There is a strong Italian influence in this area as at one time it was ruled by Italy between the two world wars and Italian is the second language for most Istrians . It’s landscape is very similar to the Tuscan hills of Italy dominated by Olive trees and Vineyards. It’s coastline broken with small islands and inlets provides seafood in abundance and a holiday Mecca for all types of water sports.

Our first evening in Porec we were parked on the outskirts of town and after a 20minute walk were sitting having cocktails and beers at a beach bar looking across the bay towards the old town. Feeling hungry we walked along the promenade and to our surprise stumbled upon a Banksy exhibition so obviously had to check it out.

Afterwards we deliberately sought out a side street restaurant away from the mainstream tourist areas and found a little jewel of a restaurant with just one person doing the cooking and serving. Our mixed seafood platter for two was an excellent dish that showcased the Seafood of the Adriatic perfectly. Satiated we walked back through the quieter streets of the town getting slightly lost on the way.

Next day returning to the old town we did the tourist trail taking in the Basilica and the Roman temples.

Our next destination was going to be Rovinj but some fellow travellers had mentioned a town called Vrsar was worth a visit so decided to visit on our way. Unfortunately three quarters of the way there we heard a scraping noise and thinking one of our stabilisers had dropped down we pulled over at the first opportunity. Only to discover the rear half of the exhaust had cracked and dropped. Luckily we had pulled off the road onto a private parking area for a restaurant which was closed for the season and as it was a Sunday with no garages open until the following day they allowed us to stay overnight. Monday morning saw the arrival of the local breakdown service who removed the dropped parts and organised a garage who could undertake the work of replacing the exhaust.

Back to being roadworthy we continued on our way to Rovinj which turned out to be a jewel of a town. The attraction was that it had retained the feel of being a working fishing village despite the influx of the tourist trade and its old town built on a hill with some of the buildings coming right down to the waters edge similar to Venice. It had retained it’s narrow streets and ancient buildings which gave it a real sense of history.

Our final town before leaving the Istrian peninsula was Pula its largest town by far with a thriving commercial area and tourist trade.

Parking next to the large Roman amphitheatre we took some photographs and continued through the narrow winding streets of the old town to the old fortified castle.

In preparing for our journey into Croatia we had found that there was to be a truffle festival to be held in an Istrian hilltop town called Motovun just inside the Croatian border with Slovenia.

Our glorious satnav directed us there down a single lane road that was no more than a semi dirt track through a very rural farming area past occasional dwellings and an abandoned castle. All before warning us that our route took us under an aqua duct giving us only six inches clearance with the roof of the van.

The day after our arrival we took the bus up into the town expecting to enjoy the festival only to find that we were a day early. Walking around the town perimeter and main square we realised that the festival was not going to be a large occasion and the town did not offer enough to keep us occupied so decided to move on.

Surrounding our original destination was a vast area of ancient woodland making it the perfect location for the growth and hunting of truffles. The hunting traditionally took place with pigs but today they have been replaced by specially trained dogs. So whilst the hill town of Motovan were organising their festival, across the valley the town of Livade (self proclaimed world truffle centre) were organising theirs and we felt we could not leave the area without visiting.

Parking to visit the truffle shop we came across an information board describing the historic narrow gauge railway line that ran a distance of 123km linking Trieste in Italy through Slovenia to the Istrian coastal town of Porec in Croatia, our next destination.

The very top east corner of Italy occupies the top of the Adriatic giving a very small land route between Austria and Croatia. There are two major cities Udine and Trieste, we chose to visit Udine for it’s historical interest.

Arriving in Udine late afternoon on a lovely warm day we walked into town for a drink. After a cold beer we meandered through the back streets and was tempted by a small courtyard restaurant so taking a seat we asked for a menu, excitedly we chose our starters and main course only to be disappointed when the waiter said they did not serve main courses until the chef came on at 7pm but we could order small tapas style starters 😪 choosing not to wait we decided to return to Vinnie and make a meal.

