Saturday 23rd June 2018

After a slow drive along the back roads, avoiding all the motorways, we arrived at our latest campsite. Camping Le Clos De La Chaume is a quiet site in a small town set in the middle of the Vosges mountains.

Sunday 24th June 2018

I awoke early on the Sunday morning to a strange loud noise, at first I thought it was Jane snoring, but on closer inspection the sound was coming from outside the caravan and not next to me (although the sounds were just the same!)…………….

A quick look outside and we saw a hot air ballon in a degree of difficulty, only just managing to clear the trees…………………

It was all good news as the pilot managed to avoid any problems, and a campsite full of campers, all in their pyjamas, breathed a sigh of relief !

Monday 25th June 2018

Today we set off to drive to Colmar and decided to go the scenic way through the Ballons des Vosges Nature Park.

The drive was stunning and with so many stops for photos the drive took a lot longer than expected. The road we decided to take was the Route des Crêtes (route of the ridges)

Most of this route is at an elevation of 3,117 feet and is generally open from April to November and closed in the winter due to snow.  The road surfaces were a little uneven due to the effects of the bad winter weather, however the verges looked lovely as they spring back into life during the early summer!

Not a good time to go on the piste unless you have got roller-skates, you see the green grass of the ski slopes as you drive through these mountains.

Not too many people out walking today, this is the Col du Grand Ballon which is 4,406ft high and we cheated because we drove to the top!

The areas around these mountains have changed hands many times over the years, the Alsace and Lorraine regions  were ceded to Germany in the Treaty of Frankfurt in 1871 and these mountains then became the border between France and Germany.

During World War One this road was upgraded to enable French Troops to reach the battlefields safely.  This route was built below the ridge to the west and was thus out of the range of German guns.

It’s again hard to believe that this place, now so peaceful and beautiful,  was the scene of much death and destruction 100 years ago.

We saw this vast cemetery where you would least expect to find one, on our panoramic drive through the Vosges!

We never made it to Colmar, we will save that for another day………. now time for tea!