Cote de Rhone - Zeebrugge

Day  22. May 28th.  St Jean de Muzols. 

A lazy late start with breakfast al fresco in sun and a cloudless sky.

We decided to cycle in to Tournon - sur- Rhone the next town from St Jean. It is linked by some dramatic bridges to Tain l'Hermitage. One of the bridges is for pedestrians or cyclists so we took that!

Both these places are departure and stop off places for river cruises.

In Tain l'Hermitage is La Cité du Chocolat - Valrhona - a name Carol recognises from the posh chocolate shelves in Waitrose. There is a paying tour which takes you through the various processes and tastings but we arrived and entered the boutique - we guess the shop at the end of the tour.

This was a chocolate lovers dream! There were so many different chocolates to try - and all for for free!

They had this great chocolate dispenser, you didn't even have to ask, just put your hand in to collect all that lovely chocolate. The dispensers are at the bottom. If you look closely you can see the descriptions are in French and American.  When one is empty it just gets filled up again. Milky chocolate on the right, darker chocolate to the left. 

The place was full of a party from a Vikings river cruise - Americans mostly, Australians, British etc. they were filling their boots just as we were - like labradors in a sausage factory! 

We bought several future gifts of said posh chocolate and were given loads of free samples in our bag also - as though we hadn't already eaten enough free samples.  We left feeling we'd consumed the equivalent of a 3 course meal - of chocolate- which we probably had!

Gift bag containing bought gifts and beaucoup d'échantillon.

Cycled by the boat SS Catherine which was where the Viking River Cruise people had come from. It is a brand new boat -an American we had spoke with in the shop said it was a lovely cruise - food, wine, tours all had been good. They had travelled from Avignon and were en route to Beaune tomorrow. Looks a great way to travel. (Have always wanted to know what those Viking River Cruises from the telly looked like - C)

Back to Tournon- sur- Rhone and a visit to the shop of Paul Jaboulet Aine - a wine producer. It also had a restaurant attached - very civilised. After a tasting of - yes - the cheaper wines - we purchased a couple of bottles of white, a rose and a red just to keep us going. 

Then peddled quickly back to the site before our luxury chocolate melted in the hot sunshine.

Back to the pool - too full of chocs for lunch - there followed a late lunch ( 3.30pm) enjoyed with a glass of the purchased rose - this is the life! (see Graham south is best! - C )

There followed another period of dossing as Graham would say. Tomorrow the weather forecast is more of the same - this is definately more like it!

Day 23. May 29th.   St Jean de Muzols.

Another lazy day starting with a leisurely breakfast al fresco.

Cycled back to Tournon - sur - Rhone - think it's about a 10 km round trip. This time found a way through side streets so avoiding the one car every two minutes main road. We did a walking tour through Tournon which was larger than we had thought and then walked across the road bridge to Tain l'Hermitage. 

We came out just a few minutes away from the chocolate place ,Carol was tempted briefly to have a go at another lunch of chocolate but decided against it. She was disappointed she had not forward planned - what if we'd filled our pockets with sandwich bags and filled them with all the yummy samples?! We could have made gift bags for free!

Walked along the river side and back over the pedestrian bridge to Touron sur Rhône. A lovely way to spend a couple of hours.

Back for another al fresco lunch and a chiiled glass of rosé or two (purchased yesterday.) followed another afternoon by the pool. Tomorrow we will move on back north - not sure where we will spend tomorrow night, we will decide on the weather when we get there, but we need to start heading north.

Will be sad to leave this sunny laid back site. Temperatures have been between 23-28 degrees - very pleasant.

Score for Camping le Castelet - 9.8/10 - would have been a 10 but that is impossible. It is a family run site and our hosts are lovely - the happiest couple we've ever met, nothing is too much trouble for them. This is the best site this year. 

Day 24. May 30th St Jean de Muzols - Chagny 162 miles.

A day on the road as we slowly move up north. Back to Burgundy and the hope of more wine tasting tomorrow! Mostly time spent on the péage motorway.

Arrived at our Campsite mid afternoon and after settling on our pitch decided to walk in to Chagny centre. It was so quiet! It's Saturday for goodness sake! The only thing we noticed was there were an amazing number of Patisseries - obvious a town of sweet tooths. 

Also the town has a 3 michelin starred restuarant - cheapest table d'hote meal €135 and cheapest wine €50. Noticed another place round the corner - table d 'hote €31 (now that's more like it - G)

Dinner chez Rex and an early night. Another nothing day today.

Day 25 May 31st. ( Mother's day in France) Chagny - Savaney cycled 17 kms.

Walked in to Chagny centre this AM - it was heaving! Market day. The biggest market we've ever seen!

