Website: http://www.la-paille-haute.com/
Tag Archives: Europe
11 – Strasbourg
Part 11 – Strasbourg
Twinned with Liecester
Website: https://www.camping-
On Tuesday, after a four hour drive from Bern, Switzerland we arrived at the campsite in Strasbourg to a deluge of rain. We were allocated a pitch which seemed to be fine, except for the large tree which I could see may become an issue for my solar / leisure batteries. We weren’t 100% sure what the weather forecast was and saw the combination of tree blocking the light, and potentially dull conditions could provide less power over our three day stop than the fridge would draw. So we donned our raincoats and umbrellas and had a wander to see if we could find a more open pitch. It soon became apparent that although we had a tree close to our van, it was in far better condition as a whole than some which had more mud than grass.
(Technical paragraph for those that are interested) As we had had some issues with the batteries dropping below a safe voltage for the fridge a couple of times during our Euro trip, we felt we would be better keeping our allocated pitch, but paying for electric. So we popped to reception and paid the extra just to be on the safe side. That said on the few times I have paid for electric when the hook up cable is connected , I tend not to have the BBB unit fed with power by making sure the trip isolator inside the van (below the power socket) is in the off position. I can’t see any benefit in having the batteries provided with a 30 year old ‘none intelligent’ feed to the batteries, along with a solar charge. If the batteries drop below 11volts, it’s flick the switch to bring em back up.
which lasted well into the early hours of Wednesday morning. This definitely cleared the air and gave a great day for sight seeing on the Wednesday. Not too hot, with a thin layer of cloud and the odd spell off sunshineio. Our smart watches read close to 20k steps when we got back to the campsite late afternoon…so that’s got to be good. Today we are chilling at the campsite till lunch, then going back into this amazing city for the afternoon into the evening, as I’m sure it will be different again as the lights come on at night. ??
I live in Alsace (near Strasbourg) where the souvenir shops are bulging with storks in many shapes and kinds. The reasons for the storks prominence in Alsace are manifold.
1. The geography of Alsace (in the plain of the Rhine with abundant marshland (at least before the canalisation of the Rhine after the second world war) made it a good feeding ground for storks. The area was also within reach of their winter migration areas in North Africa.
2. Laying on the border of France & Germany, Alsace has a very turbulent history and has been fought over many a time. The annexation of Alsace to imperial Germany at the end of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 t was a very traumatic event for France. The drive to “take back” Alsace was one of the underlying factors contributing to World War 1 . The Alsatian author “Hansi” drew irreverent cartoons about the Germans is Alsace and lay the foundations of an idealistic view of an oppressed Alsace longing to return to the bosom of France. Part of this view was the lore that “in the same way the Stork returns to its home patch after its winter migration, Alsace will one day return to France.
3. The Stork as a symbol thereafter took off in a big way. In featured on posters, postcards, art, tableware, textiles etc… This was perpetuated in the 1960’s by famous Alsation cartoonist Tomi Ungerer (See image – Copyright Delcqmpe – Tomi Ungerer)
4. After 1918 Alsace went back to France only to be reclaimed by Nazi Germany in 1940. At the end of WW II there were alleged to be only 10 stork left in Alsace. A breeding in captivity programme was started during which the migratory instinct was suppressed. The stork population took off again, both in the wild and in two Stork based theme parks in Alsace. Due to climate change the necessity to migrate seems to have reduced substantially anyway.
The stork is a feature of the decor in many Alsatian villages and towns with horizontal wagon wheel on the top of poles and chimneys being provided as base for storks nests. They even nest on powerlines (see picture I shop on a motorway just across the border).
….and of course, in Alsace, like elsewhere in the world the storks main job is delivering babies 😉
Interlaken
Lauterbrunnen – Via Simplon Pass
Website: http://www.
We both arose after a good night’s sleep at Socio on Lake Maggiore knowing that we were setting of for a different country after spending almost two weeks in Italy. The drive to Switzerland was going to be via the Simplon Pass. This was the one section of the whole road trip that should stand out due to its elevation through the Alps as most of the previous mountainous stretches have been via lengthy tunnels with heafty tolls attached. We we were advised that this road was worth the effort if we had the time to take it in. Options for a reduced journey time were via the Lotschberg Tunnel (14.6km) but we committed to the more scenic route right from the off.
The weather predictions were for rain and thunder so we were expecting a challenging drive. My concerns were that it would be raining with fog & cloud that would potentially spoil the journey for the duration. This proved not to be that case. We had heavy rain during a paticularly bad stretch of road as we moved towards the Italian / Swiss boarder, but after that we found ourselves climbing above the clouds.
