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Here at Peter Mundy Catering we pride ourselves in catering at the highest level in some of the best and most outstanding venues in our area. We can offer tasting sessions and work closely with the client to ensure your wedding day will truly be a day to remember…

So much to organise!

Monday 22nd April.
We are now in Cheddar and slowly moving towards Devon. We now have a car and have got somewhere safe to store the motorhome for a few days so that we can visit family and friends before we move back into the Chapel on May 15th. Its strange having a car now and we get a few strange glances when I turn up on my own on a camp site closely followed by this woman in a car!.. Lorraine wanted to get back to work full time and thanks to a lovely boss has been given her old job back. Bradley's paws have mended and the spring in spaniel is definitely back. A temporary filling I had in France has dropped out so thats good timing for a visit back to my dentist and its off to Clarkes Village in Street today clothes shopping. One thing we have noticed since being back is how much cheaper everything is here and even diesel is almost the same now!.. Catch up later x

Back on home soil!

Monday 15th April. 
The Channel Tunnel popped us out in record time again, It must be downhill from France and I'm sure the wind was behind us!. They put us on an earlier train so had plenty of time to get some food in before going to the campsite. We found Morrisons in Folkestone and Lorraine said she got quite emotional seeing all the familiar foods again. I was laughing more as Lorraine forgot her pin number for the UK bank card!. We have a few things we want to see in the UK whilst we still have the motorhome so are now in Milton Keynes to visit Bletchley Park. It wont be long now before we start to head for Devon and are already getting UK insurance policies and other matters sorted... so much to do!

It could only happen to us!

Wednesday 10th April 2013

Today, as is always the case, we set off for our next campsite making sure the sat nav didn't take us on any toll roads which are getting really expensive now. It means in general we have a nice relaxed journey seeing many sights and town centres you would not normally see. I could see that we were only a few kilometres away from our next campsite at the end of our journey with only a small town to pass through. On approach to the town I immediately noticed a bit more activity at the side of the road than one would find normally for a town of this size. Then people in yellow jackets holding paddles started to appear at junctions which wasn't a problem until we reached a junction the sat nav wanted us to take, only to be waved into the wrong road. Suddenly people were everywhere and the sat nav was now getting cross with me as we were waved into more roads we didn't want to take. We now appeared to be heading towards the centre of the town and felt like we were the only vehicle on this section of road. The waving of the marshals with their paddles was getting more urgent with increasing numbers of barriers and people behind then watching our slow nervous progress into the centre of town. We reached a roundabout and the sat nav has a loud gong' sound on it when it detects you are on the wrong road and the voice was frantically telling me to turn into roads that were now impossible. It is at this stage when you realise that our lack of understanding the language etc is really against us when at a roundabout I decided I wanted to take the third exit when the man with the paddle was pointing at the first exit. I put my thumb up and he replied with his thumb up and we swung around taking the third exit. His expression was priceless and I could almost detect the gasp from the crowds either side of us. We slowly crept up into what was the real centre of the town and the road was looking less like a road now with barriers getting narrower and the crowds closer to us watching us with interest. As it dawned on us we were now in the latter stages of an important and large bike race I suddenly heard the sirens and saw in my mirrors the lead car of the impending peloton. Also I realised our snails speed of 20mph would now have to increase to stand a chance of keeping ahead of the peloton. The gongs from the sat nav were now deafening joined by the towns tannoy system and crowds trying to hurry us along towards the finish line which was now in sight!. I will never forget the official as we approached the now very narrow finish line hanging out of his elevated box shouting at us "aller, aller, aller" (go…go..go!) So I did, putting my foot down exiting the finish area and disappearing up a side street to recompose ourselves. The sat nav was now trembling on the dashboard and we soon found that roundabout once more taking the first exit this time and giving the nice man with a paddle a courteous smile as we passed. We managed to navigate around the town and arrived at the next campsite a bit later to really enjoy that relaxing cup of coffee.  

Au revoir

Welcome home!

