.: Seasons Greetings :.

From us at Our Little Travel Blog with more salutations to come. Happy Holidays!

.: fränkische krone :.

The clouds retreated for a bit this afternoon and as we were in the neighbourhood, we took the opportunity to survey Coburgerland below from the heights of the fortress, Veste Coburg—one of the largest castles in Germany and known as the Crown of Frankonia.
This fortified structure probably has its origins in the eleventh century and grew over time in the splendid hunting lodge and vacation home for the dukes of the region. It was nice to have the chance to visit the place again, which houses a number of art collections, has a series of dungeons formerly populated with tamed bears and a hall of game-trophies.
This residence and the town it dominates also figured prominently in the history of the British royal family, the consort of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, having come from her as well as Victoria's confidential and influential (controversial and conspiratorial according to some accounts and quite a match-maker) nanny, Louise Lehzen, whom the future queen created a baroness.
Victoria's grandson, Charles Edward, ruled as the German duke of Gotha-Saxony-Coburg and as British duke of Albany from this roost. Protestant reformer Martin Luther was also holed-up here during the deliberations of the the Diet of Augsburg that sought to stop religious in-fighting among Catholic and Lutheran royal houses in a splintered Europe who were becoming more and more vulnerable to outside enemies.
Despite the sunshine and all the history and connections to take in, the winds at this height were biting and we cut our tour a bit short after rounding the walls. We'll, however, get another chance to explore soon.

.: le canyon grand :.

Even before departing our campsite in the suburbs of Cannes, we were already sad to be leaving the sun and warmth of the Côte d'Azur, a denouement and embarking on our return journey.

Heading north towards the Maritime Alps, however, we enjoyed quite a breathtaking approach to the Gorges of the Verdun, the French Grand Canyon but I think comparisons fail in such situations.

At the head of the valley and at the beginning of the river that helped time to carve out the spectacular scenery, we came to the jewel of a village called Castellane, dominated by a Marian statue, Notre Dame, on a rocky-outcropping. After exploring a bit of the old town's attractions, we decided to encamp in a lot open to such „roughing-it“ after getting a taste of what the Verdun had to offer, with its turquoise, aqua-marine river and deep cliffs that one could image having erupted from the bottom of the ocean aeons ago.

The next morning, we crossed the length of the valley that widened with the grand spectacle of Lake Sainte Croix.

H pin-pointed a real pro-tip of a camping spot, just outside of the village of Rougon called le Point Sublime, perched at a bend in the valley that afforded some amazing views, despite the fog and clouds.

Taking the twisted roads higher through the Alps, we rejoined the Autobahn at the town of Sisteron and stopped for a few hours to gaze at the weirdly alien rock formation that was mirrored by the high fortification of the Vauban influenced (the actual look-out post of the river Durance dating itself back to the 12th century) citadel.

We went on pass Grenoble and the Chartreuse Massif before finding a place to pass the evening.

.: Wer hat, der Cannes :.

 Der heutige Post fällt etwas kürzer aus – ganz einfach, weil wir heute ein Stück Strecke zurück ins Landesinnere zurücklegen wollen. Ziel ist der bekannte Canyon du Verdon, wir wollen ein Stück dem Lauf des Verdon folgen, der sich tief ins Gestein eingeschnitten hat und, je nach Lichtverhältnissen, in azurblau/türkis erstrahlen soll...

Gestern sind wir noch ein wenig an der Küste entlang gefahren und haben dort einige Eindrücke sammeln können, schlussendlich führte uns der Weg bis nach Cannes.

Dort hatten wir Glück – wir parkten ziemlich zentral und ein kurzer Fußmarsch führte uns zur Burg mit herrlichem Blick über die Stadt der weltbekannten Filmfestspiele.

Rings um die Altstadt herrscht geschäftiges Treiben – man hat das Gefühl, jeder Tourist zieht dort seine kleine Show ab und schlüpft in die Rolle einer Pseudo-Filmgröße.

