Lake Thun, Switzerland

13 June, Sunday

There was a “Wander Weg” (trans. Footpath) all the way to town. As you are not allowed to cycle on this path, Nick and I walked it. The weather was not too good but nothing an umbrella would not have solved.


Being Sunday everythign was veery quiet. This is something I have started to enjoy... no bustle of the touristy kind. Everyone at home with the family – whilst you have the town to yourself. The other thing is – is that taing photographs can be a little easier when there are no cars/trucks or visitors in your way.

The water all along the way was just a brilliant blue. With the rain falling the gushing of the river water was even more intense. Not something we will see soon again I am sure. The town is based on the lakes and waterways. It has the most incredibly location with it's Schloss on the hill, a perfect little church (where we stopped for lunch as it has a panoramic view), this transparent water and cobble stoned roads lined with restaurants, shops, etc.

The other thing that I love about Switzerland is the little tinkling of the cows, sheep and goats dotted within the towns and farm areas. This persistent chiming that brings the story of Heidi to life. The Switzerland that I dreamt of from a little girl, is the real life Switzerland it is today. Funny that I say this, if you asked me when I was younger where would be the first place I would like to go – it was always Switzerland. Tick off the list!

The rain started coming down. Me in my little shorts and an hour walk home. Usually I love the rain – but by the time we arrived home – my legs, shoes and socks were wet and I was cold. Hopped into the van, had tea and cuddled under a blanket with my Fair Lady my Mom had sent for me. Crossword and I was back in my element. My Nicky (the good-looking journalist) was blogging away.

There was soccer on that night – so instead of being totally cooped up in little Ruby for the rest of the night – we went to the campsite restaurant and watched Germany against Australia. We met a lovely couple Yvonne and Jacob had a giggle and went to bed.

TIP: Switzerland is changing over to European Union currently. This has been the most expensive part of the trip so far. It is not cheap here.

Another TIP: This is an incredible campsite!! Friendly management, clean and neat, lovely shop and restaurant and beautiful location. Could not ask for better. Free showers.

Switzerland, Lake Thun

12 June, Saturday
Switzerland

Today we woke up and decided to do a bit of laundry. Having done the last batch at Tant Elizabeth it was time. We had read in a campervan book that the best way to do your laundry was in a bucket using dishwash liquid. It worked out fine but Amy's hands reflected the years of having a automated washing machine. I on the other hand hand to re-wire the lights as we have gone through a number of fuses.



Amy hanging washing

We packed up and turned little ruby into a close line and four wheels and set off to Lake Thun. We did not know too much about the area but we just wanted to sleep near water. We headed off avoiding all motorways and tolls (missing the point of buying the vignette) for a 130 km 3 hour drive through breathtaking scenery mountain passes and over endless rivers. All I can say is Switzerland is absolutely beautiful. Our 3 hour journey turned into 5,5 hours just because you don't want to go quickly and you cant. Speed limit was 60 km/h the whole way. Perfect for Ruby.

We arrived in Thun - a large town on the lake. We were immediately stuck by the brilliant turqouse water flowing in a river drove alongside. The last time we had seem water so blue was in the Seychelles. Not a freshwater river?

We found a wonderful camp-site that called Watt about 5km outside of town and is right on the lake. The Manager Rene first told us he has no space. We had already climbed into Ruby and started her up when he came running out of the office telling us to take a walk with him and maybe he could squeeze us into the corner somewhere. We found a spot perfect for Ruby. I am bold enough to say it is the best spot in the park. Everyone is back to back packed like sardines. We on the other hand have a view and open space. Once unpacked we went for a short walk around the lake and came back and had a couple of beers and a braai (barbecue). It was a good ending to a good day.



What a view from the campsite

France to Switzerland

11 June, Friday


And so we woke up, about the fiftieth time, to get up. The rain and the trees kept us from sleeping straight through the night.
TIP: Free camping in a forest – great! Bad idea – if there is any chance of rain.
Truly, we had no idea that it would rain. The weather was honestly fine. Unfortunately you cannot control everything. Our first free camp was an experience we will never forget!

Tiredly, we managed to get Ruby with no hassles out of the muddy, leafy forest floor and back on to the road.

We ate eggies, fresh sunflower bread, with cheese and tomato at a car par k/aires (free parking rest spot).



