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| Farewell Germany |
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| Hello France |
I can’t remember when I started dreaming of travelling in
France, but it has been many, many years ago, and today we have finally arrived….and
if first impressions count it is everything I ever dreamed of.
We had a sunny departure from Germany, passing by the fields
of “Spargel” (white asparagus) and strawberries which are grown in this area.
We crossed the Rhine which is on the border and spotted a viewing platform over
a lock where a large ship was passing through. Stopped to have a look and met a
French couple, Dominic and Cecilia and had a great chat, they spoke very good
English. They were so helpful and suggested a very scenic route through the
Alsace to Obernai – which they know well as they live in this area. We were
most grateful to have this “local knowledge”.
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| Dominic and Cecilia |
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| The colours of France |
As it is Mother’s Day in NZ Ian said he would take me out
for lunch so on Dominic and Cecilia’s advice we headed for Ribeauville. As we
found last year, coming into a new country always takes a while getting used to
the different signage which causes a little bit of grief with the navigator!!
As stores are all shut on Sundays we still have not got a good map of France
which did cause a few issues, but we made it.
Spotted an Aire (the French equivalent to a Stellplatz,
where Motorhomes can park overnight) right in town so parked there. Sadly, it
started to rain so got the umbrellas up and set off. The wonderful characterful
buildings lined the street into the centre, I just had to keep pinching myself
that we were really in France. There were many eating places all with their
menus displayed. Found one that looked nice and we could sit outside under a
waterproof cover. Fun looking through the menu but managed okay and ended up
with a really nice lunch.
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| Happy Mother's Day |
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| Spotted these in a shop window...YUM |
We then meandered north on the wine route, although think we
got ourselves lost a few times. We passed through really beautiful villages
then up into the hills through the vines with castles higher up in the hills.
Even though it is not far from Germany, the architecture is
just so different, with a style all of its own. We decided to stop in a village
on the outskirts of Obernai, which we have heard is a very beautiful town, and
will explore tomorrow. I had found a winery in the French Passion list that
offered free overnight camping, just what we needed. Surprisingly we did pop in
and have a tasting and bought a bottle of local wine for the evening…very nice!
I walked into the village and wandered the streets, the age
of the buildings still amazes me. It’s great to be in France!
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| The old town of Bernardswiller |
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| Walking back to the van had a chat with Francois who was picking flowers from the roadside. |
Comments
Scotland book uploaded last night and went with your recommendation and ordered the upgraded paper!, 40% discount
The bikes are going well, learning using bike routes etc, but just loving the freedom it is giving us..Where do you think you might head for your holiday?