Thursday 4th April 2013
We have come to the end of our stay at this lovely house in Angoville au Plain. The owners David & Sue returned on the 27th March and ourselves and some friends gave them a fantastic surprise 'welcome home' french style at the train station with a banner, air horn, champagne and chocolates. After a lovely visit to Bayeux and that famous bit of cloth and a wonderful send off from Angoville we have been back on the road for a few days thinking that the winter would now be behind us but how wrong were we!. This time last year we both had our shorts and T'shirts on but what a contrast?

We always said that we would know when it's time to come home and that moment arrived when we reached Brest and the snow arrived just behind us!. It may have been that we were spoilt with the space and luxury of the two houses we had over the winter and it's not that we didn't want to get back in the motorhome as we still love the cozy feel, the fun and the flexibility, but the time is now right to go back home. When you think about it we first had snow at the end of October last year and since then you could count on one hand the times the temperature had got into double figures!. We have given our tenants notice and will be back in The Chapel on the 5th June at the latest.Whilst the days outside still barely reach above 4ºc it gives us a great opportunity to arrange and organise things for the return. There is so much to organise with insurances being the most important. We have to arrange Bradley's vet treatment and passport visit and will head for the Channel Tunnel on the 15th April. Lorraine decided on going back to work full time so that I can continue to live the life I am accustomed too (Ouch, that slap hurt!) and her old boss has just offered her a wonderful position back at County Garage. With that problem out of the way we may even be able to visit a few more locations in the UK that we have wanted to for some time and hopefully arrive back in Dover to some sunshine and higher temperatures!.Off towards Paris tomorrow to visit that wonderful castle (Chateau de Pierrefonds) where the BBC filmed the 'Merlin' series.
Au revoir

The ultimate sacrifice.

Sunday 10th March 2013
Yes, its one of the many clichés used here in Normandy but from our perspective it's not until you spend some time in amongst it, being so close and hearing so many stories that you begin to realise just what went on and what those men on 6th June 1944 did for us and our future. The scale is just immense as is the loss of life and next time we are out moaning in a cold, rain soaked Britain our minds will always think back to the sheer hell experienced here in Normandy. As a local poem clearly writes - 'as if heaven itself dared not see, the hounds of hell that day set free..' We have been very busy visiting The D Day landing beaches of Utah & Omaha, two of the main German gun battery emplacements at Pointe du Hoc and Longues sur Mer as well as Pegasus Bridge, Arromanches and Sainte Mere Eglise. We could write all day about the stories learned and sights seen but to sum up we have had the most amazing time and a big thank you must go out to our new friends David & Celine who have been wonderful in making sure we have been guided to the best areas and telling us so many stories. David is committed to supporting the families of mainly the American forces that landed on Utah Beach and the surrounding countryside that want to visit the area and learn what happened to their loved ones. David even has a memorial in his front garden and is becoming a great historian for this area. We have been invited back to his place on the 6th June this year to meet two remaining members of the 101st Airborne Division.Our time is coming to an end here in Angoville au Plain and we are starting to plan the next leg of our journey around France before we decide it's time to come home. No doubt there will be more wonderful things to see and rest assured we will tell you all about it on this blog.

Don't forget there are many photos we have uploaded to our website gallery here.

Au revoir

The push north...

Friday 15th February 2013

We have arrived in Normandy at our next house sit. A lovely farmhouse built in 1700 with its own moat and used in World War II as the Forward Command Post by the 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles). It is right behind Utah Beach with lots of history to explore over the next few weeks. The owners have kindly let us use their car whilst we are here.

The drive here was relaxed and easy as we keep forgetting how uncrowded the French roads are meaning you can plan to drive far greater distances in one go than you would normally consider in the UK. The sun came out half way and has shone for us ever since we arrived.

A friend of the owners of the house came over with a set of keys for us and being an avid historian himself on the local history, soon advised us on the best places to go and visit. We are both amazed by the bravery of those who fought in the D Day landings and the resulting history is everywhere. The church next to us was used by the 101st Airborne as a military hospital and still has its bloodstained pews.

