Okay, so here's the rest of our Germany trip and onwards, as promised!
Apologies for some of the shorthand style, much was done retrospectively and scribbled onto scraps of paper - true arty writer stylee!!
Germany, Holland & France.
May
Saturday 19th - Left lay-by at Fuβbach and drove to Schömberg. Had beers in an awful bar with terrible techno music pumping out of the stereo. Looked for things to do on the local notice board - naturally the Tourist Information office is closed on a Saturday afternoon. There was a leaflet advertising good walking routes, which we had also seen on the generic Black Forest tourist leaflet. Found a foresty car park and stayed the night. Saw some mice playing on a tree stump! Went back to the town and had beers in a nicer hotel and used their Wifi.
Sunday 20th - Moved the van to the car parking near the park and went on a "20km" hike through meadows and forest. Got a bit lost at one point and had to navigate across a stream and nettle field! Lots of buzzards, kites and mice. Walked for about 5hours, which made us think it was a little more than 20km!
Got back and had huge portion on frites with mayo and ketchup with beers, in the nice hotel. Had ice cream for "pudding" from the Crazy Golf man. Moved across the road with the van to a big gravel car park and settled down for the evening. Made dinner (noodles, Singapore style!), played chess and looked at the birds through the bin's. Got scared by something at dusk (probably just something falling from a tree onto the van, but we thought we we're being attacked!) so moved the van closer to the road. Chickens.
Monday 21st - Went to visit Stuttgart - really hot weather. Really difficult roads to navigate around the city and this isn't helped by the fact that we need to search out open-air car parks for Agatha as all the multi storeys are height restricted and she doesn't fit under the barrier. Street parking anywhere near the centre was ridiculously expensive and limited to only 1 hour in places. Didn't think that much of Stuttgart, we did the Tourist Trail following a map of historical and other points of interest but there wasn't really much of distinction. We did have an amazing lunch from the Kebab shop though! Left Stuttgart and headed North, en route for Holland. Stayed in a motorway service station overnight.
Tuesday 22nd - Left the service station fairly handy in the morning, and went to a campsite in Datteln, again found on the ACSI Euro Campings app. The weather was absolutely scorching and we were nearly melting in the van. The campsite was nice and we got to camp by the little pond and home made beach. Bit annoyed when we went for showers as there was a 50¢ charge for shower and the hot water was on a four minute timer!! In the evening we sought refuge from the heat in the shaded outdoor area at the bar, had a beer and played chess. Back to the van for dinner when it had cooled down enough. Slept with the van door open at night as it was just so hot! Noisy frogs from the pond!
Wednesday 23rd - Left the campsite at Dutteln. Had been looking forward to a nice leisurely departure around midday before moseying further north towards Groningen where we are going to visit Xavi and his family. However, there was confusion with the dates and we were expected there today! So, had to rush to get ready to leave before 10am and razzed up to Groningen. When we got there Karen had prepared a lovely lunch for us and we enjoyed this in the garden with a beer. In the evening we went to the local leisure complex to watch Xavi's son Ian play in a football tournament. We were invited to stay over so that we could visit Groningen tomorrow. Nice comfy bed!! Zzzzzz….
Thursday 24th - We'd borrowed some bikes from Xavi's neighbour yesterday to go to the football tournament so we kept hold of them today to get to Groningen. Had a nice walk around the centre of the city and cycled over to a huge park at the south side of the city where Karen had recommended a Chinese All You Can Eat Buffet. We certainly made the most of that! Felt so full afterwards that we had to lie down in the park to recover! Couldn't face getting back on the bikes for about an hour, but when we did we cycled back to the leisure complex where there was a swimming lake and a mini home made beach. We lazed there for the rest of the afternoon/early evening before going back to Xavi's. When we got back we found that Karen had made us all a HUGE pasta dinner - huge struggle to force it down which was a shame as it was lovely. Stayed over again so we could set off straight away for Makkum in the morning.
Friday 25th to Friday 1st - the standard Elfstdentocht week in Holland! Did the ride on the Monday (Ian and I had hired a tandem, which seemed like such less a good idea at the end than it had at the beginning!! But we did it, and that is good). Nice weather for the first had of the week, then a bit grey and some rain but the weather was good for the ride, and that is the main thing. The villa was beautiful and we spent a lot of time outside on the decking overlooking the water canals. we all basically just chilled out for the week and played lots of Scrabble on mum's iPad! A lovely week, all in all.