On route we found a small independent wine shop where Charles treated himself to two nice Italian red wines. Coincidentally there was a barbers next door so Charles nipped in for his obligatory travel haircut and I indulged in a Pakistani sweet donut that was offered to me whilst I waited (I got the better deal)

Returning into town early the next morning for an advertised 9am opening of certain parts of the castle museum (and after a long hike up a steep hill) we found it did not actually open until 10am. So back into town for coffee and pastries, some window shopping and an almost clothing purchase by Charles. We decided against a return to the museum and instead took Vinnie for a long overdue car wash and gas fill before continuing to Croatia.

The autumnal colours were spectacular as we drove through Germany into Austria. The heading describes perfectly the landscape, mountains, water and wide vibrant green valleys it has to be one of my favourite places.

Salzburg

After a long drive we wild camped next to a public park with a swimming lake twenty minutes on the tram from the city. We arrived on a sunny afternoon so decided to leave the city centre to the next day. Carrying our chairs into the park we settled down to watching the locals who were swimming.walking leisurely around the lake, sitting chatting and children playing volleyball and enjoying the organised playground.

The following day we took the tram into town making our way into the main square where we took the funicular railway up to Hohensalzburg fortress which is a nine hundred year old cliff top castle sitting high above the rooftops of the Baroque city centre and is considered to be the best preserved of it kind in Central Europe. The views were spectacular and the inner courtyard gave a sense of history. Also housed there was a collection of puppets from when the castle had its own theatre.

Returning to ground level we decided to find somewhere for lunch and explore the old towns backstreets and intimate courtyards for somewhere suitable. Heading towards Mozartplatz we came across a small cellar restaurant called Sto Bene where we had our best ever Italian meal outside of Italy cooked by an Indian chef !

Taking a leisurely stroll along the river we returned to the tram terminus for our return journey and looking back at the fortress on the city skyline we took our last photo of Salzburg. Returning to where we had parked Vinnie we were entertained by a group of what was obviously dog owners arriving for dog training classes??

Breaking our journey towards Italy we found a lovely little campsite outside Ziebl based on a working farm with commanding views of the Alps over the river valley below (and two very friendly cats.)

Leaving Belgium we headed in to South West Germany our first stop being in Trier parking next to the Moselle river. Walking into town on the Sunday morning we stopped off for coffee and cake at a delightful coffee shop called Maria’s Kaffeestubchen the service was first class and the coffee and cake was to die for.

Continuing our walk into the town centre there was an obvious mix of tourists and locals, the tourists obviously on the circuit around the town and the locals socialising with friends and family in the coffee houses, wine bars and restaurants creating a relaxed atmosphere.

As tourists we chose to visit the main cathedral Domstadt St Peter and the adjacent museum. The cathedral is a UNESCO world heritage site being the oldest cathedral in Germany built upon the foundation’s of a group of ancient Roman buildings called Augusta Treverorum. The artefacts discovered during numerous archaeological excavations of the site were housed in the museum.

We also visited the site of Porta Nigra the original Roman gate to the city and walking back into the town centre we diverted through the original archway to what remained of the old Jewish quarter.

After stopping for a well deserved drink at an on street cafe we proceeded to Karl Marx birthplace which had been converted to a museum of his life. The exhibition was revealing in having always thought of him as the sole author of Das Kapital we discovered that others had contributed and that two of the three volumes were published posthumously after being edited and completed by his colleague and friend Friedrich Engels. The museum information claims that Marx thought his work as not being a finished theory and it begs the question as to would he have published the final volumes as we have come to know them or would he have developed his theories further? Is the Das Kapital we know his work or Engels?

To end the day a final walk along the river back to camp looking back at the original Roman bridge which is still in use today. Wow those Romans!

Neustadt an der Weinstrabe

Next morning we set off for the wine growing region of the Rhineland Palatine arriving around teatime we decided to walk into town and do a reccy for the following day. Having meandered around and discovered there was a historical walking route which we could do we wandered into the main square and decided to dine out. We chose an outside table at one of the many restaurants and ordered some food and wine.Well the wine was divine so with his limited German Charles discovered the wines origin which was a vineyard en route for us so we scheduled a visit into our itinerary.

