While I was away on holidays, MyFrenchLife, a global community of French and francophiles connecting like-minded people in English & French, published a post that I wrote about Daisy who runs a Treasure Hunt at the Louvre Museum called THatLou. I found her story fascinating and I’m sure you will too!
Why Daisy Came to France
Although all Daisy’s early connections were with Italy, her admiration of novelist Honoré de Balzac, film producer François Truffaut and photographer Henri Cartier-Besson took her to France, where she fell instantaneously head-over-heels with the City of Light.
Daisy and I had several exchanges via Twitter before we finally met at a pretend picnic on the grass near the Tuileries Gardens. We were participating in a film shoot at the request of our friend and fellow blogger, Abby Gordon, for House Hunters International. Read more
I haven’t been publishing the usual Wednesday’s Blogger Round-up for the last month because I simply didn’t have time to read any other blogs! Cycling and visiting all day and writing posts at night took up a good part of every 24 hours.
Although we arrived back on Sunday night just in time for Bastille Day, we decided to pass on it this year but Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris took some of her usual stunning photos. Meanwhile, Sylvia from Finding Noon was off on a Greek Island, eating lobster and discovering a wonderful English library. While we’ve been cycling along the Danube, Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike has been bicycling through Provence. Enjoy!
Sunday’s Picture and a Song: Bastille Day (La Fête Nationale)
by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use
Liberté, égalité, fraternité.
There was a REVOLUTION of sound and explosions on the Champ de Mars last night. If you would like to relive Bastille Day (La Fête Nationale) 2013, here’s the spectacular firework show in its entirety! Read more
On the third day she rested…
by Sylvie from Finding Noon, an American living in Paris who appreciates fine art, good music, succulent food, and breath taking scenery
Not that I’m comparing myself to the Great Creator, but s/he created the world in 6 days before taking a break, where as on holiday in Santorini, Greece last week, I only made it to three before needing a holiday from our holidays.
When I told a friend our destination she gave me a rather dry look, adding, “You know, you can’t wear heels.” The map of the nearest big city had a “No Heels” logo on its legend. What wasn’t explained, and what I didn’t ask, is why. Read more
Bicycling in Provence: A Very Sad Au Revoir
by Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.
Provence is a very easy place to fall in love with, and a very difficult place to leave. Four days here was only enough time to confirm that I should have planned on staying no less than a couple of weeks! Even though it never rains here in the summer, it rained in Bonnieux this morning. Maybe the rain was supposed to help me not feel so bad about leaving. But as I watched the fog settle over the hills, it made me want to stay even more. I was dreading the 7 km downhill ride on wet pavement. Read more
You may remember I started the 5:2 fast diet about 2 weeks before we left on holidays, desperately hoping it would allow me to wear all my summer clothes again. Well, it worked but I wondered how it would go once we were actually on holiday particularly as I wasn’t sure whether or not Jean Michel would join me.
Picnic table and barbecue in Germany
We left on a Monday which was a fast day for me. Jean Michel had a regular breakfast whereas I decided to skip mine. We both had the same lunch with an extra 100 calories for Jean Michel because men are entitled to 600 calories and women to 500, and the same dinner. By then we were in Germany and with the long twilight, we were able to cycle for 2 hours (29 kilometers) afterwards. I was surprised to feel neither tired nor hungry.
Vegetable and fruit stalls in Germany
After that, we both fasted twice a week throughout our month’s holiday, with the exception of one day when it proved to be impossible for logistic reasons. When we could, we tried to make our fast day coincide with moving from one place to another, but even on those days, we still cycled in the evening. On other fast days, we cycled 40 or 50 kilometers without any problem, to Jean Michel’s surprise in particular.
Typical lunch in Germany
On the other days, we usually ate a bit more for breakfast than we normally do, especially Jean Michel who always has trouble resisting a buffet. We then had lunch in a local restaurant, eating high-calorie foods such as wiener schnitzel and knudels, accompanied by a glass of wine. We often had an ice-cream in the afternoon as well. In the evening, we had a glass or two of wine with pistachios, followed by a salad we made ourselves, often with bread and cheese. Sometimes we had a picnic at lunch time and ate out in the evening. A couple of times we skipped lunch or dinner because we’d had a big breakfast or lunch.
Diet coke and ice-cream when it’s very hot!
I would say that the only complicated part was planning ahead for fast days because the only time we were able to cook for ourselves was a short 4-day period during the second part of the trip. We did, however, have a car fridge, which helped considerably. To make things easier, we nearly always ate the same thing on fast days: black coffee for breakfast then 2 boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes and a piece of fruit for lunch (plus a slice of bread or tabouli for Jean Michel). In the evening, we ate yoghurt, fromage blanc, lettuce, tomato, carrot, capsicum and a piece of fruit.