We recognised a few stall holders from when we went to Beaune.

Lots of people buying floral gifts as it is Mothers Day. Massive queues for the cooked chicken stalls - which were cooking potatoes and veg in the dripped chicken fat below the rotisseries. Decided to join them and bought a chicken to have for lunch chez Rex. You could either have the chicken as it was, or with another bag ful off juice and vegetables - ready made Sunday lunch, yum yum.

Not only cooked chickens were for sale but very much alive ones of varying breeds and geese and chicks! Choose your chicken, put him in a box and carry him home. €11.00. We've heard they are good for keeping snakes at bay, maybe that's why they're so popular.

Back at the campsite Graham decided to check out the pool - it didn't exist. Conned again. The pool was municipal around the corner so he went to investigate. The lady told him it was €1 all day and heated to 28^C. Duly paid a euro and had the pool to himself, along with the ticket lady, the clothes lady, and two lifeguards. The pool was 25m x 15m x 1.8m at one end rising to 3.5m at the other. How much would that cost to heat every morning?

After lunch we cycled in to Santernay for more wine tasting along a lovely canalside path through picturesque countryside. Santernay is another beau village similar to Mersault.

The first cave presented wines that even we did not like!  But further up the hill the grand Chateau de Santenay did. 

Pushed the boat out and bought a couple of magnums of white for a certain person's special birthday bash. (Dinner to now be pizza from the site pizzeria rather than posher fare in town - but C happy to sacrifice this for her friends!)

Back via the canal.

Tomorrow we head for Champagne - another long drive but we're not too concerned as a rainy day is predicted - better to travel then!

Day 26. Chagny - Epernay  212 miles.

Up and at them for 10.30am ready to go - reception shut at 10am. Arggh! They have our ACSI card so can't leave without it!

Decided to go to Challons-sur-Saone about 10 kms away to do last big shop and fill up with petrol (85p a litre ha ha!). Passed the time visiting an enormous Carrefour and then on to - gasp- McDonalds for lunch! Carol much impressed that Heineken lager is included in a meal deal. At least one of us was happy.

Back to the site and Graham managed to persuade the reception to open and let him pay at 2.30 pm.

A dash down the péage motorway over some of the most boring countryside to Epernay (200 miles thereabouts) followed. €37 later - they classed us as a class 2 vehicle! We know we've enjoyed our food but how did they know! (Any more wine in our van and we'll be a class 3 - Ed.)

So, 85p/litre at 30mpg for 200 miles + €37 tolls @ 1.39£/€ vs £1.35/litre no tolls. Who's the winner? No tolls hands down. Diesel would have to be almost free to draw even with tolled roads.

A warm welcome at the municipal site in Epernay. When we asked the nice man at reception if Champagne Ayala was far he replied no, and would we like him to ring for us to arrange a tasting? Seeing as his french was a lot better than Graham's we said YES PLEASE! A certain birthday boy needs a Magnum of something special next month. 

Day 27 Epernay

Good news! We are booked in to Ayala at 4pm for a degustation. We walk round Epernay peering through locked gilded gates and wonder where everyone is. Last time we came to Reims and Epernay we remember buses with hourdes of tourists queueing up at all the major houses for tours but now there is nothing. All the major houses either charge for tasting and don't offer tours, or do not open to the public at all. Only Mercier continues to publicly open it's doors for visits.

The garden at Möet undergoing refurb.

Möet is shut for refurbishment, Pol Roger is a no no, likewise Perrier Jouet, most gates are locked. We look up Ayala. Ayala is on the up, at 300,00 bottles it is now a boutique arm of Bollinger and does tasting by appointment only and definitely no tours. Ooer, we are turning up all sweaty on bikes again and worry if we've bitten off more than we can chew.

We arrive early, and kick around Ay for a few minutes until just decently early. One of us manages to stay awake.

We mull over why we were visiting Ayala. Graham being under the delusion that we bought Ayala for his 40th birthday when we had a weekend trip to Champagne. The building that we approached today bore no resemblance to the shed in the vineyards that we remember - perhaps we'd visited a lesser marque - a producer for the local co operative perhaps?!

Anyway, Emily at Ayala was extremely welcoming, spoke perfect English, and gave us a very unhurried private tasting of four cuvées. Brut Majure, Rosé, Nature (no second dosage - that is no extra sugar for the non connoisseur!), and the vintage, La Perle. Each bottle opened just for us. Then we asked for the price list...

It's a steal, given the current exchange rate, so we buy more than we planned, and as much as we can carry. 

Day 28 - Epernay to Brugge 220 miles

Dull day today so liesurely drive to Brugge so we have a short hop to the ferry the day after.

