March 1st
Another month, another country!
We woke early, or should I say Jake woke us early. We grabbed a quick breakfast and made an early start as we wanted to get to our next stop both that day and in daylight. We actually had a provisional booking for the following night but decided we should be able to get there in one day from where we were. Having said that we nearly didn't get much further than Austria at all as the weather went from bad to worse on the journey and we drove through what can only be described as a hurricane. We later learnt this had hit most of Western Europe and had caused damage in many places. I am certainly glad John was driving. Despite the weather we were still able to see what green and pleasant countryside Austria has, even if the prices are the most expensive we experienced.
The view from our lunch stop.(Somewhere in Austria)
We were heading for the Black Forest area of Germany where we had a few nights R&R booked and a vet visit for Jake to update his innoculations prior to re-entering the UK.
The drive across Germany was interesting as it took us a different route enabling us to see other views than on our way to Bulgaria. We managed to get to the village of Seebach (pronounced saybach) just before dusk and received a very warm welcome from our hosts David and Angela Williams, an English couple embarking on a new adventure here in Germany.
The Pension Williams is situated on a south facing slope above the main part of the village and the view from our balcony was quite stunning.
The night view from our balcony
The rooms are comfortable with all you need for a relaxing break whilst retaining some of the traditional character of the area. Following a warming supper of Goulash soup and a very delightful bottle of local red wine we retired to enjoy a wonderful nights sleep.
March 2nd
We woke well rested and hungry. Breakfast is full continental and very enjoyable, even English tea! As the weather was still inclement we decided to spend the day resting and making use of the hotel facilities. They have a very pleasant indoor swimming pool where I enjoyed a lovely swim for an hour whilst John partook of a little gentle workout on the equipment provided, an exercise bicycle and stepper.
Following a hot shower and coffee we tootled off for a drive, hoping to experience the renouned road B500 and it magnificent views. However the higher we got the thicker the cloud got and we failed to see anything.So we droped down back into the valley and found a few nice villages to enjoy. Later that evening we decided to treat ourselves to a meal out and after a chat with David decided to visit a nice looking restaraunt we saw on our drive. It is called Kaminstub'n am Wolfsbrunnen and is on the way out of Seebach up the mountains to the 500 road. It is run by a lovely couple Martin and Meggie who have only recently taken over the building and re-opened it as a restaraunt. The menu is very simple, salads for starters, made by Meggie and extremely delicious. The main courses ae various steaks, beef,pork, turkey etc. which are cooked on a grill in the main part of the dining area by Martin. There is also a selection of desserts. Once again Jake was made very welcome with his own corner seat and a nice comfy towel to sit on. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.
March 3rd
A quiet day in Seebach, it is so nice to unwind and just relax.
The view from our balcony
We enjoyed a swim again and just spent the morning reading and resting. In the afternoon we had a short drive around the local area and then headed to Achern where Jake had a vet appointment. He needed to have the worm and tick treatment necessary to alow him back into the UK. Our hosts at Pension Williams use a very nice vet in Achern who speaks english and they had kindly booked us in to see her. A nice simple visit and cost 30 euros. Achern looks a very nice town with some lovely shops and cafes so we will definately visit here if we come back to the area.
March 4th
We had planned to spend the day in Seebach and head off to Calais later in the day but we woke to heavy skies and by the time we had eaten breakfast it was snowing hard. We decided it was best to go early before the snow got too bad. We had a very good jorney to Calais although some of the weather was a bit nasty. The road took us through the Alsace region of France which seems very beautiful and then on past Reims and onto Calais. This is a toll road right through to the outskirts of Calais from Strasburg. It cost us around 40 euros but was well worth it as there was very little traffic and the services were quiet and so it was very pleasant to stop and have lunch. Due to leaving early we realised we were going to be very early for our 3am train so decided to ring ahead and change to an earlier train. As usual the staff at Eurotunnel were very helpful and we were transfered to the early 8.20pm train with no extra cost. We got to the booking in office at 7pm. The procedure for those travelling with pets is to go to the pet check in area first before you actually check in for the train. It is sign posted with pawprints on the overhead signs so is very simple. If all your paperwork is in order this process should only take a couple of minutes but unfortunately the people in front of us had failed to understand the details of the scheme and their dog was 2 days short of the required 6 months since the rabies blood test. They spent ages arguing with the poor girl at the desk who did everything she could to help but rules are rules. It meant they had to stay in France for another night and then do all the worm and tick stuff again. So glad we did our homework. By time we got through this we were literally straight onto the train and on our way. John was not so bad this time as we were not at the front of the carriage so he didn't feel quiet so claustraphobic.
On the train in the tunnel
Now the funny bit. we left France at 8.20pm but due to the time difference we arrived in the UK at 8pm!
It was snowing and raining in the UK so no real difference to when we left in July. We soon saw our first traffic hold up but thankfully it was on the opposite carriage way. The French Ferries had gone on strike and hundreds of poor lorry drivers were parked in "Operation Stack" on the M20. Three cheers for the tunnel! We finally arrived in Ipswich at 10.20pm.
March 27th
We have spent the last 3 weeks visiting family, having our car and ourselves MOT'd. During this time we decided that we would like to go back to Germany for a few weeks before we finish our travels for a while. We have found a nice looking apartment to rent in the town of Alpirsbach, a town we visited for christmas 5 years ago. We hope to get time to visit Switzerland and the Italian lakes as well.
Follow this stage of our travels in Germany 08