Neuf-Brisach

It's summer holidays in Europe so getting a campsite can be tricky. We ended up here in Neuf-Brisach because the ones with swimming pools were full. Quite happy though because this one is vast, lots of shade , and no kids! And at e13.40 is cheap.

 It's also a Unesco site because of its huge ,star shaped fort that was built by Louis 14th to keep the Germans out.

  Yesterday we just chilled out. Washed the sheets, lay in the shade and read books. When it had cooled off ,about 8pm,we joined the locals in town ,drinking our beer and eating dinner in the streets.

Today we started early before it got too hot and biked a circuit that would take us along the north Rhone du Rhin canal to See one of the battlements of the maginot line.

This French family on their old Dutch sailing barge wanted to talk rugby. I'm getting sick of defending Richie McCaws parentage, so we moved on. Allez les blacks

Here we are . Maginot was the French minister of defense who designed this wall of fortress's right along the border with Germany from Switzerland to Belgium. ( Belgium had declared themselves neutral after WW1)

  It was really well done and should have done the job well, with all those guns pointing at their old enemy.

 However, Adolf didn't play fair and he raced over Belgium and came and knocked on the back door.

"excuse me Monsieur ,but the back door was open so we let ourselves in"

  The rest as you know , is history.

  We left here and crossed the Rhine at one of the 10 power stations along it on this stretch, into Germany.

  Not as shady on this side but very pleasant biking. 

 Just about at Old Brisach when biking towards us we came across those two Kiwi cyclists we'd met up on the Danube. Bob and Bretta !

   talk about a small world. They were on their way back to Amsterdam from where they were to fly home.

By the way ! In answer to some of the cheeky comments about how we seem to always have on the same clothes ?

 You're right! But we wash our own clothes each night , and when you travel for several months with only a 'carry on bag' !!!!!!    Cheeky buggars.

  See what a hard day it's been for my wife