SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, BELGIUM

July 30-31:  VEVEY, SWITZERLAND.  We walked to the city market.  They had vendors selling fruits, sausages, cheeses, and local art.  They had an orchestra playing, and three men played the Swiss wooden horns.  Local wineries were there and you could purchase a glass and drink all the wine you wanted from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  We sampled all morning, so needed a nap by early afternoon!  The following day, our campground had a Sangria party at 5, dinner and music at 8, and then followed by dancing.  This was to celebrate Liberte de Patriet (Aug 1), Switzerland was founded in 1271.  We could see fireworks from Montreux, other areas around the lake, as well as our own local fireworks display.   When we left our camp, the owner stated it was the first time in 15 years that an American stayed three nights.  He said “Savoir voyager, c’est savior s’arreyter”, which means “to know how to travel, means to know how to stop”.

Aug 1:  PONTE-DE-POITTE, FRANCE.  We drove into France.  It was a nice drive with forests and hills.

Aug 2:  CERCY-LA-TOUR, FRANCE.  We met John and Karen Siscoe on their boat, Chateaux Deux.  They have been traveling the rivers and canals of Western Europe for four summers, with most of their summers being spent in France.  They winter in FL south of Tampa, and are old boater friends that we first met doing the Great Loop and also spent time with them in the Bahamas.

Aug 3-4:  DECIZE, FRANCE.  John and Jim moved the van (Karl) to Decize, took the train back, and then we went on their canal boat to Decize.  It was an enjoyable trips traveling down the narrow canals, seeing farms, fields, chateaus, and going through some real narrow locks and low bridges.  When we went under some bridges we took the top canvas down and you duck your heads as you go under the bridge!  The evening was filled with good company along with beer, wine, and food.  We extended our stay by one more day in order to spend time with John and Karen.

Aug 5:  AUXERRE, FRANCE.  We stopped in Clamecy before moving to Auxerre.  We parked right along the waterway and free camped with 40+ other campers right in the city center.  The old town was very nice to walk around as it had several churches, restaurants, and shops.  The Cathedral had a sound and light show at 10 p.m.  The church was originally built in 500 AD and Joan of Arc and Napoleon both visited this church.

Aug 6:  NANCY, FRANCE.  We drove through one of the Champagne regions and went to a regional festival.  We purchased a bottle for our 25^th anniversary, which is August 9. 

Aug 7:  METZ, FRANCE.  We went to the Sunday market and drove through Nancy city center.  We stayed in Metz and walked around the quaint city.  We went to a museum, saw churches, and walked along the Mossell River (Mosel River in Germany).  Cathedral St. Etienne has the third highest nave and the largest surface area of stained glass in France.  This was a pearl of a city which John and Karen had suggested we visit.

Aug 8:  TRIER, GERMANY.  Jim treated Danette to a hotel for our anniversary.  Our room overlooked with city center of Roman ruins, churches, shops, and restaurants.  After 2 ½ months, it was great to sleep in a real bed and no sleeping bag!  The city was nice, but the volume of tourists was not to our liking. 

Aug 9:  ZELL, GERMANY.   25 years ago today Jim and Danette were married in Dallas, Texas.  We spent the day driving along the Mosel River, stopping in villages, and buying the local wine.  The hills were covered with vineyards the entire route we were today.  If anyone wants to come to this area, August 12-15 are the days which every little village has a festival.   Our stop was in Zell, which Jim had visited over 20 years ago with Jenny and Dan Zuehlke and his daughter (after the ladies graduated from high school).  It is known for their black cat wine.  We celebrated with our good Champagne and went out for a nice dinner.

Aug 10:  LA ROCHE-EN-ARDENNE, BELGIUM.  We drove into LUXEMBOURG and stopped in Vianden, which was described as a “fairy tale” city and it was with a castle on a hill.  From there we drove through a mountainous area to a high plains agricultural area.  Once inside Belgium, we stopped at Bastogne and saw the MEMORIAL MARDASSON.  This is where a memorial for the WWI Battle of the Bulge was fought.  During the battle, 76,890 US troops were either killed, missing in action, or wounded.  For Tom, Jim’s brother, the 101^st US Airborne Division, “The Screaming Eagles”, were instrumental in turning the tide on The Battle of the Bulge.  We camped in the ARDENNES region of Belgium which has rivers and forests. 

Aug 11:  GHENT, BELGIUM.  Our friend, Jackie, suggested some places to stop as she used to live in Belgium.  We drove along the River Meuse and stopped in Dinant as it has a Citadelle, and old church, the river, and some nice side streets.  We went to a brewery called Brasserie Caracole and purchased some locally made beer.  We then moved to the Gardens at Annevoie Chateau, known for their water gardens.  We camped in Ghent so that we could enjoy tomorrow day and evening in the city (Friday).

Aug 12, Friday:  GENT/GHENT/GAND/GANTE, BELGIUM.              We loved walking around this gorgeous city with the canals and the fabulous architecture of the buildings.  We drank our way around the city sampling various beers!  We even found a bar where we stopped 13-14 years ago with Jenny and Scott (Jim's daughter and son-in-law).