We arrive at the campsite about 3:30 and walked into the centre. A rather long 40 mins walk.

Passed by all the usual sites - the picturesque canals,

And the beautiful buildings

and peered in the innumerous beer and chocolate shops (unfortunately got carried away in Valrhona so can't justify more purchases!)

Had dinner outside facing the main square - a very touristy place but very pleasant and reasonably priced. The sound of the bells from the Belfry tolling every 15 minutes was a little distracting - not just a mere ding dong but full on tunes like - "it's a long way toTipperary" ! 

Graham enjoyed a local beer

During dinner there was a series of trumpet calls - apparently some local beauracrats were attending a civil meeting - the trumpeters looked snazzy though! Carol managed to dash to the steps from her restuarant seat like the paparazzi to get a good shot.

A lovely evening and our last night of our tour... Tomorrow evening we get the ferry back from Zeebrugge.

Day 29. Brugge - Zeebrugge and overnight to Hull 26 miles

We have a day to kill so had a lazy start and breakfast al fresco follwed by a visit to the local Carrefour for last minute wine and beer purchases.

We decide to find a coastal place to take lunch in and chill before the evening ferry crossing.

Carol has been struck down by la grippe - man flu or a severe cold virus, so after a sleepless night opted to stay in Rex for lunch and a lie down whilst Graham explored the beach at Wennduine with a picnic, almost on his own.

A little nearer to Zeebrugge we had a wander round Brandeburge, a large seaside resort with a 1,000 boat marina (oh how Graham likes a marina!) The place appeared to be a sophisicated Cleethorpes but had nothing Cleethorpes had: tattoo shops, amusement arcades, and a couple of things Cleethorpes doesn't have: sun, beach bars. Oh yes, and did we mention the marina?

We were a little early for the ferry and after a minor hiccup when we tried to drive on to a ferry to Finland not Hull much to the crew's amusement! - we boarded and so began our homeward journey..... A la prochaine!

A photo of map of our route - just readable if you squint enough!!

Week 3 Burgundy - Beaujolais - Cote de Rhone

Day 15. May 21st. Auxonne - Meursault. 45 miles.

A leisurely drive, we took some time to explore St Jean de Losnes - a place where several rivers converge - it had a large marina and was a starting point of river cruises. There are boats for sale.....oooh!

6

Onwards and it took no time to reach Meursault our next site. Le Grappe D'Or  (The golden bunch) appears very laid back - a sign asked us to park up in a pitch and report back at 5pm to pay. It was just 1.30 pm so we settled on to the biggest pitch (well why not?) overlooking Meursault and the vineyards and took lunch outside.

Meursault from Rex. 

We walked the 1/2 mile to the centre of Meursault - what an beautiful ville - clean, lots of artisan patisseries, traiteurs, gift shops, (expensive) restaurants and wine sellers, manicured and gorgeous. The viticulteurs' houses were also impressive.

Apparently the Hotel de Ville was used in a  French film called  La Grande Vadrouille - for the "cult scenes"?!( Gerard Oury director) - some info for you film buffs!

A lovely Hotel with a Trompe l'oiel Madame - and Carol.

Spent time doing nothing sitting by Rex in the sunshine and dinner chez Rex.

Day 16. Meursault. Cycle ride to Puligney Montrachet. 15 kms.

Today there was a local market in Meursault so we walked there in the morning. We bought vegetables and cheeses from the stalls which would have been cheaper from the local supermarket but we wanted to support the local economy. Fromage, a pain au cereal and a crumble mrytille (blueberry) tart from the artisan boulongerie, and a bottle of rosé. Then back to the site for an al fresco lunch made with our purchases - delicious!

After some time relaxing in the sun we decided we needed some activity so got on our bikes and cycled to Puligny Montrachet. Those of you who know your Burgundy wines will recognise some seriously expensive wine names as we cycle around the area. It was delightful meandering leisurely through the highly maintained vineyards. There are similar vineyard cycle routes as in Alsace with cyclers and walkers allowed on the small roads used by the wine growers and prohibited to other vehicles, but it is flatter here. 

Back to the site via Meursault again - it is beginning to be our favourite place in Burgundy!

Dinner in the on site restaurant which was pleasant. We sat by a lovely family - the mum was Italian and dad German - the young son ? 2 years could speak both languages and the parents good english also - impressive! Actually they were an exception as the majority of persons on this site are Dutch. The site is Dutch owned so don't know if that's anything to do with it but big vans come and go at the start and end of each day.

Day 17. May 23rd. Cycle ride Meursault - Beaune. 20 kms ( including a 2 km detour lost in the outskirts of Beaune!)

Off to Beaune for the market  - cycled via Volnay and Pommard which are both lovely places renowned for their light red wines. 