June
Friday 1st - Left Makkum, Had lunch in a little harbour town, then went to Appeldoorn for dinner in the evening as Mum & Dad were staying in a hotel there so we ate with them. Found a little Greek style place and had shish kebab with potatoes. Went to the hotel to play Scrabble. Stayed in Appeldoorn in a roadside camp.
Saturday 2nd - Left Appeldoorn and headed south west, for want of a better direction! Stopped in a service station for some breakfast and to use the wifi. Applied for a bunch of summer jobs advertised online. Decided that Holland would be difficult to find jobs as we don't speak Dutch and most Dutch people speak English so we couldn't even take advantage of our language skills. Decided to head for France to see if we could have any luck in the agricultural work sector. Drove towards Metz and stopped in a Service Station overnight.
Sunday 3rd - Waited around Metz as we needed camping gas and we'd found two camping stores that would open tomorrow. Had a Maccy's tea near Nancy as we couldn't cook in the van and also needed to use McWifi. Wifi was a bit rubbish and frustratingly dropped out every minute or so. Managed to apply for a couple more jobs and also signed up with "easy au pair" website. Found a layby for overnight camp.
Monday 4th - Bought gas at a garden centre and had a look at the cute hamsters and guineas pigs. Went to the Maccy's next door but bad Wifi again. Looked at farming areas and decided to go "on location" to speak to farmers directly. Plotted Sat Nav for Limoges as this is a fairly central location and gave us options for which side of the country to go for. Stopped at Troyes on the way past as the gas we'd bought turned out to be the wrong kind of canister. Managed to find a DIY store just out of town and bought one there. Troyes was a nice town full of history and if we'd had more time we'd have spent longer there, a day or two, exploring the place. Kept driving towards Limoges and found a quiet lay-by on a forest road for camping.
Tuesday 5th - Continued with planned route and saw the scenery begin to change as we got further south. Less wheat growing in the fields and more vineyards. Happened to pass by a sign for Sancerre and decided to 'drop by' for a nosey. Found an employment office and went to to enquire about harvesting jobs. Had a full conversation (in French!) with the girl there and she sent off our CV's for an agency she knew who often looked for workers. She said we'd need to wait a couple of days to hear back so we found a place to park up on the roadside overlooking the vineyards and surrounding countryside. We spent time wandering around the town and had a glass of wine (Sancerre, of course!) in Hotel des Remparts.
Wednesday 6th - Sancerre again. Enjoyed some lovely sunshine and some panoramic views whilst learning French on a park bench. After having enjoyed the books we'd read during the first part of our trip, we had downloaded a load of iBooks so started to read them (Dracula) in the van. A thunderstorm and huge downpour arrived and we watching the rain bouncing down from the van windows - fab! Although, found a new leak in Agatha. In the evening we had wine in Le Bouchon and also the Panoramic Hotel. Stayed in the same road camp.
Thursday 7th - Still no email or phone call from agency so decided that we'd give it until the end of the day before setting off again. We left Sancerre at around 4pm and decided that it would be good to head for the South, to increase chances of finding fruit picking work. Travelled for the rest of the evening and stopped over in an Aire du Camping near Clermond Ferrand.
Friday 8th - Kept driving South, drove for most of the day. Went through Milau with the huge suspension bridge, and then through Montpellier (at sometime rush hour!). The scenery has now changed dramatically and is starting to look very Mediterranean-like. Weather to match too!
We drove as far as the Camargue where we started to see roadside fruit 'vendeurs' so we stopped at a couple to ask about work opportunities with the harvests. Left our phone number with one lady who had a friend with a farm, so at least we know the answer is not a straight out "No". Still have hope! Went to a little village called Eygaliers (or Eguieres, can't remember which!) and found a little lay-by on a quiet B-road and stopped there for the night. Very breezy indeed, but this was nice to keep us and the van cool. Think we've met with the Mistral wind!
