Day 6 { may 31st 2002 }
“Woods, rocks and hills ”
Stories about Lotharingen, men in a bar doing attending a serious look-alike contest, a Maginot-line fortress, splendid weather and towed luxury.
I leave early. Only to stop after 500 m to buy myself some LOVELY croissants at the local pastry-shop. I take my treasure outside and find a nice place in the shade opposite the shop. The houses are a sight for sore eyes. Very old. Historic. Can’t get even more French. The weather is (and this IS getting boring...) splendid. Can’t be better.
The abundant trees and green pastures provide ample cool wind when I stop on top of a slanted road, to enjoy the landscape which presents itself to me in all it’s splendor and almost total silence.
A dog barks. People look at me from behind a window when I stand in
the shade of a tree alongside the road and apply that gastly suntan. The area is dotted with very small villages, sometimes just a
collection of 4 houses.
Poverty is the word that comes to my mind when I look at them. But hey, they are surrounded by one hell of a landscape!
A huge dome made up of a pale blue sky makes me feel humble once more when I leave those surroundings behind.
“...70% of his brain capacity tucked away in his pants”
The
fortress of Hackenberg is coming up. A huge underground fortress on a large hill, with a vast network of underground bunkers, railways, hospital etc. It used to be a key fortification of the famous Maginot line. Today, it’s role is to entertain tourists, who still get awe-struck because of the massive scale of this
‘gros ouvrage’. This hill which dominates the area is heavily wooded, so there is nothing to see from afar (but I'll be back one day. Oh yes, no doubt.)
“...what a mess!”
The climbing and descending goes on until late in the afternoon. I arrive in the desolate looking, shabby village of Grostenquin.
There should be a restaurant according to the map. Not. I stumble into a local cafe next to it. 5 Men at the bar, all
holding a pint, stare at me... 30 Seconds later they are still staring... Now I know how E.T. must have felt...
Hello, what is this, a ‘how to imitate a coma-patient’ contest? The intellectual level goes down by the second.
The barman stops the staringcontest. He speaks German and tells me that about 4 km’s further on, in Erstroff,
I can order anything I want. Yeah right... Sounds to good to be true. The men at the bar mutter something about ‘wanting a woman’
when I tell them I covered around a 100km’s.
Djeez..another living example of a guy who has 70% of his brain-capacity tucked away in his pants... Anyway.
“...I’m such an animal”
The restaurant is situated alongside a Renault garage next to a desolated road and is really small. Dinner is lovely; a beefy chunk of meat, with french fries and a cool glass of milk. And another one. And a third one (I’m such an animal...) The woman who ownes the place tells me of a camping, 5 km’s away. Excellent. That is where I will put up my tent.
It’s outside of Francaltroff, situated at a lake and it’s big. At the reception, they tell me that I have to pay 11 euro’s. Wow, that is expensive! I can pay the next morning. I grit my teeth and head for a designated spot for my tent. While unloading my Condor, I watch with awe at the luxury of a family-caravan opposite me. They even have a trailer with a washer/dryer combination!
The owner of all this even spends almost 2 hours washing his car and his caravan.
Covered more then 100 km’s today. It was hot once more. After having taken a shower I ‘hit the sack’. Sleep well.