The market in Beaune was impressive. We decided to buy ingredients for a picnic lunch in the market hall. We chose several salad items including a salad called Museau de porc - actually this is pig's nose! Unfortunately the stall did not provide forks so lead to a frantic search for a shop which sold forks. Found some in the Casino supermarket - phew!  

Wandered around Beaune which is a lovely place - the capital of Burgundy. Passed by the Hotel Dieu (the hospice of Beaune) - an alms house originally for beggars - not a bad gaffe!

Then had our picnic in a park - the pig's nose was very tasty although Carol couldn't quite get over   the little queasy feeling after consuming such delicacy! (S'not to everyones's taste - ha ha!)

We retraced our steps back to the centre and called in at la Maison du vin - this shop had a small art gallery attached showing modern art for all to freely peruse - Warhol, Piccaso,Dali, Miro, Litchenstein amongst the ones we recognised! Then on to the wines from €75 upwards - we admired the bottles especially the one labled €2000! Eschachaut or something,  and cooly left. We remember visiting here in the 90's where for a nominal fee you were given free reign to taste all the wines including Grand Crus - we had a great time even though the kids were bored rigid. Today you pay a sliding scale for a limited tasting, €10 for 6, €15 for 10 and so on, and obviously the better the wines the more the charge so we gave it a miss.

Walked a little way around the remparts and then back through the town to pick up our bikes, and retraced our lovely route back to Meursault.

Now it would be rude not to sample the produce of the area, so after peering in to several wine tasting / producers places and although still on our bikes and a little sweaty we plucked up the courage and entered the grandest: Bernard Delagrange. We were greeted by a formidable looking Madame "Vous désirez quelque chose?".  She lead us to a private tasting area by-passing a party of rather loud Americans requesting the most expensive wine of the house. Now, we don't think it right to taste grand crus and then not buy anything, so we asked to taste the cheapest, no, the least expensive and sorry-to-trouble-you-Madame, wines available which suited our budget - which we did and very nice too, but the nice Madame insisted we try the €22 Meursault so we did just to be polite. We were a little underwhelmed so bought a couple of the cheaper ones which we could fit in our saddlebags and whilst it was packaged she asked us to view the XV century caves.

And a wander round the garden -

We were so impressed by how graciously we were treated given we bought a pityfull amount. Graham said so in French to Madame who replied "C'est normale!"

The tasting bug was with us now and we sought out another producer - Ropiteau. Felix gave us a tasting of our favourite cheaper Chardonnay and then we tried the white Meursault. Wow! This was it, the nectar we imagined, and we were only half-way up the price range at €29,70. Fabulous and full.  Absolutely gorgeous and not to be confused with cut price supermaket Meursault available in the UK.

Then the red - not to Graham's taste which was due to his poor palate according to Felix. Apparently we are hooked on the more sugary Bordeaux and ahem, vulgar wines from Australia and so unable to appreciate fully his Pinot Noir. However we were still invited to visit the Caves as he packaged our sole bottle of cheap €9 Chardonnay. (And those of you who are lucky enough to celebrate my next birthday might be sharing it between you).

The nectar.

Meursault is now officially Graham's favourite place in France.

Back to the site for a pasta supper and the pleasure of watching Eurovision on French TV! The French entrant was even worse than ours and they are talking of pulling out. Can you imagine FH calling for a referendum?

Carol is of the opinion we should go South tomorrow as the weather forecast is not too promising in a couple of days. Graham is reluctant to bomb down the autoroute to the far south so a compromise is reached. We will go to Fleurie north of Lyon - another wine producing area - quelle surprise! Carol hopes to persuade Graham to then continue south - we will see....

Score for La Grappe D'or 8.5/10. A fantastic location, friendly staff, restaurant on site. Pool not yet open. Shower facilities a little basic - but clean.

Day 18. May 24th. Meursault - Fleurie 42 miles.

Another nothing day - travelled to Fleurie driving through Macon which looked a lovely town. A quick dash through a supermarket for supplies before closing time - it's Dimanche and in France all shops still shut most of the day! Given it is also a bank holiday Monday we are lucky to find anywhere open.

On to the site in Fleurie. Took ages choosing a pitch - decided to be next to the shower block.

Poor choice! We have holiday lodges behind us whose occupants were out when we arrived and so we are stuck with excited children screeching in the showers and their equally excitable parents drinking, shouting and singing the Marseillaise! It's a bank holiday weekend! Oh well - come tomorrow afternoon we hope peace will return.

Spent the rest of the day dossing by the van in mostly sunshine, dinner a one pot rice wonder cooked by Graham which was very nice. 

