7 September
‘Au revoirs’ to our friendly camp neighbours and headed north, through Rochefort with its thermal spas, crossed over ‘La Charente’ passing cultivated corn fields and ripe sunflower waiting to be harvested. Through Surgères, skirting the Marais Poitevin
and over the Sèvre-Niortaise.
Onto a small country road through charming old farm towns where we stopped at Vautebis for a picnic, under trees by the church. Skirted Poitiers, through the countryside and the walled town of Mirebeau. 
Found an ‘Aires’ outside the beautiful town of Richelieu, situated in the Indre-et-Loire, Loire Valley region, 50kms from Tours. The town takes it’s name from it’s founder, Cardinal Richelieu, who after King Louis XIII, was the most powerful person in France. In 1625 he commissioned the famous architect Jacques Lemercier to design his palace and then the town bearing his name.
Went for a lovely walk around the grounds of Richelieu’s former palace, it had been damaged and plundered during the French Revolution and was later demolished. Looked like it was a very opulent residence judging by the model on display and the
size of the grounds.
Wandered through the charming old town which interestingly enough is built in a grid style which many modern cities now follow. Met Olivier who was extremely knowledgeable about the whole region and had been holidaying in NZ in February. It’s a small world!
8 September
Travelling through the beautiful Loire countryside dotted with vineyards, wine chateaux and stone villages towards Tours. Directions to the various Chateaux located around Langeais bought back wonderful biking memories from 2012. Skirting Tours, our GPS tried to take us through a very low tunnel so we had to back track, then the co-ordinates seemed to be incorrect and we never found our designated camp situated between Amboise and Tours in Montlouis.
We stopped, regrouped and headed to another camp, camping ‘Couleurs du Monde’. Situated in parkland grounds with swimming pool, restaurant and a supermarket nearby. A great location close to Montrichard , surrounded by chateaux and vineyards in the Loire Valley. (15 euros). Just what we wanted!
9 September
Made the most of the variable weather and caught the train into Tours from Montrichard, just up the road from the camp on the other side of the Cher. (25.60 euros return for two). A nice half hour ride through the countryside.
Tours is the capital of the Touraine region, situated between the Cher and Loire rivers and a hub for exploring the chateaux of the Loire Valley region.
It is a buzzy, laid back university town with lots of apartment block accommodation for the students. Lots of funky bars, eateries and bistros - the wok cuisine seems very popular and smells good!
Saw all the sights including the charming ‘old town’ encircling ‘Place Plumereau’ (‘Place Plum’) with it’s half-timbered medieval town houses, cafés/bars and restaurants; Tours Chateau, the beautiful Gothic ‘Cathedral St-Gatien’ and ‘Tour Charlemagne’, the remaining north tower of Romanesque ‘St Martin’s Bascilica'. 
Enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the Loire and strolled the nearby Moroccan markets, walked the eighteenth century boulevards lined with shops, each with a very efficient tram service running down the centre.
After a wonderful day exploring, caught the 5.15pm train back to Montrichard. Walked through the centre of town, back over the Cher for a view of the town and ruins of the dungeon. The much bigger fortress was destroyed by the English.
10 September
A lazy day catching up!
11 September
A picturesque bike ride exploring the Cher Valley, made more challenging by the wind. Started at Montrichard following the Cher, popped into Chenonceau where we explored the beautiful Chateau Chenonceau in 2012. 
Onward through little stone villages, into the forest and farmer’s fields to Francueil. 
Onto the ‘route des vignobles’, a pretty ride through the vineyards via Faverolles-sur-Cher and St Julien de Chédon to Montrichard. Back to camp just in time to beat the downpour. A fun 35kms.
Heading to Amboise tomorrow to spend Pam’s birthday!
12 September
A sunny birthday! After coffee in bed, headed to Amboise and ‘Camping l’Ie d’Or’ situated on an island opposite the town in the Loire river (16.70 euros). Admired the beautiful sprawling ‘Château Royal’ overlooking the camp as we strolled over the bridge and into town. Amboise is an elegant town and a popular base for exploring chateaux, yet with all it’s visitors, it has managed to retain it’s charm.
Found a great little restaurant in the main street opposite the Château where we met Vincent, a ‘character’ who served us. Enjoyed a lunch of snails, chicken, cheese board, sorbets, wine and coffee. Perfect!
