Trip to EU 3

Trip to EU 3

Rothaus (Germany) to Ornans France

Today we woke up and looked out to find a covering of snow, would you believe. Good job we had decided to moved on from Rothaus. It was quite cold overnight and it was in our plans to stop for just 2 nights anyway. So we packed up and went to pay at the reception. To our surprise we were told we had to pay for electricity and the charge was more than the camping fees. A quick intake of breath and we coughed up the charge. A lesson learned, but the lady at the reception could see our surprise ,and after double checking it was correct and she could see our dismay she knocked off 10 Euro but still cost us more than we budgeted for.
Just to recap on the visit to the area, we found it very rural and a bit cut off from everyday life as we know it. But plenty of walking and cycling opportunities. We took a nature trail walk up in the local park area which was quite novel. All round the walk there were cartoon like sculptures of gnomes and the like all carved from tree trunks and dead wood roots. very amusing and funny. There was also plaques every so often telling you about the local wildlife in the area.
After the walk we set of to find the local supermarket for some provisions then back to the caravan for a brew before dinner.

So on to Ornans. Our reason for this visit has been inspired by the chef Raymond Blanc. We have watched his videos, (The Hungry Frenchman) and thought it would be good to visit one of the restaurants he cooked in, just for the hell of it and to visit the area as well. Looking at the videos it painted a lovely picture of the area and so far so good.
Ornans itself is a bit of a lonely place I felt, not much going on right now but come later in the season there would be plenty to do if you like canoeing and cycling etc. The site is in a flat area of town not far from the river and has access to an indoor swimming pool and the pitches are a good size, although there had been a lot of rain in the area lately and our pitch was soft under the grass as we pitched on the hard standing. Jan says not to forget the novelty of the dishwasher we were asked to use. We were given tokens to use the dishwasher for free as part of the effort to conserve water and the environment. I didn't quite get it after all the rain that must have fallen in the region but who am I to judge. It only took 5 minutes to do the cycle and everything was spotless, not sure why at home the cycles are so long??
Tomorrow our plan is to go to Besancon and have a look round and maybe take in more of the countryside around and to find the restaurant we want to go to, so on Tuesday we hope to go for lunch and I’ll report back after we've been, All part of the Raymond Blanc Pilgrimage!
I’m still trying to get some pictures onto the stories, so hopefully I’ll crack it next time.
Happy travelling all

Regards Bill