Then watched a French dubbed daft film called Cowboys contre Envahisseurs (Aliens) - at least the tv works. And no adverts throughout the film , as usually french tv has a quota of 5mins adverts to 1 minute feature!

Day 19. May 25th. Fleurie. Cycled 27kms.

Another vineyard cycle day for us complete with the usual picnic.

Cycled to Fleurie and then via Lancie and Villié Morgan to Chiroubles, a nice 27kms circular route.

A view of Fleurie en route.

It was much more hilly than we thought it would be, Carol was seriously worried her battery would give out! Nearly half way up to Chiroubles here.

In Chiroubles we saw a poster advertising a picnic with a local vignoble Christophe Savoye - so we cycled into his cave entrance to be greeted by the man himself. Rows of picnic tables were laid out and also games for children.

Christophe invited us into his tasting room and gave us a tasting of his wines from the youngest through to the more expensive. Cheese, saucisson, bread were laid out to nibble. Very impressive. If you've ever wondered, as I have, how many grapes make a bottle, then the answer chez Christophe is 3 for the most concentrated: 3 ceps (vines) to one bottle. No wonder it's so nice!

We bought a bottle of Cuvee Prestige 2012 and was invited to sit in the picnic area to enjoy our picnic complete with another glass of wine . Another glass of wine suited to be served with cheese appeared towards the end of our lunch - such generosity!

Christophe and future viticulteur fils photo-bombed by strange man with a bottle of wine.

Sat at an ajoining table was Maria and André from Lyon with their 3 children. We spend an enjoyable time speaking with them both practicing the other's language. Maria is from Slovakia and spoke excellent english. André is in real estate (handy!) so gave us an insiders guide to house buying in France.

The children were delightful playing happily whilst we chatted. We swapped contact details as we left and took a group picture with a windswept Carol. 

Back to Fleurie via the Vin de Fleurie shop and further tastings of the wines of the week - one of which had been produced by the husband of the lovely lady serving us. Decided to buy a bottle - not his unfortunately - sorry Madame! Carol will have to put up with no white wine this evening as Fleurie is a white free zone!

It was quite cool weather wise as we returned back to camp and tomorrow is predicted to be worse - so will move on to nearer Macon in search of the white wines we like.

Score for La Grappe de Fleurie. 8.5/10. Unfortunately too cold for the lovely looking pool. Clean facilities but still preferred showering chez Rex. Nicely located a short distance from the centre of Fleurie.

Day 20. May 26th. Fleurie - Pelussin. 72 miles

So a fond farewell to Fleurie and onwards down south in search of warm weather -we made a decision to turn away from Macon for now. Got lost negociating through Villefranche-Sur-Saone and then on through vast Lyon to Vienne and a stopover at Condrieau for lunch. The temperature appeared to be going up from 15 degrees to 18. 

We began our ascent to our site at Pelussin and the temperature began dropping and the wind picked up! When will we learn that hills mean cold!

The site did not meet it's write up - yes there is a swimming pool but on the edge of the site which at present is cold and windy. The pitches are sloping dramatically on a hill. Never mind we'll make the best of it and aim to make an early getaway tomorrow.

We took a walk through woods to an old rail viaduct before dinner. Brrr it's chilly! We will aim for a low river side position tomorrow in search of shelter and warmth, and hope the resulting hair style is less bouffant!

View from the hills.

T

Nearby fields of corn with wild cornflowers and poppies - so beautiful and french!

Score for Bel'Epoque du Pilat. 7/10. Would probably be lovely in good weather. Hilly unequal pitches in dense wooded areas. Middle of nowhere. 

Day 21. May 27th. Pellusin - St Jean- De-Muzols

Woke to a sunny but chilly morning. After much debate we set off back to the Rhone Valley driving just a little more south. Graham would have preferred to have headed back to Macon but graciously conceded (again!) to Carol's southern wish. A short drive along the curving roads circumnavigating the hills led to a medieval village called Malleval an unexpected delight. No time to stop - no room to stop!

Then back on the main road to St Jean de Muzols.

The sun was beating down as we arrived and the site is much more like it! ( Phew - C)

Settled on to the pitch and then a spot of sunbathing by the pool.

Lunch al fresco - note the tablecloth, reclining chair and awning - oh yes we are now able to almost fully hold our heads up compared to our peers camping French style! We let ourselves down by the lack of floral arrangement on the table or groundcover but we are getting there (have got fancy bread basket please note - purchased in Beaune market).

