The forecast was not good today and we awoke to steady rain.

We decided to go to Obernai, which is a touristy town, so we could look around shops etc and not get too wet.

We travelled via a village called Mittelbergheim, which is supposed to be one of the most picturesque in the area. It was very scenic with many artisan craftsmen. There were many vintners as usual.

Obernai is a lovely town and, due to the rain, it was not full of tourists. We are staying overnight and start our journey back to the ferry tomorrow

It was a crisp morning and we had a walk round Bergheim and then had lunch at the Hotel just inside the main gate to the town. We had a lovely meal, but it took 2.5 hours and most of the day!
We then drove to Chatenois, about 7 miles up the road and parked at the aire. We then walked to Kientzheim. Unfortunately the tourist info office was closed. We walked back on the old Roman road, which is now a cycle track and back to the van. We were so full we couldn’t eat any tea and had an easy night in front of the telly.
SUNDAY 7 OCTOBER
We said goodbye to our hosts the Meyer family. It had been an excellent stay at Voegtlinshofen and this France Passion site was the best we had stayed at. We were made very welcome and bought some excellent wine.
It was a dull morning and we drove to Turckheim, another beautiful, medieval walled Alsacion town. It stared to rain, so we got the brollies out and went into town. There was a very Germanic faire with nouveaux vin, german band, market stalls and flame kuchen.
After lunch we drove to Niedermorschwihr and had a look at the famous jam maker Christine Verber’s shop. At 7.50 for a small pot of jam we were lucky it was closed!
We then set off for Riquewihr where we thought we would eat at the Michelin star restaurant La Table Gourmet. The town was full of tourists, which was such a contrast to the other villages we had visited, probably because they have a coach park. The restaurant looked at bit too pretentious for us and the menu was not very inspiring. The cost may also have influenced us!
We decided we could do much better at a less touristy place. We remembered a lovely town, called Bergheim, that we had visited 2 years earlier. We parked up just outside the walls and walked in. We had flame kuchen and frites for tea, marvellous!
We found a really nice restaurant for the next day and then back to the van to watch the Grand Prix. We had found a satellite channel that had the race on a loop, so Bill and I spent a nice couple of hours planning our New Zealand trip and watching the race.

We decided to walk to Eguisheim, through the vineyards. We walked via Husseren les Chateau and then down a steep hill to Eguisheim. The vineyards were laiden with grapes, which had yet to be picked, and which were very sweet. It was a very scenic Alsace village. We went to the shop of the vintner Leon Beyer.
We then walked back up the steep paths, through the vineyards, to Voeglinshoffen. We walked about 9 miles and were exhausted when we got back, so it was an early night for us.

At Thann we got up early and walked up a very steep hill to some old remains of a fortified chateau. It was a beautiful morning and we had marvellous views accros the Rhine Valley, up towards Colmar. We were surprised how large Than and its surrounding area was.
We drove to the local L'Eclerc and filled up with provisions and then on to Soultz haut Rhin. We parked up at the wine museum and walked into town, where we enjoyed a coffee at the same cafe that we went to last November.
We had decided to have a BBQ in the evening so set off to find somewhere for the night. We drove to Pfaffenheim and found the France Passion site to be full. They offered to make space, but we decided to travel on to Voegtlinhofen. The roads were extremely narrow and it looked unpromising. However, when we got to the site we were very warmly greeted by the owner and he ushered us in for a wine tasting. The wines were really excellent and we decided to have a think about what to buy. We then had a BBQ in the dark. It was a beautiful warm evening and we sat out late in the dark. The Rally of France had passed by earlier in the day, so it was a shame we missed it.

THURSDAY 4 OCTOBER

We drove to Thann via Cernay. We had a good shop at L'Eclerc and then spent the afternoon in the town. The aire was pretty good, but quite tight and on a slope.

We drove to Baume les Dames. It had an excellent tourist info office and we loaded up with lots of maps and info. We went to the camping/aire along the canal, which was a really interesting place. It was really quiet, but in the summer it would be a hive of activity. We chose not to go on the boat ride as it appeared a bit like something out of the 1960’s.
We then drove to Montbeliard along a lovely road alongside the River Doubs. We parked up and then had a walk round the town and back for a birthday meal for Carole
TUESDAY 2 OCTOBER 2012
We walked to the Citadel, a fortress overlooking the old town of Besancon. There are many museums and a wildlife park and it would be good to come here again and spend a day here.
We then walked back into town and had lunch at a typical French restaurant in town. We thought we would have a coffee at Le Vin et l’Assiete, but it was closed.
In the evening we went out to a pub in a bohemian area and enjoyed a few Belgian beers. The beer was a wheat beer and cloudy and was delicious. It was Carole’s birthday the next day, so we had a bit of a celebration.

