At last…. we are on the road again! It’s been three years since we were last in Europe and we had lots of plans to cram into just three months.
We left our bikes in sunny Amsterdam
Bikes in Vondel Park
after a fabulous time renewing our wedding vows
The only way to arrive in Amsterdam
Pledging our troth under the tree
Celebrating our love
and we brought our beloved Charlie out of retirement.
Charlie ready for the off
He was an instant hit. This was a note left under the windscreen wiper by a fellow camper – and who could disagree?
Note on Charlie
We wanted to put a few miles under our belt as we had a big date in Lucca, Italy (which we will post more on later) and so didn’t spend too much time sightseeing until we hit the Rhineland region and Koblenz, where we camped at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle.
The Rhine – castles, vineyards and the river all in one
Fabulous castles everywhere you look
Even the bridges get the full Rhineland make-over
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, Koblenz
Cruising the Rhine
A typical Rhineland village along the river bank
Charlie heading for his first Rhine River crossing
Normally we opt for low, slow travel – but who could resist the pull of a speed-limit-free German autobahn when you are driving a powerhouse like Charlie!
Charlie powers along the German autobahn
It was full steam ahead for a couple of other travellers too. This magnificent steam train swung rather unexpectedly around the corner.
That was unexpected
We soon swapped our straight, flat German autobahns for our first glimpse of the mountains we would have to climb on the next stage of the journey to Italy, through Switzerland and over the Alps.
Hello Switzerland!
Our first view of the Swiss Alps
Look out for our next story of Charlie “Hannibal” Charleston conquering the Alps like a warrior and our elegant sojourn in Lucerne.
It’s great to be travelling again and we will keep you posted on our journey as we go.