Arrived in Strasbourg for a quick visit. We avoided toll-roads and motorways on the TomTom and passed factories and the industrial area first. This almost gave us the wrong impression. We found a parking on the outskirts of the central area as we found it was chaos to try and park closer– upon reaching the old town and were completely surprised! It is a truly beautiful city which can be describe as a baby Paris. Old narrow streets pop out into beautiful squares with coffee shops and restaurants surrounding them. I would say the let down about this city is it is clearly geared for the American tourist. Bus loads of your clichéd teenage tourist surrounded the very beautiful cathedral – also a Notre Dame. We wondered just off from the cathedral and easily got lost in the university area. This was great! Students out and about for lunch grabbing the cheapest thing they can find and sitting somewhere to eat it. This really set a lively scene. We strolled off to an area called Little France. A residential neighbourhood with 3 canals dividing the streets. Well worth a walk. After that we decided to head on out as we still needed get to Switzerland before the evening.



TIP: Bought a “vignette” from a roadside petrol station. It is a disc that Switzerland wants you to display on your car. It costs 31 Euro's but covers you for a whole year – nothing available for less.

We found a camp site outside Basel - Campingplatz Waldhourt. It was fine but expensive for what you got. Un-mowed lawns and and very average everything else. Seemed like most of the other campers stayed there permanently as our neighbour proceeded to take out his own lawnmower and mow his own lawn. Definitely a first I think. We were tired and did not want to try find anywhere else. Got a beer each and settled down for the evening.

Igel to Luxembourg

10 June, Thursday

Left Igel to Luxembourg

After a mini fry-up and Elisabeths strawberry jam on bread (voted best in the world by the food by Confiture Expert, Nicky Noo du Toit), we made our way to Echternach and Vianden in Luxembourg. These were suggested in one of our books, along with 2 other places Diekerch and another I cannot remember. Although we did not visit the latter, Echternach and Vianden set a solid understanding as why to visit. Castles on the hills and boulangeries (trans. Bakeries) and cafe's surrounding them in the old towns.

A bakery in Vianden provided us with a fresh French loaf to accompany our Maglida cheese, tomatoes and salami type wurst, all from Germany. We sat and soaked in the views of the Montee du Chateau (11th Century). These places you can generally drive or take a walk through. They are tiny little places. Fairy fantasy – but real life. The whole route was only 200km's, so it's an easy day trip.

TIP: No bikes here – very hilly!
Another TIP: Buy Diesel or Petrol in Luxembourg (approx. 25p/cent less per litre). As it is a tax haven everything is cheaper.



Arriving in Luxembourg City in early afternoon. A fantastic city which we will definitely visit again. Absolutely beautiful and has a sense of romance. There we bought tickets for the Petrusse Express (8.50 Euro p.p). It was in the same sort of train as in Cologne but this time it was informative and presented really well. The guide mentions that it is probably the most picturesque city in Europe. This it is, with the whole city situated on cliffs, bridges connecting the spaces with rivines flowing below. It is barely commercial or touristy though you can definitely sense the pride of the people. There is a huge banking district though it is totally unobtrusive. The cultures are so diverse yet they apparently have very few issues between any kind. Although it is small - this place has a huge amount of history and is worth more than a quick hello. It would be somewhere interesting to live, who knows? Maybe one day.



Beautiful Luxembourg!

And another TIP: They speak French and German and Letzebeurgesch (?) We came into contact with mostly French people.

It has been a good laugh remembering what language you should speak where. Especially that the tom tom took us from Germany, to Luxembourg, to France, to Germany and back into France (where we decided to free camp) all in ONE day!



Free Camping... we managed to brave our first free camp site. It is oddly nerve-wrecking! There are loads of pull-offs on the roads. Often with a few truckers about. Then, if you carry on a quiet road you might just find somewhere heavenly! We found a place tucked under some tall trees. The shade cooled us from the 30 degree heat. Cracked open a delicious bottle of wine from Onkel Norby and made dinner under the trees. Birds tweeting and the smell of the earth.

A little sherry and bed. The wind picked up so slightly. The breeze was welcomed. And then it hailed. It hailed like mad! Big thuds on our Rubys top! Then the rain. Rain and more rain. It was too late to move. The bikes were wet, tied up on the car outside. Our bed was made – with us in it. It was decided to brave this storm and stay. I fell asleep worrying that Ruby might be stuck in the morning.

TIP: Free camping is very common in France.