This morning we walked into Arbois and went to the cheese factory. We were able to taste a number of cheeses and bought a very large chunk of Comte and some Arbois cheese to bring home. We also bought some of the local cheeses for ourselves.
Bill wanted to buy some vin jaune, a very expensive local wine tasting just like sherry. We went to a place in the centre of town and tasted the local wines. They are very much not my thing, but Bill and Carole liked them and bought some vin jaune and a local aperitif wine.
After lunch we drove to Frederic Lornet at Montigny, where the wine we had with our meal was produced. We tasted a wide variety of the reds and whites and we bought the savagnin nature, the wine we had with our meal, and some chardonnay.
We then drove to Besancon, a reasonably sized fortified city. The aire is just by the River Doubs. We visited the restaurant Le Vin et l’Assiete and Poker d’As and had a good walk round town. They a laying a new tram system and half the town was being dug up. When it is finished it will be marvellous, but there is still a lot to do

After filling the vans with water and emptying out we drove to Bistrot de Port Lesney “Le Pontarlier” and had our lunch. It was a real bistro and quite informal. The manager was larger than life and explained that he knew Raymond Blanc quite well and that he had been there many times.
We had a lovely lunch, not quite to the standards of Loiseau des Vignes, but very nice all the same. We decided to go for the local wine Arbois made from a Savagnin grape, no relation to the sauvignon grape, but actually related to the traminer grape, used to make gewurtztraminer wine. The wine was delicious and as it was used to make vin jeune we thought we were on to a new chapter in our understanding of wine.
Late afternoon we drove to Mesnay near Arbois and stayed on an aire. In the early evening we walked into Arbois and found some of the vintners open, so we did a couple of wine tastings. We thought we would try the savagnin grape again. Well, it was not my taste at all and had a taste similar to sherry. The wine man explained that we had had a “Nature savagnin” which was made completely differently from the usual savagnin wine. He told us where we could taste the Nature Savagnon, so we walked there and had a taste. It was much better, but not as we had had at lunch time. I think I am going to stick to the chadonnay, merlot, Riesling and muscat and forget the rest. We are learning a great deal and seeing some lovely countryside.
Tomorrow we are going cheese tasting and then on to Besancon

We wanted to continue on the Raymond Blanc trail and drove 65 miles to the bistrot Le Pontalier at Port Lesney in The Doubs region close to the Jura, where Raymond cooked a meal for his family. We booked a meal for Sunday lunch time and then walked around the village, which was a complete mismatch of styles and different buildings.
It is very rural here and the roads are very narrow. We drove to Champagne sur Loue and found a campsite which was just about to close for the winter and so drove on to Arc et Sanens. The aire seemed a bit crowded so we stayed nearby on our own overlooking fields.
We had a walk into the village, which seemed pretty dingy, but on our way back walked the other way and found a place called Royale Salines en Sanen, which was an old salt mine/producer. It was a bit like an oasis. They had employed a famous architect to design the Romanesque buildings and it had been designated a Unesco world heritage site. It was just closing so we may return tomorrow if we get time

The forecast was really good and we got the bikes out to cycle along the Beaune-Santenay veloroute along the Cote de Beaune and some of the most beautiful vineyards in the world.
We headed through the villages of Pommard, Volnay, Mersault and on to Puligny Montrachet. This village reputedly produces some of the best wines in the world. Because it was grape picking time the vintners were not doing wine tasting, but at about 60 euros a bottle for the premier cru that didn’t bother us too much!
We then headed to Chassagne Montrachet and did a wine tasting at the municipal winery in the village. We tasted two different bottles of premier cru from different vineyards and they were quite different. Again, at 45 euros a bottle, we declined to buy.
We then headed home. The cycle path took us through the vineyards and was really scenic. We stopped to taste some of the pinot noir and chardonnay grapes grown there. The pinot noir was quite sweet, but the chardonney very tart.
When we got back home we cracked a bottle of cheap French chardonnay (2.50) we had bought at the local supermarket and it was hard to tell it from the expensive wines we had tasted. That must be our poor pallet!
The distance computer measured 23 miles, our longest journey so we must be getting fitter.

