24th – 29th July Ruhr Valley, Route Industriekultur

http://picasaweb.google.com/findthebinghams/24TH28THJulyRuhrgebeitBlog

We spent our 31st wedding anniversary with both champagne and rain, but didn’t notice the latter because of the former ….

Rick’s overwhelming desire to see the Industrial Route around the Ruhrgebeit led us to the Zollverein mine in Essen (another World Heritage Site). This had been the largest coal mine in Europe, highly mechanised and efficient (12000 tons per day). It is a vast acreage of gigantic industrial buildings, including an amazing coking plant - the size of the ovens and machinery, just the sheer scale of everything was quite mind-blowing. You could only feel very small and insignificant. Rick did the 2 hr guided tour of the buildings and machinery (I slept in the van). He couldn’t understand a word, but I think the machinery spoke for itself……

The mine closed in 1989, devastating communities – does this sound familiar to South Yorkshirites?

The fascination with Big Machinery was truly fuelled by our visit to Oberhausen. We’d already been up the converted gasometer, so spent 3 hours in the Industrial Museum of Heavy Industry, housed in 130 year old zinc smelting works. This was great - you could touch stuff and poke around in dusty corners.

Sheffield gets quite a few mentions in this part of Germany – the 53 ton monster steam hammer was one of ours, and CentrO, (claimed to be the ‘most unique shopping and leisure paradise’), was based on Meadowhell (yes, but is this a positive reflection?).

With lots of stops (and a sleep by the canal!) we cycled 30 km, to and from Duisport, to get a boat trip round the largest inland port in Europe –a whole different world! Scrap metal by the cube (literally), 120m long barges, coal mountains, oil terminals, massive locks, and - joy of joys – I saw containers being loaded on to a ship by a travelling crane. Please let me at it!


A wedding in a mine museum? It was really happening in the Wages Hall of Zeche Zollern in Dortmund. This was a mine like no other - an aesthetically beautiful group of neo-gothic buildings, with the most amazing art nouveau Engine House, built in 1930s. I’m okish on the architecture, but Rick did have to explain to me which were the compressors, the transformers and the winding engines – and, of course, what they did…. The exhibition was brilliant- lots of film clips, photos and equipment to play with. It gave a real feel for the day-to-day conditions (grim), and the social/political picture (grim).



On our way to the Black Forest, we spent the night on a Stellplatz in a real chocolate box place, Ladenberg, and crossed a very hairy car ferry, built for 6 cars – how big is our van…..? and why is it that there’s always an audience of men when I’m driving?

We’re now by Lake Titisee in Baden Wuttemberg, ready to pick up Ade, Will and Grace, along with Heather and Jono . We’re really looking forward to seeing them all.

We’ve managed to solve various little problems – autogas tank not filling, broken roof light, blown up inverter– all now solved by Rick. As you might expect!

20th – 23rd July 2007 Aachen and Dusseldorf

More pics to go with this bit of blog are at:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/findthebinghams/20th23rdJuly07AachenDusseldorfBlog

Aachen was a nice place to visit, especially as we sat in glorious hot sun, a beer in hand, listening to the great music played by Will (on sax) and his school’s Soul Band on the Kurgarten Terrasse. They’d played in Holland and Luxemburg already. Will is our nephew, and I felt very proud to be his Ant….. (sorry Will!)

Aachen had some other attractions too: the Gothic Rathaus and the Cathedral (a World Heritage Site), which house both the mortal remains of Charlemagne and some other significant relics – hence being a place of pilgrimage. We also found some very hot thermal springs (63 deg C), disappearing into drains – Rick was most upset at the waste of resources and is now re-designing..……

We had a pleasant drive through towns and villages and got side-tracked by a great campervan Stellplatz,15 metres from the Rhine in Dusseldorf, yet more super views of water activity. Sadly, Dusseldorf itself was less impressive – one of Germany’s wealthiest cities, full of banks and incredibly expensive shops, but not very inviting. A rather impersonal place in which traffic dominates, and drivers seem intolerant of others on the road, whether on wheels or feet. Redeeming features were the Altstadt, with its cobbled streets, 200 bars/kellers and the Town Hall (although why the horse? – see pic).

As for the fairground………Wow! This was the most amazing fair we’d ever seen – enormous, vibrant and brash - an auditory and visual experience/assault, with exotic food smells thrown in (Rick was drooling…..!). Some of the rides looked totally lunatic, (and so did some of the people who went on them…). I reckoned the kiddies Magic Bus would suit me, but Rick persuaded me to go on the Ferris Wheel – 200 feet up - ohmigodohmigodohmigod.

Rick, always keen to try out new food, ordered Leberkase and chips…….ha! we’d found the only spam restaurant in Dusseldorf. The sauerkraut made the dish a bit more mysterious!

