Milton Keynes to Vienna, Part 1

For some time now we have wanted to revisit Vienna. We originally went there 24 years ago when I had a six month sabbatical from work. We made an unsuccessful attempt in 2013 when we first go the motorhome but that was abandoned because of bad weather and my knee playing up. This year we were a bit more determined. 

We crossed over to France on 4^th May having spent the previous night at Black Horse Far.  We soon realise that our initial planning had been far too ambitious and decided to  head for Peronne, in the Somme area of France, for a couple of days. The weather was kind to us and we were able to walk into the town. Although we did not go in there was a large Museum dedicated to the Battle of the Somme which will no doubt be of interest to some. Our campsite, Camping du Port de Plaisance, borders the Canal du Nord which still carries some commercial carrying which adds to the interest. 

After our two days at Peronne it was time to move further east. We were heading for the small town of Ste Menehould which is not far from Verdun. We had tried to stay here before but it was not open at that time. Fortunately this time it was. However no one in reception but a kindly French man tried to explain the situation. I called the number on the gate and was told to find a pitch and someone would be along later to collect the fees. It’s a nice little municipal with no marker pitches but then it was hardly full!!! We decided to stay another two days so that we had time to explore the town. Interestingly Ste Menehould was the birthplace of Dom Pérignon famous for champagne. I often have a sly smile at the thought that many monks have been responsible for some of the many pleasures in life!!! 

Time to move further east into Germany. Our target was Ladenburg because we had intended to stay at the Camper Stop there but this was not to be as it was full with more people waiting outside the site for a place.  Immediately we had a dilemma as to where to go. A quick look at TomTom suggested that Camping An der Friedensbrücke at Neckargemund was fifteen miles away. We had stopped here before so it seemed the automatic choice. It did involve a drive through the centre of Heidelberg but that was interesting in itself as most of the inhabitants of the City seemed to be sunbathing on the banks of the river. On arrival we were offered a pitch on the river bank at a slightly enhanced fee of €2.50 a night, a price well worth paying. The Neckar always reminds me of the upper reaches of the Thames that we used to cruise in our own boat many years ago. It is an ideal spot from which to visit Heidelberg but the best method is by boat . It was here that we used our electric bikes the first time in Europe. We needed some shopping but the supermarkets were on the other side of the river. Most of the way was on dedicated cycle paths. We tentatively locked the bikes to a lamppost in the REWE car park (most Germans don’t seem to bother to lock their bikes!) This was the first time we had had rain on this holiday, unfortunately a sign of what was to come! 

We left Neckargemund and headed south to our final stop in Germany near Augsburg.  Camping Bella Augusta did not seem to have very good reviews but sometimes it pays to ignore the reviews! The pitches were spacious, had hardstandings and the toilet blocks would have put many to shame. We were only there one night, had we been there longer it would have made a convenient from which to visit Augsburg. 

To be continued.