At last we have a dossing day, it is so much easier to doss in the sun than in the cold. Doss, swim, doss, swim. We then pottered down to the shallow river beneath our site and up to the station of the "Train de L'Ardeche", a steam train which departs a few minutes away by foot from the site.The train takes trips through the Gorges du Doux . How Thomas the Tank loving children must love staying here as the  trains pass by tooting their horns complete with waving passengers within easy view of the site! (Brought a lump to my throat recalling the Railway Children " Daddy my Daddy!" - sob. - C)

We hope to stay a couple more days to enable Graham to build up his resilience prior to the drive back north on the - gasp- péage motorways! Yes Graham has been finally worn down by the detours and stop and go driving on the B roads. Actually it was Villefranche which did us in - stopping at every bus stop every 400m across town to pick up one person can get to you after a while in a RHD vehicle.

Tomorrow we may have a cycle ride out and perhaps try some wine - well we are in Côte de Rhone territory now and it would be rude not to!!

Week 2. Route de vin d'Alsace

Week 2  Day 8, May 14th. Celles - sur- Plaine. 

Today we awoke to a rather dull start after a night of rain. Ever hopeful we headed off on our bikes to tour the nearby lake with a picnic in the rucksack. After approx 2kms it started to rain, we donned our raincoats and carried on - the rain became worse and we made an executive decision to return to the campsite. By the time we got back we were thoroughly soaked!

Carol makes haste to no avail - still got a thorough soaking!

Coffee and cake followed chez Rex and we also ate our picnic in the van.

Later the rain abated and we retraced our route to the Lake Pierre Percée (Drilled Rock - I think). There followed another hill climb of 2 kms up to a barrage with views across the vast lake/reservoir. 

View from the barrage.

The lake was built to supplement a river because at times there was not enough water to cool the nearby nuclear power station. At the same time they built an underground pipe to feed a leisure lake (where our campsite is) which drives a hydro electric plant - all underground. The power plant generates 18,000 kW and the second lake is a leisure site with canoes, swimming etc.

Carol contemplating the possibility of another soaking!

The descent was over in no time and we continued on circumnavigating a smaller lake on our return to the campsite at a gentle pace ( just right - C)

A cup of tea in the van and for a moment the sun shone teasing us before the heavens opened again!

Still at least we have booked a table at Hotel des Lacs - yes oh Yes -C) and it is a 5 minutes walk away so we shouldn't get too wet!

So we had dinner at the Hotel des Lacs - we had the fixed price menu which started with hors d'oeuvres riche- woo! - what arrived was a platter of salad items with a slice of luncheon meat and egg mayonnaise liken'd to the salad bar at a Pizza Hut - we were slightly disappointed. However the main was nice - Graham had fillet mignon in a sauce brun with frites. Carol had fish of the day fresh au bout de la ligne (we think not) - salmon in a creamy sauce, with lovely dauphinois potatoes. Carol then tried ille flottante - soft meringue in custard sauce - which was nice but bet not as good as some. But at 19€ for 2 courses and 22.50€ for 3 it was very reasonably priced.

Still raining as we retired - we will decide tomorrow if we stay or move on dependant on the forecast.

Score for Camping des Lac 9/10. Great location. Free Wifi. Shame about the weather.

Day 9, May 15th. Celles - sur- Plaine - Obernai  72 miles.

It was raining as we woke and so the decision was made to move on.

The weather forecast shows rain for today - sunny periods from tomorrow until Tuesday when rain is predicted for several days.

We decided to head for the Route de Vins in the hope of being able to cycle to some of the wine producing villages before the weather changes - Hic!

We went up to the Col de Donan weaving our way upwards through pine clad hills - at the top where on a fine day you can see Germany and even the Swiss Alps. We saw - nothing - damp low clouds shrouded everywhere. Here is our view. 

Please excuse the swarm of bee like image at the top of the picture - it is a problem with the camera which happened last year too and then fixed itself. 

In a navigation error we ended up in a remote but pretty village called Natzwiller. As the roads became ever narrower we were glad our van was quite small.

Returning to the road we passed Le Struthof - the only concentration camp in France built by the Nazis during WW2. Apparently it is estimated that nearly 22,000 deportees lost their lives here between 1941 and 1945. We saw the huge monument dedicated to the Deported. It was clearly a popular attraction as there were lots of cars parked up - but we could not face entering the place and felt quite contemplative as we passed by, especially given the grim weather. 

Onwards to Le Hohwald which indeed was picturesque and looked to be a popular spot for walkers and tourists. Unfortunately both the Café and Salon de Thé were fermé - so we had a quick stroll round and headed off.

An interesting statue in the centre of le Hohwald. Is it a sunshade or an umbrella?

And a lovely house.

Drove on through Andlau, Eichhoffen, Intterwiller and had lunch chez Rex on the edge of Nothalten as the weather picked up -  all villages on the Route de Vin.

