Amnéville France to Pirmasens Germany
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Givet to Amneville
Motorhome Journey from Amnéville to Pirmasens
It is cold when we wake on the aire de camping cars at Amnéville (3°C overnight), but mostly clear and sunny. Up for breakfast and away from Amnéville by 10.30 am taking A31 around Thionville, onto D855 over the mountains and crossing the border onto L173 into Germany near Merzig. We turn south onto D8 south past Saarlouis (seeing Völklingen blast furnaces on the horizon) to Zweibrücken. We leave D8 at Höheischweiler taking D10 to Pirmasens, driving through the town on L486 to Lemberg where we find a small Stellplatz on the edge of a large green with children’s playground and café and woodland behind. We park up and stop for lunch. It is about 2.00 pm, a slightly shorter journey today of 84 miles or 134 km.
After lunch (now about 3.00 pm) we walk across the green and up along the path into the woodland. It is quiet, a few birds and two horses in a field otherwise no signs of wildlife anywhere a somewhat plain and boring walk but it feels good to be outside. We also discover that a circuit walk through the woodlands is not possible, all are private tracks leading to private properties. We return to Hymer around 4.30 and catch up with journals and writing. We also move Hymer to the far end of the row of mohos (0pposite the services area which is quite large and nicely paved. About 6.00 pm we are about to open wine and prepare our evening meal when a campervan arrives with a Tent-box on top and parks on the paved services area (at one end).
Out get the family from hell: 2 young men, an angry young woman with attitude holding a large barking dog in one hand and a cigarette in the other. A child also jumps out and immediately starts tearing up and down on his bike! Next out comes the ladder and the tent-box cover is unzipped: Yes they really are going to set up on the service area (I metaphorically call up Frenchie in his orange sweatshirt to come and sort this one).
The old guy with a ponytail from the old and very large decrepit camper gets out and politely tells them they can’t stay here on the service area. I couldn’t hear what was said but the body language suggested ‘buzz off and mind your own business’. They set to in earnest and erect the tent-box as well as this, they also set up a large side tent awning as big as the campervan, attach it over the door so that it extends sideways across the end of the service area. True, they are not ‘over’ the drain but have reduced the service area by about a third. The young woman sees me watching her and gives me a hard and challenging look! A goad as if to say ‘come on then…’. We sit and watch and wait: dog barking, child tearing up and down on the bike, adults smoking and later, possibly much later there will be noise and drinking.
Mr C. looks at the map and finds two stellplatz/ parking areas for mohos in the town of Pirmasens (4km up the road). Nothing lost and everything to gain, a quick sort out and into the front seats, we leave immediately without a backward glance.
The drive back to Pirmasens takes about 15 minutes and we find the Stellplatz along one side of a large car park on Zeppelinstrasse in the city. Two mohos are already here leaving another eight extra-long and wide spaces vacant, €5.00/night (coins only). We park up next to the hook-up pillar (electric is €1 for 6hrs), there is a large service/disposal area at the far end of the stellplatz. It is spacious, under trees and, being Good Friday Bank Holiday, it is almost empty of cars.
Despite the city centre ambiance, it is quiet and so much more relaxing than the tightly-packed Stellplatz in Lemberg. We might not be surrounded by open green fields and woodland but we have pleasant neighbours (who help explain about the hook-up) and a quiet space to spend the night (although it might be busier on weekdays). We open fizz, a delicious Cabre & Sabatte Cava and enjoy mushroom and ham omelette as the day darkens to a very quiet night. A stressful day so an early night.
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