We’ve found some lovely places to sit and drink coffee/beer while internetting (is it a verb yet?). We finally managed to talk to all 3 offspring on MSN, with the webcam too – this technology is great when it works!

We’re starting a collection of weird & wonderful museums; so far we have: the Senf (mustard) Museum, the Museum of Chess Pieces, and …….The German Occupational Safety and Health museum (just for Cath!). Actually, I gather it’s infinitely more exciting than it sounds.

We keep hearing about torrential rain and flooding – we’ve had a few downpours, but it’s generally warm and sunny. Hope your weather improves soon.

17th to 19th July 07 - Rotterdam

We’ve taken so many photos of the city – but you’ll be pleased to know we made a selection! See http://picasaweb.google.com/findthebinghams/17th19thJulyRotterdam

Rotterdam is a stunning place to visit - a definite ‘must’ for a long city break. Busy, cheerful and full of fascinating constructions and feats of design and engineering (Rick in his element here!). It has a really dramatic cityscape, and is rightly proud of being the City of Architecture 2007. It really is worth a visit.

A 75 min architecture boat trip (in glorious sun) took us past some amazing buildings, from an 1880 water treatment tower and the awe-inspiring Shipping and Transport College (see pic), the art deco America Line building and the Erasmus Bridge.

The 1984 Cube Houses (pic) are advertised as ‘impossible architecture’, and indeed they ware intriguing inside, being tilted cubes on stumpy towers. Mind you, I thought the whole complex had the feel of a slightly upmarket Hyde Park Flats with dangerous staircases and severe fire escape issues…….

We walked around the delightful old Schiedam area, with its narrow streets and meandering canals with 18/19thC boats (clippers, turfship(?). We found a delicious hand-made chocolate factory, and a jenever museum (still not sure what that was!). Friendly people and a lovely atmosphere.

We could cycle round the city easily – not only is it flat, but the cycle routes are so well-developed and bikes have priority. We’ve done quite a lot of cycling and Heather reckons we should have firm bums by now – ha! I’ll look forward to that happy event…..

We went to the National Architecture Institute to see an exhibition of work by Le Corbusier– a creative polymath, it seems – painting, sculpture, furniture design, houses, churches, flats (I could see where the concept for Park Hill came from).

However, the highlight was going up the 185 meter high Euromast – what a spectacular panorama across the city! especially when viewed from a rotating glass lift (I leaned back into my seat!). The experience was almost as good as eating the amazing icecream dessert in the brasserie, at 100 meters high, overlooking the harbour area and watching the huge barges charging about below – wow!

11th – 13th July 2007 Bruges - Ghent

We’re learning a bit more about managing emails and the blog – think we can now attach pictures……..try the link below to see photos relating to this bit of blog. ://picasaweb.google.co.uk/findthebinghams/11th13ThJuly07BrugesAndGhent

The windy weather is slowly improving, and is turning to hot sun – hooray! Rick is looking more and more laid back, and I’m feeling amazingly relaxed. We’re spending most nights in free parking areas (Aires) and seem to be settling into a very contented way of meandering around – long may it last.

We cycled back into Bruges to investigate windmills, lifting bridges, canals and Salvador Dali. The exhibition of his work was pretty comprehensive, but by ’eck. I wouldn’t have liked to have been a figment of his imagination! Seriously weird stuff, but beautifully crafted.

On the way to Ghent we got sidetracked by a Canadian War Museum in Adegem – I’m so pleased we saw it. It was created by the son of a resistance fighter in 1995, as a tribute to the Canadian, Polish and English liberators of Belgium, and as a reminder to the present generation. I learnt so much about the soldiers’ experiences, the life in Belgian, the conditions (mud) and war strategy. We saw cine film of actual battles and dioramas using mannequins in genuine kit, from bags to fags, and clothing to guns. It was such a splendid and thought-provoking tribute. (pics 2?)

We finally got to Ghent and spent the night on an aire in Blaarmeersen, overlooking the long, straight water sports lake, watching rowers, cyclists, runners, fishermen. (pic). Mind you, a mad Dutch woman woke us at 1.00 am, banging on the van and shouting cheerily – she’d mistaken our van for her friends down the road! We’re planning our revenge…………

Ghent has lovely medieval buildings in the centre, set on a series of canals, similar to Bruges, but with fewer tourists. This picture is of the dilapidated 16th Century Fish Market, with a future? We took a boat trip on the River Lys and learnt a bit of history about the cloth merchants and the powerful Guilds. Ghent is about to have a music (and beer) festival, which takes over the whole city for 10 days – 300,000 extra people! Not sure we’ll stay too long ………….

I discovered that a Leffe Blond beer makes your bike go wobbly and means you have to fall asleep on a canal-side bench in the middle of the city…… what will be the effect of 2, I wonder?