We took Bradley to Utah Beach the next day and it was lovely to smell and be beside the sea again as we have been landlocked since last August. Bradley went loopy on the sand and after a good walk we all went back for a lovely tea and what better movie to watch than Band of Brothers.

Our new website album 'Normandy' has been started and can be seen here

Lots to see and visit over the next few weeks so back again soon.

Au revoir!

Back in the motorhome!

Tuesday 12th February 2012
We are packing up the Farmhouse here in Aigurande ready to travel north to our next house sit, few days travel and arriving in Normandy near Carentan on Friday. We will settle into our new house till the end of March when all the campsites are open again. This new house was captured from the Germans in World War II and used as a forward command post by the 101st Airborne Division so looking forward to walking on Utah Beach and the surrounding history. Catch up again when we have arrived.

Where did the time go?

Sunday 3rd February 2013

Just realised how much time has passed since our last blog. we are still having a lovely but peaceful time here in the centre of France. Believe it or not we have had plenty to do but as yet do not need a diary apart from reminding us of family birthdays etc back home. It is so easy now to fit in with the local lifestyles around here and one thing we enjoy is going out for lunch every so often. Its a strict 12 o'clock stop for lunch as all of France stops work and the local brassieres and restaurants quickly fill up with locals giving a lovely atmosphere. One waitress who speaks good english and loves Bradley has spent some time chatting to us at our table telling us how the French feel about various issues which has been really interesting.

Lorraine's shoulder is gradually getting better now so I will have to watch the left hook again soon!, it's the swimming that seems to be doing the trick and one more trip to the local physiotherapist before we move north next week should make things even better.

The sheep are constantly getting stuck as they search for more food in amongst the brambles, I now have a technique on quick extraction without getting thorns stuck in me everywhere. The one that got wedged in between the large rolled hay in the barn was another issue though and had me doing gymnastics by crawling over these large rolls of hay that stand higher than me and hanging onto the beams before she finally reversed and saw the light of day again. I must have been swinging from the rafters for about 10 minutes and later Ruth pointed out there was a door I could have used to get in to the stuck sheep!… duhhh, I'll never get my shepherds badge at this rate!

It rained on Friday so we drove to Chateauroux to get some bits and bobs and have lunch. Not much to see as it was a very wet day but only one unlike the poor UK. We watch the weather maps and for whatever reason all the bad weather seems to curl right over and around the UK, yes we get wind and rain here but it doesn't last and there are many drier days for things to recover.

Today we are giving the motorhome an early spring clean and start to get things ready to move north. We plan to leave here on the 13th or 14th Feb to arrive and be settled in our next house sit on the 15th Feb. 

Thats about it for now so will check in again soon.

Au revoir!

Sheep worrying dogs!

Sunday 20th January 2012

Another week has passed and its only 4 more weeks before we move on again to our next house sit in Normandy. We will be right by the landing beaches used in the second World War so looking forward to visiting that area. 

Nothing much has happened here and the cold weather and snow is with us now so thank goodness we are not in the motorhome for a while, we remembered to drain all the water out and every now and then we go for a drive to keep the batteries charged. There is a pleasant town called La Chatre about 30 minutes drive away where we visit a lovely restaurant called Fredys that has to have the oldest and biggest radiator in France. The owner see's us come in out of the cold and immediately points to the table for two right by the radiator, the hats and gloves are placed on the top ready to go an hour or so later. Needless to say lunch is not rushed and we have a lovely meal before walking back to the supermarket where we have parked the motorhome before doing a shop and returning to base.