Die Eingeborenen nehmen's gelassen. Fast schon direkt vor den Toren der Stadt fanden wir einen passenden Campingplatz an einem kleinen Hafen – ein runder Abschluss für dieses Tag...

.: Do know the way to St. Tropez? :.

Departing the beach resort village of La Lavandou, our campsite among the palms and olive trees just a short scamper to the waves, we took a route mostly hugging the shore and had a very fine day driving along the Côte d'Azur.
There were the playgrounds of the rich and famous visible from all sides and surely many more hidden in this lush, rocky landscape, all the while tempered by the Mediterranean that reflected a rippling sun that was brighter and warmer than forecast. We stopped in St. Tropez, one of the most renowned showcase for luxury, exclusivity and ostentation, having only recently become known to the outside world.
The harbour was chocked full of yachts, the next more unbelievable than the last, really just fancy and conspicuous things but certainly enjoyable to see set against such unrivaled natural beauty.
The old town was something to see in itself and there was a 16th century citadel to explore that afforded some pretty amazing and unforgettable views of the port and town below.
The area really pares back in terms of camping opportunities after the high-season, which proved a little frustrating as we spied ghost campsites in beautiful locations but were shuttere after the summer holiday-makers left. We headed back to La Lavandou after a day of basking in the sun, returning to the spot we found before.
Along the way, braved the sea, a bit too cold for comfort and took a swim—which is nonetheless quite something for late October.

.: Im Herzen der Provence :.

 Der Dienstag überraschte uns mit etwas verhangenem Himmel und hier und da etwas Regen – aber kein Grund, uns im Auto zu verkriechen. Die Vorhersage für die kommenden Tage stimmte uns sowieso optimistisch.

Wir verließen also unseren Campingplatz in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue und bummelten erstmal etwas durch das Städtchen, in dem ein Antik-Geschäft neben dem anderen zu sein schien – was für ein Zufall. Gekauft haben wir aber nix – 450 € für ein lebensgroßes Plastikschwein orientierten sich einfach zu sehr am Geldbeutel wohlhabender (oder blöder) Touri´s. Weiter gings erstmal zur Quelle der Sorgue in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.

Eine kurze Wanderung brachte uns zum Fuß eines überwältigenden Felsmassivs, wo der Fluß in einer Grotte entspringt, in die man von außen/oben reinschauen kann … auf jeden Fall empfehlenswert! Danach stand uns der Sinn wieder nach etwas mehr provencialischem Gefühl. Wir fuhren zum 'schönsten Dorf' Frankreichs, nach Gordes. Ob es nun DAS schönste ist, muss jeder selbst entscheiden – aber wohl nur, weil´s hier so viele anderen Kleinode zu bestaunen gibt. Danach ging´s weiter nach Roussillon, für seine Farbenpracht bekannt. Geschuldet ist diese dem Umstand, dass hier seit Jeher Ocker abgebaut wird. Durch den etwas verhangenen Himmel kam dieser leider nicht so zur Geltung – aber mit etwas Phantasie konnten wir uns vorstellen, in welchen Facetten die Felsen, auf denen das Dorf steht, bei Sonnenschein erstrahlen. Auf jeden Fall ein Hingucker!

Der Mittwoch begrüßte uns mit bestem Wetter, auf gings nach Saignon – einem weiteren Highlight. Das Dörfchen steht, wie übrigens die meisten hier, auf einem kleinen Hügel – besonders zu empfehlen ist ein Fußmarsch rauf auf die Burg, von wo aus einem ein genialer Fernblick über das Land genehmigt wird.

Im Anschluss fuhren wir nach Oppède-le-Vieux, J. hatte bereits über dieses Dorf gelesen. Der Spaziergang durch das Dorf glich einer Zeitreise durch die römischen Ursprünge bis hin zu Gebäuden im Renaissance-Stil.

Eigentlich ist das Flair nur schlecht zu beschreiben, durch die zahlreichen Ruinen neben noch teilweise bewohnten Gebäuden kommt Märchen-Feeling auf.