The following morning we went back into town to do the historical walk but gave up after finding ourselves walking in circles and getting frustrated, however we did find an ancient street called Metzgergasse alley as described in the pictures below. A visit to the vineyard sounded more welcoming so off we went, two cases of wine later we departed for Baden-Baden.

Baden-Baden

A town famous for its mineral waters in the same way in Britain we think of Bath and Buxton.The main spa attraction is built on the site of the original Roman baths, we chose not to visit the baths instead we visited the Faberge museum. The museum was set up by a Russian emigre who had amassed one of the largest private collections of Faberge artefacts. We learned that Faberge did not spend his time bent over a jewellers work bench but his job was to design and manage a very skilled workforce who made his reputation.

Amongst the collection there was a display of early Colombian gold which was absolutely exquisite for its variety of very simple but fine and ornate objects. There was also a book of photographs that captured the horrendous conditions of the work force that mined the gold.

After the museum we decided to walk the famous Lichtentaler Allee which is a 2.5 kilometre long footpath dating back to the mid 1600s. Originally this path led from the Cistercian Abbey on the outskirts of town into the heart of the city centre. It was a delightful stroll along the river Oos with 300 variety of trees, and separate rose and dahlia gardens. The walk was flanked by very large spa hotels and private houses whose grounds came down to the riverbank.

Bodensee

Bodensee is a very large lake bordering Switzerland and very popular as a holiday area.After two weeks on the road we felt this would be an ideal area to take time out to catch up with some domestics and have a break from travelling. We based ourselves just outside a small town called Langenargen to which we could walk within half an hour along the lakeside marina to take a train to Lindau island where we enjoyed a circular walk from the harbour around the old town window shopping and stopping for coffee and cake.

Besides being a lakeside holiday area the whole Bodensee region was one of vineyards and commercial fruit farms (apples, pears, cherries, and strawberries.)

After our short time in France surrounded by war graves and sites we decided that before continuing southwards we should visit a war cemetery and Mons being so famous and close by we decided to stopover for a couple of nights. It was a good choice as we later learned that Mons is where the British entered the war and the first British bullet was fired.

On arriving we realised that Mons had more to offer in the shape of numerous museums of interest, a cathedral and a very attractive town centre.

Our first visit was to the Mons military museum which was very informative as it not only covered both world wars it described the numerous historical battles for the control of Mons itself going as far back as the Middle Ages.

It had a very good visual display showing the moving lines of battle and how the allies were encircled and pushed back resulting in the evacuation at Dunkirk and an insight on the planning of the evacuation. A small exploratory force had been sent to test that the sand would take the weight of the vehicles and a group of soldiers were practising for the evacuation on the Welsh coast. They were spotted by German submarines subsequently attacked and many died, not something you learn in history books.

Sadly the other two places that interested us were not accessible to us, the Francois Duesberg clock museum was closed though it was published as being open and the Bam museum was restricted to members of the press only for a pre show viewing.

We had noticed there was an event called The night of dance in the main square that evening so to salve our disappointment we grabbed a pavement table for a few drinks and a meal whilst we watched the first couple of hours of the show before heading back to Vinnie.

Before leaving the next morning we visited the Commonwealth war cemetery which also included other members of the allied forces ie: Polish, Russian, Romanian and American. It also contained the grave of Pte J.L.Price of the 28th Canadian regiment, the last soldier recorded as killed in the Great War a tragic two minutes before the Armistice surrender.

After a number of years here we are “on the road again” aiming for Greece via Croatia, with no predetermined route to guide our journey allowing ourselves the freedom to explore.

Our first stop after disembarking the ferry at Calais was a small town named St Omer with a population of 15000. We drove into the main square in the early afternoon just as everywhere closed for lunch, so we had a quick wander around intending to come back and explore the following day. Unfortunately we woke up to torrential rain which was forecast to continue throughout the day so decided to decamp and move on.

Our intention had been to head towards an area of National forest at Le Quesnoy but had noted on the maps the existence of a Matisse museum at Le Cateau.

