The next morning
we walked around the village and garden then set off on back roads
through pleasant hilly farmland to the Luxembourg border where we
topped up with cheap fuel and on through smart villages to
ACSI campsite in the small town of Troisvierges. The next day was
overcast as we took minor
roads and a long diversion around Clervaux due to a cycling event,
eventually picking up the main road down to Hoscheid where there was a
waymarked "sonorous "walk with various musical instruments set up along
the paths. The walk turned out to be rather longer and steeper than we
expected through a wooded valley but it was good to get some
exercise after three days of driving. We then cut across on minor lanes
to Vianden with its imposing chateau overlooking the town centre. We
found the rather wet ACSI campsite alongside the river in the town and
discovered a free wifi
hotspot so were able to catch up on our mail. As the next day was a
Monday and most of the town's shops were closed, we drove to the larger
regional centre of Diekirch where motorhome parking was restricted
except at an aire with paying daytime and overnight parking
so we continued via Larochette to Echternach where we found a large car
park by the river.
Again most of the town was closed but there was a pleasant walk though
the riverside gardens where we heard music playing. We discovered it
came from a school where they were practicing for the huge
procession with thousands of dancers which was due to take place the
following Whitsunday weekend. We returned to Vianden for a second night
and some route planning for the next few days.
As the weather was still dull we decided to head south into
France to do some shopping before reaching Metz. We bypassed
Luxembourg city and took the toll free autoroute to
Thionville where we found an E Leclerc hypermarket in the large centre
commercial. This part of France is built up and industrial so
we stayed on the busy autoroute to Metz where we eventually found the
aire outside
the riverside municipal campsite. As it was full and in a busy carpark
we went in to the campsite and paid for a grass pitch, then discovered
they had a tarmac motorhome overnight parking area inside the site for
almost half the price! Unfortunately the whole of the city centre was
being dug up for a new guided trolleybus system so it was rather
chaotic. Our intention was to visit the new Pompidou-Metz arts centre
which was situated a fair distance across the town in a regeneration
area. After visiting the Gothic cathedral we eventually
reached it in warm sunny weather (at last) and
found it was closed as it was between exhibitions.
Metz roadworks - cable chaos
Returning to the campsite via the chaos of the city centre we agreed we
don't usually do cities so were glad to move on south the next morning
when the
rain had returned. We headed for a two star sight marked on
our old
2010
Michelin road atlas, the Butte de Montsec, overlooking the Lac de
Madine. This turned out to be a prominent American War memorial set on
a low but strategically important hill where there was a significant
battle during the First World War. We hadn't realised that so
many
US troops had been involved in that war. After a peaceful couple of
hours apart from the ever present grass cutter who follows us all
around Europe, we drove down through the rural Meuse Valley
passing through Domrémy la Pucelle, the birthplace of Jean d'Arc with a
large basilica on the hillside and a peaceful overnight stop at the
small aire at Certilleux. Another wet day followed as we
drove
across the mostly agricultural landscape stopping overnight at the
appropriately named industrial town of Gray (but with an old town hall)
and then via the small spa
town of Salins les Bains to Champagnole and on through hilly and wooded
countryside to the Pic de l'Aigle, a rocky viewpoint in the Haut Jura
regional park for a lunch stop before reaching the ACSI campsite at La
Tour du Meix on the Lac de Voughans to catch up on doing the washing
and other domestic chores. The next day took us down the attractive
Vallee d'Ain with high cliffs to reach the town of Poncin then on
busier roads to Amberieu en Bugey which turned out to be an industrial
town and within commuting distance of Lyon, to top up our LPG at the
Intermarché hypermarket rather busy as it was a Saturday morning. We
continued through several busy built-up areas in the Rhone valley
heading for the distant snow topped Chartreuse Massive and after
passing more industrial areas around Les Echelles drove up a
winding narrow road through the Gorges du Guiers Mort and three tunnels
with a 3.8 metre height limit
to reach the virtually deserted mountain resort of St Pierre de
Chartreuse and a free aire
for the night.