Road trips, Rhine and Racing

Ok, so we'd better start with an apology. This has been my longest blog gap to date - the last one was written back in mid September when it was sunny and warm, and here we are on the 1st October in a very rainy and cold parking spot.

This may be an extra long blog, or I may post in 2 parts - not sure yet, and it will be battery dependent as we are off grid for our 9th night in a row. Anyway, much to catch you up on, so here goes.

The last blog, way back over a fortnight ago saw us in the last few days in the Dordogne. We stayed a further day (Saturday 15th September) deciding to make the most of the lovely weather and position we'd been having. We had planned to do an early bike ride before getting some washing done, but the early part of the day was very misty so we set about the washing & other chores to get us and the van ready for the road trip across France to meet Mum and Paul in Germany. That last day was a scorcher, so once the work was done, I headed to the river to do a little more kingfisher spotting. I wasn't disappointed as I saw plenty of activity. Being Saturday, there was plenty of canoeing activity on the river, but we were still surprised when a couple of lads headed downstream with their own canoe plus another empty one! I called to Jase, and with help from Dan across the way, we pulled out the empty canoe and set about trying to find it's owners. There had been quite a few people who'd seen a family of 3 fall out under some trees. The lads headed off upstream (no easy feat) and Jase and Dan headed along the riverbank. Eventually, the lads came back having pulled all 3 from the water and paddled them back across a couple of canoes. It seemed to be grandparents and their grandson, who from what we gathered, had been caught sideways by the current, but seemed none the worse for their ordeal thankfully! After all the excitement we then headed poolside to soak up as many rays as we could - we'd really been starting to think any day could be the last of summer now.

Sunday morning (16th Sept) and an early start as we had a big roadtrip to do. As we'd stayed an extra day in the Dordogne, we needed to get as far across France as possible, and took on what the sat nav suggested was about a 6hr day to Lac D'Orient in the lower Champagne region. Views were nice most of the way, and we whiled away what turned in a 9hr day (I do love our TomTom!) by chatting mostly random crap and listening to Sherlock Holmes on audiobooks. At the end of the day we'd covered some 600km and really broken the back of the journey. We'd found a lovely free Aire right on the lake and stretched our legs with a walk along the shore.

Monday morning (17th Sept) and more driving ahead, but not as much as the previous day. We had a fairly leisurely start and headed for the Mosel area. We were able to cover some ground really quickly with lots of free dual carriageways around Metz and Nancy which helped massively. We had a brief food shop in Metz before holding our breath eking out our fuel to fill on the Luxembourg border €1.11 a litre! We blasted through Luxembourg, and into the Mosel region which was instantly much more picturesque than either of us expected - it was a great start for our return into Germany.

We'd picked a pay Aire site along the Mosel, but hadn't reckoned on how popular it would be this time of year - the lovely warm weather was helping too. The first was full (although everyone watched us drive all the way down to see, and then reverse all the way back up - not one person put there head out to let us know it was full!). The second attempt was in Piesport, just up the river. We got lucky there and nabbed the last spot (€8 for the night). On pulling onto the spot, we set about setting things up and not having been there 2 minutes, an English chap wandered across asking for some assistance with his remote control - he couldn't find the eject button for his DVD, I googled it and then hoped he'd be on his way (slightly concerned for his eyesight driving a 7m motorhome if he couldn't spot that button!) when he casually mentions that we can both use his shower if we want, oh and he has very soft hands apparently! I literally didn't know what to say! Maybe he was lonely or maybe it was his line, but honestly, it's not what you expect!

Anyway, after dispatching Mr Hands-so-soft, we had a lovely walk along the Mosel river, and a nice quiet night, free from disturbances, thankfully.

