Black Forest revisited , then back to France

Tues 15^th

Nice and cold overnight so a good sleep was had by all! We decided to go back to Schiltach in Germany as we had unfinished business. Easy drive back to find the stellplatz very full of vans and cars in between. We squeezed in a corner right by the grass after a very nice gentleman moved his car out for us. . Nice place and good to be back. The other 2 Carthago vans were giving us a bad name by parking very inconsiderately and taking up far too  much room. BBQ on the grass that night as the weather was glorious.

stellplatz in the sun

Weds 16^th

Very hot again so an early cycle ride along the valley to Alpirschbach for café und kuchen. Lunch then onto the museums. One on the history of logging and wood cutting machines, pharmacy one for Tina then onto Hansgrohe – manufacturer of baths and taps. Lots of very expensive and funky taps to play with. Amazing how many types of shower heads you can buy.  That evening we were enjoying tea on “our lawn” when we were politely asked to move as they were setting up for a concert. German efficiency was observed as they quickly set up tables, chairs and the bar. It was really great to sit and enjoy our evening meal and listen to the local brass band right in front of us. Excellent.

setting up for concert

pharmacy museum

Thurs 18^th

Very short drive along the B500 which twists along the top of a wooded set of mountains. Famous amongst bikers – Chris and I rode it 3 years ago on one of our summer trips. We stopped at a very rustic campsite in Ottenhofen and enjoyed a very nice grassy terrace with great views. The owner appeared at his house window and looked as if he had never seen a ray of sunshine! The showers were disgusting and the loos stank – you had to flush it with a hose pipe. Weird. A cycle ride to explore our surroundings revealed that the outdoor pool across the road from us was closed due to water quality problems caused by all the recent storms. What a shame as the chute looked good fun.

Friday 19^th

Back into France and to Bitche in the northern Vosges to visit the huge citadel which towers above the town. The free aire was right beside the entrance. Very nice with 5 well kept separate pitches. Opposite us they were busy constructing the arena for the forthcoming Medieval show. A walk around the moat down into  town was very hot but worth it for the views. That evening we enjoyed  a very nice meal of venison in the only restaurant we could find. Good choice!

Bitche - free aire

Sat 20^th

In the morning we went up to the Citadel and thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The headphones supplied automatically picked up the audio to the many short films that told the story of the siege of Bitche by the Prussians in 1870 after a disastrous  war started by the French. What a huge place with lots of remaining artifacts on display.

glamorous !

view from citadel

Tour De France - soggy!

Friday 11^th

After a shop in munster we headed over to Gerardmer to rendezvous with Chris and Lillian in their Rapido motorhome. Chris had booked the campsite months ago as we were Tour De France bound. The site was in Xonrupt Longemer 6km outside Gerardmer. Very basic with lots of space. Nice setting. We had just leveled up when C & L arrived. It was good to catch up over lunch. 

finish climb - looks easy ! - not

In the afternoon drizzle myself, Tina and Chris cycled into town around the lake. It was relatively quiet but I couldn’t resist cycling up the finish climb – 13%. Tough going for me and several others all trying it before the professionals would make it look so much flatter tomorrow!  We got back a bit wet and soggy but a good cycle.

Sat 12 th

ready to go

bit wet at the 1km to go flag

TDF race day!  We all scooted into town at 12.30pm prepared for the inevitable rain. After some tee shirt shopping we walked up the climb to “claim” our viewing spot. The waiting around was made worse by the rain coming and going. The  promo caravan cheered us up as we tussled with school kids for all the freebies being thrown at us – key rings, Frisbees, fridge magnets, foam toys , haribo and of course caps!  I now have  Cofidis, Bic and King of the mountains caps.  All essential of course, but pride of place? My PMU green foam hand!

Sky team bus

use those freebies

stage winner Blel Kadri

lots of cars and bikes involved

When the riders finally arrived so had the persistent rain. Great to see them suffering up the hill, but so fast. The rain took the edge of the day – what a shame.

Sun 13th

The stage started in town today so we cycled in to soak up the atmosphere. as the roads were closed we followed 2 local cyclists around the back streets to get there in time. the huge team buses were arriving and disgorging bikes and kit. great to see so many of the stars close up. God they are so thin.

Astana team bus - with Nibali's lions on show (yellow jersey)

King of the Mountains - stage winner Blel Kadri

stage depart

The black forest and a cold problem!

Sat 5^th July – Rottenburg Am Neckar

A very nice and easy drive to meet up with Fran an old colleague of Tina’s. We found her mum’s apartment no problem and Fran appeared just as we finished parking. Good timing! We were very generously given an open house and immediately loaded the washing machine. In Germany there is a communal laundry area in the basement where each person has  a space for their washing machine & dryer. All very organized with even all the pipes and valves labeled. Teutonic efficiency at its best. We were made most welcome and felt very at ease. That evening we went out for a traditional meal. I had bratwurst and potato salad. Very filling. The beer was very good of course!

