Nous avons quitte notre camp de base de Wiesbaden en Allemagne le 12 octobre pour rejoindre "le Beau Danube Bleu"...
Dès les premiers jours le thermomètre est descendu et nous nous sommes vraiment rendu compte de ce qu'etait le camping quand ça caille VRAIMENT! Comme par chance, these first three weeks we have crossed that two passenger bike, one chti (Lawrence hello!) swallower "professional" of kilometers of bicycle paths throughout Europe, the other an old German, " German Willi ", ex-commando intructeur, adventurer and musher in Alaska. This second
Gadjo 70 years we had a coffee in the morning mist. He was pulling a cart and a bicycle overloaded from Georgia. Military life leaves traces to protect themselves from possible attacks, this one has 4 arms, according to 4 levels of danger: pepper spray, a machete, 9mm pistol, and finally a sort of stylus "James Bond" in the stowed front pocket et qui "te détruit une tete en 2 secondes" (il nous l'a montré entre 2 rondelles de saucissons).
Un soir en Bavière, dans le brouillard mouillant qui tombe, nous avons envie de trouver un hangard ou une grange pour nous abriter. Dans un hammeau, deux hommes nous demandent si nous cherchons quelques choses: c'est le docteur et son voisin, un retraité alerte et joviale, qui nous propose le rez de chaussée de sa grande maison traditionnelle, "si Madame est d'accord". Erick et Angelika, économistes à la retraite pour la coopération allemande a l'étranger, nous ouvrent leur porte et nous offrent une douche chaude (la meilleure de toute ma vie et de loin!), un lit, des bières et des Apples! They have lived through two in Mali, Mauritania, Chad, Brazil, where they learned French and Portuguese. Both are extremely nice and helpful with us, interesting and open. This cottage has unexpectedly offered to people so pleasing brings us a huge comfort.
Arrived in Ulm, we took the Euro Velo 6, which links St Nazaire in the Danube Delta in Romania. We followed him to Austria, passing through beautiful passages around Passau (Germany). And then a few days ago, after Linz, we alapagué an Gaillard on his houseboat, asking if he took passengers: surprise, it is ok !!!!!!!
We climbed aboard and met Donald and Svenja, a Dutch couple, their little boy "Leon" and their two huge dogs. They have welcomed us on board three days. The barge "Belle Air" is named the Chevrolet of Donald, his second passion after the ship. He can carry an incredible Conteners. Cost of boat: 1.6 million euros, plus the outboard and the 4x4 in the back, is their floating home along European rivers. On board we spend time in the cockpit to learn what there is to know: radar, giant locks, the radio .... From the top of our bench overlooking the river, we discover a landscape ancient makes cities and Baroque churches, vineyards, castles in ruins, but also the bleak wilderness that is often the Danube.
In Bratislava we will land with a crew in the speedboat and take a taxi to visit the city. Team back with the boat, we were in the Home paillotte where they dine, with a Slavovica pepper. Donald Bacardi drink from a cup of beer was 1 liter. It is torn and unbridled, but it manages to reach the barge later without too much zig-zags on the river ...
The next evening, Friday, Oct. 30, they put us down in Budapest. That is where we've been in a hostel surreal, on 1st floor of a building Art Nouveau dilapidated that makes us think of a decoration of Almodovar, happily idle! For Halloween, we were invited to a party given at American expatriates, Happy guy living in an apartment close to Parliament. We met different nationalitées and have feasted until 4am, before walking to the hostel with our two companions met Greek in the morning at the hostel, Costa and Spyros. The city is beautiful and decrepit, dynamic and peaceful. Full of paradoxes. We are charmed by the atmosphere and feast our eyes heritage art nouveau and art deco, even if it is in very bad condition ...
The suite is still uncertain. The cold has fallen everywhere. Camper by -2 degree is really awful, especially when night falls at 16:30 and can not be read without wearing gloves and hats! we were a little loose ball head with our Queshuas! The survival blankets were useful, light a campfire to dry as socks and gloves, and warm up a box. But we still managed to cook a tartiflette the waterfront, where a wet evening light a fire has demanded the sacrifice of a few pages of Tolkien! Cedric fell into the water shortly after washing their hands. Already we were not very clean ... Turkish fishermen we were offered tea (the other was beer!). That
our first 3 weeks, well filled, fresh as well. We started in the right season there is no doubt!