Buffet breakfast in Austria
In Germany, Austria and Hungary, hard boiled eggs were nearly always available for breakfast at our hotel or gasthaus, so on fast days, we would just have our coffee and take two eggs and a piece of fruit with us as we left. I also kept a tin of tuna in the car in case we ran out of yoghurt and fromage blanc.
Not only did I not put any weight back on, but I lost another kilo!
Spinach pancakes and cheese in Hungary
I found it very liberating not to have to worry about what was going to be served in a restaurant, particularly as my knowledge of German did not allow me to know what I was getting most of the time, let alone negotiate vegetables instead of dumplings, for example, as I would have done in France or Australia. I was also able to have food I don’t usually eat because of its high calorie content, such as wiener schnitzel, apfel strudel and ice-cream, and taste the local dishes.
A glass of wine on the terrace in Austria
It was wonderful to be able to have a glass or two of wine in the evening with nuts. Skipping meals when not hungry, after a big breakfast or lunch, is something I’ve never done because I was always told it would make me put on weight. Well, it’s just not true.
Indulging in cake and hot chocolate in Bratislava
Only a couple of times during the entire month, and only on a fast day, did I feel hungry at any time and then, the feeling soon passed. Jean Michel found it harder, but he is also used to eating more than me because he is generally more active.
Crumbed fish in Budapest
So I shall continue to have fast two days a week until I have lost another two kilos then try fasting once a week. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go back to twice a week. I believe that it’s something I can envisage doing for the rest of my life and certainly much better than having to be careful about what I eat every day.
We’ve had a wonderful month, cycling over 1,100 kilometers along the Danube, Lake Constance and the Doubs, all on the Eurovelo 6 route, visiting two new countries – Slovakia and Hungary – exploring new areas of four other countries – France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland – and taking nearly 5,000 photos between us, but now I’m ready to go home.
Double bed with two mattresses and two covers
I’m looking forward to sleeping in a double bed with only one mattress, to having my own pillow again and a sheet and blanket, not two separate duvets which are always too hot and which always seem to slide off. I still haven’t understood why the beds in Germany, Austria and Hungary have separate covers. I don’t know if it only exists in hotels or common pratice in private homes.
Hotel breakfast – one of the better ones
I’m looking forward to having a soft-boiled egg, French Activia yoghurt (when you buy it in other countries, it’s not the same taste or consistency), fromage blanc (we found speisequark in Germany, but it’s more like Petits Suisses) and real orange juice, not that awful fruit drink substitute you get everywhere. I want Earl Grey tea and Verlet ooffee
Curtainless shower with short wall
I can’t wait to have a shower in my own bathroom, where the temperature is consistent, the water doesn’t spray out in funny directions because the holes are clogged up and the shower curtain doesn’t stick to you. Our worst shower was in a very small bathroom with no curtain at all which meant the entire floor was wet afterwards.
My wonderful cleaning lady
It will be wonderful to be able to throw the clothes in the washing machine whenever I want and have them dry the next day. It will be even more wonderful to have them ironed by my wonderful Portugeuse cleaner!
Cote de boeuf at L’Arbre Sec
It will be a relief to be able to communicate properly with everyone all the time because I understand and speak the language around me. No more surprises in restaurants. And while I’m on the subject of food, I am just so looking forward to a côte de bœuf, or at least an entrecôte, and lots of steamed and baked vegetables. Not to mention my home-made bread.
The Eurovelo 6 route from the Atlantic Coast to the Black Sea
And last, but not least, it will be great to have a fast, uninterrupted internet connection again. I didn’t realise how lucky I was in Paris and even Blois until I experienced the often slow and discontinuous connections available in many hotels and the apartment we rented. In one place, where we stayed five nights, there was only one place in which the internet worked – just next to the door, which wasn’t really very convenient you have to agree.
In the last place we stayed I couldn’t get a connection at all but at least we were in France so I had my iPhone.
I’m still looking forward to my next holiday though – in Sofia in Bulgaria in September!
Take a look at the following photo taken from our bike path. What do you think of the view?
View of Lake Constance cycling down to Stein am Rein
Amazing, isn’t it? Well, there is only one way you can have repeated views like this one and that’s to pedal up and down the hills, walking your bike up when it’s a 15% climb!