On the farm I am getting my animal skills back now as the sheep will often get caught in bramble or tangled in a fence somewhere so you have to be on your guard. Also their water gets constantly frozen over so that needs regular thawing. Ruth who owns the sheep has two lovely dogs, one is a flat coat retriever called 'Dillon' and the other a very large and shy Griffon (French Hunting Dog) called 'Stella'. Bradley loves them both and on a recent visit Ruth suggested I bring him in the field with the sheep as Dillon and Stella are both used to them. I had him on the lead at first as Bradley has never been allowed off his lead near sheep, as we walked into the field suddenly the whole flock were behind Bradley sniffing his rear and watching his every move from about a foot behind, my goodness these Dutch sheep are really friendly to dogs as well!. I was told to let him off so with a bit of hesitation I released the catch on his collar and Bradley shot off like he normally does being watched by the sheep from a distance. Bradley has a good nose for a delicacy and he suddenly realised like a kid in a sweetshop that there were very tasty blackcurrant shaped things all over the floor in neat heaps that he could feast on!, some where still warm which made it even more pleasant!. At this point the watching sheep took a dim view of what he was eating and without warning made a charge in his direction and the 'back to front' French sheep trails started with the sheep in hot pursuit of Bradley. With all this going on Stella decided it was time for a poo so she stopped to do what dogs do in fields when suddenly the 'pack' turned towards Stella and chased her off!. I was in hysterics by now and wished I had my camera as the sheep wouldn't let poor Stella stop anywhere until we all got out of the field.

 We have met some more friends called Tom & Rosemary (Who used to live in Braunton) who now Iive at a nearby town called Bonnat. We were supposed to be going over today for lunch but unfortunately the snow has prevented this. We have plenty of time so will reschedule for another day. Lorraine will meet Rosemary over in La Chatre on Tuesday for a swim at the towns swimming pool so it will be another visit to Fredys as well.

Thats about it for now so will check in again soon

Au revoir!

Smell that bread!

Made our first French bread today following a simple traditional recipe and it turned out a treat. Of course you just have to have it with real butter (The French wouldn't have anything less!) and it did literally melt in your mouth.
Whilst we have the time I am also perfecting a fantastic curry recipe using all natural ingredients, something I have always wanted to do and so far with the second attempt we are nearly there. Just got to find some better chilli's in the market and it will be the perfect curry. 
Lots more time now to try some traditional local recipes and using the log burning oven and hot plate to cook with is a real treat.
More pictures of the progress can be seen here

That will teach me!

On a hectic shop over Christmas I bought some quality sparkling wine to make our Kia Royale drinks, I knew it must be good as the locals were buying it!. Last night on closer inspection whilst making said Kia Royale I had only gone and bought 'Sans Alcool' Sparkling Wine.... That translates to 'Alcohol Free' in English 

I really must learn more of the language! :-(

Fête Day

Tuesday 1st January 2013
Happy New Year everyone and today is a 'Fête Day' here in France. The meaning being a 'Day of Feasting'. Its starting with a giant fruit brioche (Local speciality) for Breakfast followed by home made Tarte Nature (Like a giant custard tart) which leads nicely to the Roast Duck and cranberries with real English type roast potatoes!!. I won't mention the pudding but its huge and made of chocolaty type stuff before the selection of local cheeses and sausages come out. Things lighten up a little then when the hot toasted garlic bread and goats cheese is made and if you feel hungry there is a multitude of light snacks to have whilst it is all being washed down with local wines, d'Artigney (Sparkling wine) and shots of Creme de Cassis. 
And..... not a box of Quality Street in sight!!

Bonne appétit!

Wide Open Spaces!

Saturday 29th December 2012

We have now moved in and it's been just over a week settling back into this way of living again with a proper roof over our heads!.

Did we sleep well the first night?… well, all I can say can you remember when you have suddenly touched something very hot and your reaction?, we had only slept in single beds up until now and falling asleep was no problem it was when suddenly we touched each other and the instant leap to one side thinking "who is that in my bed"???. These jerky reactions soon stopped however and we were warm and snuggled like a pair of dormouse in our massive expanse of sleeping area.

The little farmhouse we have is lovely and is part of barns and stables which I expect one day will be converted to provide more accommodation of some sort. There is also lots of land and Bradley would look back at me when I let him out the door as if to say "can I really run around like a mad thing, is this field just outside my own front door"?. There are two large fires that need a constant supply of logs so after I had passed my chainsaw authorisation, I am now stock piling logs in one of the many barns!. The kitchen is typical of a large French type with big long table to do all your work on and a large old Aga type heater and cooker. We have already cooked a fantastic curry on there slowly cooking all day and plan do make some of our own French bread.

