EUROPE : Germany : Days 9 & 10

Day 9  : SATURDAY, 1st October.  

 Europa Stadium, Freiburg

We didn't leave until 10 o'clock this morning but weren't the last to go, there were still a couple of dozen motorhomes in the car park.  Needing a few supplies, we stopped at a nearby REWE supermarket then made our way to a fast motorway which we followed to Waldkirch in order to have a look around  the old town.  Unfortunately, we couldn't find a car park close enough to the town to be able to walk in so drove on.  Further along the road and able to find parking close to Elzach, we stopped and strolled through the lovely old town 

Elzach Scenes 

which was rather quiet, everything...or almost everything was closed as noon had come and gone but we did find one cafe open, the kitchen was closed until later in the day but we were able to have coffee and cheesecake there. 

What better way to spend a wet, miserable hour or so in a warm and friendly cafe enjoying a pot of coffee and a delicious peach cheesecake?  

After we'd devoured the cheesecake, drunk the coffee and strolled some more, and with no definite plan in mind, we pushed on for about 40 kms to Schiltach, parked near the river and explored another lovely old town.  

Schiltach Scenes 

There was not much open in town as most businesses close at noon on Saturdays, but we knew there had to be a bar open somewhere, and when we found it, felt compelled to enter and enoy a Furstenburg beer and a glass of wine!

There is 24 hour parking allowed in Schiltach, just metres from the river, so we've decided to stay the night.

Day 10 : SUNDAY : 2nd October.  After a quiet night, with just a little mizzly drizzly this morning, we strolled, or at least Mike strolled, I hobbled around to a bakery/cafe for coffee and couldn't resist sharing a generous slice of walnut cake.  

We left at 9.30am with the intention of visiting some castle ruins just a few kms out of Schiltach but were unable to find them so continued on to our next port of call through some interesting scenery 

     and via some forced detours due to roadworks,

 arriving in the town of Glatt well before opening time at the Wasserschloss (castle). There was plenty of parking available and a short walk through an attractive park

which led to the castle.  It was still a little early for the opening so we wandered around the exterior of the castle  

until the doors were opened but I'm afraid I baulked at the stairs and Mike went in alone 

while I hobbled across the courtyard to the cafe, 

                      not realising I'd have to negotiate stairs there anyway.    (This is the cafe!)

There were more roadwork detours with brief stops at Horb am Neckar and at Rottenburg am Neckar before our arrival at Nehren, where we are staying overnight at the Sport Facilities.  After a morning of on/off sunshine but no rain, the rain clouds were looming and let loose their load just after we arrived, prompting us to make the decision to stay put.  Mike watched the NRL Grand Final (Penrith 28 Parramatta 12), I snoozed a little, 

we went for a short walk when the rain eased, albeit briefly, but otherwise have been confined to the motorhome.

EUROPE : France/Germany : Day 8

Day 8 :FRIDAY, 30th September.  

We were greeted this morning with a sunrise and blue sky

My foot feels a little better and gave me no trouble through the night, which could have been due to the bandaging and/or the panadol.  Our neighbours came over before leaving, to ask about my foot and to say 'auf weidersehen' and about 30 minutes later, we also left.  Disappointedly, the sun disappeared, reappearing from time to time throughout the day but the good news is, we have had no rain, a bonus!  Driving along the road, we spotted a sign for Grottes de Glacier so we took a detour to see what there was to see.....firstly 

 The Abbey de la Grace - Dieu

and then we came to the the Grottoes.  Mike went off to make enquiries and this is what he found out : The cavern, lying undiscovered for millions of years, contains the fossils of prehistoric animals.  On an hour-long visit, under the beam of a lamp, three dinosaurs emerge from the darkness, one herbivore and two carnivores, corals, sea urchins, crabs, a metre-long fish and much more.  Though we weren't in any hurry, Mike decided he didn't want to spend an hour with dinosaur fossils and I certainly didn't want to hobble around in a dark cave, 

so we just enjoyed the drive through the countryside, 

stopping in the village Passavant for coffee and chocolate eclairs in the Bar/Tabac.  

We then went on through Baume les Dames

and having made a couple of detours in order to purchase fuel, only to find the service stations either closed or out of said fuel, and getting slightly lost and frustrated, we finally found success, filled the tank and arrived at the Rhine River,

stopped for a while to watch a couple of barges go through the locks and are now in Germany,
more specifically in Freiburg, in the Europa Park Stadium car park in an area designated for motorhomes when the stadium is not in use, along with seventy four other motorhomes.  There is a big football match being played at the stadium tomorrow between Freiburg and Mainz so we must leave between 10 and 12 which is not a problem, at this stage tomorrow's destination has not been decided.  

 

EUROPE : France/Switzerland : Days 6 & 7

 Day 6 : WEDNESDAY, 28th September.  

More rain through the night.  Mike took a load of washing to the nearby laundry this morning, then came back for breakfast after which we both went back to transfer everything to the dryer and while that was happening, went for another walk before retrieving our clean clothes, packing up and leaving.  First stop was the motorhome services, then the supermarket and we were on our way again.  It was quicker to back track a little to go to the north of the lake back into Switzerland,  and to drive on the motorway, stopping at the motoring  services on Motorway 9 for coffee and a break for my driver.

We had a view of Lake Geneva from the cafe and alps in the distance

and as soon as we returned to the motorway, the rain came bucketing down, with poor visibility, and lasted 40 minutes until our arrival in Yverdon les Bains in Switzerland, our stopover spot for tonight.  

After about an hour, the rain eased so we donned coats, grabbed our Aldi brollies and walked into town,

 

enjoyed our meander through Yverdon and had drinks at the Kalaya Lounge Bar.  Drinks were served with a small bowl of pretzels, nuts etc. and then, pizza slices...all included in the cost of the drinks!  What service.  

Day 7 : THURSDAY : 29th September. 

Our stopover spot last night was next door to a large Petanque Club with more than 40 rinks, and which more than likely plays inter city competitions.Archery is also played there and it is all adjacent to a sailing club.

We took our brollies and went walking this morning along the path beside Lake Neuchatel, 

along with people walking their dogs, a jogger and a twitcher armed with his tripod, binoculars and long lens camera.  Our first port of call after leaving Yverdon was at a town called Grandson 

where we stopped for coffee and pastries at the chateau cafe, did not tour the chateau as it is in the process of having extensive  repairs, then went for a stroll.  

Town Church

                             We stopped just out of St Croix to fill the water tank while having lunch 

and shortly after crossed the border back into France.  

 

Next stop was Chateau du Joux near Pontarlier, and it was closed but we took photos of the exterior.

 On the walk down the hill back to the car park, I stepped into a little gully, fell into a puddle and hurt my right foot in the process.  It was quite painful, I couldn't put any weight on it so Mike went on to the m/home and drove up to collect me.  We then drove on to our overnight stop at Nancray and just after we arrived, the sun came out from his hiding place!   A couple from Heidelberg arrived minutes after we did and Mike started chatting with them, telling them what I'd done.  

At that stage, I could barely stand so the lady came over to talk to me, and very kindly bandaged my foot for me.   

The sun stayed until evening and was very welcome, 

just after 7pm the mist started rolling in so we expect a cold night.