8th - 10th July ’07 – Dunquerke – Bruges
Rosi’s blog
I still can’t actually believe that we’re going to be doing this for a year – we both feel very relaxed and it seems easy to settle into a Nomadic existence (albeit with the comforts of a Hymer van which now feels like home). We’ve stayed on Aires for a week and have now left our stunning view over the sea at Dunkerque, and are on our first proper campsite, in Bruges – oh the luxury of a washing machine, power showers etc!

Many thanks for the blog comments – it’s lovely to hear from people, and we’re trying to reply as and when internet connections are strong enough. Our email seems easier to access, so you can send messages there too.

We spent some time cycling around the fabulously flat and well-marked Dunkerque cycle routes, particularly the vast dock area. It was originally laid out by Louis X1V’s engineer and still follows that foundation, (although it was destroyed by the British during the war, taking 6 years to rebuild, to become bigger and better). I found it full of exciting things to see, from massive oil-tankers going through locks and being ‘steered’ by a 1/4pint tug, to lifting bridges, enormous cranes and sand dunes. (See pic – those of you with good eyesight will note that Sheffield Wednesday fans get everywhere!)


















We also watched Le Tour de France – well, really, we saw a blur of bright colours whiz past! In fact, Le Tour kept haunting us through Belgium, via the many road blocks and diversions it created. By the time we got through it all, we completely missed Bruges, so spent the night beside a canal in a small village. Am very impressed with Belgium’s successful integration of cars, lorries, trams, bikes and pedestrians on its thoroughfares, while the vicious road humps are very effective at slowing traffic down! I hadn’t appreciated that Flanders was soooooo flat.

We cycled the 3 km into Bruges this afternoon – and I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s a very special city, full of history, art, canals, impressive architecture, winding streets - oh, and hundreds of bicycles. It’s all highly photogenic and choosing only a few pics was a challenge! The best 2.5 euros we spent was to see the the Stadhuis – a fabulously impressive building both inside and out. It’s Gothic Hall was just stunning, with beautiful murals depicting important events in its history.

Bruges (meaning ‘bridges’, apparently) seems to be constantly being built and rebuilt, with the old and the new working well together – we’re going back for more tomorrow!

4th – 7th July Arques – Dunkerque
Rick’s blog…

Whilst cycling around Arques and St Omer we found a Grand Design for our next house!>>>see

pic. Also visited Cristal D Arques show shop.

Found a very French style restaurant / bar called Les Frangins, which also has a fast WiFi (wee fee in French) at only 2 euros per hour so updated the blog and nattered on MSN.

On a meandering route to Bruges we were drawn back to the coast and found two large motorhome parking areas (Aire de Service) at each end of the excellent seafront at Malo-les-Bains. Tried both and thoroughly explored Dunkerque City Centre and surrounding area on foot and bike including the floating museum (lightship, barge, and magnificent three masted sailing training ship built in 1901 by the Germans and then taken as war reparations by the French in 1945. Walked back through a very large derelict dock site (approx 42 hectares ) now being laid out as a housing led regeneration scheme on a very windy stretch of coastline.

En-route we helped out a French couple whose battery had gone flat. After help from loads of onlookers, a very nice pair of gendarmes and an engineer with a short circuited jump lead (les pinces crocodiles) it was eventually bump started, tricky as it was a diesel!

We now have a panoramic view of the sea on a free Aire de Service (see pic below) and will stay here until Monday for the Tour de France. We have met many more interesting people in motorhomes, including a nice Dutchman who has suggested some good places to visit in the Low Countries. Strong winds have now calmed slightly and weather is sunny.

Just seen a fascinating art/video/audio exhibition by a young Australian called Emmelene Landon who travelled the world on a container ship, all in the Musee Maritime in Dunkerque (see pic below). There is a lot more to do in Dunkerque than we thought and the locals are very helpful

I reckon we could really get into meandering around - and we have 360 days left!

1st - 4th July ’07 – Calais, St Omer, Arques

Many thanks to Janet and Hugh for putting us up overnight on 1st . We got to Kent safely, in spite of the flying lorry roof, which smashed into the car in front of us (but they were OK inside), and was deflected away from the van. Flying debris has damaged our roof light, though. We were lucky.
As ‘promised’, we stayed at Calais harbour, watching Big Boats go in and out. I have to say, seeing one, is seeing all, but Rick was happy…… After walking round Calais, I can now confirm that 24 hours there is sufficient!

We visited La Copoule, a huge re-enforced concrete bunker in a quarry, where the Germans were planning to assemble V2 rockets, now an excellent museum. It was a really fascinating engineering achievement, although the cost in humanitarian terms was rather distressing.

Currently staying on a fab Aire, overlooking a lake (2 Euros), in Arques, and have cycled into St Omer to update blog. Communication difficulties - finding internet access is a real problem so far; the Calais area is well locked down for free wifi and now my Lobster phone doesn’t work! (The old one does, though).

Meeting people is great! Strange and varied, but all very nice.