Headed down the road to Château du Clos Lucé where Leonardo de Vinci spent his last three years, sketching, tinkering and dreaming up new contraptions. Admired his paintings including ‘The Virgin and Child with St Anne’, his frescoes and were amazed by his inventions including flying machines, water irrigation, a motorbike, tank and bridge - many of his ideas are the basis of systems used today.
Continued on down the road to explore the surrounding woodland and market garden area with a glimpse of Château Gaillard (was owned by Charles VIII), before coffee and ‘pain au chocolat' back in town. An awesome day!
13 September
Off to Paris today, heading to a camp close to where our French friends live, 40kms north of Paris. Travelled 280kms through the countryside passed cultivated fields of wheat, corn waiting to be harvested, fields of turnips and market gardens. The rape is coming into bloom and dotting the landscape with ‘yellow’.
Our friends, René, Corinne, Guillaume and Justine picked us up from the camp and took us to their house 25kms from Paris in the village of Groslay, about a forty-five minute drive. Views of Van Gogh’s Chateau in Auvers-sur-Oise (closed for renovations) and the Eiffel Tower as we neared their house. A wonderful weekend catching up with lots of laughs ….. just not long enough! A beautiful beef bourguignon dinner with all the trimmings. Always wonderful to see them.
Walked through the countryside to L’Isle-Adam about 7 kms from our camp. A pretty town situated beside the Oise River and at the edge of a forest. The town is well-known for it’s quality of life, green spaces and river beach. Found the train station where we ‘sussed out’ the timetable and return cost to Paris as well as a campsite near the station.
Decided to follow the bike path back to our camp. A picturesque walk along the Oise River, into Valmondois and through the forest interspersed with magnificent homes and gardens. 25kms and getting dark, we were back at camp.
19 September
Went exploring L’Isle Adam with it’s ‘Salon d’Art’, previously home to the royalty now an Art and Sculpture Gallery, the River Beach - the largest in France with beach huts, sand and swimming pool and the Anglo Chinese Pavillion.
20 September
A perfect day for a trip into Paris, to remind us how beautiful this city is! Caught the train from L’Isle Adam/Parmain station early morning, a 40-minute ride. (30 euros return trip for 2 plus access to all public transport within Paris for the day).
Walked our feet off and metro’d to all the main sights and enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the Notre Dame. Paris is just as beautiful as ever even with the added high alert security measures. Armed Police and Army, some with tracker dogs, everywhere.
Back to camp early evening. An awesome day!
21 September
Left our camp and headed 230 kms towards Belgium via St Quentin on our way to meet friends in Antwerp tomorrow. Into the Picardy Region and turnip farms, through small brick villages, passed memorials and cemeteries to those who fought on the Somme beaches.
Found our designated ‘Aires’ in Bavay located on the border of France and Belgium.
22 September
After ‘pain au chocolat’ in the little town, evidently famous for it’s Roman remains, we ended up on a small ‘farmers road’ through the countryside. After 15 kms we crossed the border into Belgium and onto Antwerp and our friends. Fantastic to see Danny, Liesbeth, Sofie and Saar and meet Olive and Pepper - two Parsen Russell Terriers who are big trouble, but great fun! After a picturesque walk through the park we dined on a delicious dish of 'pigs cheek casserole' and talked and laughed the night away!
A fantastic day exploring Antwerp with our very knowledgeable guides including Olive and Pepper. Antwerp is Belgium’s second city and biggest port situated on the River Scheldt with history dating back to the Middle Ages. It’s a working city with ‘lots of potential’!
Had lunch near the ‘skater park’ and coffee at Danny’s mum’s and Ronny’s hair salon. The salon is on the ground floor of of their 1614 characteristic four storied 1950’s themed apartment, and includes walls painted by Ronnie with beautiful ballet scenes.
Walked the main streets with it’s shopping malls and cafe filled lanes and enjoyed Belgium’s famous beers at one of the beer bars.
Danny drove us all 94 kms to Bruges in northwest Belgium. This ‘fairy tale’ historic city is a World Heritage Site of UNESCO and it’s port, Zeebrugge, is an important centre for fishing and European trade.
We strolled the picturesque cobbled lanes with their medieval buildings, outdoor eateries and market squares, historic churches and the old convent, over the bridges and along the beautiful canals.