Sunday 6^th

After a good nights sleep (in a proper house – sooooo quiet) we headed out for a cycle ride to Tubingen, Fran’s university town. It was very hot so the very steep diversion to Wormlinger Kappelle, a lovely little church was hot sweaty work – but worth it. 

come on girls!

worth it for the views

After a pause to enjoy the views we continued along the ridge down into the very lovely Tubingen. Fran was our guide and she led us through the town to an ice cream shop. What a shame. We ate it down by the river watching the punts go by. There was even one with a brass band playing onboard. The cycle back was into a very hot wind. Definitely a storm brewing. That evening we enjoyed a take away curry German style on the balcony but had to rush indoors when the wind and rain arrived. Spectacular and much cooler.

Tubingen

brass band on a punt!

curry before the storm (!)

Mon 7^th

Our first big problem to resolve with the van – the fridge was not working on gas. A quick scan of the internet back in the flat found us a Dometic dealer 12km away. We drove over and the fridge was looked at almost straight away. The service guy was a bit stressed but fitted us in. The mechanic tested all the connections, blew the burner out and declared it working on manual only.  No problem we thought, we can cope – wasn’t to be quite so easy! He said the pcb was at fault - €200 plus. Ouch. Still it would be covered by our warranty.  Turned out the service guy was an old hippy who had travelled to Nepal in an old London bus!

So on Tuesday morning  we moved to a free stellplatz in  Stiltach.  What a find. Full of enchanting old buildings and streets that had been beautifully restored. The stellplatz was right in the centre by the river. Lovely setting. We had plans to explore all the free museums the next day………….

Stiltach

free stellplatz

Weds 9^th

Dam – fridge not working on gas again. An internet search revealed a couple of Dometic dealers in Strasbourg, so plan B. We eventually had the burner jet replaced at the second dealer who had it in stock – the others quoted 2 days to get it!!  Success at last? Not quite as it still would not work 100% properly. We arranged to return the next day and headed for Kehl across the river in Germany to a stellplatz with electric hookup.

Thurs 10^th

After a walk about in Kehl  in the morning rain we returned to Mena Alsace to have the next part replaced.

view across Rhine to Strasbourg

help!

 No need as the fridge now was working perfectly!  He concluded that the gas valve had been jammed and by simply taking it off and cleaning it up it was healthy again.  Total bill €20 which was amazing for the work he did. He even told us where to go for our next stop – Munster.

Munster aire

storks on roof?

  50mins later we were settled on a nice new aire behind the train station. Fridge working perfectly.  A pre meal stroll around the town revealed lots of storks nesting on the roofs. Lots of them. We celebrated the fridge repair by going out for steak frites!

Google maps - link to route from Lago D'Orta into the southern Black Forest

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zLPprIVde9E4.kS1gFJ0PcwMc

Germany - the southern Black Forest

Sat 28^th

We drove into Germany through Austria but avoided any motorways there as we would have to use a Go Box (very expensive). We had to go right through Bregenz town centre so enjoyed the views of Lake Constance. Our aim was to meander up to Rottenburg to meet up with an old colleague of Tina’s via some stellplatz from the Top 75 Stellplatz book we had been given by Mrs Schubert back in Lake Como.  Good decision as they were all good spots but very different.

Amtzell – Buchel – beautifully kept site at the back of a Landgashoff. Excellent local beer. Not excellent weather as it rained for 36 hours!

yes, it's raining

Mon 30^th

First stop the Erwin Hymer museum in Bad Waldsee – very modern contemporary building with a really funky presentation style of all the exhibits. Not so many motorhomes but lots of strange caravans.

it never caught on

van is nearly smaller that the car

viewing platform was an extra

Next stop was Carthago World in Aulendorf. Very modern factory and site with a free stellplatz. Of course we had to inspect all the new vans in the huge showroom, prices were also potentially huge if you specced up a van with all the desirable extras. Funny to be settled in for the night in front of the factory gates.

They had no record of my email requesting a tour so next day we appeared at 10am and were given a personal tour by Stefan at no cost. Fascinating to see the production methods and the extensive use of CNC machines. Bit bigger than the ones we had in school. To see a huge liner side being machined out was impressive. Very much a team effort to insure consistent quality at every stage of assembly.

Mengen

Nice stellplatz by a nature reserve. Lots of wildlife to watch cruising by in front of us. Wonderful sunset.

Bad Durrheim

The biggest stellplatz we have ever seen – 450 vans when full!!!  Felt ok as divided up into lots of different areas. Free rolls in the morning as we were firstimers there. Nice touch. Very German town as virtually no British tourists go there. Huge spa in the centre which is the main attraction.

Thurs 3^rd July - Unterkirnach

Lovely camping car area near centre of town with lots of character. Lots of old buildings and a working water mill by the town square. The tourist info lady was super helpful and told us we also were entitled to a free regional pass for buses, trains and pools etc. Brilliant. Next day we scooted up to Schonwald after my morning cycle ride. Lovely scenery and roads. We used our pass to go swimming in the outdoor pool. Freezing!

We scooted up to the ski jumps – we watch this on TV . close up they look frightening. They truly are very brave and a bit mad.

water wheel

stellpaltz

rolling Black Forest hills

gulp.....

judges box