wine to take home which we would collect in the morning as we left Como.  Thankfully we had the sense to bring head torches as we had to navigate back down the cobble path to the shoreline. After several glasses of wine you can imagine it was an interesting walk :-).

    We got back to the van in one piece and soon put the lights out as it was an early start to leave Como and head towards Germany and our next stop…..

  • A lazy day today – Sunday

    The day started of lazy and slow.  The long drive took the stuffing out of us both plus for some unknown reason the van alarm kept going off in the night. No idea why as it’s been set the same way every other night we’ve been away so far.  Griff ended up sleeping with the van keys in his hand with an ear open for the alarm going off. Poor bugger only got around 4 1/2 hours sleep whereas I had 7 1/2 hours. There are advantages to hearing aids and taking them out at night ;-).

    The morning was already starting to get hot and glad we grabbed a shower last night rather than this morning as the queue was long. Breakfast was our usual toast (yes we used our Halfords toasting racks lol) and jam. I caught up with Friday’s blog which was great and I would have time to do Saturday’s and today’s later.

    Juice packed, walking shoes on we headed along the lakeside track to the next town Gravedona ed Uniti.  We had done this before with Briony and Ken and we were remembering key stopping places we took photos.

    The temperature was starting to rise and it hit over 30c. The lakeside breeze was a blessing but it didn’t stop the sweating and overheating.  All the shops were shut as they tend to close from 12.30 till 16.00 so we opted to have lunch at the local cafe bar.

    We ordered a panini each and a beer and what came out on the plate was enormous. I really thought we wouldn’t be able to eat them but we did washed down with a cold beer.  Griff had promised me an gelato (more on this later) but said let’s wait until we get back to Domaso as I was stuffed, hot and sweaty and don’t think the gelato was a good idea at the time.

    Griff informed me there is a storm due tonight and I immediately thought back to our previous episode at the stable yard lol! The air was hot and humid and there wasn’t any relief from it.

    We stopped off a cafe bar we had known from our previous trips and ordered drinks and mango gelato which was delicious! In Italy, the word ‘gelato’ is used to describe their signature frozen dessert, which is often mistakenly referred to as ‘ice cream’. While both are frozen treats, gelato is denser and smoother than traditional ice cream due to a lower fat content and less air being incorporated during churning. With that in mind, we were having a low fat dessert which was one of our 5 a day :-).

    Afterwards we headed back to the van and I was tempted to get a shower as my clothes were clinging to me with sweat.  Griff had other ideas and had the sense to bring swimming shorts.  Me on the other hand thought that would be the last thing we would be doing so didn’t bring mine.

    I headed to the lake shore with Griff and dipped my feet in the cool water and it was lovely once you got used to it. Griff gingerly made his way into the water but found a lot of the stones under foot were mossy so were therefore slippery. Griff also wanted to try out using the iPhone under water (I didn’t think that was a good idea!) but they are known to be water resistance. It did work but took a bit of time to dry things out so word of caution, be careful using the phone under water.

    After Griffs swim we grabbed a shower early evening as this is the quietest time as people tend to do it early morning.  It felt great and refreshing. We tempted fate to have a walk to the local supermarket and see if it was open. Being Sunday we thought it must be closed. But alas, it was open so we stocked up on a few groceries and headed back to the van for a cold beer.

    On arrival back at the van the biggest ever mobile home was trying to park and how he got into the park we have no idea as turning the corners wouldn’t have been easy. Two camping places needed for the beast and took nearly 20 mins to get them into place.

    We stayed put in the van tonight and I managed to catch up with three blogs and Griff had a Power Nap to catchup on the missed sleep last night.  A couple of beers helped and we looked forward to sleep although it’s another hot humid night.

    Oh and another storm tonight……..

  • Soca Valley & Italy – Saturday

    Now we have done Lake Bled, we did a rethink of what our next move would be. We decided we would go over the Soca Valley mountain ranges as we’d heard it was a place to visit according to some of the speakers during the Adventure Bike Festival we did at the end of June.

    We loaded up the van and we were getting pretty slick at packing up as you get into a routine of what needs to be done and in what order. It was another gorgeous sunny day so we knew the temperature was going to be a hot one but thankfully we had AC in Van Morrison.

    We headed to Soca Valley which is nestled within the Julian Alps of Slovenia, offering a landscape dominated by towering peaks and dramatic scenery. This was going to be another wiggly route as I like to call it so Griff was nominated as driver as we’ve had history of what Italian drivers can be like.

