July 7th, 2010 - July 10th 2010

 As we were packing up to leave Stenay, an English chap and his wife (Ray and Jan), engaged us in conversation. They too were planning to move on, and head for Charlville-Mezieres.

Kathleen is now focused on shopping for wine, to take home with us, so we call at Aldi and Lidl on the outskirts of town.

Charleville-Mezieres – Aire

First impressions of this aire, are good.

It is located just outside of a Campsite (Camping Mont Olympe), overlooking a Marina on River Muese.

All of this is within a public park area, with walking paths, rowing boats, tennis courts etc etc.

The aire itself is free, with a charge of 5 Euro / day for electricity (if you want it), there are only four hookup points, but there is parking for 8 vans in marked bays, and room for probably at least as many again in unmarked spaces.

When we plug in our power lead, we find the electricity supply is on, but Kathleen’s Catholic conscience, will trouble her if we do not pay, so I go to reception and pay up our five Euro.

We have a good view over the Marina, from our van.

When we arrive at around lunch time, five of the eight marked bays are occupied.

By 16:00, there are 12 vans there. The secret seems to be with these places, you have to arrive not later than about 15:00 to get a space.

We set off to buy bread for lunch, as we walk past the campsite, I notice a campervan we had seen yesterday, at Stenay.

The couple in it had very kindly explained to us how to get into the Aire, at Stenay etc, and where to get bread. They were able to tell us again, where to get bread in this new place. We do not know their names, only that they are from Whitehaven. So, they shall be known to us as “the English couple who knew where to buy bread”.

We return with bread and also a little treat, Apple Tart, to find that Ray and Jan (another couple who we met at Stenay) have arrived.

The park area, campsite and aire are effectively on a large island in the River Muese. There is a pedestrian bridge over the river to make a short walk to the very attractive town centre.

Kathleen keeping cool by a fountain in Charlesville-Meziers.

Shopping street in Charlesville-Meziers.

Ducal Square in Charlesville-Meziers, where we rest with a cool beer.












Thursday and we leave Charlesville-Meziers, saying goodbye to Jan and Ray.

We pass an aire at Catillon-sur-Sambre, it looks pleasant, by a canal.

We are pretty sure this is where Joan and Bryan a couple of nights ago. But it has no facilities at all, so we continue on to the next aire we have picked out.

Le Cateau Cambresis – Aire

The Aire at Le Cateau Cambresis is a fairly typical basic overnight stopping place with some facilities.

It has marked parking bays for five vans, with space for probably one or two more at a push.

There are four Electric hook-up points, with free Electric and free water.

It is beside a busy and noisy road and about five minutes walk into a town which has seen better days.

Things follow a familiar pattern, we are the only ones there at 14:00, then another British van arrives (Andy and Shiela from near Plymouth), and then  one by one four French vans, so the place ends up full.

Andy and Sheila walk into town to eat in the evening and tell us there is a good restaurant in the Hotel, there.

Friday, it is getting near the weekend and the need to find a church becomes Kathleen's obsession.

The plan is to stay on an Aire at Escalles (south of Calais), but when we arrive there, the Aire is full.

We set off for our second choice, which is north of Dunkirk. As we pass Dunkirk, we stop and ring Norfolk Line to see if we can get on a ferry today, instead of 09:00 Sunday morning. It is now about 14:45 on Friday, and they tell us we can go on the 18:00 this evening, with no extra charge other than the usual £10 fee for changing a booking.

When we arrive at the check in, they are still checking in vehicles for the 16:00 ferry, and since it is not full, they put on that, soon we are on the dockside, going through the usual search of the van by Immigration, looking for illegal immigrants, pets etc

Welwyn - Caravan Club Site

We arrive at Dover, at 17:00 UK time. We decide to make an overnight stop, rather than drive the 350 mile shome, having driven for most of the day already. The M25 and Dartford Crossing are there usual traffic jam, and we make it only as far as the Caravan Club site at Welwyn by 20:00, but by 21:00, we are all set up, and eating Spaghetti Bolognaise cooked by Kathleen's fair hand.

Saturday, and we have a leisurely drive home. As lunch time approaches, Kathleen expresses an interest in having a bacon sandwich.

This is such an unusaul request from her, that I begin eagerly watching out for truck stops which may provide a decent bacon sandwich.

Before I succeed in finding one, Kathleen changes her mind (well it is a woman's perogative) and declares a desire for a pub lunch.

So we stop off at Retford for a pub lunch, just to keep the "holiday spirit" going a little longer.

Kathleen even kindly offered to pay for lunch, out of our "holiday fund". Since we both contribute equally to this, I failed to see how this could be contrued as a "treat" to me by her, since I was paying half anyway!

The end of another trip!

Very enjoyable, particularly enjoyed Germany, and would recommend it.

July 4th, 2010 - July 6th, 2010

Mersch - Camping Krounebieg - ASCI2010-410

The site is very smart.

