Karen Wright: The final leg of our fantastic European trip

I had been told that Colmar was a pretty town, and it was. The half-timbered houses that were painted in tones of red and burnt orange between the timbers reminded me of the story of the Pied Piper, he was in Hamlin of course but this is how I imagined the town to look. Our campsite was within walking distance of the town, but we hired electric bikes which enabled us to have a ride down the canal too and feel the wind beneath our wings. I continued with my set intention of swimming every day and the pool there was small but perfectly formed. One morning for breakfast I recreated a sandwich that my ‘almost’ son in-law, Charles, says is the best sandwich he ever ate. A pretzel shaped bread, which is encrusted with salt crystals, filled with soft smoked ham (although I actually used salami as that was what I had in the fridge), with slices of tomato, cheese and a smear of Dijon mustard. I must admit it looked amazing and the taste was fantastic!

After a couple of nights, we moved again this time not so far, just a couple of hours to drive and get set up. Again, we were still in Alsace so I cooked a Coq au Riesling, a chicken dish with a creamy sauce made using a local wine. It was an interesting site as, although it was too small to have a restaurant, it did have a snack bar and when that was not open local food vendors visited the site including, unusually but at the same time it was interesting, a cheese monger.

Two more nights there and then we moved way up the country almost hitting Belgium at the top and Germany to the side, we were in Lorraine, where the quiche comes from. We had a quiet couple of days, just relaxing on the site and walking around the village which was a great way to unwind ready for our journey home.

It was a fantastic trip. All the sites we stayed on are part of the Caravan and Motorhome Club European programme and the motorhome we have been using is a Bailey Adamo 69.4. This holiday has also been a great opportunity for me. I have finished writing the book that I began in anticipation of the journey. All that’s left to be done is get the book published and out there in Autumn ready for people to buy and hopefully enjoy!