From there we continued on to the Mayenne in the Loire Valley to the tiny village of Asse le Berenger which Colin’s cousin Linda lives and runs a chambre d’hotes.

We are spending a few days here, exploring the area. Yesterday we went to the Medieval village of Sainte-Suzanne dating back to the 11th century. Perched high on a hill, the pale cream sandstone castle, it’s keep and ramparts dominate the landscape and can be seen for many miles.

Just outside of Rouen is the Abbaye St Georges de Boscerville in St Martin. The old Abbey is gone, a few building stones remain. The church is still intact as the town of St Martin adopted it as their parish church. The old gardens of the Benedictine monks has been re constructed. The monks grew medicinal herbs and fruit trees to create medicinal concoctions.
A tower has been renovated at the top of the hill which provides you with a fabulous view of the church and surrounding valley

We then made our way to Rouen situated on the Seine. Rouen is lovely ancient city with beautiful gothic buildings and ½ timbered houses. Claude Monet has famously painted the facade of the Cathedral many times. Richard the Lionheart’s heart is in the cathedral. There is a Benedictine Abbey and a couple of other beautiful churches, one that is known for it’s beautifully carved doors from the 16th century. There’s a fabulous clock. Joan of Arc was sentenced to death in the cemetery of the Abbey and burnt at the stake in Rouen in 1431. There is a modern church, monument to commemorate her death and it is shaped like a flame. There is a terrific museum that tells her whole story.

Sunday. Our next destination was the tiny village of Giverny to see Claude Monet’s house and garden. The house and garden are open from March to November and attracts 500,000 visitors. There was a huge crowd of visitors during our visit as well. The house and gardens are beautiful and the famous bridge over the lily ponds is beautiful, it’s just a shame we had to share it all with so many people.

Me in the tasting room at Moet & Chandon

Saturday This morning we drove from Dijon to Epernay in Champagne. We drove the scenic, winding road, through rolling hills and farmlands with crops from wheat, corn to bright yellow sunflowers. We passed through many tiny sleepy little villages to reach Epernay in the Champagne area. Fields of corn and wheat were soon replaced with rows and rows of vines. Arriving in the town on Epernay you approach along the Avenue de Champagne where Moet & Chandon and Pol Roger champagne houses are located, amongst elegant mansions.

We did a tour of Moet & Chandon. You begin the tour with a short film and then you are taken down to the caves (cellars) where there are 28 kilometres of caves housing millions of bottles, just of Moet & Chandon. There are 3 levels of caves at a constant temperature of 12 degrees.

20,000 hectares of vineyards surround Epernay and along the avenue 200 million bottles of champagne are ageing in 120 kilometres of caves carved out of the chalk soil.

We learnt that champagne is first wine and is bottled with sugar and yeast to ferment in the bottle. The longer it is left, the better and more expensive it is. When it is ready to drink it is tipped neck down and twisted every day for 5 weeks to collect the sediment. The neck of the bottle is then frozen and the cork removed and the ice containing the sediment blown out. It is then resealed with more sugar and more champagne. It does not age any further and must be consumed within 2 years.

Dom Perignon and Moet and Chandon are produced at the same place, but Dom is much more expensive. DomPerignon invented champagne.

We arrived in Dijon about 2pm. Dijon is best known for it’s mustard. There are many shops selling a large variety of different types/styles of mustard.

Dijon has one of the best preserved medieval centres in France. It is all within easy walking distance. The main church has a tiny brass owl attached to the wall. It is said to bring you good luck and good fortune when rubbed. The owl has been rubbed by so many that it has a very shiny smooth surface. Atop the church is a tower with a clock and two intricate brass figures.

Dijon's Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne was home to the Dukes of Burgundy, and dates back to the 1300’s. Across from the Palais is the Place de la Liberation, which is lined with restaurants and cafe’s and in the centre are several fountains spurting jets of water that attracted lots of children on this hot afternoon. All of the buildings are in a pale cream sandstone with grey slate tiles.

Late this afternoon we arrived in Colmar about ¾ of the way along the Route de Vins. Colmar is a maze of cobblestone streets and centuries old Alsatian buildings,1/2 timbered houses in pastel colours and a very pretty canal area called Little Venice.

Ribeauville and Riquewihr are the most beautiful and most medieval towns along the route and attract the most crowds. Both are nestled at the base of rolling hills covered with vineyards and have narrow cobblestoned streets festooned with colourful displays of bright flowers, ½ timbered houses in pale blues, greens, yellow and orange overhang the cobbled streets.

Today we have meandered along the Route de Vins stopping and many of the picturesque villages dotted frequently along the route. We have seen several huge stork nests high on the top of church spires or chimneys. Each nest has several storks and we have seen many circling the towns.