We are now in Luxembourg, I was not sure what to expect, from childhood memories of "Radio Luxembourg", it had sort of "exotic" expectations to it.

In reality, it is very pretty, very rural, and very hilly. Not really high hills, but just sort of very up and down.

Monday, Bryan and Joan decide to take the bus into Luxembourg City.

Kathleen and I decide to investigate the cycle track, although we have no real intention of going all of the way to the city (it is 17km, 10.5 miles, from here), and we have been told it is quite up and down.

In the event it turns out to be easy going, it is fairly flat, as you can see, since it follows a river for most of the way.

The signposting is not up to the German standards we have become used to, and eventually we lose the track, and end up having to cycle along a fairly busy road. We decide to turn back, since we are not too bothered about going to the city, we are just out for the ride. We end up doing 20 miles, so we could have comfortably made it there and back, if we had not got lost.

One odd thing we have noticed, other than in the towns, there does not seem to be any shops, cafes or bars. Goodness knows where the Luxembourgers (or whatever they are called), do their shopping or have a drink.

We return to Mersch, find a cafe and have a snack and a drink, before returning to the van, so that Kathleen can indulge in her hair washing activities for the rest of the afternoon.

Tuesday, and it is time for us to begin the final leg of this trip, we have to travel across France to Dunkirk, in order to catch our ferry home.

We say goodbye to Bryan and Joan, for the second time on this trip, as they are now heading toward Brittany, to meet up with some family members, for a family camping holiday.

Our first task before leaving Mersch is to fill up with diesel, Luxembourg we have been told has the cheapest diesel in Europe, it is 1.007 Euro per litre, which is roughly equivalent to 88p /litre, I wish we had a bigger tank!

Stenay - Aire, Port Plaisance

This is the French version of the German Stellplatz we have been using, here it costs 7Euro per night, and that includes Electric hookup, toilets, showers, waste disposal etc.

Our problem now is, we are in "high season", and most of the campsites in our ACSI book do not give discounts during this period. This means that instead of typically paying 15 Euro per night, in many cases, the price increases significantly to something more in the 25 - 30 Euro per night range. As a result, we are using Aires to try and keep our costs under control.

The Aire is by the Canal de La Meuse, which is a functioning canal, with barges and pleasure boats passing, this is the view from our window.

I say the Canal de La Meuse, there is a river and a canal, it is very difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins!, but I think the bit we are beside is the canal.

The Aire is quite scenic as these things go. It is not quite as smart as we have come to expect of the German version, but everything is usable.

We arrive just after lunch time, at which point it is about one third full, but by 16:00 it is full.

It is quite a large aire, with space for about 40-50 vans, in addition to the area you can see in the picture, there are an additional six or so spaces, next to the office (where you "clock in" and pay).

It really is quite a picturesque spot, just a short distance away (about 100 metres), is this Water Mill.

Unfortunately it is no longer actually working, but it is quite an impressive sight all the same.

We are about 40 kilometres from Verdun, of World War One fame.

Stenay, must one have been quite a significant place, there is an enormous building, which is called "The Citadel" and was clearly once a military building, it has now been converted to shops and apartments.

Overall, it is a place of faded grandeur, but it still has that a certain charm and sort of "shabby chic" which the French seem to be adept at preserving.

July 1st 2010 – July 4th 2010

Thursday, we decide to move a short distance along the river, to a Stellplatz, we found whilst cycling along the Moselle.


We have arranged with Bryan and Joan, who are nearby, to meet at the Stellplatz.


Unfortunately, there is a little confusion, when we discover there are two Stellplatz in Longuich, and we have the sat-nav co-ordinates for the wrong one! The confusion is eventually sorted out, and we all arrive at the correct place at more of less the same time.

Longuich - Stellplatz – Feiten Weine & Edelbrande (Page 389)

As we arrive at the Stellplatz, a very helpful Welshman comes over and gives us a quick rundown of where everything is, who to pay etc.

It turns out he is called Phil and is here with his wife Lynne, in a campervan of course.

They have a tandem, and, very kindly offer Kathleen and myself a try at riding it. (photograph courtesy of Joan)

Kathleen is not happy because she is at the back and therefore not in control, but it is hilarious fun!

Bryan takes some video, which I will try and post at some point in the future, when I obtain a copy.

Phil makes matters worse, by pointing out that in cycling slang, the person at the back of the tandem is called "the Stoker", whilst the person at the front is called "the Captain". She does not like the idea of me being "the Captain".

As I said we have great fun mastering the technique of riding the thing, we have not laughed so much in ages, and entertain the whole place as we struggle to ride around in some kind of harmony.

We eventually get to be good enough to venture onto the cycle track, and manage to do a couple of miles without falling off, or crashing into anyone else.