The new engine in my van has been performing impeccably since it was installed last year. The reconditioned gearbox was really smooth also. However, I did find myself trying to shift up from third to fourth, only to have to drop it back down again. It liked third at 3x1000rpm and seemed to want to pull into fourth, but time and again after the shift I had to drop down. All seemed a little odd, but this made sense when we got out for a photo session. The steepness of the incline wasn’t immediately obvious when in the drivers / passenger seat. It was ridiculously steep!
I had been advised that opening the windows and putting the fan on full blast whilst having the heater on hot would also help to keep the engine temperature down. I kept an eye on the temp gauge and saw it raise well above the norm as we climbed, but how much this heater action helped is not 100% clear as I’m sure the electric fan would have helped to maintain a safe working temperature.
We approached another vantage point at the very top of the Simplon Pass, and a good photo opportunity. The Simplon Pass Hotel and Restaurant was most likely the point at which you stop elevating, and start to defend. I stepped out of the van to be hit with a massive drop in temperature. Not surprising as there was snow all around, but the shock of the heat from the heater, and the cold air was a stark reminder of the difference in altitude from sea level to the upper alpine regions. This was made worse by the fact I was still only wearing my flip flops, vest and short. We had a small coffee at the Simplon Pass Hotel and Restaurant (€10 eek!). We knew prices would rise in Switzerland but this was a reality Check! Fortunately we stocked up with food at Lidl as we left italy, so we should reduce the cost if we manage to resist the temptation to go to coffee shops and restaurants in the land that has “prices as high as the mountains”. This is a quite apt quote from a friend that lives in Switzerland who we met in Wales a couple of years ago. Suffice to say we still stay in touch!
Our destination at Camping Jungfrau was mid to late morning on 7th June 2018. This was another destination that we were really looking forward to based on social media posts from friends that had been before.
Verona & Lake Garda
Campsite: http://it.
Everybody has heard about the beauty of Venice, and after our stay it certainly lived up to our expectations so no disappointments there as can be seen by our last Campsite. However, our next stay caught us off the hoof as we hadn’t booked ahead and there seemed to be a local holiday in the Lake Garda region.
Our intention was always to stop at Verona on the way to Garda as this is a historic town renowned as the place Romeo and Juliet met at the balcony. I’ll be honest, it was a magical town, and really glad we took the opportunity to stay.
Stairs Pasta in Verona
We were getting a little desperate as far as securing a campsite was concerned, but fortunately our camp at Bugaloo meant we had a contact that could help out due to an annual Italian VW meeting on the lake. So booking secured we turned up early and campsite looked a little unloved. On top of that the weather took a turn for the worst with a thunderstorm as we arrived at the pitch. But as the next few days unravelled it turned out to be a brilliant couple of days.
We met the local VW T3,T4, T5 and LT owners from Italy, and hooked up with Willam from the Bugaloo. Win Win 🙂
We also took a walk into Sirmione. Literally. We waited at the bus stop for over an hour and thought that because it was a holiday in Italy that no busses were running. Just as we left the bus stop a bus came by 🙁 . Long story short we did 25,000 steps each this day. Our flip flops were worn out 😉
Gold Plated Rolls 
Bugaloo (International VW Meeting)
After an amazing few days at Annecy the schedule dictated we had to move on. It was always going to be difficult to leave knowing there were still lots more to see and do, but the parting was made easier by the fact we were heading to a VW event at Vignarello in Italy. Our friends Debs and Mark were leaving for the same destination, and knowing they had sprung an oil leak after leaving the UK, it made sense to travel together. There was hardly a cloud in the sky as we departed the camp site, but a gentle breese with the windows down, and amazing views as we followed our friends into the amazing mountains vista. We needed to stop for supplies before the next camp as we were almost sure we wouldn’t have access to groceries locally whilst at the event. If we did it would most likely cost a premium so we wanted to be prepared. Approximately 20km en route was a supermarket in Alberville where we stocked up for the weekend.
Our friends were going back to Annecy a week or so later, and wanted to take to the lake with their dog Oscar on their return. An inflatable Kayak looked like it was going to offer a solution, and packed away relatively compactly, so they wanted to have a stop at Decathlon. This only took an hour or so, but they decided to have a think about the options, and possibly collect one on the way back to Annecy if they were confident it would tick the box.