Sunday 10th - R & L leave for NZ tonight. Went to Avignon centre during the day for a bit of sightseeing in the rain. Looked for job agencies to visit tomorrow. Didn't really think much of Avignon this time - except for the obvious tourist attractions - Palais du Pape and the unfinished Bridge etc., the place is just a little bit shabby, especially as we walked around the outskirts of the town and saw the 'real' Avignon! Drove round for ages trying to find somewhere to camp and eventually found a nice little layby right next to a vineyard - shame the grapes aren't ready yet!
Monday 11th - Back to Avignon to try our luck with the Employment Agencies. Unfortunately they were less accommodating of my poor French than the girl in Sancerre and made little effort to help us along. Turned out that most of the agencies were for factory work anyway. Went to the Pole Emploi and got the contact details of a few farmers nearby who were looking for workers. Went to one of them in Cabannes and spoke to farmers wife and mother (very friendly!). They had no work as their fruit had come to end of the season, but she recommended that we visit another farmer just the other side of the village. We went to visit M.Gendre and had a good chat with him, his father and mother (as far as my French would allow, anyway!). They also had no jobs at the moment as cherry season has ended. He gave us his phone number for when the apple and pear season starts in mid July. That seems an awful long way away! We hadn't had a proper camp stop (i.e. wash!) since Makkum so decided to find one nearby. We were in St Remy and the Sat Nav took us to Camping du Mas de Nicolas. We couldn't have wished for a better campsite - pool, sauna, jacuzzi, wifi, little bar - and a complimentary bottle of wine! Had the best shower ever and watched England V France in the evening.
Tuesday 12th - Campsite was so good (and fairly reasonable price so decided to stay another day. Just spent the whole day relaxing by the pool, in the sauna and jacuzzi and using the wifi for more job hunting. Watched Russia V Poland in the evening.
Wednesday 13th - Left at midday and walked into St Remy to see the markets. Very busy and quite touristy. The food markets were amazing though - very tempting and not a good idea to go before lunch! Drove to a place called Fontvieille for "Aire du Camping". Walked around the town and up to see the windmill made famous by the French writer Alphonse Daudet. Played a bit of petanque before having dinner. The weather is still red hot and it's quite dusty and arid here so can be unbearable if the breeze drops at all (which it tends to do from time to time).
Thursday 14th - Left Fontvieille and went further south to Martigues, a small harbour/port near the Med coast. Not much to do or see there past one afternoons worth of wandering so carried on down the coast to Carro beach. Went for a walk by the beach and found a lay-by just out of the town for camping (Stationnement Regelemente dans la ville).
Friday 15th - Back into the town in the morning and walked around the harbour and sea front. Looked for a local shop to buy groceries and found that it was up a hill in the next village "Couronne". Walked up to find that it was closed until 3pm (how are we still not remembering this??). Went to look at the Camping Municipale (very expensive for an arid sand box, considering CM's are meant to be cheaper), then back to down to La Plage Verdon for sunbathing and body boarding (Ian). Left at 6ish for tea and then walked back down to watch the England Vs Sweden in the evening. Camped roadside on the seafront rocks.
Saturday 16th - Went in search of McWifi but no reply yet from Rob & Luce. Bought a few bits from Lidl, including… SAUSAGES! Also had a voicemail from someone replying to my au pair profile, they are looking for someone to start immediately in the Alps. I texted back to say I was interested and would like more info on email. Went to the beach near the harbour where a surfing expo was on. Spent the day sunbathing and bodyboarding (Ian). Went for a walk along the beach and through the town after dinner. Saw a nice sunset and cased out the local restaurants (very expensive). Roadside camped at the west side of town by a little beach we'll try tomorrow.
Sunday 17th - Spent most of today in the van at our new spot as we'd had two days of full on sun exposure and the sun was blazing again today. In the morning we walked up to Couronne to find a cash machine. Had sausage butties when we got back. Not much else to report!
