On to Bodensee

August 4th
From Singen we headed in a south-easterly direction and joined up with the coastal road running around Lake Constance (or Bodensee). The views were spectacular looking down onto the vast expanse of water surrounded by Austrian and Swiss Alps, which were themselves covered in mist giving them a strange other-worldly feel. The lake is the third biggest lake in Central Europe and we drove for almost an hour and a half just to get a quarter of the way round.
We stopped in the town of Friedrichshaffen on the north side of the lake to have a look at a street festival which was going on at the waters edge. There were street performers, face painting (I was tempted), music, bar tents (serving beer in proper flagons!), food and stalls selling all types of gifts, all with the backdrop of the lake and the many boats that harbored up there. It was a lovely day and it was a pleasure just mooching about the stalls and watching the performers.

Erstein, Europapark and the Black Forest

August 1st
Erstein was a nice little town but we didn't explore a lot today other than walking Nailz about for a while. The town did have a McDonalds so we pulled up outside to use the free WiFi and ended up spending most of the day looking up bits and bobs (mostly how and where to find free 'Stellplatz' - the German equivalent of Aires du Reste, some with free loos, electricity and drinking water), and Skyping the parents. We then filled up with Gazole as we had heard it was cheaper in France than in Germany and headed over the border.
We were heading to a theme park called Europapark which is in the town of Rust, barely over the border. We had found a free StellPlatz just up the road from it in the town of Kappel. It was no more than a car park by a lake, but it would do us fine so we pulled up, rustled up some dinner and bedded down for the night amidst another mild thunder storm.

August 2nd
Rachel and I got up like kids before Christmas and headed to Rust, and to Europapark. This place was just awesome and we had an amazing time. I think we went on every ride going and there were some excellent roller-coasters along with loads of other great attractions. It absolutley bucketed down with rain at times which caused rides to be closed for a short period, but this did not put a dampener on our day, even though we were soaked through by the end of it. Another good thing was that it wasn't too busy so we were able to get off one ride and straight onto another almost immediately. They even provided free showers (which was a welcome bonus) and also free electric hookup with the camper parking. As our solar panels were providing all the energy we needed we didn't make use of the electric, but it was good to know it was available. If you are in the area it is well worth the entrance money. After we had showered and got into some dry clothes we set off for the town of Bonndorf in the Black Forest region of Germany, to look for cake. On the way we passed through some incredible countryside with sheer drops on one side of the road, and sheer cliff faces on the other. They were the kind of snake-like roads you see on Top Gear, and Rachel had a lot of fun driving amongst the clouds as we wound our way up the mountains.

August 3rd
Last night we had stayed in another 'recommended' parking spot, also just a car park, but this time by a sports stadium! Bonndorf (im Schwatzwald to give it the full name) is in the heart of the Black Forest so we had to have a look at this ancient forest full of legends. After breakfast we took a walk through the forest and saw loads of types of mushrooms, wild strawberries (which tasted super-sweet) and blueberries amongst other treats. We didn't take any mushrooms as the odds of us getting the wrong ones is probably a punter's nightmare. Rachel has a book to help us identify the right kinds, but for now we were just happy taking a walk through this underworld of dark green. It was a lovely sunny day, a nice contrast from yesterday's deluge, but in under the dense canopy scant patches of light were able to break through.
After exploring the forest for a while we got back to the van and headed toward Lake Constance, or Bodensee to use it's local name. En route the heavens opened again briefly but by now we were used to this weather. When it rains it really rains and when the sun is out it's really hot.
As we neared the next StellPlatz in the town of Singen (not to be confused with Schingen, Luxembourg folks) we passed the ruins of a castle on a high mountain top. We had to have a look. We were looking at the Duke of Alemannia's fortress, Hohentweil which was built in the 10th century on the top of a volcano. Dr Evil eat your heart out. The castle used to be an enclave belonging to the Duchy of Württemberg in the middle of Austria. The castle withstood five sieges during the 30 years war and as a fortress in the middle of enemy territory it was heavily armed. The view from the castle shows just how difficult it would have been to take by force.
Once we had descended from the castle we made the short journey to our stop for the night, a free Stellplatz in the shadow of the fortress, and made camp.

Haguenau to Strasbourg

July 28th
We woke up in Haguenau by the river, which seems to be our favoured type of location! The weather was absolutley atrocious so we holed up in a friendly bar for the most part of the day. We did venture out during the breaks in the weather to have a look at the town. We found most unusual clock on the side of a museum of folklore (literally meaning historical life in the town), and also found our first Geocache of the trip but the weather soon put a halt to further exploring.

