E42: Back to Calais 19/20 May

Early on Tuesday morning we drove across the border in to France.  Very soon we were chomping into a fresh baguette and coffee for breakfast……..lovely!

As we were in the Southern part of the Alsace wine region we could not resist calling in to our favourite wine co-operative in Ribeauville, one hour later and we were on our way with even more wine in the back of the van.  A full afternoon driving and we found ourselves in Luxembourg where we stopped for the night in the Aire in Dudelange (what a great name!)….

Next morning we awoke early so took advantage of this and got under way towards Calais.  We filled up Wolfy with 95 litres of Diesel at the bargain price of £0.80p per litre at a filling station which was already busy at 06:30 in the morning!

Finally late afternoon we arrived in Calais and went straight to Carrefour at City Europe, adjacent to the channel tunnel terminal in Coquelles, parked up in the carpark/aire and walked over to Carrefour where we managed to ‘top up’ our wine stocks with a few more bottles of red wine (it would be rude not to!)

Then we settled in for the night ready for the morning trip on the train back to Blighty and then back home to Scotland.

At this point this blog comes to an end.  We have spent 5 weeks touring Italy and Germany and covered 2500 miles.  The blog documents most of the journey.  We have enjoyed the road trip and believe we have been very lucky with the weather, in all that time we only really had a couple of days of bad weather (today being one of them), most of the time we have had blue skies and temperatures in the low to mid 20’s centigrade with a high of 30c!

A few culinary delights that we will ‘take home’ with us include Gnocci with Gorgonzola (search for Nigel Slaters recipe online), Mùnster cheese with Bavarian honey (!), Weiswurst with sweet mustard and fresh pretzels (the Germans do bake the BEST pretzels!) and of course Black Forest gateau, which we will try to emulate (finally get to use the Kenwood K Mix we bought last Christmas!).

Where next? we haven’t worked that one out yet, but it WILL be another adventure!

Tara….

E41: Breisach 18th May

Breisach is where the Black Forest merges into the Alsace region of France, sitting on the East bank of the Rhine where we found this very pleasant Stellplatz….

The town has suffered over the centuries, much of it destroyed in 1793 and more recently 85% of the town was raised to the ground in WW2.  Many buildings have assimilated older architectural features in to their design such as this house which incorporates an old gateway facade….

and this very modern house which has a front entrance originally belonging to a ‘Gentlemans Drinking Club’ from the 1700’s….

The town was supplied with water pumped up via a human powered treadmill situated in this building which has had many functions subsequently, including a torture chamber and is now a museum….

with the original treadmill fashioned into a modern art installation to the rear….

When the Grand Duchess Stephanie von Baden (adopted daughter of Napoleon) visited Breisach in 1811 a hostelry with a garden bar was required, so the town had this one built especially (a pub with a beer garden!)….

Outside the Múnster on top of the hill is this rather fetching piece of art which we took a liking to. It is cast in Bronze and the bull is bigger than life-size….

we like the way it is ‘ploughing’ through the pavement with the warped brick cobblestones forming a wave around the bull….

one of the city gates overlooking the lower town to the South West….

Breisach is surrounded by vineyards and the region produces some very fine wines, which we tasted at the local wine cooperative outlet in the town centre.  We left the shop with a near empty wallet (!) and Wolfy groaning under the weight of a plentiful supply for the wine cellar at home….

It is here that we say goodbye to Bavaria and the Black Forest as we are head North back home to Scotland and the next adventure….

E40: Freiberg 17th May

Freiburg is described in our guide book as ‘a sunny, cheerful university town’ and we would not disagree….

The medieval town suffered extensive damage during heavy bombing in WW2 with only the battered facades of many of the historic (15th century) buildings remaining.  The restoration of the old town is impressive…. 

On the building above (Haus zum Walfisch) is this gothic impish gargoyle the likes of which we have never seen before!….

Throughout the town are pavement mosaics like the one below, denoting the trade of the adjacent shop (this pretzel is outside a bakery)….

One side of the main Múnsterplatz with the historic Kaufhaus, an early 16th century merchants hall….

which is embellished with these very attractive polychromatic tiled turrets….

walking through the old town you never quite get away from the relaxing sound of babbling water, either running through the open road channels or along the canal that cuts through the town….