Monday 18th - Went back to Chateauneuf de Martigues for McWifi and McFlurry. Had an email from Lyndsey in the Alps looking for an au pair. Sent off my CV and requested info on the package etc. Sounds interesting! On the way back we decided to try a new village - Sausset Les Pins - a bit further along the coast. We'd been over the weekend but it was so busy that we'd put it off till a weekday. It seems nice, will explore properly tomorrow. Had a beer in a cafe and checked Wifi again. Another email explaining package - big discussion about what to do next… aagh! Decisions to be made… Parked up a bit out of town along a promenade. Lovely sea views and sight of Marseille. LOTS of joggers… Madness in this heat. Police Municipale drove by and had a nosey at us - hope we don't get woken in the night…
Tuesday 19th - The Police must not mind us being here as we didn't get asked to move during the night. Went back down to the same cafe as we knew we could get WIfi and also charge the laptop. Signed up with the Workaway website and looked at NZ flights. Sent some messages for Workaway placements nearby to us. We've decided to explore this avenue as it means we'll be able to do something together rather than potentially have to be separated whilst one or the other searches for work (as the au pair situation would require) and whilst we won't be earning money it means we won't be spending money - which is almost as financially valuable! In the evening we checked Wifi again and had a reply from one of our Workaway messages, a lady a little North East from here who needs help at her Chambre d'hôte for the next week or so. Replied saying we'd be very interested to Workaway with her and asked for a bit more info. We didn't go to the beach at all today, to give our skin a bit of a rest. In the evening Ian went down to the Miramar to watch the footy. Camped in the same roadside spot.
Wednesday 20th - Moved the van closer to the beach (literally on the beach front) and went to the Miramar for Coke and ice cream sundae. Also, booked our flights for New Zealand!!! September 4th to December 5th. Literally can't wait. Just need for Rob and Lucy to get their internet sorted out so we Skype and tell them the news!! Also had a reply from Pamela at Workaway and we have our very first placement with her, starting on Monday! We'll be able to stay with her till July 10th, which is great. Also, some of the time we're there she is going back to the UK so will be paying us (not normal for Workaway, it's volunteering) as it's more responsibility. Also had an email from Lindsey (au pair) saying they'd found someone who could stay with them for a longer period of time - so, all fitting into place! Parked up at the opposite end of town on a nice headland parking spot.
Thursday 21st - Went to the main beach stretch and spent the day there. Ian bodyboarded, I paddled. The water was lovely, once you were brave enough to submerge! Got a bit lost looking for a boulangerie and ended up finding one 100 metres from where we started! Found out at tea time that the gas must've leaked as the canister was empty. No spare and too late to go finding a camping store Decided to go to one of the harbour restaurants as they looked nice and were quite reasonably priced. Ian had Moules Marinieres and I had a seafood spaghetti with humongous crevettes and delicious scallops (mussels too, but Ian had them). A music festival was on in the village and the harbour but we didn't stay.
Friday 22nd - Drove to Cabries to buy gas from Decathlon - enormous retail park! Also went to Maccy's for about 4 hours - booked our connecting flights from Geneva to Heathrow. Back to van at 6ish so chilled out in the van and ate tea. Walked to use Miramar Wifi in the evening.
Saturday 23rd - All day at the beach - very hot (35C) but windy, the sea was COLD! Walked into the next town, Carry Le Rouet, in the evening before tea. A bit bigger and posher than Sausset les Pins. Came back for tea then down to Miramar to arrange Skyping with R&L tomorrow. Watched the second half of Spain Vs France.
Sunday 24th - Early start to get down to Miramar to Skype with R&L to tell them about NZ flights! Totally psyched! It was our last day in Sausset les Pins and our last day on the coast so stayed down at the beach, although it was a little cloudy and much cooler than it has been. Had a good little swim in the sea though.
We're now onto another exciting part of our adventure, which will be updated over the next week. We've got Wifi and electricity for charging the laptop so there's no excuse! Except maybe the lure of the pool... :)
Ciao for now!
PS. Full photo album is being kept on Photobucket at THIS LINK... , or on Facebook if you're friends with us there! They're all a bit higgledy-piggledy at the moment as they've been getting uploaded at different times (phone & camera) but I'll try to sort them out and when I do they'll be in chronological order, most recent will be first...
PS. Full photo album is being kept on Photobucket at THIS LINK... , or on Facebook if you're friends with us there! They're all a bit higgledy-piggledy at the moment as they've been getting uploaded at different times (phone & camera) but I'll try to sort them out and when I do they'll be in chronological order, most recent will be first...
November signing out.