25 September
Rode our bikes along the bike path and ‘shared roads’ into Amsterdam. Had an orientation day starting at Central Station and walking through the stunning canal streets lined with characteristic seventeenth and eighteenth century canal houses, parks, flower market, historic sites. Had a tasty ‘wok’ lunch in one of the narrow alleyways near Dam Square. There are routes for cars, trams, bikes, motor scooters and pedestrians all going the same way so we were careful to always look behind us before crossing to check if some form of transport was coming our way.
Col calls it ‘the city of silent death’ (in the nicest possible way :). Later on we joined the biking brigade for the ‘rush hour’ commute home. Seems you pedal as hard as you can through red lights and pedestrian stops whilst trying to avoid the motor scooters that share the bike path with you. Crazy but we did well! A great day even though we’re still a little unsure of the city’s ‘lay out’ as so many canals look the same. 26 kms we were back at camp enjoying coffees. Bought tickets to the ‘Van Gogh Museum’ from reception. (34 euros for 2).
Caught the metro, then tram to the ‘Van Gogh Museum’. The transport system here is an excellent integrated system that is easy to navigate and cost effective with very high frequency. Trams, buses, ferries and the Metro which evidently have around 1900 stops in total.
The Museum is located in Museum Square in the south of Amsterdam and has the largest collection of Van Gogh paintings and drawings in the world. Enjoyed a couple of hours admiring Van Gogh’s works as well as some of his contemporaries, and learning more about his life. His portraits, ‘The Yellow House’ and ‘Sunflowers’ were among our favourites.
Afterwards we caught the tram to Central Station, walked to Dam Square with it’s beautiful seventeenth century Royal Palace and spent hours meandering the canal systems.
Enjoyed the smaller canals lined with funky eateries/bars and canal houses with their varied architecture adding to the charm and character of this city.
Early evening we met our Kiwi friend Sam at ‘The Amsterdam Dungeon’ and headed to one of the small canals near Dam Square for drinks overlooking the canal then dinner in a cute ‘Hummus’ eatery. The city looks even more beautiful at night with monuments and historic sites overlooking the canals highlighted with spot lights.
Had an entertaining evening strolling the Red Light District southeast of Central Station. Display windows with scantily clad ‘pretty ladies’ line some of the streets as well as strip shows, bars, coffee shops and sex museums. We also discovered a charming warren of medieval alleyways and eateries. Evidently fashion studios, art galleries and creative enterprises are encouraged here in an effort to clean up the district. It's a pretty part of the city, we had fun and now have a much better idea of the ‘lay out’ of the city!
Walked 4 kms around the ‘housing estates’ to the nearest village near the camp for groceries. Decided to take it easy to shake off our heavy colds we acquired from the cold snap here. Raining on and off. Chatted to Peggy and Bruce, both characters from Idaho, with their 1991 Hymer called Willie.
Feeling good and looking forward to meeting up with Manon and Sanda at 2pm today in Amstel! They live about an hour north of Amsterdam. Decided to spend the morning strolling Vondel Park and wandering through the streets, alleyways and along the canals of central Amsterdam. Got off the metro in Amstel where we met Sanda and Manon - awesome! Had a wonderful long chatty lunch along the Amstel canal at De Ysbreekers cafe/restaurant then headed towards the city centre.
Stopped at Rembrandt Square (Rembrandtplein) one of the major squares in central Amsterdam and a hotspot for nightlife. Lined with restaurants, bars, shops and nightclubs. Had dinner near Dam Square at a great little restaurant, ‘t'Pakhuis’ and chatted the evening away.
2 October
Off to the Kinderdijk windmills today! After hugs from Peggy and Bruce, we drove one hour south to Alblasserdam just below Rotterdam in the province of South Holland. Found ‘Camper Park Kinderdijk’, 6 kms from the windmills. The Kinderdijk windmills are a group of 19 monumental windmills and are part of the village of Kinderdijk. Built in the mid-1700’s as a way to clear water from the low-lying landscape in the western Netherlands. They are continuing to help manage the ongoing fight to keep the land above water.