    A spot of history on Soca, prior to the First World War, the Soca river ran parallel to the border between Italy and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.  During World War 1, it was the scene of bitter fighting between the two countries, culminating in the Battle of Caporetto in October and November of 1917. There goes the lesson for today.

    One thing that we did notice is how emerald-green the water is and how clear it is.  Apparently it is said to be one of the rarest rivers in the world that retains such a colour throughout its entire length.

    The roads up and over mountain ranges were full of twist backs, narrow roads, and loads of traffic. Cyclists, motorbikes, camper vans, mobile homes, cars and it was mayhem in places as everyone was trying to overtake or riding up your arse so you couldn’t see them.  I must admit in some places I was holding on to the door frame and seat to stay upright!  We stopped off on the way up for a coffee at Kranjska Gora (1,222m) and let some of the traffic go ahead of us.

    I was glad to reach the bottom of the mountain and onto better roads. We had planned to stop just inside of Italy but decided to gun it to Lake Como and Domaso.  Looking at the route we went for the motorways and tolls just to get some km under our belts. Straight, boring and fast is what it was but thankfully I could give Griff a break from the driving and took over for a bit. One thing we learnt about EU countries you have to be aware of the environmental zones as there are limitations to some places to drive into. Worth checking if you are going to Europe as it’s a hefty fine if you get it wrong.

    We had planned to take 2 days to get to Domaso as it’s 10 hours from Bled.  Taking the toll road cost us €24 which wasn’t bad compared to France.  As I drove on the motorway Griff looked for a campsite and booked us in for 3 nights.  We went up the East side of Como which was mostly long tunnels which played havoc with the Sat Nav.

    We arrived at the campsite just after 9.00 and were glad to get pitched. It was lovely to be back in Lake Como and it’s our third time here.  We love it.  We originally came here in 2017 when we rented an apartment from a friend that worked in Kingfisher at the time.  We came on motorbikes and did the trip here and back in 2 weeks.  The following year we came back on bikes with our friends Briony and Ken and they loved it as we did coming back to our favourite place.

    We walked along the shore front and found a seafood restaurant and ordered the Mixed seafood grill.  It was okay. Some of the seafood was overcooked a bit.  Given we hadn’t eaten since breakfast we didn’t really care as was so hungry. After full bellies we headed back to the van for another beer and to catchup on blog writing.

    Tomorrow is a day of exploring on foot which we are looking forward…..

  • Lake Bled, Slovenia – Friday

    I’m glad to report it was a lovely peaceful evening and we both slept well. No thunderstorms, rain or wind! The morning was wall to wall sunshine, blue sky and the mountains glistening in the morning sun.

    After a much needed shower and breakfast which was toast done by Mr Griff using the Halfords camping toaster which he bought 2 (Griff always has 2 of everything apart from me lol). It browned the toast to perfection and was much quicker than our other toaster which is supposed to do 4 slices at the same time.

    The campsite was perfect and we would have liked to have stayed for longer if we could.  Spotlessly clean showers, toilets, washrooms, etc and even the grass had its own gardener who was cutting the grass as we were preparing the van to leave. We will definitely be leaving a 5 out of 5 star rating for this stopover.

    Our plan was always to get to Lake Bled which was our next destination on the journey.  Griff had seen a picture of it years ago in a calendar on someone’s desk and he had added it to his bucket list of places to visit and for his birthday celebration year.

    The drive was gorgeous as always and driving on sweeping bends, beautiful surroundings and mountain ranges. We had set the sat nav for a winding route but it didn’t quite pan out as it keep taking off the main road to drive through small villages and then back onto the main road.  We soon changed this as it was going to take us forever to get to our next destination.

    We made use of the app ‘Park4night’ to find a lovely lakeside stop for lunch.  At the end of a gravel drive to a dead end and a lake. Popular with cyclists but it didn’t detract from the gorgeous surroundings and listening to the birds and seeing the odd dragonfly flying around.

    After clearing up from lunch, we found a mountain pass called the ‘Wurzen pass’. It’s a mountain pass in the Karawanks mountain range in the Southern Limestone Alps, on the border between Radendorf in the Austrian state of Corinthians and Kranjska Gora in Slovenia.  Its is named after the nearby village of Podkoren (Wurzen).  It’s only 1,073 metres high but we weren’t turning down another chance of driving wiggly roads.  It was probably the steepest climb yet. I let Griff drive this one and he rarely got out of second gear but it was worth it.

