FRIENDS & FAMILY IN BELGIUM & GERMANY

 

Once back into Denmark we find a spot on the beach and settle in for the night, then in the morning we drive the length of Denmark. It is cold, damp and very flat. We breeze along the motorways and before we know it, we are in Germany. After stocking up with groceries we find a riverside spot for the night.

We wake to yet more rain. In the end we move on and spend the day on the German autobahns finding numerous traffic jams, but at least we are getting patches of sunshine as we skirt around the big cities of Hamburg & Bremen. Much later we pull off the autobahn and head to the small town of Holdorf where we camp behind the Church.  The next morning, we head into Belgium. We are due to catch up with friends Anita & Wouter at their country home in the Ardennes. We have talked with them numerous times as they have bought a vehicle in Australia that they plan to set up as a camper. We continue along the motorway as far as we can before hitting back roads to finally reach their home. It is great to be able to camp in their lovely yard and spent 2 days chatting with them.  They are going to Australia shortly to set up their Aussie camper and we will meet up with them when we get back home. We say our goodbyes and head off to Lake Berlare where Stacey and her crew are staying (All our family are currently in Europe travelling and we are all meeting for a week together in France shortly.) There is a camping area beside their accommodation, so we plan to stay there for 2 nights with them.

We have a fun time catching up, checking out the nearby parks and finding a place for dinner. In the morning, we all drive to the park & ride to catch the train into Brussels City. It’s a big, sprawling and grubby place, but the central Grand Palace Plaza is stunning. A festival is happening with people in costume, which is fun, and of course there is plenty of food. John gets snails for us all to try. Sorry, but not for me! John & Luna dive in and eat heaps, and Nate gives them a go (top marks!)

The next morning Stac and crew are due to move on to Amsterdam, so we spend time with the kids while they pack. Much later they head off and we head to Brugge. They have raved so much about it that we have decided to visit it again while we are in Belgium. We head to the easy park & ride, get on a bus and before we know it we are in town and ready to explore. It really is as lovely as we remember, and we enjoy the sights, the chocolate, the Christmas shop, the Churches and the little back streets. Of course, we go on the boat trip and climb the Belfry -all 366 narrow winding steps. But we feel the whole centre has become a tourist hub and is no longer a living town! We find a spot out of town for the night and decide to tour Ghent in the morning. We find the massive Galverston park & ride where we can overnight for only 2 Euros. Easy decision -we will stay the night. After a short walk we hop onto the tram to head to the centre.  This place is gorgeous! We wander around the streets, peek into all the Churches, find a free toilet (a bonus here!), eat chocolate bread and of course go on the boat trip. Heaps of photos later we wander all the way back to GR3. An awesome day.

We are due in Germany to meet more friends, but on our way out of Belgium we decide to visit the tiny town of Durbuy. It is described as the prettiest town in Belgium, so we are off. Three times we come to side roads with no trucks allowed. Fourth and last try we make it and find a parking spot and set off to explore. Well, that doesn’t take long. It is rather disappointing as it is full of restaurants & expensive shops that are mostly closed as it is not high season. Definity not worth the extra drive. So, we head on towards Luxembourg and into the rain. The plan is to stop at the park & ride so that we can explore the city in the evening before we head to Germany but it’s not to be. The rain doesn’t let up and it is so chilly we give exploring a miss, but we do stay overnight for free! Bonus.

An early start before the carpark fills up. Back on the motorways we head north towards Mannheim & Heidelberg where we catch up with Joel & Cindy, our American friends who have been living in their camper in Europe for the last 25 years, at a little camping platz in Schwetzingen. We met up with them in GR1, GR2 and now GR3. Lots of chatting of course and amazing food as Joel is an awesome chef. We also take the time to explore the lovely Schwetzingen Schloss with its massive gardens. On Saturday we move on to Heidelberg so we can explore there too. The Autumn Festival is in full swing as we walk the streets. This town is one of the loveliest in the area so there is lots to see, and it is all so much better with music playing in every square and food & beer stalls set up everywhere. We meander along the river and up to the lovely old Castle. Another awesome day. Joel & Cindy join us at our carpark/camp spot and on Sunday afternoon we say our goodbyes as we head to Mannheim and they head to the festival. We have an appointment at the Mercedes workshop on Monday. There is still time to explore somewhere so we pick out the town of Weinheim and head there. Parking is at a premium on Sunday, but finally John finds a spot and we wander this very touristy old town. It is truly gorgeous with its half-timbered houses and lovely Church and Marketplatz.

Monday we are up bright and early and ready for action at the workshop. Well, it’s very slow action here, and we always thought Germans were efficient. We are here all day and will need to overnight so they can look at the wheels tomorrow. We decide to drive to the nearby town of Ladenburg so we can explore and eat out. The old town again is lovely, with not a tourist in sight, and the schnitzels are massive! The long walk back from town has given me an idea. Why don’t we get scooters to make these trips easier. This gets John thinking, and he decides e-scooters would be even better!

We overnight in the large parking area at the workshop. They even give us a power lead to charge up. With little driving and not much sun it’s great to charge up our batteries. By mid afternoon we are free to go. Fingers crossed that the repairs are all successful. We head out on a mission to buy 2 e-scooters. John has been online, and they are on special at Mediamarkt. The first shop we visit only have one in stock and the salesman (not German by the way) is so pushy we leave. We head to Karlsruhe where there are more, but huge traffic jams mean we don’t get there before closing, so we find an overnight spot on our app and head to the shop in the morning. A few hours later we leave Germany with 2 big boxes onboard. We are heading to the Loire Valley in France to meet up with the family.

It will be chaotic and fun!!!