The Route to Trier

June 9, Wednesday

The Route to Trier

An early start took us via Bonn, the old German Capital and the birthplace of Beethoven. We drove along the Rhine River through to Koblenz where majestic castles line the hills of the valley. Had breakfast on the river in the van.



One of the many castles on the route

We continued to Alken where vines were additional to the beautiful Schloss (trans. Castle). We stopped and had coffee at an old hotels restaurant along the riverside. The entire road in Alken is taken up by little hotels along the Moselle (trans. Mosel) .

If anyone is keen, this is a must to drive through. The road is the B49 and has continuous scenery. Although touristy, everything is preserved for Germans. No English to be seen anywhere nor spoken which takes away from the commercialism.

Via Klotten and more natural spa baths, we stopped at Cochem to see the castle. Out the valley of Cochem, up a steep hill – Ruby went at a cool 26km p/hr – involuntarily giving us the opportunity to enjoy our surroundings. We reassured her - “what comes up – must come down”. (Not sure what she'll say when we get to the Alps...)

Ediger was next along the route. It's very character filled with leaning buildings again along the river Mosel. With plenty camping spots – it would be a lovely place to stop over night. However, we moved on and had left over stew on bread for lunch in Alf.



Lovely setting for lunch!

Further along the road we found a farm stall for erdbeeren (trans. Strawberries). With lots of munching as we started Ruby up, we were so enthralled by the flavours our tastebuds were encountering – I saw a road sign and called it out. It turned out to be a wrong turn.



Wild Poppies near the farm stall.

TIP: Even if you find a strawberry stall – pay attention to the Tom Tom/GPS.

This was only the start of a few wrong turns but we managed to get to Trier close to 16h00. We set camp up at Igel. The second cheapest campsite so far at 16 euro including electric. A 40 min cycle (slow)/15km approx. to Trier along the river Moselle. A lovely ride. We were starving – so we locked up the bikes, ate supper at a Doner place (nothing like the ones in London - much better) and took the walking tour we were given by Onkel Norby.

First stop – UNESCO World Heritage Site – Porta Nigro. Built in 200 AD – the Romans built this as this city gates. A group of scholars stood outside and we wondered if they even thought how great this site is. Our clever Onkel Norby also told us that in Roman times Trier had a population of 200 000 and today there is still a population of 200 000. It is also the oldest city in Germany. This is where Norbert and Elisabeth were both born. It is stunning and you can almost tell a story from the cobbled streets. Again, there is a beautiful palace that is easily accessible which is surrounded by a wonderful old town. We spent 3 odd hours here and road home. Showered and climbed in. Long day!



Porta Nigro

Salzbergen and off to Cologne

June 7, Monday to June 8, Tuesday

Leaving Salzbergen and off to Cologne

We left with new memories and new family and friends, big hugs and kisses.

Ruby took us along the countryside for 3.5 hours and sauntered through Cologne. Initially, there were a lot of factories and buildings, quite commercial. Our Campsite, Campingplatz Stadt Koln, situated on the Rhein (Rhine) River had all the necessary amenities, even gas stoves in a common wash area for campers to use. They had a kiosk with all your bits and bobs and a mini takeaway kitchen. It also had a very communal area where a group of Brits would gather in the evenings.

When we booked in we mentioned that we had a mini-camper and were discounted 1 euro! Always good to save. Plus it paid for a shower, at 50 cents, for each of us. The quickest hot shower ever but better than nothing.



Settled in for the evening!

When we arrived – Nick and I had so much blogging to do – the first thing was find out if the site has wi-fi. At 3 euro's for 1 hour and 6 euro's for 24hrs, we took the latter. There was 6 days to get noted! Some of which had been written but photo's needed to be minimised and uploaded, etc. This blogging is hard work! Actually, we had been so busy in Salzbergen enjoying everyone's company that we didn't have a stitch of time to do it.

So, the blogging started. Between making dinner, tuna pasta (for lack of having anything better), a couple of cold ones and blogging, we only managed to finish everything the next day at noon! So we had a chill out session – though worked hard at the same time. We decided to see Koln at least and stay another night.

As I haven't mentioned much about the weather – it must be said we have been so blessed... It is warm. In the mornings, a little cool but it gets progressively hot. Just thought to let you know!