We set off for the final destination just before midday. The temperature had already started to climb, and even with the windows fully down doing 100kmh, it was a becoming slightly uncomfortable. The mountains on either side of the roads offered some distraction to the heat, but it was temporary. The route was riddled with tolls, and we saw our holiday saving depleted substantially by one after the next. The most expensive was €58, but the 11km tunnel needed paying for some way. It was an amazing feat of engineering by any stretch of the imagination, but both Mandy and I felt slightly quuzy after entering daylight on the other side. Maybe it was due to us having the windows down and breathing in the fumes of the other vehicles in the tunnel, or the lighting. Either way it’s odd we both felt slightly under the weather.
Anyways, we entered Italy and the plan was to stop just after the boarder for a mid point refreshment break combined with an opportunity to attach the dog guard to separate Oscar from the driver / passenger seat. Something that is apparently regulation in Italy. We had a toilet break and Mark checked the rear of his van to see how much oil the van had deposited. Things didn’t look good. It seemed to be leaking by the buckets.
After close inspection it appeared to be water, but the adoption of coolant meant It could have been something terminal. We removed the contents of the rear of the van to have a look in the engine compartment, but nothing obvious from the top. We could identify the general area the coolant was leaking from, but photos with our mobile phone showed it was close to a jubilee clip. We got a wok pan underneath to catch as much coolant as possible, and a bread bag clamp to cut off as much water from the hose when it was removed for surgery. The hope was that the minimum amount of hose would be needed to be amputated to provide a fix. This proved to be the case, and a pair of scissors from our cutlery draw made a neat cut, and the remaining good hose was attached to the inlet, and clamped in place. This proved to be an acceptable fix, and as it turned out the oil leak had reduced substantially since Debs and Mark left the UK. Win win 🙂
As we approached our destination I became more in need of a rest as the ETA slipped. Even though we knew the distance to Tornaco from Annecy, the temperature had been silly hot. Numorous toll roads had made a big dent in our budget, but we’re here now in Italy, and arrived at the Bugaloo VW festival by the lake just before 7pm. Great
The Bugaloo meeting weekend was a fantastic mix of music, festivities and socializing, all in a very relaxed surrounding by the lake
The last day at the Bugaloo started with a couple of strong coffees by the lake in Tornaco. After breakfast and a wave goodbye to our friends Debs and Mark, we headed to the entrance for the ‘Cultural Drive’, which was a procession of classic VWs though a 15km route of the surrounding Italian landscape. I attached a camera to my roof to record some footage, dropping back from time to time to capture as many vehicles as possible.
We stopped in Tornaco to snap a few photos when they parked up for a guided tour of the museum. But we had to peel off just after midday for our next destination Venice.
Lake Annecey
Website: https://www.camping-
We woke early on Monday morning, had a shower and packed the van. We planned to leave at 8am, but this slipped a little so we didn’t really get underway until nearly 9am. Our next destination was Lake Annecy which we had seen our friends visit previously. This was all the inspiration we needed as it looked stunning if their social media photos were anything to go by . The journey from Troyes to Annecey was going to be one of the longer ones of the holiday, covering a distance of approximately 430km and taking the best part of 5 hours so we knew we were in for a bit of a slog. As we set of from the municipal site we could tell that we were in for another stunning day. The sun was out and it was already getting warm. A few miles onto the motorway toll a fog encompassed us, but we were soon above it as we climbed a gentle incline leaving the soft clouds settling in the fields.
Our journey continued unhindered by traffic, with brilliant sunshine and the camper seemed to gliding effortlessly on the smooth French roads. We stopped around the mid way point at an aire to have a bite to eat and snack consisting of roast beef and mustard salad cobs (remnants of Saturday evenings cob cooked meat).
We chose to travel via toll roads so that we could reduce time between locations, but even so the travel from that point on became increasingly steep in parts as we entered the Alps. The vista was breathtaking in parts, with long elevated sections of road, and longer tunnels. We finally dropped towards the lake and skirted it for a few kilometers until we found our campsite. Although the drive was nice, I felt I had probably reach the limits of acceptable time at the wheel an hour or so before we reached the campsite, so I was just wanting to park the van and cracked open a beer.
We had requested a lake side view when booking Annecy so after checking in we left reception and started to navigated to our pitch. I’ll be honest there was an element of tension as I was directed past the road we should have turned down, and leveling the van became a bigger issue than it should have been. I guess I’ll have to take the responsibility for my short temper, but an hour later the van was set up and we were enjoying an amazing view across the lake. My paddle board was stored on the roof of my van, but it was soon off, inflated and out I went.
