Meeting Les Bleu Deux

The majestic Schwarzwald (Black Forest)
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Morning had dawned and we started with a fantastic spread in the breakfast buffet. James and myself ripped right in citing that this would be the last lash up breakfast we'll have in a long time given we were on shopping detail today for a gas cooker and a pot. Emma was a tad stand-offish and her perplexed expression led to the all too worrying warning signs of illness.

We left James on bag watch whilst Emma and I took our chances with another wallet pillaging cab ride to our Renault Eurodrive dealership. Once there Francois pulls around a beautiful dark blue Renault Scenic soon dubbed Les Bleu Deux in homage to the Megane that treated the boys so well a year earlier around France and the Iberian Peninsula. Eager to take control I was soon at the helm. Picking up Jimmy and our bags at Hotel Kyriad we soon said goodbye to France as we crossed the Rhine into Germany.

The Heidelberg Castle
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Having devoted a fair amount of time into the Michelin Road Atlas of Europe, a scenic drive through the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) would be a fine breaking for Les and the team. We stopped off in the spa town of Baden Baden to gain our first glimpse of the traditonal German cultures with visions of Hansel and Gretel being the foremost descriptors. By mid afternoon and having taken Les to the limit on our first autobahn we had reached Heidelberg a lively university town on the banks of the River Neckar.

View for the castle overlooking Heidelberg and the Neckar
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Pulling up at the train station we promptly looked for the copy of the Lonely Planet and its invaluable map resources. Jimmy confirmed he left his behind claiming Emma had told him she would bring hers .Remarkably Emma had the same story only claiming Jimmy told her he would have his. Alas this meant we were left to our own devices and set about looking for an all important hypermarket to buy camping gear and supplies for the trip ahead. Our arrogance toward European shopping proved to be a downfall as options were more than limited in the end we paid a premium for the most basic of necessities.

Flustered we reached our campsite by dusk and quickly turned around to grab dinner in the Aldstadt (Old Town). The impressive Heidelberg Castle sits on a crag overlooking the town and despite over-enthusiasm at first glance, I declined joining Jimmy on the 10 minute, 250 metre climb to the top. Instead I sat with Emma who was in early stages of what was developing to be a stiff looking flu. Jimmy arrived back having taken photos for everyone and we continued on foot around the beautiful township. After dinner we retreated back to camp and tried out our new and expensive foam mats bracing ourselves for the uncomfortable night to begin.