8 June Cont.

Grabbed the bikes, took a 15 minute ride to the Alstadt (Old Town). Really quaint and most certainly the nicest area of Cologne. We locked the bike to a fence and took a walk through the cobbled streets through to the Koln Dom (trans. Cologne Cathedral). Incredible! It stands proudly in the centre of the city. The size of it is indescribable. The acid rain has blackened this Gothic building was started in1248 and due to various historical issues only completed 640 years later! There is work being done currently to clean it – though one wonders if it will ever be complete.



View from the bridge when cycling into town

Nick and I decided to take a look inside... Breathtaking. Overpowering! Almost like walking into the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris. You look up and the ceilings seem to go on forever. The variety of stain glass windows, mosaics and paintings show the differences in the many, many years to complete it. One section still looked as if the painting needed to be completed. Definitely the major site to visit.

A sandwich from the local takeaway filled the gap and then we wobbled along the cobbled roads or roadworks in Wolters Bimmelbahn Sightseeing Train. We bumped about until our bicycle bums were even more bruised. It took us along the areas that we might not have visited due to distance. The recorded tour guide was in various languages – one of which was English. The narrator was not English. We could hardly make out what she was saying! She was perhaps better off talking for a sexy lingerie advert than explaining Koln's surroundings. Then again, the trip was only 5 euro's! There were more expensive alternatives (12 euro's odd) that looked a little more professional. Regardless, it is a good way to see the city you are in.

There is a midway stop at the zoo and Botanical Gardens. Nick and I are in agreement that we do not do zoo's. Coming from South Africa, it is so much more favourable seeing them in the wild. Instead we took a stroll through the gardens.

The little train came back for us. A visit to a tourist office for a grocery store and electric store. We found a microphone for our computer to Skype home and some speakers for the MP3. Word of advice, ask for a market or if on budget, LIDL or Aldi, whilst in Germany. If you ask for a Supermarket it is possible that you will be sent to a shop more exclusive than a Waitrose, like us. A little bit of spoil is never a bad thing.



The Altstat or Old town

Our bikes were still there and we returned home to a nice, warm, “Nicky Noo” stew with German sausage and veg. Mmh! Then, bed.

Salzbergen Day 5

6 June, Sunday
Germany

Elisabeth and Norberts Wedding Anniversary of 35 years! Another achievement of togetherness. A great day to be part of their family. We attended church with them at St. Cyriakus, Catholic Church. Although everything was in German – it was the songs that taught you the pronunciation of the letters. We have been comparing it to Afrikaans a lot. They are at times similar and are totally different at other. When I was raised Catholic in South Africa there would often be Priests originally from Italy, France or Ireland. This time the Priest was German. It is not very different from those days, I thought. We could never understand what they were saying with their heavy accents either!

Lisbeth decided that we take a cycle from Salzbergen through Schuttorf to Bad Bentheim. Picnic along the way and end up in Bentheim to visit Norby's Mother, Maria Wirtz.



We made beautiful buns bought fresh from the bakery in the morning. Apples, bottles of water, cookies, etc. We made our way through lush green lands in 30 degree Celcius heat. Cycled through a gorgeous little place, Schuttorf. Stopped for the picnic in the Bentheim woods. Travelled through the gardens filled with sculpture at the Bentheim Hot Baths. Then free cycled down a hill (Elisabeth reaching 38km p/hr) down to Norby's “Meine Mutter” (trans. My Mother).

Ms Maria Wirtz, 92 years old. The happiest face on this earth.



The heat was hectic and we were all tired. Peter, the across the road neighbour to Norby, offered to fetch us from the Home. The neighbourly love again. We were all grateful! We also had a dinner celebrations at the “Am Wasserval” Hotel for Norbert and Elisabeth for 19.30, so we needed to shower and wash away the days hard work.



Dinner was incredible! It was the perfect end to our stay with our new Aunty and Uncle.

The thing is, we did not know any of these people to start with. Within 4 days, broken or no English, we felt like we are part of their community. Their friendship and families are together. The bonds and spirit (not the Schnapps) amongst these people is diverse. This being only the first week of our trip, we feel like it has been a lifetime. It has been a humbling and very blessed experience.

Thank you to Vanessa, Erhardt, Kevin, Birgit, Jurgen, Olaf, Werner, Inge, Doris, Engelbert, Pieter, Annamie, Herman, Heinrich and all the others for an enriching experience. Most of all to our very dear Onkel und Tant, Norby and Elisabeth. We will always have these memories and look forward to making more together.