5 to 11 July
I'm Going Home
We shall certainly try to avoid using the A8 on any future travels; traffic was very bad again around Munich, not just where the motorway is being widened from six to eight lanes. And we have never seen so many lorries as there are on this road. Camping Bella Augusta was very easy to find, just off the motorway, so some traffic noise was inevitable. It's also near an airport, but flights are few and far between.
The foible of this site was the self check-in machine, for use when reception was closed. After entering all the details required, it showed you which pitches were available and having chosen one, you paid by card. "Simples!"
To stretch our legs we had a short walk by the lake which can be accessed from the site. Walking or cycling all the way round looked possible, with a cafe/bar/restaurant along the way.
The next halt was to the west of Stuttgart near Calmbach planned so that we could meet my German friend, Silvia, who had travelled down from her home near Speyer. Nothing more was required the first afternoon than the shady patio of the site restaurant and Kaffee and Kuchen for a long chat.
Silvia drove us into Calmbach later on to find a restaurant for dinner but it was a very quiet place and nowhere caught our eye. So it was back to the site restaurant, which turned out to be a great decision; we had a most delicious meal.
Silvia was delegated "tour leader" for the next day and she drove us to Bad Wildbad to spend time on elevated installations. First was the treetop walk leading to a 36 metre high lookout tower. You could see for miles, pretty much nothing but trees and there was an option to slide back down in the chute (no takers in our party).
Walking through the forest once back down below we passed hundreds of stacked rocks or cairns or inukshuks. A website informed me:
"Cairns or inukshuks are a pile or arrangement of rocks used to indicate a route, landmark or summit. The word cairn originates from the Scottish Gaelic word carn. A cairn or inukshuk can be either large and elaborate or as simple as a small pile of rocks". My version probably fell into the "small pile of rocks" category!
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| Ruth's cairn |
Our walk then brought us to the Wildline suspension bridge, a 380 metre stretch of terror, 60 metres above the ground, which you stupidly pay to cross! We were all glad there was very little wind.
Next day, having said goodbye to Silvia, we set off for Chalons-en-Champagne (which, of course, you will remember from 33 days ago). It was a long journey and very hot so when we were offered a shady grass pitch instead of a sunny hard standing, it was a no brainer. It was a lovely pitch tucked at the back of the site, which raised our opinion of the site. If any excuse was needed we raised our G & Ts to the third from last night of our trip!
The night before the shuttle was spent at Chateau de Gandspette near Eperlecques, which had good reviews, and is about 35 minutes from the Channel Tunnel. It was certainly a good site with large pitches and good facilities; worthy of a longer stay. We arrived in the early afternoon to give us time for the twenty minute walk to the Blockhouse (bunker) d'Eperlecques. This is where Hitler planned to build and launch the V2 rockets, also producing and storing the fuel there. Thankfully the plan never came to total fruition, being bombed on two separate occasions. The bunker is ENORMOUS, the main part being 92 metres wide and 28 metres high. The north side is more intact, the south less so. Surprisingly you were also able to go inside, which I found very intimidating. An interesting couple of hours, if rather dark.
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| Full size model of V2 rocket inside the bunker |
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| V1 rocket on launch ramp |
The Eurotunnel section of the return journey was a little too efficient. We arrived in plenty of time for our booking and were not surprised to be offered an earlier slot. Having accepted it however, we were required to start the boarding procedures immediately so there was no time to go into the terminal for the all important cup of coffee.
We spent the day with Mum and the night at Bearsted (again!) where John noticed a sign indicating that his new favourite Magnum flavour, Double Sunlover with white chocolate, mango and coconut is now available in England too!
Looking back over the past five weeks we appreciated what a great adventure we have had. We have seen some superb scenery, been blessed with good weather on the whole, have enjoyed some cultural activities, learnt about historical events and on occasions been able to share our experiences with friends. Fantastic!
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