Lake Como, Italy and the Alsace region, France

Lake Como, Italy 

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                                     the Alsace region, France

After a week quite happily camped at the riverside in the far west of Slovenia we finally managed to drag ourselves away and hit the road again. Destination : Lake Como to meet up with an old school friend of Sarah's. We were a bit hesitant returning to Italy in peak season but we survived! 

After being spoilt with freeway's recently it was a shock to yet again be squeezed up against a wall with precariously hanging balconies so close above us and fancy soft top cars and motorbikes racing past us. Off the main road circling the lake are many narrow, windy roads leading up to houses, gardens and vineyards and as there is barely enough room for footpaths here, this is where I found myself (Sarah) on a morning run with the choice of either up or down! It was that or play Russian Roulette with the traffic. 

The next 2 nights we spent at a smaller lake nearby at Piano di Porlezza. With some manoevering (and a scowling German who eventually ... very reluctantly ... moved his car from the middle (!) of the path) we parked ourselves lake front amongst the, yet again, sea of Dutch surrounding us. It was no easy feat getting in (or out!) of this campsite.

It is not uncommon to be cheered by fellow campers when accomplishing a difficult move. On one occasion I (Sarah) received a particularly loud applause and standing ovation from the female onlookers after departing unscathed :)

Camping Piano di Porlezza

Lake Lugarno, (10km west of Lake Como)

So, considering our situation we were grateful when my friend, Jo, suggested picking us up the next day. We spent the day on Lake Como with her and her family under the shade of trees in comfy lounge chairs until making the difficult choice between swimming in the pool or taking running jumps into the lake. A nice place to relax and catch up on the last 20 odd years. 

Lake Como!

Mud monsters: Kai, Emily and Yvonne

Samuel, Kai, Emily and Yvonne. Swimming pool left, lake right, life is so tough, oh what to do??

Thanks Jo, Mike, Joshua, Samuel and Emily for a fun day! The kids were so happy to have some kids to play with (and glad to communicate in English for a change).

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From Lake Como we beelined for the Alsace region, or the Vosges, in France (the area between Colmar and Strasbourg), cutting through Switzerland. We made a brief stop only (sooooooo expensive!) to rid ourselves of some Swiss Francs.

Swiss Francs

17km of tunnel!

Switzerland, on the way to France.

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The Vosges consists of the Alsace plain to the east and the Vosges mountains to the west. This beautiful area has long been fought over between the French and the Germans with the Germans conquering it in 1871 (Franco Prussian War). 

There are forts galore throughout the Alsace many of which were built by Willhelm II. One of these we visited, Fort de Mutzig. 

A maze of tunnels, rooms, stairwells, troops quarters, kitchen, well, bakery, power station and hospital, it is the biggest fortification of WWI and became the prototype of the modern 20th century fortification. It is built on a massive 254 hectares and needed 7000 men to run it in 1914.

Kai's favourites of the battlefield (above and right)

 

Firing trenches, artillery observation points, shelters and a battery of canons with views over the Alsace Plain and the Vosges.

The toilet block. On the wall, just out of sight above the toilets, is a message to close the lids so as to avoid methane explosions! By closing the lid a suction was created.

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In such a lush green area as the Vosges you are bound to come up against some rain :( 

Camping Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines

Our campsite in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines seems to be a typical Alsatian town. We are woken each morning to the sound of cow bells from the fields surrounding us (a refreshing change from our last campsite where one particular church had bells sounding a variety of equally poor tunes every 20 minutes from 7am :/).

Birds of Prey

On this day we visited the Eagle Park (Voleris des aigles) at Kintzheim Castle. The backdrop could not have been better. The bird show was spectactular! 

Some of the birds we saw in action ...

ok, maybe not so impressive, but a favourite :)

birds-eye view from the castle

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A sober end to our stay in the Vosges with a visit to the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. The only one on present day French soil. Functioning from May 1941 to Sept 1944 when it was evacuated to Dachau.

Set at a previously ski resort for tourists. The weather conditions were harsh for the prisoners.

Front gate

Monument to the departed. 
Strenuous work, medical experiments, poor nutrition and mistreatment by the SS guards resulted in over 4000 deaths.

A watchtower

next stop: the Mosel, Germany :)