12 September
A sunny birthday! After coffee in bed, headed to Amboise and ‘Camping l’Ie d’Or’ situated on an island opposite the town in the Loire river (16.70 euros). Admired the beautiful sprawling ‘Château Royal’ overlooking the camp as we strolled over the bridge and into town. Amboise is an elegant town and a popular base for exploring chateaux, yet with all it’s visitors, it has managed to retain it’s charm. 
Found a great little restaurant in the main street opposite the Château where we met Vincent, a ‘character’ who served us. Enjoyed a lunch of snails, chicken, cheese board, sorbets, wine and coffee. Perfect! 
Wandered the ‘Chateau Royal’ with it’s panoramic views of the river and surrounding countryside. It was used mainly as a weekend getaway from the royal seat in nearby Blois. Charles VIII (thirteenth century) was born and bred here, François I (fourteenth century) who built Chambord, also grew up here with his sister. François I adored the Renaissance and later invited his good friend De Vinci to work at nearby Clos Lucé under his patronage.
Headed down the road to Château du Clos Lucé where Leonardo de Vinci spent his last three years, sketching, tinkering and dreaming up new contraptions. Admired his paintings including ‘The Virgin and Child with St Anne’, his frescoes and were amazed by his inventions including flying machines, water irrigation, a motorbike, tank and bridge - many of his ideas are the basis of systems used today. 
Walked the expansive and beautiful Château gardens winding through the forest and along rivers containing paintings and replicas of De Vinci’s inventions.
Continued on down the road to explore the surrounding woodland and market garden area with a glimpse of Château Gaillard (was owned by Charles VIII), before coffee and ‘pain au chocolat' back in town. An awesome day!13 September
Explored the town and Col had a haircut. Walked the Loire before the high winds and afternoon showers.
14 September
Off to Paris today, heading to a camp close to where our French friends live, 40kms north of Paris. Travelled 280kms through the countryside passed cultivated fields of wheat, corn waiting to be harvested, fields of turnips and market gardens. The rape is coming into bloom and dotting the landscape with ‘yellow’. 
Via Chatres, onto the Paris ‘peripherique nord’ and through Paris, 18kms from the centre the Eiffel Tower looms.
Into the countryside and the ‘Parc natural du Vexin français' to the village of Nesles-la-Valle where a ‘gendarme’ guided us up the narrow, hilly streets to a small rural camp, ’Camping
Nesles-la-Valle’, 2kms from the town. (21 euros).
15 September
It’s raining off and on, great catch-up day!
16 September and 17 September
Our friends, René, Corinne, Guillaume and Justine picked us up from the camp and took us to their house 25kms from Paris in the village of Groslay, about a forty-five minute drive. Views of Van Gogh’s Chateau in Auvers-sur-Oise (closed for renovations) and the Eiffel Tower as we neared their house. A wonderful weekend catching up with lots of laughs ….. just not long enough! A beautiful beef bourguignon dinner with all the trimmings. Always wonderful to see them.
Back to camp on Sunday where Chantelle and Joe were waiting for us. Mutual friends suggested they meet us for a chat as they’re planning to visit New Zealand in February. They own a B and B in the centre of Paris. Lovely to meet them and a pleasure assisting with their itinerary.
18 September
Walked through the countryside to L’Isle-Adam about 7 kms from our camp. A pretty town situated beside the Oise River and at the edge of a forest. The town is well-known for it’s quality of life, green spaces and river beach. Found the train station where we ‘sussed out’ the timetable and return cost to Paris as well as a campsite near the station. 
Decided to follow the bike path back to our camp. A picturesque walk along the Oise River, into Valmondois and through the forest interspersed with magnificent homes and gardens. 25kms and getting dark, we were back at camp.19 September
Left our rural campsite and headed to the camp we found yesterday near L’Isle Adam and about 3 kms from the train station. The owner described the camp as a ‘Parisienne camp’, as most of the ‘campers’ are permanent residents who work in Paris and live in mobile homes or caravans. The camp is only 40 kms from Paris.
Went exploring L’Isle Adam with it’s ‘Salon d’Art’, previously home to the royalty now an Art and Sculpture Gallery, the River Beach - the largest in France with beach huts, sand and swimming pool and the Anglo Chinese Pavillion. 20 September
A perfect day for a trip into Paris, to remind us how beautiful this city is! Caught the train from L’Isle Adam/Parmain station early morning, a 40-minute ride. (30 euros return trip for 2 plus access to all public transport within Paris for the day).