Am Nachmittag schwangen wir uns auf die Autobahn und brachten die letzten 150 km bis zur Côte d'Azur hinter uns – hier fanden wir am Abend einen schönen Stellplatz in Le Lavandou... keine 100 m vom Strand entfernt. Jetzt grad ist Frühstück angesagt – bei Sonnenschein und angenehmen 23°C :-)

.: from rhön to rhône :.

 It is Monday night and after a long and very fine journey, we find ourselves on the banks of the Sorgue, l'Isles sur la Sorgue at a campsite at the wickedly green water's edge with a lot more in front of us to explore. Friday was mainly a travel day. Bonne route, bringing us through Germany and through the Loire valley and the Rhône Alps to a stopping point beween the Ardèche and the Drôme, called Saint-Vincent-de-Barres, a really magnificent village that flowed downward from a hilltop. Soon, however, we discovered that this was a very common bit of civil-planning for the region. The next morning, we went

on to explore more of the Ardèche and took a very scenic drive through the valley to see where the river and time had rounded out a very impressive stone arch. There was some really stunning views besides as we mounted the gorge, looking down into the canyon, all the time accompanied by friendly wild goats. It took some time to find a good camping spot, but beforehand, we took a glance at the fortress of Grignan, returning there the next

day to look around inside, the beautiful promotory of La Garde d'Adhemor, a vertiable ghost-town, peopled only by tourists and prestige weekend homes, before settling on a little town called Grillon for the night.

The next day, we continued a zig-zag path southward, entering into the the Vaucluse region, after seeing Grignan and environs, visiting the terranced village of Nyons with its dominating monuments and old stone bridge over the river Eyguès. The next highlight was the ancient city of Avignon, whoses old stone rampants hosted the popes in exile during the thirteenth century, with some very impressive medieval architecture as testimony.

An ancient bridge reached half-way across the river and provided some magnificent views before we explored it up close. Tomorrow's adventures, creeping closer to the Mediterranean coast promise more excitement.

.: Weil wir´s uns (verdammt nochmal) verdient haben! :.

...am Freitag sticht das Schiff in See. Ab geht´s in die Provence! Stay tuned :)

.: The Black Bog :.

Nachdem eine letzte große Hürde beruflicher Natur endlich geschafft ist, macht sich schlagartig Entspannung breit. Erst jetzt fällt eigentlich so richtig auf, wie irrsinning schnell dieses Jahr vorüberging. Jetzt ist es an der Zeit, einiges nachzuholen. Am Wochenende gings bei bestem Spätsommer-Wetter ins Nachturschutzgebiet Hochrhön zu einem Spaziergang durch´s bekannte Schwarze Moor, direkt im sogenannten Dreiländereck. Das Schwarze Moor umfaßt 60 Hektar, es bildet die Wasserscheide zwischen Main und Weser und gilt als eines der bedeutendsten Hochmoore Europas.

.: altmühltal or jurassic park is melting in the dark :.