Tuesday morning and we had a fairly short hop to the campsite in Rudesheim where we were meeting Mum, Paul and the rest of their Adria club rally. We took the scenic route following the Mosel which was lovely. Amazing to see just how many pay Aires there are along this route, and every single one was rammed - that's a lot of €8 a night for mostly just a field! We stopped on route for a few food supplies and some LPG and then into the site. Mum was at the reception to greet us which was lovely, and the site owner showed us to our pitch. The rest of the day was spent catching up with Mum and Paul, and meeting their friends Phil & Karen, Bernie & Len, Ian & Lorna and Norman & Sue. The site was a bit expensive, but again seeing how popular this area is, that wasn't a surprise. That said, the facilities were superb, with the shower getting a strong 4.5/5 - losing half a mark for a stupid short button time, although I could lean on it without any trouble!

Wednesday and today we were joining Mum's club for a couple of trips (both today and tomorrow's trips were birthday presents for Jase and I, thanks Mum and Paul x). First up was a walking tour of the town of Rudesheim. Situated at a very important trading point along the Rhine, our guide told us how the town is the 2nd most popular place to visit in Germany. He also told us how the river is vitally important to the grapes by reflecting sunlight back into the vines. Interestingly, the guide also touched on a site that was destroyed by allied bombing in WW2 - good to get a bit of balance after what we'd seen at Oradour.

After a lunch stop back at camp we headed back into town for a wine tour. First up a lovely tasting of 3 quite different Rieslings - a wine that most of us would normally disregard but these days it tastes very similar to a good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - really zesty and light. After the sampling we headed up the hills into the vines and had a talk about the work involved there. The views were stunning, and totally worth the walk up. Back at camp, we enjoyed a lovely BBQ with Mum & Paul's friends.

Thursday and with a boat trip for the afternoon we were able to have a quiet morning mooching about town. After lunch we headed to the docks to pick up our boat for the cruise along the Rhine. Again the weather was perfect, and we headed to the top deck to catch the best of the views. Castles and vines aplenty all the way along, with loads of birdlife too - mainly cormorants, gulls, possible osprey and Jase caught a fleeting sight of a kingfisher too. It really was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. Back at camp, and with the fresh air having tired us out, we had a quiet night in the van.

Friday and Paul's birthday so first thing we headed to their van to wish him a happy birthday with a homemade card and a few bottles of wine. We then headed out for a bike ride along the Rhine. The journey out was lovely, the cycle track meanders along the river, dipping inland occasionally. We stopped on a bridge and saw the now familiar blue bullet of a kingfisher. Further along the path, I spotted what I thought would be a great kingfisher perch - a broken tree in a sheltered inlet spot (the rest of the river is too fast flowing) and sure enough, not 1 but 2 kingfishers sat there. They stayed for a good few minutes to, enabling me to grab what I think is my best picture yet.

We headed further along the cycle track, and had planned to head into a small town, however we soon realised the wind had got up and it wasn't in our favour for the return leg. We decided to turn back and found ourselves with a 15km ride into a headwind! The only saving grace was that the wind kept the rain away until we got back to camp! We spent the afternoon getting a few jobs done before heading out with the Adria gang to celebrate Paul's birthday. We managed to get a spot in a really great restaurant serving proper Germanic food & beer. Fab night all round.

Saturday morning and we were up fairly early to wave farewell to Mum and Paul and their friends as they headed northwards. This was a farewell until Christmas, and I think we all held the tears back! We packed up too, and our next rendezvous was to be Innsbruck for the road world cycling event.

We'd decided to break the journey up a bit, and head to Nurtingen to spend the evening with Jase's cousin Keith and Eva. We made really good time and after a lunch stop near the Hockenhiem circuit, we were with them by mid afternoon. Being the fabulous hosts they are we spent a lovely evening catching up, getting washing done and being fed really well. We were also treated to some lovely music into the evening.

Sunday morning and more farewells, and then we headed for Innsbruck. The journey was similar to that we'd done earlier in the year, so we knew exactly where to get our Vignette toll sticker €9 for 10 days. We stopped at a garage near the border and got some fuel too - there was an odd sticker on the pump that mentioned no credit cards, so we decided (thankfully as it turned out) not to fill too much. Turns out they only accepted Maestro cards and nothing else. Fortunately we had enough cash to cover it, but it wasn't the best of welcomes into the country!

