Belfort, May 11-13, 2018

Friday, May 11 (Ascension Day)

On Friday afternoon, Berni and I set off towards Basel. The girls were at the Fantasy Basel (the festival for film, game, comic, and cosplay fans) and had the following weekend free. 👭😝

After leaving the highway in Basel, we drove for about 1.5 hours on the main road through hilly landscapes to the west of Belfort.

The campsite in Belfort is located on the lake 'étang des forges'. We were able to choose a free spot for ourselves. After settling in, we enjoyed an aperitif first, then tried out the new barbecue 😊. It passed the test! 👍

Afterwards, we took a bike ride to explore the area a bit.

The night under the tent roof was a bit cold and noisy. The birds in the tree next to us were still chirping happily just before midnight... 😏. Berni hid in his sleeping bag with earplugs on the upper floor. I got to sleep downstairs in the 'warmth'.

Saturday, May 12

After breakfast in the sun, we cycled to the city center. Fortunately, there are bike paths everywhere, so we could comfortably ride around.

In the old part of town, we climbed the steps to the monument of the 'Lion of Belfort' first. The monumental stone sculpture is 22 meters long and 11 meters high and is a landmark of the city. The lion commemorates the resistance of Belfort during the Siege of Belfort in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Afterwards, we took a tour of the old citadel, a fortress.

Back in the old part of town, we discovered a large market hall that somehow magically attracted Berni 😝. Of course, we went in and bought heavenly cheese, Parma ham, melons, grapes, and a bottle of wine. We also got a fresh baguette right across the street and then cycled back to the campsite for a late lunch and a little siesta.

Actually, I would have liked to lie in the chair a little longer, but Berni wanted to go back to the city. So, back on the bike again! We took a different route and suddenly saw a large pedestrian zone with many shops and cafes 🤗. So we leisurely strolled through the streets. Wonderful! Then we sat down in a small tavern and watched the people. That is always exciting.

On the way back, we bought another baguette and a dessert for later. Thunderstorms were forecasted for the evening and indeed, the dark clouds were getting closer and closer. So we packed up and stored everything in the car. We made ourselves comfortable in the van and had tea and coffee when the first raindrops fell. It rained all night...

Sunday, May 13

The van held up well! 😝👍

In the morning, we were able to test the interior of the van. So, breakfast also tasted good in the small cabin. It was very cozy!

Once everything was packed up and the bikes were back on the back, we set off for home. We took the same route, first on main roads to Basel, then on the highway back to Bülach. We were already back home with Jill and Lisa in the early afternoon.

It was a wonderful trip! We saw and experienced a lot and felt like on vacation 😊.

M. 🧑🏻