Day two at Annecey started sunny but became increasingly overcast and unsettled and eventually rain and thunder arrived. We were happy to chill in the van and watch some of the downloaded Netflix content we had on our tablet. We were monitoring our friends, Debs and Marks travels as they departed for Calais from their home town in Leicester as we had agree to meet up for one night at Annecey just before moving into Italy. An oil leak on their campervan a couple of weeks previously had been fixed by a garage, so they had been on tender hooks as to weather or not they would actually have it back in time. However, oil had started to leak again so the whole trip for them was hanging in the balance. They took the decision to carry on, but monitored the oil at regular intervals. With this worry they decided to simplify their schedule with one stop in Troyes, and an earlier visit to Annecey. After the rain cleared we took a walk along the lake to stretch our legs
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Day three was very warm from the start, and this would prove to be the case for some time to come. I couldn’t resist more time on the paddle board, and the lake was a pleasant temperature to swim in. The elevated terrain around the lake meant it was perfect for parascending and a steady stream of daredevils ascended across the lake, landing close to our campsite. Booking for this activity, along with mountain bike hire, and boat hire could all be done close to the entrance / reception. I thought about booking, but in the four days we were staying, I felt there was more than enough to do without paying for activities. Later on Debs and Mark arrived, but couldn’t be allocated a pitch next to use due to a booking error. Their initial disappointment soon subsided when they realized their allocated pitch was every bit as good, as it was also right on the lakes edge. As the sun began to disappear behind the mountains and day became dusk, bats began to dart around catching insects. We wandered over to Mark and Debs to share opinions on Troyes, find out more about their mechanical woes on the way (This was certainly something that I could sympathize with, due to my gearbox issues in 2017), and what their plans were for the rest of her holiday once we go our separate ways after the VW Bugaloo. After a few beers and an open water swim it was time to retire.
Our fourth and final day at Annecey was a combination of swimming, paddle boarding, drinking 😉 and socializing with Mark and Debs. Tomorrow we would depart for Torino, Italy, so we made sure most of the packing was done ready for the morning. Paddle board and associated equipment was secured back on the roof, chairs tables etc were in the boot box, and the mat and awning were rolled up and retracted . We loved Annecy and we would be sad so leave, but the holiday was in its infancy, and we still had lots to look forward to.
Troyes
Campsite: http://www.
It took a couple of hours to get to the municipal campsite from the aire at Urvillers which saw us arriving midday. I got the impression prior to arriving at the campsite that it was a lot larger and less well maintained. However it seems pretty tidy, and there were plenty of trees to offer shade. Something we felt may come in handy as it was hot and set to get hotter. Originally we found a spot surrounded by large trees. We were just about to set the van up, but decided to scope the site for something that may offer a better combination of sun for the solar panels, and shade for us. This didn’t take long. The site seemed very relaxed about pitches, with no real designation, just electric points dotted around.
We parked the van and headed to reception on foot to let them know where we had settled for the next couple of days. They explained we didn’t need to let them know the pitch specifics, justice pass on our registration plate details and a contact in case of emergency. Payment would be made on leaving the site but they did keep one of or passports as security which is pretty common. They also offered discount via Camping Card (CC) which meant it would cost us a maximum of €19. This would include electric, but we are hoping to do the whole month using solar for the fridge and electronic devices just to prove our independence.
It didn’t take long to get the van set up. After a day and a half’s travelling, and the sun beating down I decided I needed a beer. We had been informed there was an Aldi just outside the entrance to the campsite.
I will leave the rest of that day to your imagination, but suffice to say I was extremely relaxed to the point of being horizontal. Mandy, tried to read her book, but always reminds me the following morning just how annoying I become after a beverage or two 🙂 .
Sunday started off a little blurry eyed for myself, but it didn’t take long for a spring to enter my step when I realized that this was our first full day of our Euro trip that didn’t involve any driving. I’m embarrassed to say that I hadn’t really researched Troyes as a place to visit. It was really just a convenient mid way point to break the journey up from Calais to Annecey. We always intended to have a days wander around the town, but I didn’t realize just how beautiful it was going to be.
It took approximately 20 minutes to walk the main road from our campsite to the town. The sun was strong even at mid morning, and the heat rose steadily until we decided that as nice as the town was, it was becoming hot to the point of uncomfortable. It was a really nice treat for us to find such a gem of a place so early on in our adventure, especially when neither Mandy or myself ad any real incline just how nice Troyes was.
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The remainder of Sunday was spent with plenty of ice cold coke, and water (no beer for me 🙁 ) , flitting between the shade and the sun in manageable chunks.
We woke early on Monday morning, had a shower and packed the van. We planned to leave at 8am, but this slipped a little so we didn’t really get underway until nearly 9am. Or next destination was Lake Annecey which we had seen our friends visit previously. This was all the inspiration we needed as it looked stunning.