    We arrived at Lake Bled and to a mile long row of traffic.  Luckily we chose a Camperconnect site just outside of Lake Bled. We couldn’t find anywhere that was free so we ended up paying €40 for a night. Quite steep but that’s the location unfortunately. The site was clean and tidy with a toilet block, running water and electric.  It was quiet even though it looked like a terraced car park.  It was nearly full and there were only 2 spaces left. Thank goodness as didn’t fancy having to drive to find another site.

    After we had some dinner, we headed to Lake Bled on foot to get much needed exercise.  As I said before, you do spend a lot of time driving and having an opportunity to stretch the legs you have to grab it.

    Got to the main road from the campsite and there was a steep gravel track running parallel to the road.  Traffic was still horrendous with loads of people trying to get into Lake Bled.

    Hmm arriving into Lake Bled its not a peaceful lakeside town but rather an over commercialised tourist trap. It was stunning absolutely and the water in the lake was the cleanest I’ve ever seen.  We even saw fish and you could also see in some cases to the bottom of the lake.  The little island which you can get a boat to during the day was just beautiful in the setting sun.

    We bought an ice cream and walked around the few shops that were selling souvenirs.  Griff decided he wanted to collect fridge magnets for the van and we are building up a collection on the fridge door.

    We headed back to the van as didn’t want to get caught in the dark and over 16,000 steps done and we were ready for a beer :-). The time it takes to write up the blogs means I usually get one done a day. It’s good to write them on the day but I’m finding I’m writing about the previous days trip. It’s a great way to record the memories.

    Tomorrow we are heading in the direction of Italy……

  • Grossglockner mountain – Thursday

    Well, we had an interesting evening last night.  We were just preparing the bed when it started to rain. Then it rained more, and even more and before we knew it we had high winds, torrential rain, thunder and lightning! The gods were throwing everything at us!

    Griff had to quickly pull down the pop top as it was starting to go wild with the wind and we were worried it would blow off. The rain lasted all night and thankfully the winds died down as well as the thunder and lightning.

    The fun happened in the morning when Griff tried to lift the pop top and it was very heavy to push up. He gave an almighty push upwards which of course pushed all of the water that had collected on the roof to pour through the gap in the rear doors which woke me up with panic.

    We later found out that not only the back of the rear doors got wet, cushions, bedding, etc, the side windows too so we had a bit of a soggy bed to deal with which is not what we were expecting.  The weather was due to clear up over the day and we really hoped it did so we could dry everything out.

    After an eventful morning, we set off with the intention of driving over the Grossglockner.  It did cost €45 to go over the mountain but it was worth it. The Grossglockner is at 3,798 metres about the Adriatic, the highest mountain in Austria and highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass.

    The mountain did not disappoint and what a spectacular journey we had albeit it was short.  We kept stopping as the views were jaw dropping and breathtaking.  We even got a new friend for Tigger as he was feeling a bit lonely so any suggestions for a name are welcome.

    After the drive we looked forward to a campsite for the night as the previous couple were free stopovers so limited facilities.  The campsite came up with great reviews and it didn’t disappoint either.  The sun came out and we managed to air dry the mattress topper, duvet, pillows and seating which didn’t take long in the heat.

    The campsite was in a valley sheltered by mountains all around.  After sorting out the van we headed to the local town (which was uphill) to get much needed exercise after spending so much time sitting in the van. Weather was glorious and warm and just perfect.

    After a walk around the local shops we stopped at the local bar and had a beer which was rather tasty.  Sat out the front watching the world go by and we both commented the strong smell of burnt clutch when vehicles passed by. We asked the bar man if this was normal and his comment is, as the locals say, ‘it’s the smell of summer’ as it’s a frequent aroma over the tourist season. Another beer later, which the barman gave us different ones this time, which were even better than the first.

    We walked back downhill and went into the local restaurant belonging to the campsite. What a place and along the middle of the restaurant were a collection of things from the owners.  From motorcycles, cars, machines, even a selection of Scottish whiskey and they even had Oban! That blew me away as never expected to see that in Austria.

    The owner was a quirky funny guy who explained all of the collection of items in the bar were his which he had collected over the years. We ordered food and Griff had the pork and I had a chicken curry dish. What came out was different from what we were expecting as both dishes had a selection of fruits on there as well.  It did look odd but actually when you ate the dish it complimented the taste.

    Music was playing in the background which was typical Austrian music and the owner joked about putting on Cliff Richard for the English visitors.  Griff piped up it should be Dire Straits and lo and behold the owner had a CD and put it on the player.  Griff was well happy.

