On a cold and frosty morning.

3rd December

We woke up early to say goodbye to Sebastian and Liselotte before they went to school. It was a sad goodbye, especially for the kids who didn't want us to leave. Eventually we dragged ourselves away and set off towards France. I quite fancied exploring the Rhein Valley and the mountains in this area but Sebastian had told us snow was expected tomorrow, so to keep on the safe side we thought we better just start heading south. The drive wasn't particularly interesting and some diversions and avoiding the toll roads meant it felt long and tiring. The good news, however, was that the sun was shining and France is very beautiful. On the internet I had found loads of options for free camping in Aires across France. We followed the satnav to the tiny village of Nancray (east of Besancon) and were extremely happy to find a grassy car park on top of a hill, over looking rolling green hills and the sun set. We made friends with some gorgeous horses in the next field - it was really stunning. We put out our chairs (for the first time in ages) and had a beer whilst enjoying the view, wondering why we'd ever paid for a campsite! When it got dark we had some dinner in the van and I put up a few christmas decorations that we'd made in Germany. It was a very cold night and we slept in all our clothes!

 

 

Crossing The Rhein river. ^



 

Beautiful camping spot. ^

 

WEX dressed up for Christmas. ^

4th December

Woke up to an amazing sunny morning. Everything was glittering with frost and we opened up our back doors to take in the freezing fresh air. After drinking coffee in bed and de-frosting WEX we set off again. We planned to drive another 250km or so today. The drive was long but enjoyable - passing some very pretty little French villages. We also passed through a beautiful wine growing region (near Beaune) where we stopped for lunch. In the afternoon we found another free camp, by a canal, in the town of Beaulon. We weren't sure if it was an 'Aire' or a picnic spot but we are so out of season now we thought it didn't really matter. It was another beautiful sunny evening and we enjoyed a beer and went for a sunset stroll along the canal. For dinner Pete cooked a yummy stew outside on the picnic bench (can't believe we're cooking outside in December!)

 

 

Opening all the doors to the gorgeous morning view. ^

 

Scenic drive, lunch time, passing The Somme river. ^

 

Another perfect camping spot. ^

5th December

Another beautiful frosty morning. The obvious problem with these lovely cold mornings is that WEX freezes and it takes ages to heat him up and scrape the ice off. But not only does he freeze on the outside, he also freezes on the inside from all the condensation! Anyway, we set off again heading south-west, passing Clermont-Ferrand and going over a mountain about 1000 metres high. Up here we found the snow again and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the snowy mountain tops. We passed through some clouds and some very foggy areas, but in general it was yet another day of blue skies. We wound down the otherside of the mountain, coming out of the snow, and stopped in an 'Aire' in the town of Meymac. We think in season it was a proper campsite, but now there was no one there to take any money and we had a stroll around the grassy hill. Another lovely evening (for free!)

 

 

View over Clermont-Ferrand. ^

 

'Road' photos through the snowy mountains! ^

 

Coffee stop. ^

 

Camping. ^

6th December

We had a very early start this morning and unfortunetly the sky had clouded over. The drive wasn't so long today - only a couple of hours - and by about 11 o'clock we'd arrived at Rocamadour. We entered the town from the top of a mountain and had an early lunch over looking it. The fog added to the Rivendale/Lord of the Rings vibe of this incredible town built into the cliff face. After we'd eaten we made our way down the road and found an empty car park, next to a frozen river, looking up at Rocamadour, and stopped. As the place seemed almost deserted we thought we could get away with staying there one night. We wrapped up and headed out into the drizzle to explore the town. I have visited here as a kid with my family and normally it is a very touristy town - but as we climbed the steps up the cliff and walked down the main street we only saw two or three other people and all the shops were shut. It definitely felt like a elf village - a much nicer way to see it we think! We followed the road up to the church, where we saw a few nuns on pilgrimages here. When we arrived in the church, the organ was being played and a soprano singing along - we assume they were practicing for a christmas performance. It was lovely and we sat and listened for a while, with all the nuns. After another stroll around - it is a very small village - we went back to the van and spent the afternoon reading. For dinner we had a delicious veg curry and a glass of French red wine.