We were all smartly dressed ready to go to the Restaurant Loiseau des Vignes.
We had a walk around town and a guided tour of an amazing boutique hotel that had just opened in Beaune.
We then had lunch at the restaurant. It was everything we had imagined. The food was wonderful. We started with Moules de Buchot,cremeux de pomme de terre, haddock en tartine croustillante, followed by Quenelles de Sandra Faconnee a la cuillere sauce homardine, followed Assiete de fromages affines followed by Boulgour au miel et pistache, figue rotie et Granite au vin rouge. The service was excellent and although the wine came in at 75 euros a bottle for Poiully Fusse, it was delicious.
The maitre'D was very friendly and printed out our individual menus for us. He explained that Raymond Blanc visited often and we had sat at his table.
It was very interesting to see how a top restaurant deals with complaints. A farmer who produces expensive meats was dining with his wife. He had chosen a very expensive special cut of meat and was not happy with it. The maître d was called and he discussed it with the customer. Then the chef came out and looked at the customer with disdain, obviously confident that his meat was the best. The customer was then ushered out and despatched, after paying his bill. The was no “customer is king” here!
The meal took up a large part of the day. We wondered around town did some shopping at the famous cheese shop, Alain Hess, and then had a quiet night.

The forecast was heavy rain all day. We drove to an aire right in the centre of Beaune. We were really lucky to get two places as the aire was very popular.
Beaune is in the heart of the Burgundy wine region and there a large number of caves and wine shops in the town. The restaurant Loiseau des Vignes is here and is the Michelin starred restaurant where Raymond Blanc came and ate with the widow of Bernard Loiseau, the famous French chef. We went to tourist info and mentioned the restaurant and they confirmed it was excellent and tried to get us a table. Unfortunately it was fully booked today, so we walked there and booked a table for tomorrow.
We had spent the afternoon walking round the town and had the statutory Café avec gateaux. The town is quite touristy because of the wine connection and the price of some of the wines was really high.
It never stopped raining all day. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. The forecast for Friday is much better and we planned to get the bikes out and cycle to Puligny Montrachet, which is an exclusive village producing very expensive wines.

We had heavy rain overnight and it was pouring down this morning so we headed for a camp site at Arnay le Duc where we could catch up with the washing. We had an afternoon washing everything. The weather cleared and the sun actually came out in the afternoon. The camp site is very large and very quiet. They close down here in a fortnight. We met a few people in transit to Spain.

It had rained in the night and the forecast was not good so we decided to head for Semur, a medieval fortified town. We knew there was a good aire there because we had met a German with a brand new Carthago van who recommended it. We walked to the tourist information. The man there was really helpful and we left with a mountain of maps and guides. In the afternoon we had a lovely walk around the town on the route he had suggested. Semur is a complete mix of styles of architecture. We had coffee and cake and cooked a curry in the evening

We had parked right on the canal and woke up to beautiful sunshine. We checked on the computer and a lovely day was forecast so, after doing quite a lot of washing, we cycled south down the canal to a small village called Braux. We had a good look round the village, but there was no bar or shop. We had spotted an old lockkeepers cottage that had been converted to a B&B. They had a bar and so on the way back we stopped for a coffee. This was where Carole stepped into some dog dirt and Bill spent about 20 minutes trying to clean her sandal, much to our amusement. We met some Dutch people who had been away on their boat for a year and were heading back. They asked if we would take some photos and email them to them. Surprisingly, when we got back to the van later that afternoon they turned up and moored just by the vans. We did 20 miles on the bikes today. So far we must have travelled, in total, well over 100 miles, so the biking is going well. It’s not a good forecast tomorrow and we have decided to give the cycling a rest and head for Semur, which is a medieval town and hve a look around. We did a bit of work on the computer researching the places Raymond Blanc visited in his TV programme and made plans to visit a Michelin star restaurant in Beaune in a few days time.

