Alsace 2008

29 JULY

Ashford to Dover; Dover to Dunkerque with Norfolk Line ferry; Dunkerque to LAON:

and from Laon to a hotel on the outskirts of Reims.

30 July

along the autoroute, stopping at services:

Through the Ardennes to the Vosges and through the pass:

and then, with the signs showing Germany as well as our destination, on to STRASBOURG.

We found the Hotel Cap Europe without difficulty thanks to the SatNav, and near the hotel a stop on the tram network.

This took us to the Place de l'Homme de Fer in the centre of town:

and we walked round the corner to Place Kléber:

Kléber, a local lad, was one of Napoleon's generals.

31 July

Back on the tram, an extra couple of stops,

to visit the part of Strasbourg called Petite France, where there are many bridges over the River Ill.

Later, a stroll round to the Cathedral, the tallest in France but not the prettiest.

In the afternoon, Min and Dot went swimming while H explored the modern buildings on the outskirts,

including the European Parliament building

the European Court of Human Rights,

and several others.

Particularly struck by the contrast between opposite banks of the river:

1 August

Dottie's big day! Across the Rhine into Germany,

and to EUROPA PARK, the biggest theme park in Europe.

2 August

South from Strasbourg on the Wine Route

and to one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France:

where we stopped for a tasting and bought some local wine.

Then to the pretty town of Sélestat

and finally to Haut-Koenigbourg, a fantastic castle on a conical hill, restored at vast expense by Kaiser Bill in the 1900s.

In the evening, into Strasbourg town centre

and the Son et Lumière at the Cathedral:

3 August

a Strasbourg day.

Minnie went Museum visiting, to the Palais Rohan

and inside to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

and then on to the Musée de l'oeuvre Notre-Dame.

Later, we met up again and went back to Petite France.

4 August

Back to Germany.

On the way, we stopped for breakfast at a motorway services with its own kitchen garden and a fine view of Haut-Koenigbourg.

Our destination was Freiburg im Breisgau, reputedly one of the most ecologically-designed towns in Europe.

From Freiburg, back into France and the even more impressive town of COLMAR.

5th August

Time to turn for home; but a little more visiting on the way. First back into Germany

to see BADEN-BADEN.

And then on to yet another country, this time to the capital city - LUXEMBOURG.

We spent the night in a hotel back in France at Longwy,

and the next day crossed into Belgium for the run back to Dunkerque via the battlefield of Waterloo.

... and so home to Dover and Ashford.