 

Driving through pretty villages. ^

 

Our scenic lunch with view of Rocamadour (we could see a bit more than in the photo!) ^

 

What Rocamadour looks like without mist. ^

 

Camping. ^

 

WEX. ^

 

 

 

Nuns on a pilgrimage. ^

 

 

Around the pretty village. ^

 

Posh dinner. ^

7th December

It was a foggy morning but the sun powered through and we had another sunny day - we can't believe our luck. We drove about an hour south, on small roads, towards The Lot river. We passed tiny, picturesque hamlets and then got to St Gery - where there was a camping 'Aire' - and found it was an ugly modern village. The camping spot was quite good though (there were toilets!) and was surrounded by rocky hills, which were nice. We had lunch and hung out in the sun for a while and then went out for a walk. We went down to see the river before walking to the end of town, where we found there was a very pretty old area and an old, abandoned railway line. After this we walked back into the village and found a small road going up the mountain toward a 'view point'. It was a long walk and it was really hot - like a summers day! The view from the top was amazing and we sat up there for a while, looking down onto the river. Back down at the van we played some frisbee in the setting sun. A lovely day. Before we ate dinner we decided that we didn't want to camp in St Gery. It was Saturday evening and lots of people were coming and going, so we moved along the road to the village of Vers. The 'Aire' here was meant to cost a few euros, but no one came to ask for money and the place was much prettier and more private. We another cosy night in the van.

 

 

Drive through Vers. ^

 

Lunch in St Gery. ^

 

Walking along The Lot river, around St Gery and up the hills. ^

 

Free camp five in Vers. ^

8th December

An uneventful drive on a foggy, grey day down to the town of Grisolles (about 30km north of Toulouse.) We have been very lucky with all our camping spots this week, but today our luck ran out. We got to a horrible car park - surprisingly with several other campers parked - which was chocka-block on Saturday afternoon. We pulled in and then decided to check for an 'Aire' in the next town - thinking nothing could be worse than this. Annoyingly the 'Aire' we got to had been over taken by unfriendly looking gypsies, so we drove back and settled in our grim car park. I cleaned out the van a bit and we spent the day reading and hanging out.

 

 

A not so nice free camp in the drizzle. ^

 

Germany: Helpx No. 4

18th - 23rd November

The area we are in is in the Black Forest and is the warmest part of Germany. Right next to Bahlingen is a big hilly area where they grow a lot of wine. On our first day here it happened to be a really clear, sunny day so we went out for a walk in the afternoon. Above the vineyards and the forest, the hills become open and grassy and the views around are amazing. We could see France and The Rhine Valley in one direction and the tops of the snowy Alps in the other, which was pretty cool. It was a lovely walk in the sunshine and the rolling green hills reminded us a bit of the Downs at home.

Steffi and Sebastian are having their house renovated, but we can't help with this at the moment as the roof is the big job and the builders are needed to finish it. However, with three kids around there is always work to be done so throughout the week we have been helping with the housework, cooking dinner (including yummy apple crumble) and playing with the kids. It has been a great excuse to play with plastercine, make jewellery and do paintings. This has been great, especially because the weather has mostly been miserable.

Some other things we have done is chopped and stacked a load of fire wood - they have a lovely, big wood burning oven that heats the whole house and the water. They also had a leaking wood shed in the garden which we took apart and re-tiled. As well as this we have made sauerkraut - what more would you want in Germany! We took five of the biggest cabbages I've ever seen, grated them into a special sauerkraut making pot and then bashed them down until they started juicing. The pot is then air locked and left to ferment for a few weeks. (Warning - do not open the lid after the first day unless you want the house to stink of farts!)

We have also taken Otillia out for a walk into Bahlingen - which is the really pretty little village we are staying in. We went to visit Liselotte's Steiner school and then treated her to hot chocolate and cake in the bakery. We also dropped Baltasar at his forest kindergarten. The kindergarten sounds amazing - they all meet in the morning at a gypsy wagon where they build a big fire and then hang out in the woods until the afternoon. It sounds really fun and Baltasar always comes home completely caked in mud! All three kids are very cute and it's been fun looking after them! The older two are amazingly good at English as well so we can chat with them which is nice. Pete has also been blowing their minds with magic tricks. As well as this we have had some lovely evenings with Steffi and Sebastian drinking local beer and mulled wine.

 

 

First day - lovely walk. ^

 

 

Sauerkraut making ^

 

Baltasar, me and Liselotte. ^

 

Walking Otillia in Bahlingen. ^

 

Pete and Steffi out in Emmendingen. ^

 

Fixing wood shed. ^

 

Otillia and Pete reading a book. ^

24th November

After a good working week for everyone it was time for some fun in the snow. There is not snow low down but up the mountains there is alot, so after breakfast we all got wrapped up and headed off in the car. They are obviously more used to snow in Germany - the kids all had snow suits, me and Pete borrowed some waterproof trousers and we managed to get four proper toboggans in the boot. The snow was about two feet deep at the top and you could barely see your hand in front of you through the fog but there were quite a few families up there sledging and we had a great day out. It was so much fun! We were out for about five hours and after getting warm and full on chips in the restaurant the kids wanted to sledge even more! At the end of the day we drove home feeling happy and exhausted and for dinner we had cheese fondue. Great day.