In the afternoon we went for a swim in the local piscine which was a welcome treat. To round the night off we opened a bottle of Pinot Blanch that we had bought from Luxembourg, grown in the town of Reimich in the Moiselle area.

July 29th
Today the weather was very changeable. One minute it was lovely and hot, the next the sky was completely black and rumblings of thunder were heard in the distance. We decided to find the local Aire du Reste to fill up our water supplies so headed to the nearby town of Souflenheim. Here we fould the reste without too much difficulty and were pleased to find free water and electricity provided for weary motor-homers. I wish this were the case in Britain!

The town itself is typical of the towns found in the Alsace region of France, very old-looking heavy-beamed houses, reminiscent of Norman age buildings in England. If this were England the town would be a National Trust Heritage site, but as they are everywhere in this part of France not much notice is taken except by the likes of us who walk round with jaws hanging a little. The town is also famous for it's pottery which is on sale throughout France.

We filled up our water containers and were washing our clothes when a fellow who was working on one the houses adjoining the Reste came up to us for a chat. He had seen the number plate and asked where we were from. He explained that he had worked in Yeovil for a while for Westland Aerospace, which is a stones throw from where I used to live in my younger days!

July 30th
We had stayed the night in Haguenau as we had a good feel for the area, and now that morning was upon us we decided that it was time to move on to Strasbourg, the capital of Europe and Alsace! However, our first impression of the city was not good. Because we had become accustomed to smaller towns and villages and a slower pace of life we were not quite ready for the vastness and 'hecticness' that is the capital of Europe. We had driven into the "business-end" of the city which could be any major town in Europe. Still once we had found a place to put the van we set about finding our feet. We are both very glad we did.

The best part of Strasbourg has to be the "Petite France" area of the city. This is the old-school part of the town and full of bustling coffee shops, bars, street entertainment and music. We spent the afternoon walking among this vibrant landscape and stopped for coffees when we needed a rest. We also came across the Cathedral de Notre Dame, made from pink sandstone and towering above the city. It is an impressive sight with arrays of gargoyles and probably the most intricate and elaborately sculptured architecture on a building we had ever seen. Inside there were impressive windows, a beautifully designed organ and an astrological clock which shows a procession of life-size figures of Christ and the Apostles which occurs every day at 12:30pm. Its main features, besides the automata, are a perpetual calendar (including a computus), an orrery (planetary dial), a display of the real position of the Sun and the Moon, and Solar and Lunar Eclipses. The main attraction is the prosession of the life-size figures of Christ and the Apostles which occurs every day at 12:30pm, that is at noon clock time.

We headed back to the van to find a place to stop for the night and found a convenient spot by the one of the canals coming from the Rhine and easily within walking distance of the city centre.
In the evening we went back to into the city and to the bars to sample the excellent array of alcoholic beverages before making our way back to the Cathedral to watch the illuminations. Each night the Cathedral is lit by hundreds of coloured lights positioned around and inside the Cathedral, and these lights focus on different areas of the architecture in time with music. The whole cathedral seems to dance with the music and it is quite a spectacle, and if possible made the Cathedral seem even more magical and impressive than before.

July 31st
Today we got up and hit the Markets in town. There were all kinds of markets, from local produce to antiques, crafts, books - pretty much any type of market you cared for was there. In the afternoon I broke my busking duck and took the plunge. Yep, I've never busked anywhere before so guitar and amp on my back I again headed to the Cathedral, which was where all the other buskers and crowds were. I found a nice little spot and played for about 45 mins (which is incredible in itself if you have ever seen me play at open mic nights! Usually I can do two songs at the most!). It was a beautiful place to play and although I did get a bit of change, the fact that I was able to play in such a nice part of the world was a sheer joy. I can't believe I've waited this long to do it!

In the evening Rachel and I headed down the canal to another exhibition called "Dreams over water". This was another free exhibition put on to celebrate summer in Strasbourg, and what a lovely way to celebrate!
It was a perfectly syncronised combination of music, light projections, fountains and lasers creating most elaborate and colourful sculptures in air and water. Each country in Europe was represented for a few minutes and for the UK, the Beatles - All You Need Is Love came on. The result was breathtaking and although this show was held every night and was about a month into the run, the banks of the river were crammed with spectators. Words cannot do it justice.

After the show we headed back to the van and went south, eventually ending up in a town called Erstein where we holed up for the night.

By the way, we are loving reading all the comments that have been left either on the blog or on the Flickr pages, so a big thanks to all that have commented and please keep doing so! And no Dougie, some of the really smelly cheese is just to strong it import it, sorry.

Click here for the route so far
Click here for our Flickr photos