Tom and Ruth left us this morning to travel back home via Paris. We had enjoyed 5 days of their company. They were friends of Bill and Carole and we had a good laugh with them. Tom “Heath Robinson” was even more parsimonious than me, so we got on well. There was a market in the town this morning so we had a look around and Babsie bought yet another handbag and some cushions. We then cycled 9 miles down the canal to Venarey Les Laumes. The towpath was a little bumpy, but we made good progress. We found a really good aire, which wasn’t in the books and decided to stay the night. We cycled home. Unfortunately, the strong head wind changed direction and we had to cycle into the wind on the way back. On top of that we had a couple of showers, but didn’t get wet. It was quite funny that we saw the two hotel boats that we had argued with at the marina in town. We thought it would be a good laugh to drive the vans up there and park outside, but decided against it!

Today we agreed to cycle to Abbaye de Fontenay, a little way down the Canal de Bourgogne. We set off quite early for us and packed up lunch. The abbey was in really good condition and in a beautiful location. We went on one of the walks and had our lunch in the woods. We cycled back and had a coffee in one of the bars along the way. On arrival back at the van we had a major diplomatic incident, when one of the riverboat hotels tried to dock near us and Bill refused to move to allow them to put down the gangplank. After tempers had settled we decided to move to the other side of town to another spot on the river where we had a lovely meal outside and chatted well into the dark.

We waited for the bread lady, but she did not show so we decided to walk down to see the grape pickers. The directions given were very confusing. Unbeleivably we saw the same pickers we had seen the previous day! After some time we managed to locate our grape pickers and went over to them. We were greeted warmly, but no breakfast! It was obvious that that had not arrived yet. They all seemed to be family members and we watched them working very hard for some time. The young children were there as they had been given the day off school to help. We decided to head for the Canal de Bourgoyne as there were excellent cycle tracks along it. We drove to Chablis to have a look round and service the vans at the aire there. We then drove to Montbard and found a really good spot to stay at the little marina alongside the canal. We had a little incident with a floating hotel, who weren’t too happy that we were there, but the incident was resolved and we agreed to disagree. TUESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER It was a lovely morning and Bill Tom and I cycled down to a restaurant 5 k away at Montigny la Resle to have a look at the menu. This reataurant had been highly recommended by the lady who did the wine tasting. We then walked down to the wine picking in the proprietor’s field on the edge of the village. The vineyard was small and the were about 10 pickers who had completed about 50 per cent of the vineyard by 11::30. We then spent a leisurely afternoon sampling some Chablis we had bought the previous day. The lady at the wine producer told us to go and visit her husband and the wine pickers who would be the only grape pickers in the nearby vineyard. We tried to follow her directions and saw some grape pickers in one of the nearby vineyards. We were warmly welcomed and given wine by the pickers. We were surprised that the chap who was in charge gave us his card. We thought he was from the firm which collected the pinot noir grapes and produced the Cremant for our hosts. When we got back later that day we went over to order out wine and the lady host was highly amused because we had met her deadly rival, who they had fallen out with! When we said he had offered his card to us she was very defensive and told us how bad his wine was. It was becoming obvious that this lady liked the sound of her own voice and we were having great difficulty getting away from her. We took quite some time to order the wine and she got our sddresses so she could invite us to a wine celebration next year. She said it would be good for us to meet the pickers in the morning and have breakfast with them at 9 am after the bread man had been. We had a BBQ and sat outside until late. The meal was excellent. MONDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2012 We decided to do some wine tasting in the Chablis region. We stopped off en route at a Geant shopping complex near Auxerre where we filled up with provisions. We drove to a France Passion at Domaines Tupinier at Bleigny Le Carreau. The site was excellent and we were wamly welcomed by the proprietor. We arranged a wine tasting for 6 pm. Before that we walked round the village. The wine tasting was excellent and we spent 2 hours there tasting Bourgogne Chardonnay Vielles Vignes and Chablis. We also tasted the Ratafia de Bourgogne and Crème de Cassis. We then had our evening meal outside and had a think about which wines to buy.