On their way here, Bryan and Joan have found a source of cheap Grand Marnier, but Bryan has to hide their stash to prevent Joan from drinking all of it.

At this Stellplatz there are showers provided, so you do not have to use your van shower unless you particularly want to.

The cost of a shower is 1 Euro, but you get at least enough hot water for two showers, or of course to shower two people.

Kathleen’s notices that most people share a shower reducing the cost to 50 cents each.

A battle between her personal modesty and her legendary thrift ensues. Thrift wins.

I have great fun at her expense with suggestions such as the need to shower four times a day, at least, in such hot weather.

There is often a small queue to us the shower, typically two or four people, who sit on a convenient park bench near the shower, waiting their turn. To add to her discomfort I have succeeded in getting at least one squeal per shower out of her, much to her embarrassment, when we emerge from the shower, to the waiting people.

Friday, Bryan and Joan decide to cycle to Trier.

We have already done this, so we do not go with them. Kathleen succeeds in convincing them it is easier and shorter to cycle along this side of the river, rather than the other side (which we did).

Part of her convincing story is that since it is generally downhill on the way back, you can freewheel most of the way.

Needless to say, it turns out to be the same distance as our route (23 miles), with no freewheeling, I do not think Bryan will be taking advice on cycle routes from Kathleen again in the future.

While Bryan and Joan are cycling to Trier, we go in search of a church, since the weekend is approaching. We do a tour of the nearby towns and villages (12 miles) to determine which church offers a Mass at the most suitable time.

Those of you who are regular readers, may have noticed that in most if not all of the photographs in which Kathleen appears, she is wearing the same orange top.

Leaving aside her claims that she has no clothes etc etc, I took this quick photograph just to prove that it does get washed, daily.

Singing starts at 18:30, we are joined by a very lively German woman, who we had met earlier in the shower queue (with her husband, we assume).

I am not sure if she is naturally as lively, or if she is on something. She does not speak much English, and we do not know her name, Kathleen christens her “Mad Monica”. She joins in the singing with gusto. As far as we can understand her husband (or at least her shower partner) is a drummer in a band in Koln (Cologne).

Phil and Lynne join us and it emerges Phil is quite an accomplished singer, and Kathleen, Joan and Phil end up as a little trio, with the singing going on until about 23:00.

We have Dutch neighbours who act as an audience and it turns out their son is married to the daughter of the Technical Director of Newcastle United, he proudly shows us his Newcastle United shirt.

Of course Holland beat Brazil (2-1) so the Dutch are all in fine form, and not in the least concerned by their noisy English neighbours.

Saturday the hot weather continues without a break.

The four of us set off to cycle down river Moselle, towards Dhron Neumagen. Needless to say we stop after about 5 miles for a Radler (Shandy), Bryan and Joan opt to turn back at this point, since they want to do some shopping at the supermarket (perhaps Jaon has found the Grand Marnier stash?).

Refreshed, Kathleen and I cycle on to the next village (Thornich). It is unbearably hot, and we too decide to turn back at eight miles.


We come across a German couple, their bicycles laden with luggage walking along the cycle track. He has a puncture, and they do not have a tyre pump. He tells us his spare inner tube and tyre pump are in his car in Koln, obviously he was not a boy scout. We offer him the use of our tyre pump and one of our spare inner tubes. The inner tube is not the right size, but he is able to repair the puncture and get on his way.

We get back to the van, just in time, the inevitable end to the hot weather we have been having is a thunderstorm, and sure enough we get one.

It is spectacular, but it is all over in about an hour, and the sun is shining again, in time for the Germany v Argentina world cup match on TV in the bar at the Stellplatz, Germany thrash Argentina 4-0, so the Germans are absolutely ecstatic, mad Monica and her husband are shouting themselves hoarse.

Kathleen and I watch the match, in between waiting in the shower queue. This results in big embarassment for Bryan and Joan (well Joan is embarrased, I think Bryan just sees it as enhancing his "street cred"), who are in the shower when we arrive, to join the queue.

Kathleen and I knock on the door of the shower room, and shout for them them to hurry themselves up, since we are waiting our turn.

Of course we then wander off to watch the football, but Bryan and Joan think we are waiting outside, and put on a good show of teenage behaviour, by making suggestive noises and comments from within the shower room. When they emerge of course it is to see a queue of bemused strangers.

Well it is only fun, we may be pensioners, but we are not dead yet!

In the evening, there is food, wine and music, all outdoors, with temporary seating and pergolas to provide shade. You have to pay for the food and wine, but it is all very inexpensive. The "staff" are, we are told, all relations and friends of the owner, who do it just to help him out.

Sunday, Kathleen and Joan cycle off to church, whilst Bryan and I pack up our respective vans, ready to move on. We are heading to Luxembourg, where we duly arrive just after lunch time.

It is sad to leave Germany, we have had a wonderful time, I cannot understand why more British people do not come here on holiday.