We are about 1km from the centre of Aigurande which is a small sleepy town and it's nice to walk into the Boulangerie for our bread and we even have a decent sized supermarket so no need for transport to get around. We can of course take the motorhome to visit other areas if we want as parking is so easy in France.

Christmas has come and gone and New Year will be upon us in a couple of days. The French celebrate things slightly different here and shops really do close down regularly which is good, but you have to make sure you have what you need. Christmas day was so quiet, everywhere was shut and not a car in sight, on the BBC news all we saw were shops open, queues of traffic three lanes deep on motorways and unfortunately fatal road traffic accidents, such a difference between countries. Living as local people now were are noticing things more and it is so interesting to see the different lifestyles and expectations. 

With UK TV and decent broadband we can certainly keep in touch so look out for the next instalment!

Bonne Journée

Frozen Velcro

Monday 17th December 2012We have lots to tell and some really exciting news as it's been a hectic couple of weeks! We were a little concerned about what exactly we were going to do over the Christmas period as up until now we just make things up as we go along but this time there was a need for some proper organising. The small problem that faced us was the growing depth of snow and ice and the only campsites open were now the big Ski resorts. We had never geared ourselves up for the winter snows as we would have probably been back in the UK but the accident in Italy had put us back about 3 months in total. The expensive insurance policies of various types we had in force, still with over 6 months left to run would also expire as soon as we re-enter the UK and we would have to take out new policies if we returned back into Europe, so we were trying to avoid that option. Also it is law in Germany and the Alpine regions to have proper winter tyres fitted or risk a heavy fine so at over £800 for a set of four tyres we now wanted to head for lower ground and France. That's not to say we had enjoyed the snow especially Bradley and it is certainly different kind of snow all dry, powdery and warmer than the snow we get in the UK!. 
The internet was in overdrive now looking at every option and we came up with the idea of house sitting. With now large ex-pat communities that have escaped the UK and living in Europe there always seemed to be a house sitting opportunity available. We quickly joined the many house sitters registered for Europe, got some references and sat back and waited for the call. Also we had contacted our friend Phil in the centre of France and enquired if he knew of any houses that were available for us for short term. Within a few days Phil contacted us and had found a lovely farmhouse that was available in a lovely location next to a small town with all the facilities we needed and most importantly somewhere safe to park the motorhome. 
The maps were out and we were quickly plotting the course out of Germany 800 kilometres west towards Aigurande in France.The overnight freeze down to minus -10 was pretty severe that night but the blue sky told us it was probably going to be a good day to travel. It normally takes us about 30 minutes to get everything packed away and the engine started but the size of icicles and frozen everything was going to dictate otherwise. Firstly the waste water outlet was frozen solid and as there was almost a half tank (50 litres) we needed to offload this before driving. So out came Lorraine's hair dryer and with the aid of an extension lead 30 minutes later the plastic piping and tap defrosted. Next thing was the satellite dish, there was no way we could detract that so a bit like opening the hatch on a submarine out I went with the hair dryer through a roof window giving the dish and motors a nice morning blow dry. The strangest thing and something I had never come across before was frozen velcro. That is used at the front to stop the large silver cab window insulation covers flapping about and it would just not budge at all. Water had got into the velcro and then frozen solid making the seal better that super glue!. The hairdryer would not reach so it was down to me to huff and puff my hottest breath on it. Thankfully a few minutes later, out of breath and cross eyed the velcro started to rip away with some pretty awful cracking sounds to go with it!. Over an hour later and with the roads now ploughed and gritted we were heading for France.

Vive la France!

What's all the fuss about!

Wednesday 5th December 2012

We all know living in the UK the stigma and effect that even a light fall of snow will have on our roads and transport system. I always grew up thinking that it was always going to be like that coz 'thats how it was' until we came to Germany and saw the other side. They really do cope so well with ice and snow here and I would put it down to a simple thing like the Government like to invest properly and can see the importance of keeping things moving for all concerned. 