Bugatti Museum, Molsheim.

We left Strasbourg mid morning and drove to Obernai on the Route de Vins, stopping first at the town of Molsheim where the Bugatti Museum is located. It was Bastille Day and most places, including the museum where closed.

We moved on to Obernai. Obernai is a picturesque walled town with cobblestone streets and multi coloured ½ timbered houses that overhang the lanes and jut out at odd angles, occasionally leaning slightly. We walked along the ramparts that cover nearly 2km.

There are many interesting buildings, there’s a jewish synagogue and the well of the six buckets. There’s a hill not far from town with a memorial to soldiers at Alamein. Standing on the hill, amongst the vineyards you have a magnificent view of the town nestled at the base of the hill.

We have spent many hours walking the cobblestoned streets. We took a boat ride through the canals and up to where the EU Parliament buildings are. We have visited the cathedral several times to see the various figures in the astronomical clock. It would take 19 years to see every single thing that happens in the clock.

We visited the Cave Historique Hospices Strasbourg. The historic wine cellar under the hospital that contains barrels of wine dating back to the 1400’s.

Petite France is absolutely stunning. Situated around the canal, the houses are ½ timbered old tanning houses dating back to 14th and 15th centuries. They are tall, usually 3 or 4 stories and in the days when they were used as tanning houses the top floor was open to dry the hides, some still have open spaces at the top. The houses are crowded together, jutting out over the cobblestoned road at odd angles, some lean a little due to their age. They are in many shades of blue, green, pink and yellow. They have white or brown wooden shutters on the windows, black lacy wrought iron balconies with boxes of brightly coloured flowers. In the slate roof are usually two or three floors of small dormer windows. Large wooden doors at ground level often open up to reveal pretty courtyards.

The old town of Strasbourg is stunningly beautiful. There is a river that winds it’s away around the city and is contained by a dam and several locks. In the heart of the old town stands the majestic cathedral with it’s wedding cake spire towering above all else. It is of a deep rose pink sandstone.

Inside the cathedral is the astronomical clock. It stands 12 metres high. Created in the 13th century it has many intricate miniature statues, paintings, animal sculptures, the 12 Apostles, a skeleton and four ages of man ie baby, youth adult and old man. There are seven gods in chariots defining the day of the week. You see a different one depending on the day of the week. On the hour some of the figures move, the old man or one of the other 3 comes out and hits the bell of the skeleton. At 12.30 every day an enormous crowd gathers to watch more of the figures. During the procession of the 12 Apostles the cock crows three times. The Apostles procession is before the figure of Christ whom they salute and who blesses the crowd after the last one has passed. The angel cherub upturns the hourglass and the old man (or one of the other 3) appears and rings the bell.

It is all very impressive. Prior to seeing the procession you watch a short film telling you the history of the clock and it details what each of the figures will do during the procession.

The clock tells the position of the planets, the day of week, sunrise, sunset, the date, the phase of the moon, dates of lunar eclipses and of course the time (both local and official).

We went into the cathedral and watched the clock several times perform it’s intricate movements.

The hidden organ pipes. The only organ of its kind in Europe.

Sunday. We left Nancy and our first stop was the little town of Luneville. The houses are all of a pink sandstone from Vosges ranging in colour from a very pale pink to a deep dusky rose pink. The main attraction is the sumptuous Chateau on the hill overlooking the town. There is a fabulous garden at the rear of the Chateau. One of the most beautiful formal gardens in the entire region. The house and garden were modelled on Versailles, It was built in 1702 for the Duke of Lorraine who left Nancy and chose Luneville to settle with his court. It was then occupied by Stanislas the next Duke of Lorraine who also had the ornate gilded square in Nancy built in his honour.
Luneville is also known for it’s beaded embroidery. The craftswomen are called Luneilleuses and have practised their craft since the 14th century. The craft is still taught at a school in Luneville.

There are a number of very special houses and buildings in Luneville. There’s the Treaty House where the Treaty of Luneville was signed by Napolean’s brother. There’s a rich merchants house with ornate sculptures. St Jacques church, a very pretty church with a bright yellow interior which is a contrast to the often sombre darkness of the Gothic churches. The church also has the only organ in Europe with hidden organ pipes. Instead of seeing the pipes you see the beautifully decorated facade.
There is a synagogue and a Joan of Arc Church. There are also prestigious earthenware factories reproducing old and classical pieces that are highly sought after

Sarreguemines.

Saturday. Today is market day in Nancy and many of the inner city streets are close to traffic as hundreds of market stalls take over the area. Thousands of people visit the markets which stretch for miles in several directions.

We went for a peaceful drive into the countryside and visited the pretty town of Sarreguemines famed for its pottery. They have some quirky pottery sculptures in the middle of roundabouts around town.