SUNDAY 16 SEPTEMBER It was a beautiful, crisp morning. Bill and I walked to the Boulangerie to get some bread and croissants. After breakfast we cycled into Auxerre and visited some of the monuments and places of interest which were open for this day only. We lunched at a restaurant in the main square and then had a look around the town and walked back to our bikes and cycled the 6 miles home. We found a fairly good aire in the centre of town, just over the footbridge. There were no facilities, but space for a lot of vans. In the evening we sat out and snacked and drank some wine. SATURDAY 15 SEPTEMBER We were meeting Tom and Ruth, friends of Bill and Carole, at an Aire at Gurgy at 12 noon. We decided to do some shopping on the way. We stopped at an Intermache at Sens and did our shopping and then arrived at the aire shortly after 12. We had lunch and then cycled 7 miles down the river to Auxere. The route was a bit bumpy and at Auxere they were renovating the river front, so it was quite difficult cycling but we found the tourist info and got some useful cycling literature on the Voie verts in Burgudy. We had a look at a camp site in Auxerre, which had just closed for the winter and then cycled back to Gurgy. It was a beautiful evening and we had our meal outside and stayed out until dark. FRIDAY 14 SEPTEMBER It was a beautiful morning. We had a walk round Mutigny, a small village with a number of champagne producers. The village is high with fantastic views over the surrounding area. Just as we were returning to the van Babs managed to stop the bread delivery van, so we got some bread and then had Kafe und Kuchen. We then drove to Troyes and had our lunch. The city had obviously been badly damaged during the war, but a surprising number of medieval properties had survived and were in remarkable condition. We went to the Tourist Info and found there was a Knights Templar exhibition in town so we had a nice stroll through the town and went round the exhibition. Having watched a BBC series earkier in the year we knew something of the history, but it was interesting to absorb the very French take on its history. We then drove to a France Passion Champagne producer at Torvilliers. As usual it was very hard to find. We parked up and then very shortly afterwards 3 other vans arrived, so we felt we were in the right spot. THURSDAY 13 SEPTEMBER We had a quick visit to the farm shop and bought some cider and confiture de lait, a sweet brown milk based type of jam. We then drove to Laon, which is a medieval walled town right on top of a hill. It is a typical French medieval city with much charm. We walked round and visited the marvellous cathedral. We walked round the shops and returned to the van for lunch and then headed to an aire at Mareuil sur Ay. It was a really nice aire in the centre of a village next to the canal. Unfortunately it was full, so we set off up a steep hill to Mutigny, a champaigne village where we spent the night on a very nice aire. WEDNESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER We met Bill and Carole at the ferry terminal at Dover at 9. It was a very calm crossing and we sat and planned our route down to Burgundy. We decided to do it in 3 stages and decided to stay at a farm at a place called Sains Richaumont north of Laon and Reims and about 120 miles. We followed Bill. Horace has never travelled so fast, reaching speeds of over 70 mph! The farm sold meat, cider and milk products, which we will sample tomorrow. We camped up, had a couple of bottles of wine, a buffet meal, a long chat and off to bed. TUESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER We left Alderstead Heath and explored the route we would use when we come next time. It’s a bit fiddly, but we managed to find it. Basically, coming, we need to go M25, A23 do a U turn at the turn off indicated by TomTom and then back down the A23 towards Redhill, go past the M23 turn off and turn left down the B2031. There is a caravan sign before the turn off. We drove to the National Trust garden at Emmets Garden, about 20 miles from the site. It was a very nice location. We enjoyed a really nice lunch and I had the best scones ever. We spent a couple of hours walking round the gardens and then drove to the Black Horse Farm site near Dover ready for an early start on the ferry tomorrow, when we meet Bill and Carole. MONDAY 10 SEPTEMBER Having cooled down somewhat we decided to have a day in London. Steve had mentioned that his daughter was working at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant in Covent Garden. Steve sent me a text confirming that Amy was working at lunchtime, so we decided to head there. The Olympic closing parade was planned for the afternoon and we decided to watch that after lunch. We had a great lunch and Amy really looked after us. We then watched the parade. There were a million people watching and the atmosphere was brilliant. We then got the tube to the Olympic Park and had a look before it was dismantled. We took some photos and had a look around the new shopping centre at Stratford. We arrived back at the van at about 7 exhausted after a brilliant day. Tomorrow is going to be relaxing, though! SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER We drove to Polesdon Lacy (NT), which was a lovely venue dating back to the Edwardian era. The house was really interesting and owned by the daughter of the McEwan brewing family. As usual we didn’t have too long to look around. We left early for the campsite at Alderstead Heath, which is a great campsite, but surrounded by very, very narrow roads. The Tomtom always takes us the wrong way and we had a nightmare journey. We must have gone 20 miles out of our way and at one stage had to back up and turn round when the road was blocked by parked vans. The air was blue and the driver very hot under the collar, so much for relaxing motorhoming!