Walked our feet off and metro’d to all the main sights and enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the Notre Dame. Paris is just as beautiful as ever even with the added high alert security measures. Armed Police and Army, some with tracker dogs, everywhere. 
Back to camp early evening. An awesome day!
21 September
Left our camp and headed 230 kms towards Belgium via St Quentin on our way to meet friends in Antwerp tomorrow. Into the Picardy Region and turnip farms, through small brick villages, passed memorials and cemeteries to those who fought on the Somme beaches. 
Found our designated ‘Aires’ in Bavay located on the border of France and Belgium.
After ‘pain au chocolat’ in the little town, evidently famous for it’s Roman remains, we ended up on a small ‘farmers road’ through the countryside. After 15 kms we crossed the border into Belgium and onto Antwerp and our friends. Fantastic to see Danny, Liesbeth, Sofie and Saar and meet Olive and Pepper - two Parsen Russell Terriers who are big trouble, but great fun! After a picturesque walk through the park we dined on a delicious dish of 'pigs cheek casserole' and talked and laughed the night away!
23 September
A fantastic day exploring Antwerp with our very knowledgeable guides including Olive and Pepper. Antwerp is Belgium’s second city and biggest port situated on the River Scheldt with history dating back to the Middle Ages. It’s a working city with ‘lots of potential’! 
There is construction work everywhere targeting infrastructure, restoring old buildings and creating a
dynamic restaurant and entertainment area around the port and along the river. Roamed the city with it’s Diamond District and characteristic Flemish Renaissance architecture down to the port. Walked the nine floors to the top of the ‘Museum By The Stream’ and admired the view. 
Had lunch near the ‘skater park’ and coffee at Danny’s mum’s and Ronny’s hair salon. The salon is on the ground floor of of their 1614 characteristic four storied 1950’s themed apartment, and includes walls painted by Ronnie with beautiful ballet scenes. 
Walked the main streets with it’s shopping malls and cafe filled lanes and enjoyed Belgium’s famous beers at one of the beer bars.
24 September
Danny drove us all 94 kms to Bruges in northwest Belgium. This ‘fairy tale’ historic city is a World Heritage Site of UNESCO and it’s port, Zeebrugge, is an important centre for fishing and European trade. 
We strolled the picturesque cobbled lanes with their medieval buildings, outdoor eateries and market squares, historic churches and the old convent, over the bridges and along the beautiful canals. 
Lunch overlooking one of the canals and later on, another chatty evening whilst enjoying another of Liesbeth’s specialities.
25 September
After a wonderful stay we said ‘à bientôt’ and headed 160 kms to Amsterdam. Found ‘Gaasper Camping’ situated 13 kms from the central city and walking distance from the metro station. (19 euros plus tokens for showers and hot water, good free wifi). Evidently between thirteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries, Amsterdam grew from a small fishing village to a bustling multinational centre of commerce.
We’re looking forward to exploring the city! It’s late afternoon so we decided to take it easy to try and shake our colds.
26 September
Rode our bikes along the bike path and ‘shared roads’ into Amsterdam. Had an orientation day starting at Central Station and walking through the stunning canal streets lined with characteristic seventeenth and eighteenth century canal houses, parks, flower market, historic sites. Had a tasty ‘wok’ lunch in one of the narrow alleyways near Dam Square. There are routes for cars, trams, bikes, motor scooters and pedestrians all going the same way so we were careful to always look behind us before crossing to check if some form of transport was coming our way. 
Col calls it ‘the city of silent death’ (in the nicest possible way :). Later on we joined the biking brigade for the ‘rush hour’ commute home. Seems you pedal as hard as you can through red lights and pedestrian stops whilst trying to avoid the motor scooters that share the bike path with you. Crazy but we did well! A great day even though we’re still a little unsure of the city’s ‘lay out’ as so many canals look the same. 26 kms we were back at camp enjoying coffees. Bought tickets to the ‘Van Gogh Museum’ from reception. (34 euros for 2).
27 September
Caught the metro, then tram to the ‘Van Gogh Museum’. The transport system here is an excellent integrated system that is easy to navigate and cost effective with very high frequency. Trams, buses, ferries and the Metro which evidently have around 1900 stops in total. 
