Day 3 - Saarburg

 It was a three hour drive from Epernay across the border into Germany, to the quite simply stunning town of Saarburg. The route we  wanted to take (one without motorway tolls) unfortunately cut through Luxembourg, and I'm currently not allowed in there . So it was motorway and tolls for most of the journey, but it was quite pleasant and smooth.

Let me get the paperwork out of the way first. Signing in at the campsite on the edge of Saarburg was done through an app - no other way seemed possible. Unlike France we are not required to log in at bars and restaurants, and around town only a minority were wearing masks. However they are required in supermarkets, and I made the security guard's day by daring to enter the supermarket wearing a cloth mask - nein, das ist verboten! It had to be a paper one.

We, or at least I, came across a potential problem when we cycled up to the local TUV office to get an emmissions sticker for my van. This is needed to drive into low emissions zones in major cities, but Bunty is apparently too old and polluting so the (actually really helpful) man was unable to give me one. This might be problematic later, but Linda is going to email the sites already booked just to check they are not in any of these zones. They really do not like old diesel engined vehicles in Germany.

Saarburg is very, very pretty, with an old castle perched high above the river, and a stream with a weir right in the middle of the town, cobbled streets and old buildings looking resplendent and well cared for.

Today we are going to take our bikes up the ski lift (some of the pods are adapted to carry bikes) seen in the first photo, and visit a wild bird centre at the top. After a bit of a cycle around we'll make a decision about which restaurant to visit, and take the day as it comes.