A day in Freiburg with my aunt and uncle
May 23, 2017
Awake at 07:10, up at 09:30. I’m planing on meeting my aunt Joke (that’s YOKE-uh) and uncle Rob today. They’re retired and spend most of their time
From Il du Rhin, into Germany and on to Freiburg
May 22, 2017
08:20: Up at 07:18. It’s a bright, warm day, so walking in my boxers to the shower block was no hardship. I’m washed and sock washed; now packing my
From Colmar to a campsite at Il du Rhin
May 21, 2017
07:05: I’m awake, but I’m gonna give myself another few minutes of a lie-in before I go to get washed. 07:27: Getting in the shower now. 08:16:
Colmar
May 20, 2017
07:07: Woke at 06:58 in time to kill my alarm before it went off. Earplugs in overnight and windows open meant I had a good sleep. 08:15: Out the
A rainy day in Colmar
May 19, 2017
08:50: Woke up to the sounds of tyres on wet streets. It’s going to rain all day until 18:00. A thunderstorm rolled over last night and with a
From wild camping in Le Wurzelstein to an AirBnB in Colmar
May 18, 2017
09:03: I slept really badly during the early part of the night, until at least 04:00. The wind picked up during the night, blowing up from the
From a campsite at Noirrupt to sort-of-wild-camping at Le Wurzelstein
May 17, 2017
08:42: Up at just after 07:00. It’s a warm day with high clouds. I skipped having a shower despite the early part of the night being quite warm — I
Across the Vosges: From an AirBnB in Épinal to a campsite in Noirrupt
May 16, 2017
07:13: Up. 07:34: Washed, dressed, heading for breakfast. 08:31: Packing. 08:56: Out the gate! Now to sharpen my 1:25,000 1cm=250m navigation
In Épinal, planning my route across les Vosges
May 15, 2017
07:27: Up on two legs. 07:59: Washed and dressed. 08:57: Breakfast with Gisèle and Bernard. Lots of laughs and conversation in French, English and
Charmes municipal camping to an AirBnB in Épinal
May 14, 2017
Up and out of bed at 07:18, into the shower block for a lovely shower and now I’m eating my pre-soaked breakfast porridge. It’s excellent and cooked
A rest day at Charmes municipal camping
May 13, 2017
I put my head down at 10:00 finally and slept fitfully until 00:49. I was kept awake by one of those incredibly annoying car-alarm birds and a full
From an AirBnB in Ludres to a campsite in Charmes
May 12, 2017
07:08: Sitting on the edge of the bed. Comfortable, happy night. Aisling and I chatted on Skype for half an hour or more last night and my misery
By TGV from Reims to Nancy, then on foot to an AirBnB in Ludres
May 11, 2017
07:08: Feet on the floor. Back in tramping mode. 09:09: Washed, dressed breakfasted. Packing now. I’m killing myself that I’m back in tramping mode.
Reims
May 10, 2017
14:08: On the platform saying goodbye to Aisling at the door of her train, my heart broken. The sun is shining from the sky and tears are rolling
Reims
May 9, 2017
Porridge for breakfast for me, asparagus on French toast for Aisling. Intense bird chirping.1 Aisling booked her train ticket back to Beauvais.
Reims
May 8, 2017
I didn’t make a single note, apart from reserving a page in my notebook, but looking at photos of the day, I see we sheltered from the cold and
Reims
May 7, 2017
Today was Aisling’s 50th birthday. It also happened to be a Sunday and a public holiday, so practically every shop, restaurant, bar and café was
Reims
May 6, 2017
Remember, these notes are often very utilitarian; reminders of when I did what. This is especially the case when I was in Aisling’s company,
Reims
May 5, 2017
08:39: Up and washed, wearing ‘normal’ clothes. We’ll have breakfast at the Boulingrin covered market or on the trot. 11:17: New walking shoes, half
Reims
May 4, 2017
We slept really well under a too-warm quilt and I woke at the usual time of 07:08. Aisling was still in a coma so we chatted briefly and then I
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