Sound and light show, Place Stanislas, Nancy.

Our next stop was the beautiful city of Nancy. It has a magnificent central square, Place Stanislas laid out in the 1700’s. It is quite dazzling with it’s opulent buildings, gilded wrought-iron gateways (4) and rococo fountains. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Nearby smaller squares are just as opulent. Nancy even has it’s own Arc de Triomphe built to honour LouisXV. It has a lovely park, parc de la Pepiniere which is a formal garden and a very pretty rose garden.

At precisely 10.45pm each evening Place Stanislas comes alive with a spectacular sound and light show projected onto the impressive Hotel de Ville

Today we drove to Nancy via Metz, pronounced Mess which is the capital of the Lorraine region.
It is a very pretty city, situated of on the river Moselle. Lots of the buildings date from the period when Metz was part of the German Reich. The German border is not far from here.
There is a fabulous looking gothic cathedral, inside is very dark and sombre but the stained glass windows are outstanding.
We took a small train around the city with an audio commentary in English to get a quick over view of the city.

Our next stop was Diekirch with a brewery of the same name. We were not here for the beer but rather the outstanding war museum, the Musee National d’Histoire Militaire, said to be the countries best war museum and we would certainly agree. They have a huge collection of assorted military vehicles, bombs (which I hope have been defused), uniforms, memorbillia, photos, letters, drawings. The collection of weapons, guns etc is amazing. The museum has been well thought out and there are many huge dioramas paid for by veterans of the war. We were very impressed. We loved the museum in Bastogne but this one has even more to offer

There is a picturesque castle high up on the hill overlooking the town. It is a 12th century castle that was home to the Counts of Vianden. It has been restored to it’s former glory and you can wander the many rooms. I actually preferred the Chateau de Bourschied, however both castles are breathtakingly beautiful perched high up on the craggy mountain tops.

Leaving Esc h-sur-Sure we drove through an ever changing landscape from crops and pastures to tiny villages nestled in at the base of a sheer limestone cliff. High up on a hill along a winding road we reached Chateau de Bourschied, a 1000 year old castle with a commanding view over the entire valley. As you round the bend in the road the sight of the castle takes your breath away. It’s a ruin, that’s its charm. You can pick up a free audio guide in English that tells you the history of castle. We spent about an hour listening to the audio and wandering around the castle.

Our next stop was picture postcard beautiful Vianden. The very steep narrow cobblestoned main street is lined with picturesque houses and restaurants. They are painted in bright orange, yellow, greens and creams and wooden shutters on the windows. Brightly coloured flowers adorn the doorways and windowboxes above have blooms cascading down from them.

Thursday 8/7. Today we drove to Esch-sur-Sure a tiny picturesque village near Luxembourg Centre. Esch is perched precariously at the base of a sheer cliff with a fast flowing river. We climbed and climbed many steps carved out of the slate mountain to reach the statue on the hill and from there walk on to the old ruined castle, a real crumbly dating from 925. The views of the steeply sloping village and the valley below were sensational.

Reluctantly we said goodbye to the Netherlands We drove towards the Ardennes The first town we stopped at was Dinant. What a contrast to the Netherlands. Dramatic limestone cliffs rise upwards from the huge fast flowing river and the town of Dinant clings to the base of the cliff. At the top of the cliff sits an imposing fortress la Citadel which is reached by a cable car. Colin went up for a look around and took some photos.

From Dinant we drove to the tiny village of Annevoie to see Les jardins d’Annevoie, beautiful private gardens and a chateau. The gardens have many ponds and water features and fountains all fed from a natural water source that has been supplying water continuously for more than a hundred years.

From there we went on to Bastogne where a major scene in the Battle of the Bulge took place. We went to visit the Museum there which once again was an outstanding museum. They have a large collection of military vehicles and machinery and the museum has many interactive displays, lots of memorbillia and a lot of film footage of civilians who survived the war, most of whom were small children at the time, it was interesting to watch and hear what people said of their memories of that time. It makes it all very real for you.

We through a number of small villages and towns on our way to Luxembourg. We passed many beautiful chateau, citadels perched high up on the limestone rock face.

We are in Luxembourg Wow, it is stunningly beautiful. Today we spent the entire day walking and walking.

We walked from our hotel down into the park that goes under the viaduct, the Petrusse Valley and winds it's way across town and we eventually walked up the hill into town.

We then went and visited the Casemates, the tunnels and the dungeon of the old castle and walked miles (it felt like) through the tunnels and down spiral staircases and up spiral staircases, quite a workout but the views from the old cannon holes are breathtaking.

