Are we there yet?

Day 1:

It was high time for a major road trip, and weather dictated to go southwest. We drove through the Eifel country side and discovered a roadside museum dedicated to (once again...) the Romans who had traveled this road roughly 2000 years ago.

Vicus Belginum had been a village for rest and resupply.

We took a walk in a nearby peat bog (Bruchmoor, Morbach). Once dried up through human intervention it has since been restored.

At the end of the day we found a lovely camp spot in the village of Kirkel, adjacent to a huge natural swimming pool.

The pool

Day 2:

We crossed the border to France in quest of a boulangerie (bakery) and were confronted with even more Roman remains. The crops stood high and were ready for harvest.

As we drove through the countryside we discovered Les Maisons des Rochers (the houses in the rocks) in Graufthal. People used to live in these holes in the wall until 1958.

In the city of Phalsbourg we likely discovered the most expensive bakery in France. Prices for croissant and pain au chocolat were hugely inflated for no apparent reason. However, Goethe was here in 1770 and seemed to like this town.

In Luneville we visited the first of many castles to come (which we didn't know at this time). It was hot and so we didn't stick around for long.

At the end of the day we arrived at the source of the river Moselle and settled into a beautiful campspot directly at the young river.

Day 3:

Things were going to get more exciting. We drove through the Vosges highlands, visited a waterfall and a former ice cave (no more ice due to climate change).

Grand Ballon d'Alsace

Cascade de l'Audeux

Ice cave

The cave's roof is 60 meters high and was once filled with ice, so much that it had been used as a fridge by early mankind until the invention of refrigerators. In the rock layers 150 million years old fossils were found.

We stacked up on local goodies like cheese, ham and Dijon mustard for dinner at a farmers market and camped at Lake Sainte-Pointe-Lac close to the source of the river Doubs, the river that marks the border between France and Switzerland.

Castle Joux

Day 4:

The Jura mountains provide spectacular geological features. 

River Doubs is a pretty mighty karst spring producing a lot of water filling the above mentioned lake.

 

The Saine river gorge provided a great opportunity for another hike. (Langouette, Les Planches en Montagne)

The skies were getting overcast, and a heavy thunderstorm forced us to find shelter (in our lil' camper van of course). We found a quiet camp spot in the high plains of d'Hauteville.

Day 5

We visited castle Sassenage in Grenoble but another thunderstorm with heavy rainfall found us yet again in quest of better weather.

Driving through the Bourne gorge was an exciting experience, as were the panorama views overlooking the valley of the river Drome.

The valley provided us with all amenities including a quiet campground close to the village Die at the river Drome.

Die

We were almost where we wanted to be... tbc.

(Diary excerpt Aug 31 to Sep 4)