 

 

Up to my knees! ^

 

Lunch time. ^

 

Santa in his twenties. ^

 

Colour-coordinated fondue! ^

 

25th - 27th November

We kick started the week by going to the near by indoor swimming pool. We did a few lengths, thoroughly enjoyed the heated outdoor pool (complete with under water beds with water jets to massage you) and then joined a free water aerobics class! It was great fun! When we'd had enough of being wet we ate our packed lunch, that Steffi had made us, on the loungers by the pool. It was a beautifully sunny morning and after the pool we went for a coffee and a stroll through some strawberry fields - which had an amazing, clear view up to the snowy mountain we were on yesterday.

For the next few days we cleared the front garden of rubble and weeds and pruned all the rose bushes. We also did a lot of cooking - including making awesome cornish pasties, pancakes and several types of puddings (we're fattening up for winter!) A nice few days pottering about mostly inside. The weather has been lovely, sunny and crystal clear but also minus five in the mornings and only getting to about zero in the day time.

 

 

Working. ^

 

 

Pancakes and Pies. (The wall says kitchen.)

 

Irish coffees! ^

28th November

Today Steffi was taking us out into Freiburg. Liselotte and Baltasar were at school and Sebastian at work, so me, Pete, Steffi and Otillia got the train into the city. We walked up a hill in the middle of the town which had an amzing view all around of the roof tops and the snow covered mountains which surround them. Steffi and Sebastian lived in Freiburg for about ten years before moving out to Bahlingen and it sounds like it's a cool, student city with lots going on. It certainly has a great atmosphere anyway. We wandered through some small streets and came to the cathedral which had a local produce market surrounding it. For lunch we went to this amazing Sri Lankan place in a district outside of the centre. The place is open from 12-3 everyday and serves only one meal. The restaurant was full and lively and the food was delicious. Being shown places like this is a reminder of how great it is to meet locals! For pudding we ate a ridiculously rich, yummy cheesecake that we'd got in the market. After lunch Steffi and Otillia headed home and me and Pete stayed out and wandered around a bit longer. We found some second hand shops to browse and then tracked down our first proper German Christmas market! We got a mulled wine to warm us up and then, because we are so greedy, we got a huge sausage and ate it whilst watching the merry-go-round and listening to the christmas songs. After some more walking around we felt like our toes were going to fall off so we took cover in a cafe and had a coffee. Going from freezing to hot all day completely wore us out and by the time we were on the train home we both dozed off. Thankfully we woke up at our station and we got home okay. In the evening we ate another huge meal and had an early night.

 

 

Christmas market! ^

 

29th November - 2nd December

 

Over our last few days here Pete chopped a huge amount of fire wood and I cleared and spruced up the back garden. We also went out searching for pine branches for christmas decorations and took a trip to the recycling dump.

On Saturday night we visited a small christmas market in Emmendingen. We drank mulled wine and ate sausage and chips under a huge christmas tree whilst watching the ice-skaters.

And on Sunday us and the whole family made candles. Sebastian has a homemade bench with pots for hot wax so we had a great afternoon creating all sorts of candles. It was so fun!

So December is here and it seems in Germany that they make much more of a big deal about 'advent' than we do. On Saturday we went to Liselottes school to see her perform an advent ritual where all the kids walk around in a spiral to light a candle in the middle. At home Steffi has made an amazing advent calender hanging from the ceiling with presents and decorations dangling down. Another thing that they do here is make a big wreath with four candles in, one of which they light each Sunday in December and sing a song (Baltasar was very excited to light the first one this weekend!) And on top of all these traditions the village of Bahlingen has made a big advent event where one house in the town does a small performance and serves mulled wine on every night in December. Like a life size advent calander! We visited the first one on Sunday night - sadly we didn't understand the story told in German but we could certainly apprectiate the mulled wine and chocolates.

We also decided to stay one more night as it was Steffi and Sebastians (and the neighbour families) advent night on the 2nd. We practiced our German christmas carols all weekend and Pete and his guitar were part of 'the band' for the shadow puppet play. On Monday we baked about sixty gingerbread men, which we decorated with the kids, to give out to our audience in the evening - and they went down a treat. It was a really fun evening and after the show we cooked sausages on sticks over the fire for dinner. When the kids had gone to bed we had a last 'Gluhwein' with Steffi and Sebastian. 

 

 

Hard at work. ^

 

Emmendingen Christmas market (hot dog under the tree.)

 

 

Lighting the first advent candle. ^

 

Making candles. Mine and Pete's masterpieces. ^

 

Keeping warm! ^

 

First advent night in Bahlingen. ^

 

Just a few of the gingerbread men. ^

 

 

 



We have had a really lovely time here, in this beautiful corner of Germany, for the past two weeks. Thank you guys for everything, you are all amazing. We will miss these faces!