.: 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':.