Germany—Black Forest cont:

Page  3 of 5

(below) Hohenzollernburg courtyard with traditional dancing to entertain the visitors.

It was whilst we were at Hechingen that fate decided to change all our forward plans. It was Friday when we received a call from our friends Keith and Frances who were due to rendezvous with us in the Black Forest on Sunday.  They had broken down en route in France, near St. Dizier. Their motorhome refused all attempts to start and the rescue truck that attended had decided they were too big to tow and with a shrug of the shoulders (as only the French can do properly) it had departed leaving them stranded in an aire at Lac du Der, 400km away from us.

 

We decided that we would head for France and hopefully, assist in getting repairs underway. But before that George had a date with a steam railway about 100km to the south. The Sauschwaenzlebahn in Blumberg and he hoped to take a ride on the train down to Weizen and back on the Saturday morning. Sauschwaenzlebahn translates into ‘pig tail railway—so named because of the twisty route it follows through the hills.

Blumberg town has very little to offer the visitor apart from the railway which only operates at weekends. There is a stellplatz right by the station but we discovered a much better, recently completed stellplatz between the station and the town. This was just like a good campsite. Electric hook up available and generous sized pitches defined by low hedges. We were most impressed as were the many other motorhome visitors.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and George was ‘on his bike’ and off to the station. Overnight we had come to the conclusion that the train ride was going to take up most of the day and we need to get on our way to France. So George had to be satisfied with a footplate visit and to watch in envy as the train departed.

(top left) Drivers view of Blumberg station

 

(top right)  Happy Chappie taken by a rather amateur German photographer. I was not planning on the telegraph pole being included!

 

(left)  Waiting to depart. Unlike most German trains it did not depart on time. They waited for a coach party to arrive. So a bonus 10 minutes!

So, we said goodbye to Blumberg and the Black Forest area and set route for Lac du Der in France.  It was a very hot day and we discovered that our cab air con was not working after it had been serviced last winter! Arrrgh! Thank you Iveco!

We arrived early evening to find a very despondent Keith and Frances parked up between several French motorhomes. The area was buzzing with people out for a sunny Saturday afternoon at the lakeside. It seems Lac du Der is a popular leisure area and justifiably so.

As usual in France, nothing happens over the weekend and especially on a Sunday, so we abandoned the quest for assistance until Monday; well Monday afternoon actually because France is also closed on Monday mornings !!

We enjoyed a few beers and a burger and chips at the local café. The lady owner, Anna Marie, spoke good English and had been very helpful to Keith and Fran. Unfortunately, the local mosquitoes were also very friendly.

With nowhere else to go we unpacked the cycles and headed off around the lakeside to Ste. Marie du Lac Nuisement, a small village a few kilometres to the east. We were not expecting much but were pleasantly surprised by the wood based architecture and an excellent local museum and  -  ‘hey’   - it was open on Sunday!

(above left) the wood framed architecture which was seen everywhere. (right) lunch stop

(below left) a tranquil Lac du Der                  (below right)  being watched by Le Frog  (a very noisy one!)

The museum was well presented and told the story of the region from way back. The wood frame buildings were in filled with a type of wattle and daub. However, the daub (mud) was vulnerable to heavy rain and so legislation was passed to say that houses must be protected with wooden cladding on the outside. Little of this cladding remains and has been replaced with traditional crepie (cement render). If you look at the right hand side of the café you can still see some of the wooden shingles that were used.

The Lac du Der is artificial and was constructed in the 1970’s to provide flood control and water management for the Rivers Marne and Seine.  The lake fills with the spring melt and then can be meted out in the dry spells to maintain water levels in the rivers in the dry summer. It also protects Paris and other towns from flood risk. It is allegedly the largest artificial lake in western Europe, covering 48km². The construction of the lake drowned three small villages and the museum tells the story and has photographs of the displaced inhabitants.

 

On Monday morning we were up early and off to the local CLC Motorhome store in St. Dizier to sort out a rescue plan. They were closed until 14:00. So, we sat outside and waited and waited.  Eventually, we managed to co-ordinate a tow truck to collect Keith and Fran’s Rapido and take it into the Mercedes garage in St. Dizier.

This time the driver was really helpful and went out of his way to get things sorted out.  Keith and Fran went with their motorhome and were deposited outside the doors of the Mercedes workshop just as they were closing for the evening.

 

On Tuesday whilst they awaited identification of the problem we moved to a local campsite , Camping Le Foret, near Arrigny as we needed to find a laundry facility.  George took a cycle tour round the west side of the lake and took a few more photos.

On Tuesday afternoon we heard that Mercedes need to order a part which would not arrive until Friday. Keith and Fran would not wish to stay in the Mercedes yard until Friday (or later) and so we decided to take them with us and head back to the Black Forest and to Titisee where they could rent a small caravan at Camping Weiherhof whilst we parked on an adjacent pitch.  So we set off, now with two extra passengers, four bikes, four camping chairs, clothes, food, etc. Poor Priscilla has never been so heavy!

We arrived in Titisee on Wednesday afternoon.  Camping Weiherhof was right on the lakeside and a lovely wooded site. There was also an on-site shop and café and everything was very informal. Excellent!

Lake Titisee is beautiful and very peaceful and no mosquitoes unlike France.