View of Nothalten from Rex at lunchtime

  

On to Sélestat for a supermarket shop in an enormous Leclerc and then parked up to visit the Maison du Pain. This is a museum dedicated to bread making. On entering we were given a couple of freshly baked bread rolls and sent on our way on the self guided tour. Well it was a good way to spend a rainy afternoon! and what we don't know about French bread making following the tour! 100 parts de farine, 62 parts de l'eau, 1,8 parts sel and 18 parts levure. Bake-off here we come.

We headed off to Obernai to our next planned stop. As we arrived at the campsite a sign stated no more room for campervans! - so we turned to go when a kindly German Wolfgang ran up to us and said there was 1 more space left after him, and he had asked the site manager to reserve it for us as we had arrived just 1 minute after him. Danke schün Wolfgang!

The site is very very busy - not what we are used to but we're happy to be in a conveniently based place for exploring some of the northern parts of the Route de Vins.

Day 10. Obernai. May 16th. Cycle trip aprox 13 .5 kms.

Today we cycled along the route de vin through a few small villages. A lovely ride through gently rolling countryside and picturesque villages.  Firstly we arrived in Ottrott which looked to be a small lively place, onwards on to Boersch - a village picturesque but fermé 

The bar entering Boersch

On again to Bischoffsheim again - fermé - and back to Obernai along a cycle path past vineyards. 

Obernai was ouvert! A pretty large touristy town with the usual timber framed alpine looking houses.

We had lunch in a restaurant sitting outside in mostly sunshine. We noted the restaurant had a selection of vegan/vegetarian dishes - some with Tofu - rather unique in France!

Carol had Tarte Flambé - a very thin based pizza like dish - with soft cheese base rather than tomato - with smoked ham and sundried tomatoes. Graham had Ravioli in a cream, fig and basil sauce. We shared half a carafe of white wine and had a leisurely lunchtime (this is more like it ! - C). 

A short leisurely cycle to the campsite and spent the rest of the afternoon chilling and plotting where to go next, and a back up plan if the weather becomes rainy for a prolonged period of time.

Score for Le Vallon de L'Ehn. 8/10. Great location. We were last in so can't complain about rather noisy pitch overlooking the children's playground! Friendly site.

Day 11. May 17th. Obernai - Turckheim. 38 miles.

Before departing we did a return cycle trip to see the villages to the south of us Obernai - Mittlebergheim. 30 kms.

We packed a picnic and followed cycle paths through the vineyards - Bernardswiller - Goxwiller - Gertwiller (where there is a museum/shop of Gingerbread - Pain épice - apparently the gingerbread capital of the world!) We visited the shop but wracked with the usual indecision left with nothing!

On to Barr a lovely town with a fabulous patisserie which we called in on the way back to purchase a couple of delicasies - including a mini Koffleburg - a local Alsacien cake.

Then on to our last village Mittlelbergheim - another typical Alsacien village. We decided to turn back just before Andlau and retraced our tracks.

En route time for a picnic

Mmm - another picnic - this is the life says Carol(?)

Back to Obernai and in the van for a short drive to Turckheim just south of Colmar.

We are staying on a site on the outskirts of Turckheim. As we settled into our pitch a stork flew overhead and settled into a tree nearby - Colmar is famous for it's resident storks who nest in the city centre and also our campsite evidently!

Our campsite stork on patrol.

As we sat enjoying a couple of beers a couple peered over the adjoining hedge - Chris(tine) and John from near Birmingham - who came and kept us amused for an hour telling tales of their travels in their Brummie accents!

Tomorrow the weather is promised to be good so we hope to get back on the bikes for more vineyard villages visiting - try saying that after a few !

Day 12. May 18th. Turckheim. Cycled from Turckheim to Riquewihr and back - 30 kms ( allowing for a few wrong turns!)

After a walk in to Turckheim for picnic provisions we picked up the bikes and set off. It is a beautiful sunny day at last! The cycle route took us through hillside vineyards although the inclines were a little more challenging than yesterday! 

We went via Katzenthal - how's this for a church tower!

On via - Ammerschwihr - Sigolsheim - Kientzheim (gorgeous!) to Riquewihr. All the villages we passed through were picture postcard pretty and charming. The villages here are maybe a bit prettier than further north but the hills between are quite large, and the cycling was a lot easier up near Obernai.  For anyone thinking of coming, get a cycle map from the tourist office. Between the fields there are single track roads used by viticulteurs and the odd local resident so are not shared with normal traffic and offer relaxing routes through spectacular scenery. 

Riquewihr is a bit of a tourist trap full of coach parties calling by on their European tours. It is still very picturesque and well worth a visit. We picniqued sitting on a bench centre town in glorious sunshine and watched the world go by. After a circular walk around the town we had the obligatory ice cream before retracing our route back.