Recently, we had the chance to get away for a very nice weekend trip to the Altmühl region, the laziest river in Germany meandering slowly through some beautiful landscape in Upper Frankonia just south of Nürnberg. Just before entering into the valley proper, we first stopped to explore the imposing Renaissance-era (one of the best-preserved in all of Germany) fortress call Wülzburg.
It reminded us of the monumental works of Vauban that we had the chance to explore in France in terms of scale and design. Originally a cloister, it was converted to defensive use and had seen many different incarnations over the years: during the First World War, the fortifications were used as a prisoner-of-war camp, which counted a young Captain Charles de Gaulle as an inmate, and after the wars, as a refugee camp.
Next, we went on to the town of Pappenheim at the head of the Altmühl to visit the castle that dominates the surrounding area. After walking through the historic Altstadt that bridges the river, we had a nice view of the valley from the towering Burg, which is still in the family of the duchy of Pappenheim and who seem to still hold sway over the town.
The next stop was Solnhofen, where the first Archaeopteryx was discovered among the rich fossil deposits of the area. The evidence of this feathered dinosaur and seeing the transition from the unfamiliar monsters that fossils had heretofore been dismissed as, something pre-deluvian that was stricken from the earth, into something that people could relate to advanced scientific knowledge and made dinosaur research a very Victorian craze.
Passing through Dollnstein on an avenue that hugged the shore, we saw some breathtaking natural scenery and came to the Cloister of Saint Walburg at Rebdorf, now a boarding school, and the promentory of Willibaldsburg.
Though uncertain, one could drive right through the castle gate and park in the keep. Today the majority of the interior is dedicated to the Jura Museum, only many of the prominent fossil-finds from the area, including the Archaeopteryx.
Eichstätt was also an absolute jewel and we were treated to a traditional procession, which I was sure was a daily obligation by the residence, year-in, year-out. We saw some more nice scenery and villages along the river but had to keep going to find a campsite, which turned into a bigger challenge than we expected, but after Gungolding and Kipfenburg, we found a very pleasant place to stay for the evening in Beilngries.
The next day, we explored the village and visited the Abbey just up the road at Plankstetten before heading back home. There was certainly a lot to discover here and it would definitely be worth the return, like so many places, to cruise in a canoe down the lazy river.

.: Maiden Flight of our little 'drone':.

.: Engeldengeldumdidum... Engadin:.

Though we were sad to be leaving Italy and re-crossing, though not re-tracing the same route, on Friday morning with the weather still promising and holding-up quite nicely, we were also looking forward to new adventures in Switzerland.

Departing Dongo, we journeyed through a changing landscape, moving from the sheltering cliffs of Lake Como through the foothills of northern Lombary and over the border to make the quick transition of climbing the Alps. Scaling a winding ribbon of road, we came to the top of the Maloja Pass, some 1800 meters above sea level.

Descending a bit from these heights, we came to the valley of the Engadine and followed a beautifully scenic national route that ran parallel to the River Inn (Engadine in Romansch means the garden of the Inn).

First, we came to the elite and posh resort town of St. Moritz. Off-season, it was not too crowded and we got to soak up the exclusive atmosphere. We hiked from Bad St. Moritz to Dorf St. Moritz, a peak of luxury hotels and boutiques but on the way back, discovered the escalator down to the lake—a veritable gallery and a good opportunity for seeing and being seen, I suppose. Maybe the mythos is a little dated but the place did have this underlying presense of being a sort of playground for the rich and famous.

Later, passing through several villages with a lot of characteristic architecture and with really breath-taking back-drops, we found a campsite at the edge of the Swiss National Park, with a grand view of the mountains and along a railway bridge, with trains chugging by throughout the night and whistling as they rounded corners.

On Saturday, we set out and stopped along the way to explore a few characteristic Engadine villages like Susch and then Guarda, a place dominated by traditional local style, sgraffito decorations on the buildings, and with a commanding view of the surroundings.

Then, leaving the main road at Ardez, we took a detour through the woods, really into the tree-line, to a picturesque place called Ftan that faced the outcropping in the valley below of Castle Tarasp.

We wound our way through another gorgeous resort area towards the castle and after a little walk and some refreshment, we took an interesting tour of the place. The thirteenth century castle was found in grave disrepair in the early 1800s by a German master-marketeer and mouthwash tycoon and quite lovingly restored with surpassing glory, copying elements from other castles and populating the place with artworks and collections that brought the whole interior together.  

Schloss Tarasp, now passed into the ownership of the dynasty of Hessian and by Rhein, is also outfitted with an clever internal switchboard to meet the needs of guests and an organ, which was the most advanced music sythesizer of the day and one of the biggest pipe organs in Switzerland and most importantly salvaged a lot of heritage.

Afterwards, we took a pleasant campsite overlooking the town of Scuol and will continue our reluctant trip back tomorrow with, I'm sure, a few more things to discover.