We woke up this morning to really heavy snow and had planned to drive 35km into Konstanz for the day to visit the Christmas Markets. Seeing that amount of snow and driving a motorhome would have been a big NO in the UK but the faith and confidence you have here in the German road networks makes the day carry on as normal. The Germans really do manage their snow with fleets of snow ploughs gritting all day long!. Even in smaller villages there are smaller ploughs and gritters driven by local farmers. The thing that really stood out was the teams of people clearing footpaths and cycle tracks..It would take a lot for this place to grind to a halt! 
Short clip from our driving camera can be seen here.

A few have been asking how we are keeping warm especially with a weekend night low of minus -16 expected. The technology of motorhomes has thankfully changed with the times and we bought our Hymer as it was made in Germany and has one of the most advanced insulated body systems on the market. Linked to that dual fuel blown air central heating and we are as warm as toast. We can chose the source of fuel on a dial from electric if hooked up or gas if we are out and about. Also we can choose both gas and electric to work together and then it gets really hot!, we have only used that once but had to set the thermostat very low!.

Auf Wiedersehen 

Frohes Fest!

Sat 1st December 2012
(Dont forget to click the links of coloured text for more information)

We have stayed put for a few days now so that we could visit one of the most traditional German Christmas Markets at Rothenburg and the wait was all worth it! The opening was yesterday and the day before the big freeze suddenly arrived and with it the snow. It was touch and go in the morning but the snowing finally stopped and we edged out of the campsite to one of the special parking areas they have for visiting motorhomes right next to the old city walls. We all wrapped up and Bradley wore his new coat for the first time and didn't we need it with temperatures struggling to get above freezing. 

It all added to the atmosphere and once inside the predominantly traffic free walls the feel of Christmas was soon about us. First thing was to try and fine a hairdresser for Lorraine as the locks were getting a little out of control and needed taming. We found a nice salon and the excited shriek of the stylist when Lorraine took her hat off said it all. I was shown a comfortable seat with a nice coffee whilst Bradley was treated to loads of treats and cuddles from the remaining staff. We keep forgetting that in most of Europe dogs can go virtually anywhere. Over an hour later Lorraine emerged with a satisfying grin and we said our goodbyes to the nice staff.

The next stop was lunch and there was so much to chose from. A very nice and traditional hotel with a traditional Franconian menu looked just the ticket and after another check that Bradley was allowed, in we went. The inside was all decked out with the most tasteful decorations and we were made to feel very welcome. Rothenburg is a bit too inland for the hoards of coaches that visit the German Markets from the West side  of Europe so it was nice just mixing with the locals and a few Japanese tourists. We soon chose two traditional rustic recipes from the Frankonia (Franken) region and washed down with a half a litre of local beer was just the ticket. (I was soon going to regret that amount of beer when I hit the freezing temperatures outside!)

After a relaxed lunch out we went again taking in the beautiful old town which is like a movie film set and dates back over a 1000 years. Thankfully the excellent public loos were in abundance and thankfully I didn't have more than one beer. It was soon time for afternoon coffee and cakes and we found a 700yr old hotel and café which had the most wonderful seating area within an old library. They also had the most divine Franconian pastries and cakes to sample in the most relaxed and typical German laid back fashion. 

It was almost dark when we emerged back outside again and more and more people were arriving. We could understand why as the Christmas lights were just wonderful. It was like stepping back in time, no flashing blue strobe effects or animated Santa's climbing an electric chimney stack out here, just hand made candle powered or tasteful white twinkling lights. It was the warm local welcome and costume that also made the day. Tradition is you go and hire your cup (Tasse) and then visit the numerous street stalls that serve the 'Gluhwein' (Glow Wine) and drink it stood around the many street tables provided.

5 o'clock arrived and we all met in the main market square (Marktplatz) for the opening ceremony. The choir singing familiar carols in German was lovely and the mayor officially opened the event to the sounds of the local brass band. Being a keen photographer I climbed up the back steps of the town hall and got an elevated position just behind the stage and who did I bump into hiding in the shadows?… none other than old St Nicolas himself. A young American couple with a small child had followed me up and I'll never forget the little boys 'WHAW" when Santa Claus turned around to him in the darkness and said hello in German. You didn't need to understand the language seeing the boys face and I managed to get a great shot as Santa bent down opened his huge sack and gave the boy a handful of small treats….priceless!.