Le Cateau- Cambresis

The journey to Le Cateau was through vast areas of farmland very similar to that of Lincolnshire but on a much grander scale. It was a very poignant journey due to the numerous war graves and monuments relating to both world wars which were in evidence along the route and were a sobering reminder of what had taken place and the lives that had been lost.
The Matisse museum was a disappointment to us, having gone with little knowledge of his work we found his art did not capture our imagination. However the work of Genevieve Claisse we found dramatic, bold and interesting.
Our curiosity satisfied we completed our journey to Le Quesnoy

Le Quesnoy

This location being on the edge of a large National forest had seemed an ideal spot to begin a walking and cycling holiday in an area of natural beauty. However we found the available information lacked detail and when combined with the poor location signing as we drove through the forest points of interest became impossible to find.

The city itself turned out to be very interesting with the history behind its fortifications ( dating back to the 12th century ) and its part as an occupied city in WW1 and its amazing liberation by New Zealand forces a week before the Armistice.

To understand why a special bond has formed between the city and New Zealand the act of liberation needs to be explained. For four years 1500 German soldiers had controlled the city and being a fortified city with stone and brick embankments some 10metres high in places defence had seemed relevantly easy. What the New Zealanders did was find the point of weakness that allowed a small detachment using ladders to scale the wall and create a secure access point for the rest of the regiment to follow.

This heroic act came at the cost to the New Zealand division of 114 deaths and 464 casualties. The city in thanks have created a series of tributes including a memorial, a gate of honour and a garden of remembrance and continue to hold ceremonies on Anzac Day.

Next stop on our list was Franz Joseph glacier, we arrived early afternoon so visited the West Coast Wildlife centre leaving the forty five minute walk to the glacier for early evening.

The centre breeds two of the world’s rarest kiwi, the Rowi and Haast tokoeka it also has a good heritage, conservation and glacier display. The Kiwi can actually be viewed in a darkened enclosure which mimics their natural habitat, they are a very timid bird so silence and good night time vision is required. There were only two chicks in the enclosure and difficult to make out not helped by a child having a tantrum then a man coughing which sent them scurrying back into the nesting box so we went round a second time and had a great view.

Later we walked along a very stony pathway to the edge of the glacier which was not as spectacular as we thought it was going to be. During the last ice age both Franz Joseph and Fox glacier reached the sea unfortunately climate change has seen them recede to where they are today. I met a lady on the campsite who had been here 22 years ago and at that time she said you could walk up to and on them which really bought home the devastating affect of climate change.

The walk to the glacier was enjoyable following the river and enjoying the many waterfalls cascading down the rock face which made up for the disappointing end.

En route to Fiordland we stopped overnight at a place called Cromwell which had an interesting history, in 1992 they built a dam which flooded the historic town centre as well as homes and surrounding farms. To preserve some of the historic buildings they were disassembled and rebuilt in a pedestrianised area next to the river. It is also situated at the centre of the prestigious Otago wine region so after visiting the historic area we called in at one of the wineries for a tasting session and some lunch. I am normally a Sauvignon drinker whilst Charles will drink whatever is on offer but does enjoy a good Rioja, so I was surprised when I opted for a reisling which normally is to sweet but this had a nice citric back taste and Charles found a nice Pinot noir needless to say we left with a few bottles tucked safely in the van.

Further down the road we called in at Queenstown to find someone who could fix the World Wide Web device that kept playing up. After numerous circuits of the town we finally found a car park where I sat in the van whilst Charles did his business, I had seen enough to ascertain it was just one mass tourist attraction extremely busy and not for me. Then on to Fiordland to try and get on to a trip around Doubtful sound, most people head for Milford sound but our friendly Kiwi back at the lakes said Doubtful was better and he had visited three times. We headed straight for the quayside at Manapouri and booked on to the eight o’clock sailing next morning so as it was late it was straight to site eat and bed.

Photographs do not always do justice to your surroundings as they only capture a snippet of what the eye sees and I feel that our photographs do not do the Sound justice. To be on this great expanse of water dwarfed by the surrounding mountains with their many waterfalls was surreal.