Having a break at Gaienhofen between two hilly bits
We debated whether to drive to somewhere else on the lake and explore an area we don’t know or to set out from the hotel directly on the bike path for Stein am Rhein which we visited two years ago. I voted for the second solution because it’s a lovely little town and the views on the way are truly magnificent. I’d forgotten just how many hills there were though.
Stein am Rein from the bridge over the Rhine
By the time we reached Stein, my knees were a little wobbly but I didn’t regret it for one minute. The views are certainly worth it.
Main quare at Stein am Rein
The last time we were in Stein, on a Sunday in August 2011, there were musicians in the main square with trestle tables and benches. Today, there were bikes and people and it was just as charming.
View of the bank opposite Stein from the bridge over the Rhine
We’d consulted our ferry schedule ahead of time and instead of going back along the same path, we went round the other side of the Untersee, staying in Switzerland, with the aim of catching the 4.11 pm ferry in Steckborn. I was secretely hoping there wouldn’t be as many hills on the other side.
Our view at lunch from our picnic bench
Well, there were fewer and at least they weren’t the same ones! After yesterday’s experience, we took a picnic lunch and ate it on a bench overlooking the lake. No restaurant could have afforded a better view.
Waterfront at Steckborn
We had to wait an hour or so for the ferry in Steckborn, but that was not a problem. It was so peaceful sitting on a bench in the shade watching the activity on the lake.
Steckborn from the ferry
We were home by 5 pm, which is quite a record, particularly since we cycled more than 50 kilometers.
Serviette and cutlery at Gasthaus Schiff – schiff means boat.
And then we had dinner at the gasthaus restaurant which has a menu in English and a waitress whom I can communicate with. An excellent meal and a last taste of Germany before we go back to France tomorrow, without the strain associated with not speaking more than a smattering of German, with no one else but myself to blame of course.
In one of our guidebooks, there was mention of an annual Renaissance festival in Neuburg,, west of Regensburg, but I could find no information in English or French about dates on the Internet so we thought we should go there on a Saturday or Sunday just in case it was on.
Neuburger Schlossfest
When we cycled into the town on Saturday afternoon, we initially saw no sign of any festivities but while having a cold drink at a gasthof near the river, I saw a young man leaning over the parapet of the bridge above me dressed in a floppy velvet hat so I knew something was going on. It turns out the festival, which is actually called the Neuburger Schlossfest, is held on the last weekend of June and first weekend of July.
The matching couple at the town gate
At the entrance to the walled town, you pay 4 euro and are given a badge. The thing that appealed to me most is that all the locals obviously join in every year and people of every age are dressed in Renaissance costumes, from the most sophisticated to the simplest and enjoying themselves immensely.
The elegant couple with full accessories
Some go all the way, with matching bodkins and tankards strapped to their waists.
Typical street scene
There are stalls selling all sorts of Renaissance produce and products and lots of food and drink stalls of course.
The three friends
No one is the slightest bit shy of having their photograph taken!
Merry go round
There is even a mediaeval merry-go-round that is popular with both the parents and children.
My favourite man’s costume
I just loved this man’s velvet costume. What detail! But I didn’t quite dare to dash round in front of him for the photo.
The gypsy dancers
Various performers were to be seen on the streets. These gypsy dancers had their own music.
The blue marchers
There were groups in similar costumes though we didn’t know their significance of course.
Yellow drumsFlag wavingThe giant tankard
From what I could gather, this tankard was passed around from one person to another!
The hat stall
There were also a lot of costume stalls. I’d love to have bought one!
We’ve left the Danube and are now staying in Moos on Lake Constance, which is called the Bodensee in German. However, we’re still on the Eurovelo 6 route from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. Two years ago, on our way home from Croatia, we spent a few days cycling around Schaffhausen and Stein am Reim, where the famous Reinfall waterfalls are to be found.
The Eurovelo 6 route from the Atlantic Coast to the Black Sea
We arrived late afternoon yesterday and had time to cycle to Hornstaad for dinner and back. Our hotel, Gasthaus Schiff, is so close to the cycle path that we can see it from the terrace! It’s wonderful to be able to be able to set out directly on our bikes and not have to take the car. When we were staying in Niederleierndorf, it took us thirty to sixty minutes to get to the cycle path, depending on where we wanted to go. We now realise that we shouldn’t stay more than 3 nights in one place.
Our hotel from the Eurovelo 6 bike path – 1st floor on the right
Initially, we were supposed to stay in Moos five nights, but we were able to cancel the last two so we can go further along the bike path, this time in France, near Dole where our chambre d’hôte is also very close to the Eurovelo 6 route. We’re very happy with Gasthaus Schiff, which is spacious, has a desk, a sofa, a low table and a terrace. It also has excellent soundproofing and opaque curtains that keep the light out. In Niederleierndorf, we were woken by daylight at 4.30 am! It also has the best breakfast we’ve had yet.