    Back to Van Morrison and to dry bedding.  Looking forward to a good nights sleep after our eventful night before….

  • Germany into Austria – Wednesday

    After a long drive and 2 beers last night, 9 hours 38 minutes sleep had.  Crikey! We slept in!

    We had a hot shower, breakfast and said goodbye to the not so grumpy receptionist who gave us a big wave when we left.  He was hoping we would call back on our way back from Slovenia and it was an idea.

    Today’s mission was to get across Germany and into Austria so we took the motorway to make some ground.  We took the Autobahn.  For those that don’t know what this is, it’s a network of controlled access highways known for its high speeds and, in many sections, the absence of any mandatory speed limits!  Any speed can be done and we were definitely not going to be in the fast lane!

    It took a good 4 hours to get across Germany even on the motorway and eventually we could see the mountains in the distance getting ever closer as we drove on. We were both excited as it brought back many memories of previous trips when we did mountain passes on our motorbikes but this time it was in the van (griff says he’s called Van Morrison).

    The Austrian border came into sight and this was the country we were most looking forward to being in. Across the border we stopped at the service station to top up on diesel and we saw a cute old Mobiloil lorry on the exit of the car park and a picture had to be taken.

    Back on the road we started to look for our stopping place for the night but got easily distracted with the gorgeous towns with the traditional buildings and of course the mountains!!

    We tried 1 Camperconnect site but it was literally just of the main road and was pretty run down.  1 van was in there but nothing else so we decided to try the next stop we found. This was up a steep hill and was in a car park of a stable yard. We met the manager on arrival as a van had pulled up before us and that was good timing.  She had one space left and we grabbed it.

    The views were to die for and we had a stroll down the road and back again just to stretch our legs. The trouble with being in the van for long periods, your legs do ache so it was a welcome relief the walk.

    A light dinner of bread, meat, cheese and beer and we were in our happy place and ready to settle for the night. Tomorrow’s plan is to go over the mountains and which one I’ll update you on tomorrow ;-)….

  • France into Germany – Tuesday

    Slowly getting used to the campervan bed now with the help of a bed topper and a very thick sleeping bag! Just over 8 hours sleep which is good for us and never get this at home and we must be starting to unwind.

    Another 2 coffees, banana, croissants and Belvita breakfast biscuits we were ready to get going.  Planning the route the night before meant we kind of knew where we were heading instead of winging it.  It’s less stress when it’s a long enough day.

    We did the obligatory supermarket stop to pick up some lunch, dinner and nibbles for the trip. Roads were much more interesting and even though there was still a lot of agriculture land, the roads started to have sweeping corners and more contrast of landscape.

    We found a lovey town called ‘Pont-a-Mousson’ about mid day and stopped for a coffee and a much needed break. Cobble streets and old buildings with outstanding architecture and several cafes on the square.

    The cobbled town square had a carousel and it brought back memories of riding them when I was a kid.  This one even had a bike on it but I had my eye on a submarine which they had and very different from the usual horses.

    One thing that struck us both was the sunflower fields and the sheer volume of them as we travelled along the roads. It would be fascinating to know how they make sunflower oil out of them and one to google at another time.

    We were getting famished by early afternoon and Griff found a Camperconnect site in Rue do Port, ‘Canal de la Sarre’ and we pulled in.  What a beautiful place right beside the canal. Lunch was served with chicken Caesar salad, coffee and chocolate chip cookie for dessert. They had toilet and shower facilities and we grabbed a shower each whilst we could as some of the sites so far we had been in didn’t have the facilities.

    As we left the Camperconnect site, we noticed a change in the houses and they became more German looking with the typical chalet style.  We knew the German border was coming up.

    Once we passed the border we weren’t far from the campsite for the night.  Annoyingly the sat nav took us down a road which was closed so we had to do a detour which added another 15 minutes to the journey.  We got to ‘Europa Camping Sands’ just after 6.00pm and the German host was a jolly man who once he knew Griff was into his music, was telling us he liked to play guitar and his first album he bought was Peter Griffin (not Family Guy).

    Decided to dine in the on sight restaurant and have a beer or 2 and this was definitely going to make us sleep well!! After dinner we planned our next days travel plans and then headed back to the van.

    I managed to catchup with the travel posts as not had any wifi for the last couple of days so when you read them you will see a couple of them are posted on the same day. Enjoy the read and until tomorrow …

  • Home to our first stop in France – Sunday

    After having a late night last night due to Griff gigging, we got to bed around 1.00am and was up again at 5.00am.  4 hours sleep and we both knew this was going to be a long day!