The parking for the Innsbruck worlds had always been something of a worry - until Jase had commented on their Facebook page back during the tour, it seemed like nothing had been planned and with wild camping illegal in Austria, we were a bit worried. However, the Olympic Ice park had opened their car park to campers for €15 a night. Rusty and Kay had arrived a few days earlier and confirmed it was all looking pretty good, so we headed there and joined them. We spent another lovely evening catching up with them and planning for the days ahead.

Monday morning and with the forecast looking very damp indeed, we were in no particular hurry to get going (in fact, I was meant to have written this blog!). Later in the day, the weather brightened and we headed into Innsbruck for a look around. We were amazed how close we were to both the action of the cycling and the town itself - not bad at all for the price. After a nice wander around, we met up with Rusty and Kay and had a lovely pizza lunch. We spent the afternoon roadside watching the under 23's time trial race.

Tuesday was a much brighter day although cold - a reminder that we are in the mountains now! We spent a lovely morning having drinks with Rusty and Kay's friends Bob and Leo. After lunch we headed back trackside to watch the ladies time trial which was a bit of a Dutch whitewash!

Wednesday was another stunning morning and with the boys out for a ride, Kay and I headed off for a lovely walk up the hill. Views spectacular and plenty of pros out training too - our best was the GB girls with a lovely cheery smile and wave! The afternoon was spent roadside for the men's time trial.

Thursday again sunny (starting to realise just how long we spent roadside waiting for the main event which isn't until Sunday....!). Jase and I had a lovely walk into town and a coffee. We then watched the juniors race part way up the climb.

Friday (stick with it, I'm getting there...!) bit of an earlier start as the boys went out for another ride. Kay and I did a pop to the shops for a few supplies. Back at the vans for lunch then out onto the course for the Under 23's men's race. Found a really great spot part way up the climb on a hairpin bend.

The evening was a real highlight as Rusty and Kay invited us for one of their legendary steak meals - truly lush! One thing that I had forgotten to mention was that Sir Dave Brailsford (of Team Sky fame) was also staying in our car park! We had hoped he might pop in for a beer, but it wasn't to be - probably just as well as I'd been unsure how to address him - Sir or Dave, probably mix up the two and go for Sid!

Saturday (almost there!) and bit of a cloudier start so took things fairly easy, getting some supplies sorted for race day. We headed track side to watch the ladies race near the feed zone. Good to watch although the racing was a bit one dimensional with Holland trouncing everyone else again! The picture shows GB's Dani Rowe leading the way in the early stages.

Sunday and race day finally! Another beautiful clear day and an early start to go and grab a good spot. We headed back up the hill and to the hairpin we'd spotted before. Making ourselves as wide as possible we bagged a good bit of barrier and settled in for the day. We had a great view plus a TV screen to watch the race unfold. The men's race would pass 7 times, so it was well worth the effort and wait. The race itself was fascinating (although I know most of you aren't big cycling fans so I won't go into details!), and the scenery matched it. We had a great day cheering them all on, especially as the riders got more tired and strung out. Once we'd seen the last past, we settled down to watch the conclusion on the big screen. Not the winner we'd hoped for, but still a great day.

The first photo is the 1st pass with GB's Ian Stannard leading the way and the 2nd picture is the final contenders with Italy, Spain and France all leading the way - Spain went on to win.

After the walk back down, Rusty and Kay suggested a meal at the Asian across the road. All you can eat for €18 - simply stunning.

And now to Monday. I'm sorry this has been an epic, and the week in Innsbruck might not be the most thrilling read! Probably most people don't realise how much hanging around there is for cycling events - and how much of it isn't that salubrious! But we enjoy it, and with company it's a real laugh.

We left Innsbruck this morning and have headed to Giswil (near Interlaken) in Switzerland. We hope to see a few mountains while we are over this way. The weather today has been awful - rainy and cold but the forecast is for some clear days ahead so fingers crossed. We are going to have to be careful on our routing as some of the passes are already closed due to snow! We plan to travel around this area for a week or so and then head to find the last of the summer sun.

Final apology is for any dodgy spelling etc - this has been a bit of a rush, only 10% battery left!

That's all caught up, question is, will the battery last to post it...........?!

Stay safe all

J&J x