Breakfast on the terrace of Gasthaus Schiff
The village of Moos is very quiet and peaceful and reminds me of Magnetic Island, even though they are nothing alike. To get to our restaurant last night, we rode through hay fields full of storks, with reeds and Lake Constance in the distance.
Hayfield full of storks with the lake in the distance
We rode back into a magnificent sunset.
Sunset over Lake Constance
Today we went to the town of Konstanz, which is nothing out of the ordinary, but our ride back along the Swiss side of the lake was very pretty.
The pretty village of Ermatingen
We took the ferry over to Reichenau Island after having a very expensive lunch in Ermatingen because it was 2.30 pm by then and the normal, already pricey, menu of the only restaurant we could find was no longer available. We then discovered that the ferries only run every two hours, unlike the little ones on the Danube that cross when they see someone waiting on the other side.
Two little Swiss girls selling cherries in front of their house – with Mum sunbathing in the background!
So we continued on to Mannebach where there was a ferry at 4.40 pm, buying cherries on the way from two little Swiss girls with their own little stall. As soon as we reached the Island, I checked we’d have a ferry to take us back to Iznang, which is only a couple of kilometers from Moos. Reinenau is connected by a bridge to the mainland on the east so we wouldn’t have been stuck on the island but it would have meant a 40 km trip back home and we’d already clocked up over 50 by then.
Our corner of Lake Constance, with Moos on the left and Konstanz on the right. The main lake is to the east of Konstanz.
And it’s a good thing I did check because the last ferry left at 6.40 pm. The island was a little disappointing. It mainly seems to consist of market gardens and nondescript villages. I was looking forward to visiting a church with 1000 year-old wall paintings but it’s only open for a few hours a day for guided tours in German and we were obviously too late.
The Swiss side of Lake Constance from the ferry
We enjoyed the 30-minute ferry ride back across the lake even though and by the time we got back to Gasthaus Schiff, we had ridden a total of 968 kilometers since starting our holiday on 17th July so we will definitely be reaching the 1000 kilometer mark.
Today I nearly got run over by a train when on my bike. When I heard the blast just next to me, a searing pain shot through my head and my legs turned to jelly. I immediately backtracked and got out of its way. Then I burst into tears.
The dangerous level crossing
Now how could this happen, you may well ask. It’s because level crossings in Germany don’t always have boom gates and when they do, they don’t necessarily extend to bike and pedestrian paths. I was a little sluggish this morning when we set out on our bikes from Riebersdorf near Straubing and had trouble keeping up with Jean Michel.
The clock tower in Straubing
He got to the level crossing in Bogen before me and crossed the tracks, without noticing the flashing red light over to the left. When I rounded the corner of the bike path and saw him across the tracks, I didn’t even look to see if there was a train – there are a lot of disused train tracks in this part of Germany – and followed him. That was when I heard the blast.
I looked right and saw the train coming along the track VERY FAST. I have never been so frightened in my life. After a near accident that you have successfully avoided, the important thing is to remember that it didn’t happen and not imagine the consequences. We went to a pharmacy to get some aspirin to relieve my horrendous headache which gave me something practical to do.
The hotel in Straubing we may have stayed in 15 years ago
I don’t know what the girl in the pharmacy thought was wrong, but she discreetly gave me a packet of tissues which I thought was very sweet of her. The pharmacy also had a water distributor and paper cups which is very civilised.
Typical scenery between Straubing and Mariaposching
By then I had calmed down and could get on my bike again but it was not our most successful day. There are usually gasthofs all along the Danube, but the few we found were all closed on Monday, including the radler freundlisch one which I didn’t think was very cyclist-friendly at all! What’s more, we hardly ever saw the Danube, just fields of crops.
Crossing on the ferry – the couple is not us
We hoped that Mariaposching, the village from which the ferry was to take us across the Danube might have something open, but all I saw were a couple of radler zimmer signs (rooms for cyclists) which weren’t much use. However, we got to the ferry just in time so at least we didn’t have to wait around in the boiling sun. It was the most rudimentary ferry we’ve seen so far – and the cheapest at 3 euros for us and our bikes.
The ferry from the banks of the Danube
Stephans-posching on the other side was much bigger but nothing was open there either so since it was 3 pm by then, we sat on a shady bench with a harvesting machine droning opposite and ate all our emergency biscuits.