    Thankfully we fully packed the van on Saturday and it was just the last minute toiletries and shoe bag to sling in the van. Off we went to Portsmouth expecting to be nice and early for the 8.00am ferry.

    Seems other people had the same idea and it took about an hour from getting into the ferry port to boarding the ferry.  We were one of the last ones on and thank goodness for AC in the van as it was another hot day in the UK. The Ferry was nearly full with holiday makers and of course the school holidays had just started.

    We did think the crossing would go slow but the 6 hours went quickly and before we knew it, we disembarked into a very hot and sunny Caen ferry terminal.  It took us over an hour to get past customs due to the sheer number of people on the ferry so that scuppered our original plans to stay near Beauvais. It would have meant we would be arriving around 8.00pm  so we decided to rethink and chose a place about 50km from Caen.

    We made a wise decision of booking a cabin as we knew we would need to catch up on much needed sleep to get us through the day. A couple of hours with our heads down for a nap did the trick and we felt so much better.  The ferry certainly catered for all the needs with 3 places to eat, bar, shop and even a play area for the kiddies. 

    We ended up in a very small village called Courtonne La Meurdrac, South East of Lisieux. A ‘Aire De Camping’ site which had 4 pitches.  One pitch was taken and we were relieved there was plenty of space for us. These camping sites are free to pitch up with a small fee for getting rid of waste water, topping up clean water and for electricity.

    It was a clean site with a small lake a little walk away. We enjoyed having a meander around the lake and watch fish jumping out of the water to catch the flies hovering above. We even took time out to sit at a bench and Griff did some sketching and I started writing this blog.  It was so peaceful, quiet and tranquil.  Just what we needed to start to relax and recuperate on our holiday.

    The plan for dinner was just a pot noodle but Griff managed to sniff out a fast food pizza man a couple of minutes walk from the camp site. So pizza it was for dinner and it wasn’t bad for €11.90 and rather tasty.

    Overall our 1st day has been enjoyable, eventful and looking forward to a longer nights sleep….

  • 300 miles done so far – Monday

    Day 2 – 300 miles done so far

    After a much needed 8 hours sleep we were feeling more wide awake than the previous day.  Even though it rained overnight, we didn’t mind as slept right through it as it was so peaceful and quiet.

    Temperatures were definitely lower than the previous day and the day started off around 18c which was a welcome break from the unbearable heat. After 2 coffees, we packed the van and headed on our way. We had no idea how far we would get but set the sat nav in the general direction of Strasbourg.

    First stop of the day was not far from where we left from and it was the local supermarket to pick up some supplies and breakfast. A banana, croissant and breakfast biscuit we left.

    The roads were long, straight and completely boring as we passed miles and miles of agriculture land; the romans must have been here!! The odd roundabout broke up the monotony and we did go through some quaint towns and villages which from the outside look deserted but realistically everyone was sheltering from the heat as the temperature rose again to nearly 30C.

    We did our second stop in ‘Les Andelys’. Driving over a bridge we saw a ruin on the top of a hill which we found out was Chateau Gaillard.  Took a walk to the town along the lake side and what a beautiful place. A Viking River Cruise boat was docked and loads of people wandering on and off the boat. I did make Griff laugh and said we weren’t old enough to do the cruise which I think he was relieved!

    We stopped off at a lakeside cafe and had coffee. So lovely to sit outside and enjoy the weather. When we came to pay the waitress asked if Griff was from Australia as he had his hat on and just need to add the corks and say G’Day.

    The miles and time started to tick by and at this rate we wouldn’t make it to Strasbourg or rather if we did, it would be late at night and didn’t fancy that.  Had another stop in a town and had another coffee just so we could a) use the toilet and b) use their wifi to find somewhere for the night.

    This time I drove after the coffee break and Griff found us an another Camper Connect site and as we pulled up, so did 2 other UK Mobile Homes. Got chatting and both families where from the borders of Scotland wasn’t expecting to hear a Scottish accent on our travels.

    It looked like a little nature reserve centred around some streams running past.  Had a walk which took all of 5 minutes so decided to head back and we had dinner. Baguette, meet, cheese and beer – it was a feast given we hadn’t eaten much else apart from breakfast!

    We are aiming to be between Strasbourg and Salzburg tomorrow and did a bit of planning before lights out. Let’s see how it goes….