At St Nicholas du Port the sun rises just after 7.00am, a blue sky heralds a warm and sunny day ahead. We listen again to the storks ‘clacking their bills’ as we eat breakfast.  We service Hymer, empty the toilet cassette, the fresh water tank is 75% full.

We leave St Nicholas de Port about 9.30am taking A33/N333 calling at Aire d’Anthelupt and fill with LPG. Back on D333 to Lunéville. From here D19 through Hablainville to Baccarat.

Just before joining the A59 at Baccarat we run alongside the railway which is elevated and I wonder if we need to cross it. If we do it will undoubtedly mean a low bridge. There have been no low bridge signs or warnings so assume all will be OK and carry on. We meet the bridge and sure enough it has a 2.9m height limit. As Hymer is 2.9m high we debate whether we will fit. It ‘looks’ OK, so I get out and walk backwards through the tunnel easing Hymer and Mr C. forward. Apart from the ariel (which drags along the roof of the tunnel) there is a good roomy fit with about three to four inches to spare. Loads of room I think!

Once under the bridge we join N59 through Raon l’Étape to Moyenmoutier where we stop for coffee and do a grocery shop at Intermarché. This Intermarché is expensive, the fresh food is tired, wilting and of poor quality, and the choice is very limited, definitely not the usual standard and a disappointing shopping experience.

Once stocked up with milk, bread, fruit and vegetables we are back on the road and D424 to Senones. From here we climb up and up through the Vosges Forest, the two-lane road becoming extremely bendy as we climb with several hairpin bends along the way. It is clearly the route through the mountains as there are many trucks crossing with us. We cross the boundary from Vosges to Bas-Rhin and onto D1420 at St Blaise la Roche. The altitude at the highest point is 960m after which we begin a serious descent through the forest, thick with vertiginous drop-offs at the side of the road.

At Fouday we turn onto a small forest road, D57 and continue our descent through Waldersbach, negotiating many hairpin bends and passing an elevated alpine campsite at Champ du Feu. Branching left onto D425 we continue downwards to the lovely alpine village of Le Hohwald with its Austrian-style balconied chalets, with long, overhanging roofs clearly to deal with the heavy snow fall in the winter. Finally down to the village of Andlau where we begin to see row upon row of vines down the hillside. The last two and a half kilometres on D62 brings us to the top end of Mittelbergheim village and Parking du Zotzenberg by the cemetery. We have stayed here previously and know it is a great stop.

It is mid-afternoon and already busy at the parking area,  five motorhomes and many cars. We park in our favourite spot next to the picnic table but another motorhome is also parked next to the plane tree. There is room for us both so we have lunch and relax after a long drive of about five hours which has been slow through the mountains. The other motorhome leaves so we move forward under the shade of the plane tree. The afternoon is hot, about 26°C so not too hot.

Wine tasting and buying in Mittelbergheim

We walk to the first winery on Rue Rotland which is Domaine Hirtz, who are advertising their Crémant. We call in for degustation and start with Crémant both white (without skins) and Rosé (Pinot Noir), both are very good. We also try three whites (Auxerois, Pinot Gris, dry Gewürztraminer) and red Pinot Noir. We buy 12 bottles of Crémant (six of each), 6 bottles of Pinot Noir and 9 bottles of white, which is delivered to us at the cemetery parking.

Our next call is Domaine Earl Schwob (we visited earlier this year, in June) and catch up with him. Monsieur Schwab tells us about the grape harvest and how the hot then cold and wet weather has messed up the grapes. We try another five whites and buy another dozen bottles from him including his best 1 litre bottles of Sylvander at €5. Monsieur Schwab also delivers for us then visits the cemetery before he leaves and pays his respects to four generations of Schwobs who have gone before him: Roger, Marie, Eugene, Marcel and now Patrick. Back at the car park we see that the cars and the walkers are beginning to leave.

I am stood by the back corner the Hymer about to get in when I am shaken by a loud bang and a shaking of the whole vehicle. I turn around and see a white car wedged firmly against out back corner having narrowly missed me by inches! When I see how close I was to being hit, I really am shaken. The lady driver pulls forward a couple of feet and gets out, she is shocked too. Mr C. (who was inside) comes to the door to see what all the commotion is about! The lady driver speaks no English so Mr C. comes to our aid. She apologises and says she didn’t look properly. We look at Hymer, he is solid (!!) just a bolt cover missing which holds the back corner together which is a little loose but nothing serious. We look at the back of her car and as she opens the tailgate it reveals a long crack of about 24 inches where the back bumper has broken. She looks shocked and makes a comment about her son (who will help her get it fixed). We agree that the cost is really on her car and not ours. She apologises again and we agree that we are all OK. When I look at how close I was to not being OK I send up a silent prayer of thanks.

We open a bottle of Alsace Pinot Gris wine and eat salmon rillette and thin bread as a starter and begin to feel much better! Later as dusk begins to fall and it cools, we eat beefburgers in a bun with tomato and mushroom, delicious!