Biscuit break at Stephans-posching
An hour later, having ridden along a very busy road and over a very long bridge whose bike/pedestrian section was closed for some unknown reason, we were back in Bogen where all we could find to eat was a cheese and tomato sandwich and an ice-cream sunday. At least the ice-cream was good and the chairs had padded seats because 50 kilometers of flat paths without a proper lunch break take their toll.
The bridge over the Danube with its pedestrian/cycle lane closed
Now it’s 8 pm and we’re waiting for our Rheingraf feinherb riesling 2009 bought in Straubing this morning to be cold enough to drink.
Passau, built on the Danube, is almost on the Austrian border. It’s also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or “City of Three Rivers” because the Danube is joined by the Inn from the south (as in Innsbruck) and the Ilz from the north. It’s a pretty town and a very popular stop for river cruises along the Danube. It suffered badly during the recent floods in June 2013 but most of the city has been cleaned up. It could also be called the City of Clock Towers – there seems to be one at the end of every street.
Passau from the bridge over the Danube
Mediaeval street in PassauNearly every street seems to have a clock tower or steeple at the endSun dial on a typical painted façadeView of Veste Oberhaus fortress built in 1219, seen from the banks of the DanubeDom St StephanLooking at the Danube, you can see the Ils on the far sideWhere the Danube and Inn joinClock tower on the Town Hall in PassauThe highwater mark on the Town Hall.
The only thing Jean Michel remembers about Regensburg when we went there about 15 years ago is eating sausages and sauerkraut in the oldest roast sausage restaurant in Germany on the banks of the Danube! He wants to go there again. I vaguely remember the restaurant episode but have no other images in my head.
The Walhalla overlooking the Danube
On the way, we drive past the Walhalla, which we both remember, because we passed it several times on our previous trip. Built at the instigation of King Ludwig I of Bavaria between 1830 and 1847 overlooking the Danube, it is a hall of fame for distinguished people in German history.
Bismarckplatz market in Regensburg
We arrive in Regensburg late morning and park in Bismarckplatz where there is a fresh food market. We buy cherries, raspberries (himbeeren) and cheese and leave them in the car. Unfortunately no one is selling wine.
Haidplatz in Regensburg
Following the Michelin Guide’s itinerary, we visit the town, as we no doubt did the first time. Neither of us remembers a single thing! What, you may wonder, is the point of travelling if you have forgotten it all fifteen years later. Yet we loved that trip and remember other parts of it, thank goodness so maybe not all is wasted …
The outside eating area of the Wurstkurchl
Our visit culminates in the famous restaurant, Historische Wurstkuchl, built in the 12th century to feed the local dockers and builders. Despite the fact that it’s 1.30 pm, the outside tables are crowded so Jean Michel suggests we eat inside.
Inside the Wurstkuchl with its enormous pillars*
The menu is in German so with the help of my less than usefu dictionary on my l iPhone, we decide we’ll have the basic dish of six little sausages with sauerkraut and another dish which appears to include salad. The waiter, who speaks only very basic English, is rather dubious about our choice, but he checks we want everything at the same time and off he goes.
Double rations!
When four plates arrive, two with little sausages and two with two large sausages and a large amount of potato salad with a couple of leaves of lamb’s lettuce on top, I understand his reticence! We laugh and eat them anyway. We’ll just have vegetables and fruit for dinner.
The Altmuhle between Essing and Kelheim
It’s 2.30 by the time we leave to cycle along a tributary of the Danube, the Altmuhle. I doze in the car after the 25 cl glass of reisling and all that food. Between Kelheim, where it meets the Danube, and Dietfurt, the bed of the Altmuhle was straightened and incorporated into a canal connecting the Main and the Danube.
The wooden bridge at Essing
It’s a favourite with local Germans and tourists, so we aren’t the only ones on the bike path. We stop off at the pretty little village of Essing to see the wooden bridge and have a coffee at Gasthof Schneider, which is famous for its local beer.
Riedenburg on the Altmuhle
We then push on to Riedenburg, which offers a plunging view of the Danube, after unnecessarily riding up a long hill due to poor signage again. Finding our way back is much easier.
Prunn overlooking the Altmuhle
We stop at least six times before Jean Michel takes what he considers is the definitive photo of Prunn castle we can see high up on a hill.
The little church at Essing reflected in the water
The path takes us past the bridge on the opposite side of the village of Essing and the six o’clock light gives a perfect reflection of the little church in the water. Once again, we marvel at how many different experiences our cycling trip along the Danube has to offer.