I also managed to shoot a bit of video of the opening ceremony which can be seen by clicking here but my video skills aren't as good as my photography.

After another hour of walking about we had to return to the campsite after a brief visit to the local supermarket as we didn't want to be out and about too late in the motorhome. We had experienced a truly magical day and will never forget Rothenburg and its warm hospitality. 

A brief day catching up and then its off down the Autobahn tomorrow (Sunday) to Lake Konstanz where we hope to visit some more lovely Christmas Markets. We have decided to stick to the main roads now as the weather is really wintery.

Frohes Fest (Merry Christmas) to you all!

The innocence (or ignorance) of the traveller....

German for night = nacht
German for naked = nackt
Both are vurtually pronounced the same way especially for two numpties trying to learn the basics...
Soo.. Lorraine has just learnt from a campsite owner that could speak good english that she has been asking for the last few weeks if she could "stay naked for 2 please" instead of  "can we stay for 2 nights please"
Ooops!

Bottoms up!

Sat 24th November 2012

Well, here we are still in Germany and likely to stay here for some time yet. Going from country to country it's amazing how different the way of life is considering how close they all are and how the border controls have virtually disappeared.

We found Germany the most difficult country to come to terms with but there was something there that kept us from running off to another country. I think the biggest hurdle has been the language and yes we should learn it and we have tried but it is a really difficult language to learn. People have been really good and thankfully are willing to practice their English back to you but they like you to try a bit of German as well. The Germans like their home comforts and that extends to campsites where the facilities are super heated and of a very high standard. The campsite owners are very relaxed and over the last two weeks we have literally been the only people moving about in a motorhome and the exclusive use of the facilities makes us feel very important!. When another motorhome turns up we feel it's quite an intrusion!.

Germany also has some lovely parts to explore even in the depths of winter and we have really explored beyond where the average tourist would tread. We have found hidden Roman ruins, sleeping villages, local ferry crossings on the Rhein and even the odd cafe or restaurant to sample the fantastic beers on offer. Yes, they certainly can boast to have the best beers in Europe. The stuff you buy in the UK is so watered down and needs to be the way that binge drinking occurs. Drinking beer out here is more like having a cup of coffee as it's drunk more socially and slowly. We haven't seen one drunk or wino' with his bottle in the local park, that's not to say there may be some in the larger cities. 

Last week we decided to drive alongside two of the two largest rivers in Germany, the Mosel and the Rhein. Both spectacular with winding valleys shrouded in vineyards (Rhineland) and a very busy commercial shipping in the shape of massive barges chugging up and down all day to ease the strain of HGV's on the countries road network. One lunchtime we stopped for dinner beside the Rhein watching all this activity sail past us, it was fascinating. On going into the town we found one of Germany's top Stein producers so I am now the proud owner of my first original German Stein with which to sip the many locally made beers we come across so often. 

Passing through some small villages in Germany is like stepping back in time, we have noticed how much they look after things out here, you can see really old tractors and cars still in use that would have been thrown away a long time ago in other countries. The fashion is another thing as that doesn't seem to have caught up with the rest of Europe yet. What you get instead is just really good quality of everything. Everything is made really well using the best parts and produce and it's this that literally keeps things lasting so much longer.

We are loving it and even more now that it's nearly the first Advent which means the Christmas Markets open next week!. We have stumbled upon Rothenburg considered to be one of Europe's most beautiful medieval towns having one of Germany's oldest and best Christmas Market. So with some snow forecast its going to be an exciting December this year.

Auf Wiedersehen

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris)..

Guess who managed to find one of these and stupidly try to chase it?.. Its the size of Bradley and once it turned and hissed at him he thankfully came running back to me!!. We are deep in the Forest regions now with lots of Wild Boar as well so its lead and harness from now on!