2025 France

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• 31st Dec
  Spent yesterday and today trying to remember everything to pack into the M/H. By 11.00am all done, and, worried by roadworks on the M25 and M20, we decided to set off absurdly early for our 5.15 tunnel crossing, what’s forgotten is forgotten. Roadworks not a problem, steady 40 to 45 mph through them. Thus emboldened, we stopped, as we have done many times before, for lunch at Clackett Lane service station.
  As hoped, when we arrived at the Folkestone tunnel terminal, we were allowed on a two hour earlier train. This was after getting lost in the maze of roadworks and cones, which saw us circumnavigating the dog terminal – we saw it, but couldn’t get to it.
  Sent back driving the wrong way up a one way street, but all formalities completed, we arrived at the Aire de Campingcar in Calais just as it was getting dark. And we were astonished. Travelling out of season, expected only a few other motorhomes. Not so, the whole world has decided to spend New Year’s Eve in a motorhome in Calais. Josie and I counted them – 69 in total, mostly French.
  Very windy, but I’m sure nothing like northern England and Scotland.
  Half way down the M20 the windscreen wipers packed up. This happened before, about a year ago, and the garage was most apologetic, as the diagnostic test cost £50.00, and the replacement fuse .50p. Must try and find that fuse, but of course everything closed tomorrow.
  Have now realised have left behind French road map, and flour.
• 1st Jan
  Dribbled into the new year being rocked by ferocious winds. Set off on our journey to Paris, but squally rain obscured the windscreen, and made driving dangerous, so we turned back to the Calais Aire de Campingcar. After lunch, the wind stopped and the rain started. We had identified a Fiat garage to try and have the windscreen wipers fixed, public holiday today, so a job for tomorrow. The bonus, we found a nice fish restaurant a 20 minute walk away. We were both wet when we arrived, dried out in the restaurant, and re wetted walking back to the M/H.
  The nice thing about France, took Josie, and no one batted an eyelid as we walked in.
• 2nd Jan
  Woke to…….. no rain, no wind……..and a good deal of sunshine.
  Drove to the Fiat garage – firmly closed and deserted. Found another garage, sign on the door said back 6th Jan. We have red pennant breakdown cover, so phoned them, and they phoned a garage which they established was open, drove to it, and the shutters were rolling down over the workshop, not lunchtime, infact only about 9.30 or 10.00 am. Banging on the door elicited no response. Rather despondently, drove back to the Aire de Campingcar, and decided to check all the fuses. The problem is the fuse compartment bears no relationship to the vehicle manual. The manual says the windscreen wiper fuse is 20amps, and I have already checked all the 20 amp fuses, all fine. So, I started working my way through all the others, 24 in total. Somewhere along the way, I upset the vehicle tracker, warning e-mails and phone calls. Placated them, and finally found the errant fuse, the very last one, a 5amp fuse, top left corner and by far the most inaccessible. Put in a fuse, that I subsequently discovered did the windscreen squirts, and that did it, so we were able to off. As garages seem to be shut, went to an Auchen hyper market, and combed their motoring section. Rows and rows of fuseless car stuff. Came out of there, and saw an auto parts shop adjacent. Yes they had fuses, all sorts of different designs, as well of course different amperages. Had no idea there were so many different designs. And found the shelf that matched my design. The 5amp slot was empty.
  Not really my day.
  Decided to drive on towards Paris, leave the garage crawl until we can be confident they are open. Now parked up on the banks of the Somme (well, a lot of wet soggy ground that Google maps says is the Somme), at a tiny place called Cygnes d’Opale.
  Changed our plan, we were doing to the Chateau de la Malmaison, situated in the western edge of Paris, but the likelihood is we will arrive around lunchtime, and the French do shut up shop for lunch. Also, parking is probably OK, but not definite. So we are going to skirt Paris, forget the chateau, and drive to a place called Sezanne, which seems to have nothing going for it. Should be an exciting day tomorrow. There is a launderette.
• 3rd Jan
  Nothing going to plan. Not in Sezanne. Car park designated M/H parking spaces fine. The only problem, they have to be vacated by 5.00am tomorrow to make way for a market.
  Frosty this morning, and ice on the puddles in the road. Areas in the shade didn’t thaw out all day, under a cloudless sky. With low sun, and us heading east south east, blinding driving conditions. What a waste of a good sunny day! Not that Sue could have got much out of it, she has a cold and terrible racking cough.
  After lunch, we encountered thick fog, slowed us down a bit, not that roads on our route are fast. Left the fog behind by mid afternoon, now parked up in a small place called Esternay.
  Not going to mention the plan for tomorrow. Probably a waste of time……….
• 4th Jan
  Sue cough/cold worse.
  Woke to another bright sunny frosty cold day. Set off for Nancy, an easier drive on a good dual carriageway, most of the way. First stop a bio shop, then to M/H park in the town centre. Was concerned that there would be a problem, especially re water. We were practically out, and have had problems in France before in winter, with supply switched off because of freezing conditions. Understandable, but causes difficulties for us. When we arrived, I asked about water (the capitainerie responsible for the marina on the bank of a canal, where we are staying). The external water supply is turned off, but a small threaded tap in the toilet is available. My small hose adaptor was the right diameter, but a coarser thread, but I managed to jam it on. Full tank, a relief!
  Sue collapsed into bed, and I was dispatched to a pharmacy. Bit deja vu, this happened in Italy two years ago, but I had greater success here.
  Would like to do something interesting tomorrow, but dirty washing is a bit overwhelming…..
• Sun 5th Jan
  Overnight rain petered out. Actually, there was a couple of inches of snow about 11pm, but all gone this morning.
  Washing done, Sue still not well at all.