We then took a 2 hour guided walk with a local that is run by the tourist office. On our tour we saw the Palace of the Duchy of Luxembourg, the many buildings of the European Union, some of the oldest houses in Luxembourg dating back to 15th century that are now restaurants and many other historical sites. We visited the Cathedral of Notre Dame which has a painting by Reubens amongst it’s treasures.

The remainder of the day we spent walking to as many places as possible. Along the corniche, Europe's most picturesque balcony, and the views are certainly stunning.

We have walked through the old quarter, through the Grund, up impossibly steep narrow winding cobblestoned roads, through the Clausen area and around the city centre.

We went to the excellent History of Luxembourg Museum that guides you through each of the centuries. It is very well done.

We left den Bosh early in the morning and drove to Maastricht arriving there about midday. There are 52 churches in Maastricht and the grandest of them all is Sint Servaas Basilica. It is a magnificent church with a fantastic Treasury which houses 2 floors of beautiful valuable treasures. There is a collection of Faberge eggs, gold vials which contain the bones of Saints, gold chests, beautiful pewter, silverware and glassware and ancient robes and tapestries.
Within the church is the grave of the bishop who died there in 384 and it is his name, St Servaas that the church or Basilica is named after. Emperors, kings dukes and counts prayed there. Important people liked to be buried there. Ceremonies, processions, pilgrimages, royal marriages and disasters happened within the walls of this basilica since 384. Probably the oldest church we’ve been in.

Outside the church is ornately decorated with gargoyles and intricately carved religious figures.

Maastricht is the oldest city in the Netherlands and has many beautiful old buildings and nearly 2000 monuments. The city is in two halves separated by the river Maas. There 3 bridges spanning the river and we have walked over each of them.

We walked to the top of the hill, yes there are hills in Maastricht to Fort Sint Pietersburg and the Sint Pietersburg tunnels. The views from the top of the hill are stunning.

The Helpoort (Hell's Gate) is another historical landmark and the past fortifications have shaped much of the present day city of Maastricht. We walked all along there and there is a long line of cannons.

Our next destination was ‘s-Hertogenbosh or den Bosch, another medieval fortified city. The town derives its name from the description des hertogen bos the duke’s forest, the Duke being Hendrik the First of Brabant.

den Bosch is a very pretty city. It has many canals criss crossing the town. Lovely narrow cobblestoned streets to wander along and follow the route of a canal. There are hundreds of cafes, restaurants and bars spilling out onto the sidewalks.

Sint Janskathedral is stunning and is rated as one of the best in the Netherlands, lovely Gothic stained glass windows, a magnificent organ and a statue of the Madonna.

The large market square, triangular in shape is surrounded by many beautiful old buildings and there is also a very good museum.

We also visited Zaltbommel, even older than Wouldrichem it dates from 850. It too is a walled city with ramparts and canals on the outside and inner canals. The town wall dates from 1316. It too has a cannon guarding the entrance gate. The Sint Maartenskerk church dates from the 1400’s and unfortunately it wasn’t open. A shame because it has interesting murals painted on the walls.
Zaltbommel also has lots of pretty houses and cobblestoned streets to wander

Today we visited the ancient and very picturesque little village of Wouldrichem located on several very busy rivers the Am, Meuse, Maas and Merwede. Wouldrichem is a fortified town and is surrounded by a medieval wall which we walked around. The entrances to the walled town have two cannons on each side of the entrance. There is a quaint fishing harbour with traditional Dutch fishing boats showing the towns centuries old history of salmon fishing.. There’s a working windmill, some museums, art galleries and lovely cobblestoned lanes to wander. Pretty houses with lots of window boxes with flowers and large pots of flowers outside every door. As you wander around here you can easily imagine yourself back in olden times.

Today we went to Arnhem, Oosterbeek and Nijmegen. Arnham is famous as the bridge too far, Montgomery,s famous operation Market Garden. The bridge has been rebuilt but is as it was then.

From Arnham we went to Oosterbeek about 5kms from Arnhem and it has the Airborne Museum which is fantastic. It is housed in the house that was the headquarters of the British during the battle. The museum covers about 3 floors in total and the lower floor is devoted to one huge diorama of the battle. As you walk about you are in this diorama and with the sound effects and film footage it feels as if you are really in the middle of this terrible battle.

Our final destination for the day was Nijmegen situated on the Rhine. What is very unusual is the fact there are actually some hills in this town. I believe the only place in Holland that is not completely flat. Nijmegen was bombed flat during the war and has been rebuilt since then. There are some old buildings but they have been completely renovated.

By the time we arrived in Nijmegen it was nearly time for the Brazil versus Holland match and most shops and businesses had closed for the day and the whole town, decked out in orange had gathered at bars and cafes to watch the match on the big screen.

Holland won. Hup Holland.