One of the two intact medieval City gates which now has tram tracks running under its arch (they never saw that coming in the 15th century!)….

Freiburg is Germanys warmest city with over 2000 hours of sunshine per year!  We were happy to find this cool shaded parking at the end of the day, on an industrial estate!  

Next, we try to see how well the German side of the Rhine compares to the French (Alsace) side for the quality of its wine (hic!)….

E39: Titisee (No tittering!) 16/17 May

We came to Titisee (serious now!) to see the glacial lake and the area around Glashútten which is well known for outdoor activities in winter and summer.  We stumbled across this convenient free camper van parking area on the edge of town next to the Day Spa….

Looking down from the high ground above the lake towards Titisee (resist!)….

For us one of the delights of this area are the many well sign posted cycle trails through lovely tradition rustic villages….

and past traditional Black Forest farmhouses like this one….

and a few more nestled in the high lush green pastures (around 3000 feet above sea level)….

The forested landscape really is quite different from anything we have in the UK and so well set up for cycling that we will probably return with our trail bikes and tents another day!….

E38: Triberg 15/16 May

 Triberg is home to Germanys' highest waterfall, Black Forest Gateau (original 1915 recipe) and the cuckoo clock capital of Bavaria.  In our humble opinion having viewed epic waterfalls in the Pyrenees, Norway and our very own Scotland the waterfall turned out to be rather disappointing, unlike the gateau which was SUPERB!

The Gutach river feeds the seven tiered fall which drop a total of 163 metres….

As it happens this waterfall powered the first hydro electric station in Germany (1883)…. and continues to this day….

The ‘House of 1000 clocks’……Grahame could not phoon his way out of this kitsch and touristy shop fast enough!….

The Gutach river runs through the town parallel to the high street….

on which, the Cafe Schäfer is situated.  The significance of this is that the original 1915 recipe for Black Forest Gateau is held in this shop, and the current head conditor chef, Claus Schäfer, makes fresh cakes (true to this original recipe) daily….

which we have to tell you, are truly sublime!….

one of the slices we had from the particular cake above….

Did I say it was sublime?  oh yes indeed! light, creamy, rich and delicious! (even non cake eating Kate is a convert)….

Other cakes are available…hehe…..we did try the nutty hazelnut one on the right……yum yum!….

and finally, just as we were walking back to the van (with another 3 slices of Black Forest Gateau!) we spotted these Fiat 500’s driving through town….

(the drivers all look as if they have no seats)….

Nice trailer!  made from the front and back of a Fiat 500….

E37: Rottweil and Villingen 14th May

 The second leg on our way into the Black Forest was through the two small country towns of Rottweil and Villingen, and here are some of the highlights.

Rottweil is Baden-Württemburgs oldest town founded by the Romans in AD 73.  It is also home to the Rottweiler, a breed developed here as a hardy butchers dog but now usually utilised as an aggressive guard dog (even the bronze statues can give a nasty nip!)….

The main historic centre is at the end of a very, very long and straight ‘Roman’ road….

Many of the houses have elaborately decorated ‘bay windows’….

except for the Hübscen Winkel house, with its 45 degree kink, squeezed in next to the town gate house….

the above discovery (and certain remarks by one of our ‘readers’.. hehe) prompted a gatehouse phoon…. 

Scattered throughout Rottweil are pieces of modern art, including this attention grabbing 1930 piece by Erich Hauser….

and finally……. we happened across a display of modern production Indian motorcycles 

(and Grahame quite fancies one …….only €23000 (!) ….. but where would we sleep?)

 

Now onto Villingen, a late medieval town well known for its red sandstone Münster with disparate spires, one of coloured tiles, the other spikey and festooned with gargoyles….

alongside the church is Klaus Ringwald’s Münsterbrunnen, a cheeky bronze fountain…. 

depicting local characters that shaped Villingens history….

The historic centre of Villingen is formed around a crossroad, each arm culminating in a gatehouse.  On this particular day (Public holiday) it was crammed full and heaving with market stalls and visitors….

We finished the day at the pleasantly rural Stellplatze in Nusbach near Triberg in readiness for a visit to the famous waterfalls and some ‘healthy' consumption of authentic Black Forest Gateau, (watch out for E38!)