  Our campsite by the marina. We are the small white sploge in the left distance.

  

  In the afternoon, a walked through Nancy to Villa Majorelle, built by Majorelle between 1901/2 in the Art Deco style, along with a lot of other buildings in Nancy.

  The very large town centre square.

  

  Ornamental and gilded metalwork everywhere.

  

  And then to the Villa, first impression very Gaudi.
  The rear.
  

  The front

  

• Inside

  The dining room. Everything is inspired by nature, although often difficult to spot.

  

  The fireplace is an ear of corn…….

  

  Divides the room in two, behind the fireplace is the smoking room.
  Looking across the dining room.

  

  The lounge.
  

  Elegant furniture.
  

  The bedroom.

  

  Decorative doors.

  

  The balcony.
  

  There was another floor, which looked very interesting from the outside, but we were not allowed up there.
  Certainly an interesting house, glad I went.
  An attractive building I passed whilst returning.

  Unfortunately no picture, very peculiar, I cannot copy move or do anything with it. Perhaps the building is copyright, or a ghost……

• Mon 6th Jan
  A grey start as we left Nancy, but a day that steadily improved, became mildly warm and sunny as we drove southeast to close to the Swiss border, and our destination, the Château du Haut-Koeigsbourg, perched high up on a rock ridge.

  Three castles were built here, the first in the 12th century. Rebuilt in 1479, it resisted attacks for a month during the Thirty Years War (no idea what that was about), when it was looted and burnt down.

  Derelict for centuries, the German Kaiser arranged it’s restoration between 1900 and 1908. We are in Alsace, which was then part of Germany, and the Kaiser came here every year to oversee the restoration work. The final finishing touches were completed in 1918, but the Kaiser was busy elsewhere.

  The entrance, formidably defensible.

  

  Past the entrance, greater perils face an assailant.

   

  

  A whimsical staircase leading to the living quarters.

  

  

  Flamboyantly decorated, a lot of detail lost in this picture because of the lighting. Most of the rooms were small and dark, photos didn’t come out unfortunately.

• Cont’d
  
  An armoury, or at least, a collection of medieval weapons and armour.

  

  An impressively deep well, medieval construction.

  

  Close by, Search4Sites gave us details of a small motorhome parking space, with a fine view of the castle atop its ridge.

  

  And another view, minus zoom.

  

• Tue 7th Jan
  Driving most of the day, through rain AM. After about 80 kms or so, the road went up and up, increasing amounts of snow. Up to probably about 3,000 feet. Then it started snowing, a thickening dusting on the road, and threatened to get difficult. Fortunately, the road dropped a bit and it stopped snowing.
  When we came to find a place for the night, the first place involved going up a steep road covered in ice and snow, so that didn’t work. Now parked up in a lay-by off a main road. Interestingly, the sign at the lay-by asked for engines to be turned off at night. OK, happy to oblige! Engine off.
• Wed 9th Jan
  Our overnight lay-by was fine, we were joined by a campervan and a lorry, but not a problem. (The lorry turned its engine off).
  Continued our drive to Tom & Alex’s, going through Switzerland down to Geneva, which surely must be the traffic light capital of the world. Thence to a garage with LPG. Except, they didn’t have any. Only one other option, about 20kms away, on a peage motorway service station. Driving there, reliant in the SatNav, a main road through a town was completely dug up, a helpful sign saying ‘Fermee’. This being France, no indication of a diversion route. Had a hell of a job getting round that. Eventually, managed to get to the garage, and filled up. Thence to Morillon, and a very pleasant evening with Ton & Alex, plus Alex’s parents, as their car has broken down, and they were unable to leave. Another victim of the extended Christmas break.
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