Ardeche May 2006

 Me and Darren set off through the pipe to France, found a campsite on the way down to the airport at lyon, to pick up our better halves, and had a pretty horrible ride through the rain towards the Ardeche. Fortunately it stopped raining before we got to our Gite , and the sun came out

It was in a very nice area, so we settled in before a canoe trip for 3 of us down the gorge the next day. Unfortunately, no digital photo's of the trip down the gorge. It was excellent fun,and very hot, and, as Laura had made me use sun cream, I was ok, however we met lots of french canoeists on the way back to the start of the gorge on the bus, and I have never seen so badly sunburned people!

   That evening, we relaxed in the Gite after a nice meal and some booze.

Next day was touring time...

and had a look at the sign that showed the flood level, that was roughly 25 foot above normal

Pont du Arc, the size is deceptive, but you can make out canoes in the foreground

After taking Laura and Alison back to the airport, we headed into Switzerland on the way north, and had a very expensive meal in a posh restaurant in the Alps, as we needed to dry out due to some more horrible weather.

  Back into France, we found a nice campsite

then next day we popped into Belgium to have a look at the Menin Gate

And after a quick shopping trip in Calais, it was off home to England

   Great trip.

U Boat tour 2004

 I did this tour a while ago, so my memories are a bit vague. I got a boat from Harwich to Bremmerhaven, and went to find U2540, which is now a museum boat type XXI in very good condition

As can be seen from the pictures, it looks very modern, but was built before the end of the second world war, and scuttled by its own crew, then salvaged in 1957 and after a refit was used as a training boat for the German navy and is now called the Wilhelm Bauer who invented several hand powered submarines in the eighteen hundreds

    Next, after a good look round, I headed to Laboe to have a look at U995, which has been on my list for ages.

U995 is a type VII-C, the most common of the U-Boats

  

Next to the submarine is the Marine Ehrenmal (Naval memorial) it is 236 feet high, hollow in the middle

and has a good view of the submarine

which makes it look like a toy from that height.

   Nearby is a memorial to the u-boat crews who didn't make it back

Then it was off to find a campsite, and I found a good one near Schleswig-Holstein

which was in a nice location.

   Next morning, I popped over to Denmark for breakfast

The next day, I headed back to Bremmerhaven, and while I was waiting for the boat back to England, I found another submarine museum in a housing estate!

They even had the conning tower off a British Submarine

 

Then onto the boat for the trip home

France May 2003

                

Went over to France with a few mates using the tunnel, most got lost in the first few kilometers, so after a bit of rounding up we stopped at the services. A bit of faffing later,we set off again and after about half an hour later they wanted to stop for a break again. After some snacks, started heading South, and about an hour later, they wanted to stop for lunch. After most had eaten, one of the group decided he would also like to eat, and I started to realise that I would have to leave the group, as I was supposed to be picking my wife up from Nice airport, and at this rate, I would be a day late, so set off on my Pan European alone.

   One of the villiages I went through had a fountain in the middle, that someone had added soap to.

There is some stunning scenery in the South of France, and I eventually arrived at the Gorge Du Verdon. The campsite was right next to the river, cost 3 euros,  and was really nice, the lady that ran it was very friendly. The next day, my friends turned up, complaining about the distance they had to ride, so I went off to explore the gorge on the Pan. That evening the lady that ran the campsite cooked us all spaghetti bolognaise which was lovely. Next morning I rode down to Nice via Cannes, which is a really nice road, and picked up my better half and 2 hours later we were back at the campsite

After a bit of a break, we decided to have a ride round the Gorge

 After a night in the tent, we decided to find a hotel for the next night due to our very noisy friends drinking the night away, and found a nice hotel just off the D23 near the gorge. we then decided to do some more touring in the area

The next day, I took Laura back to the airport, and headed North and found some nice gorges on the way back

 

 I was surprised by how much the colour of the rock varied, and as usual the scenery was great. I stopped at a ski slope in the mountains on the way back, which looked strange with no snow

  

I found a nice campsite on the way back, didn't bump into my friends again  until I got back to England.

Nice trip, although I now choose my travelling companions a bit more carefully!