First camping stop

Here it is... home for the next 5 days.

Awesome job setting up the tent, and fortunately with no hiccups remembering how to set up the tent. It was a two hour job, to get everything sorted - tent up, pegs in, table and chairs set up, and mattresses blown up!! And loved that we didn't have any neighbours close by. Campground was really a bit of a resort, with a pool, numerous playgrounds, mini-golf, an enormous Kinder-Zelt (children's tent, read indoor play centre!) a swimming lake (was bit leechy looking) and stunning views of the mountains around.

First night was the start of the adventure... and we were up against a storm. We got the kids ready for bed, and were all tucked in, and the storm started... I thought the tent might have taken off!! The scariest thing with a storm was hearing the constant drip of water, and knowing the bathroom block is a decent walk away!! So I spent most of the night awake, listening to the rain drip! Finally I decided I had to brave the weather, and relieve myself... unfortunately when I returned, I left the flap of the tent door, inside the tent instead of the outside... which meant that we woke to a small river running through the tent in the morning. Oops.

The next day was sunny and bright, and Saturday, so heralded the arrival of the weekend campers! Was nice to have some tent neighbours, but they did spoil the peace a bit, and were a big group who set up and slightly spoiled our view. We swam, and cooked our dinner outside, and enjoyed the campground. The kids loved having others to play with!! A quiet storm free night gave us a peaceful sleep.

We pretty much had rain on and off for the rest of our stay, which meant that we didn't get to use all the outdoor facilities. We went out to a Steam Train Museum, and a cafe for Black Forest Cake. The kids played in the Kinder-Zelt and I took the opportunity to read and relax. Nights were a bit chilly, and Didi woke most nights complaining of being cold, but both kids fell asleep soundly on their own. We have a tent which has two bedrooms, and a living area. The living area has a ground sheet, but is not completely sealed from the elements, so on another night with a violent storm, we were visited by a friendly (actually I didn't take the opportunity to introduce myself!) hedgehog, who had burrowed into our rubbish bag in our living area, and I was sure I could hear someone trying to untie it... fortunately Mike went to save us from being attacked by a killer hedgehog. But the little bugger came back. And again the next night!

We loved watching the birds circling around, and often spotted a yellow winged eagle who seemed to be narrowing in on something, but we weren't sure what! But circled above our camp most mornings.

We also spent a wet afternoon in Konstanz, on the Bodensee. It is a pretty little town right on the border of Switzerland. We looked at the Bodensee, and would have liked to get out on in, but the weather just wasn't favourable. Our campsite was so close to Switzerland, that our mobile phones kept on switching to Swiss carriers (which meant that we could have been charged international roaming while still in Germany!)

Yesterday we packed up the tent and drove to Lyon. Two nights in a hotel, before the next camping installment!!