Back to the van for a well deserved beer and shower. Sat under the awning with the sun still shining brightly - yippee!

Tonight we are going to walk in to Turckheim centre for dinner in a restaurant (What 2 dinners out in less than a week !) a treat for Carol for enduring 2 consecutive days of cycle trips! 

We walked through the deserted streets of Turckheim peering into empty restaurants where we didn't want to be the only diners. Turned a corner and saw people at tables outside of one - the Auberge de la Comtessa - we requested a table inside and it was full of people! This must be the place to go!

The decor was very French - a mix of grand style and lots of nic nacs - on our table we had a large lamp, a ceramic candlestick with lit candle, a decorative jug, a birdcage thing with plastic rabbits in it and a plastic bicycle! (this feels like one of those memory games) and still room for place settings! 

We enjoyed an interesting 3 course table d'hôte with the buzz of chatter around us - lovely. Won't go through the food but just to say we are always surprised when dining a la Francais - there is always something presented we did not anticipate or read in the menu. 

Day 13. May 19th. Colmar

Today was promised to be a dull day so we caught a bus to Colmar -  a town in the heart of the Alsatian vineyards - it's main attractions  are the Musée d'Unterlinden and Petite Venise.

The bus ride proved interesting as we had to change at a stop called Europe. We thought it would be a large shopping centre, but no. Europe appeared to be a large estate of social housing with stops en route called Rome, Berlin, Londres, Belgrade etc! We were directed to our connecting bus by the helpful bus driver and on to Colmar. As we stopped at a bus stop a young woman who had been sitting in front of us got off there from our previous bus got on to see the English couple from the previous bus grinning like loons - we'd beaten a local to a seat.

A very old house - not sure what - in Colmar

Unfortunately the musée was closed for renovation (not another!). Fortunately the main attraction - the Issenheim Alterpiece has been relocated to the nearby Eglise des Dominicains. The Alterpiece painted by Matthias Grünewald at the beginning of the 16thC for the high alter at Issenheim is a masterpiece of expressionist style, colour, light, poetry and humour - apparently. It certainly was interesting hearing the audio interpretation of the symbolism within the paintings depicting the crucifiction,nativity and other lurid imaginary happenings to St Anthony. We didn't take any pictures as they never do justice to such images - however the thoughts we took with us was those painters certainly had a vivid imagination!

Had lunch in the covered market - the cleanest and most diner friendly marché we have ever seen!

On to Petite Venise which was definitely petite but very pretty. It was not the right weather for a punt on the water unfortunately.

Back to the bus via a fab homeware shop where Carol bought a tablecloth for the table when dining Al fresco chez Rex - she can now hold her head high! (must take photo of said dressed table under the awning - C)

Back to the site and a cup of tea sitting in bright sunshine.

Then on to the Caves de Turckhein for a little wine tasting. Graham told the sales lady he had never had Gewurtztraminer (lie!) and she felt duty bound to indoctrinate him to the virtues of Gewurtztraminer with a vertical tasting from different terroirs and maturations. When the time came to  choose which wine to buy we were a little fuzzy on which ones we preferred, and left purchasing a Pinot Blanc and a Pinot Gris after all that!

Later we sit chez Rex deliberating whether to stay in the area or move more South as poor weather is predicted after the weekend, further west is best at the moment.  

Score for Le Medieval - 9.5 /10. Great location near to town and bus and train links. Easy walk to centre. Clean and modern facilities. Free wifi. Friendly reception. Only lack of pool gave it a near perfect score.

Day 14. May 20th. Turckheim to Auxonne.

Having looked at the weather forecast which predicted rain for a week in a few days - we decided to head west with a view to going further south if the weather does not improve. So we headed for Dijon.

A bit of a nothing day . Long drive and supermarket shop. Had lunch chez Rex by the river at Ranchot.

On to Auxonne East of Dijon - the town is by the river Saone. Unfortunately one of our party we misread the description and the site is rather more rustic than anticipated. The swimming pool is the municipal one next door which is yet to be filled with water even though the ACSI guide says open from 15/5. Parked up overlooking the river. From now one we have strict rules about division of duties. 

It rained heavily on arrival but we managed a walk into the town before dinner Chez Rex but think we have seen as much as we wish. We have been spoilt staying near such lovely places in Alsace , this town looks a little run down - although had a rather magnificent church. So will leave tomorrow and head for Meursault. Funny how we seem to gravitate towards wine growing regions!

Score for Camping De l'Arquebuse 6/10. Nicely situated - walking distance to town along the riverside.

Restaurant on site. Looks to be well set up for children. Strong smell of strange tobacco near the office and sanitary facilities woeful.