Oom, pa, pa - very German influence

It's been a busy few days with a mix of travelling and things to see.

Sunday 26^th June

A few photos from the car races at Spa - for the motor sport lovers.

Motor sport fans - just like Milly and Tipsy.

Sunset at Spa on the Saturday night. They had a race that ran from 7 till 10 and we went back to the track with a pizza for dinner. The sunset was at 9.30pm.

Before we left Spa on Sunday we went to the town of Stavelot where there was an exhibition of the Knights Templar that Rob was interested in visiting, and also the Spa Francorchamps museum. There was a brocante (antiques) market in the town and cars were parked for miles so we were lucky to find a park quite close to the abbey for the exhibition. We just did as the French do and squeezed into a space between 2 trees. As long as the guy behind us had room to get out it was all good. 

The abbey at Stavelot - where the Knights Templar exhibition was held and where the race museum is located.

We then headed for Thionville in France - a halfway stop on the way to Strasbourg. We had no real plan for the trip other than to stay off the main motorway and go via Clervaux for morning tea. We arrived in Clervaux to find a band playing in the main square and it was lovely to sit in the lukewarm sun and enjoy a coffee and cake.

A friend at Clervaux for morning tea. Cross between border collie a Nova Scotian retriever.

Then a group of bikies rolled in from Charleroi in Belgium and created a bit of a racket. It was Sunday which is a day we often find lots of motorbikes and push bikes on the road. They were in town for lunch but we just finished our coffee and moved on.

I plotted a route down the eastern side of Luxembourg. Larochette was our next stop which was just a dot on the map. This little village was down in a river valley and had an amazing castle above the village. They had a festival going on in the main square so we stopped and had BBQ pork chops for lunch - very nice, and tender, and listened to the one man band playing in the rotunda. Very close to the German border here so the music was very oom pa pa.

Lunch in the town of Larochette.

And the castle.....

The final stop on the way was back to the village of Rodemack where there was a medieval festival for the weekend. It was 4pm and we only wanted to get a few photos so we weren't too keen to pay the 10euro each to go in. We decided to move on but not until watching a bit of the 'greyhound racing - medieval style'. Well, maybe not medieval style, but a bit of fun for the dogs and their owners.

The greyhound races. 

So, for a day that started out as just a drive from A to B, we managed to find plenty to see and do. We are finding a lot of hidden gems along the road and these unplanned days can sometimes turn up some amazing surprises.

Monday 27^th June

Mondays are sometimes a bit of a pain as a lot of things are closed. We were headed for Strasbourg and decided we had enough time to go via Bitche, which we had noted in a tourist brochure as one of the must see places in France. This village had a citadelle perched on the rock above the town and we stopped there for a tour. The citadelle originally dates back to the 12th century but its main claim to fame was it was impregnable and held out against the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870. This was a very well done tour with good English commentary. As it led you through the rooms in the citadelle it retold the battle of the defence of Bitche.

The citadelle at Bitche - pronounced 'beetch', not 'bitchy'.

The citadelle is built into and on the rock - the tour took us up and down stairs and through many areas of the citadelle.

Lunchtime and the only place we could find to eat was the kebab place in Bitche. They were actually OK but we were hoping for a relais style meal. We attempted to visit the palace of Rohan in Saverne on the way to Strasbourg but it was suicide hour on the roads (between 4.30 and 5.30) and Dora wanted to take us into Centre Ville via the 'pedestrian' roads, so we passed on the palace and just drove on to Strasbourg. Again it was a struggle to find dinner. It seems pizza and kebabs are the fast food options in France.

Tuesday 28^th June – Strasbourg

Our hotel was well located in terms of getting into the city. It was a short walk to the tram – and as we were at the end of the line we didn’t have to worry about getting off at the right stop. Again I am very impressed with the public transport in this city. They run on time, are not crowded and are frequent.

Our first visit was to the astrological clock in the Notre Dame Cathedral. At 12,00 they show a film telling the story of the clock. Unfortunately the English is not quite the same as the French so I think we missed a few bits. Pretty impressive clock though. The cathedral is also pretty impressive though the inside is not as beautiful as a lot we have seen.

The astrological clock.

Notre Dame Cathedral - Strasbourg.

A few photos from our tour around the city centre. 

Can't remember what this building was called but it had some spectacular wood carving.

Just love all the half wood buildings and houses in this part of France. We have so many photos it is hard to pick a favourite.

Lots of these type of 'business' signs hanging all through the streets of Strasbourg.

A view of  Notre Dame cathedral.

...and the beautiful rose window.

We had a bit of a wander around some if the old areas of town and came across a hidden square that was surrounded by bars and restaurants. We decided we would head back there for dinner. We did a river cruise but unfortunately it started to rain about halfway through so we missed out on a few photo opportunities.

The square where we had dinner. It was raining when we arrived here but  not cold, and they had large umbrellas so there was plenty of cover. We rocked up at the restaurant at 6.30 to be told that they don't open till 7, so we moved to the bar next door, had a drink, then moved back at 7.