The Museum is located in Museum Square in the south of Amsterdam and has the largest collection of Van Gogh paintings and drawings in the world. Enjoyed a couple of hours admiring Van Gogh’s works as well as some of his contemporaries, and learning more about his life. His portraits, ‘The Yellow House’ and ‘Sunflowers’ were among our favourites.
Afterwards we caught the tram to Central Station, walked to Dam Square with it’s beautiful seventeenth century Royal Palace and spent hours meandering the canal systems.
Enjoyed the smaller canals lined with funky eateries/bars and canal houses with their varied architecture adding to the charm and character of this city. 
Early evening we met our Kiwi friend Sam at ‘The Amsterdam Dungeon’ and headed to one of the small canals near Dam Square for drinks overlooking the canal then dinner in a cute ‘Hummus’ eatery. The city looks even more beautiful at night with monuments and historic sites overlooking the canals highlighted with spot lights.
Had an entertaining evening strolling the Red Light District southeast of Central Station. Display windows with scantily clad ‘pretty ladies’ line some of the streets as well as strip shows, bars, coffee shops and sex museums. We also discovered a charming warren of medieval alleyways and eateries. Evidently fashion studios, art galleries and creative enterprises are encouraged here in an effort to clean up the district. It's a pretty part of the city, we had fun and now have a much better idea of the ‘lay out’ of the city!
28 September - 30 September
Walked 4 kms around the ‘housing estates’ to the nearest village near the camp for groceries. Decided to take it easy to shake off our heavy colds we acquired from the cold snap here. Raining on and off. Chatted to Peggy and Bruce, both characters from Idaho, with their 1991 Hymer called Willie.
1 October
Feeling good and looking forward to meeting up with Manon and Sanda at 2pm today in Amstel! They live about an hour north of Amsterdam. Decided to spend the morning strolling Vondel Park and wandering through the streets, alleyways and along the canals of central Amsterdam. Got off the metro in Amstel where we met Sanda and Manon - awesome! Had a wonderful long chatty lunch along the Amstel canal at De Ysbreekers cafe/restaurant then headed towards the city centre. 
Stopped at Rembrandt Square (Rembrandtplein) one of the major squares in central Amsterdam and a hotspot for nightlife. Lined with restaurants, bars, shops and nightclubs. Had dinner near Dam Square at a great little restaurant, ‘t'Pakhuis’ and chatted the evening away.
Later on, walked around the Red Light District, absolutely packed!
Good fun and great catching up with Manon and Sanda.
2 October
Off to the Kinderdijk windmills today! After hugs from Peggy and Bruce, we drove one hour south to Alblasserdam just below Rotterdam in the province of South Holland. Found ‘Camper Park Kinderdijk’, 6 kms from the windmills. The Kinderdijk windmills are a group of 19 monumental windmills and are part of the village of Kinderdijk. Built in the mid-1700’s as a way to clear water from the low-lying landscape in the western Netherlands. They are continuing to help manage the ongoing fight to keep the land above water.
Took the bike path from the camp along the Lek River battling the wind until we turned down a narrow road. Continued along a pretty bike path running alongside the the Hooge Boezem van de Nederwaard canal lined with the extraordinary old windmills.
3 October
Heading to Dunkirk today! Skirted Rotterdam into Belgium and skirted Antwerp onto the coast via Calais to 'Camping St Louis' near Ardres. Decided to stay overnight and look for a camp with good washing and drying facilities and fast internet.
Once again Lefty has been awesome, we've had a wonderful trip and will be back in 2018 to do it all over again!
3 October
Heading to Dunkirk today! Skirted Rotterdam into Belgium and skirted Antwerp onto the coast via Calais to 'Camping St Louis' near Ardres. Decided to stay overnight and look for a camp with good washing and drying facilities and fast internet.
4 October
Found ‘Camping Pommiers des Trois Pays’ in a former apple orchard in the little village of Licques, in the ‘Parc Natural Régional des Cap et Marais d’Opale, about 30kms from Dunkirk (17 euros). A great camp with good facilities, hot showers, friendly owners and a good base to explore the Opal Coast. We’ll spend the next four days here prepping Lefty before ‘he’ goes back into storage.
Once again Lefty has been awesome, we've had a wonderful trip and will be back in 2018 to do it all over again!
