Days 7,8 & 9 Staufen, Freiburg & Baden-Baden.

As we were driving to our next destination ,Staufen, we realised all the lorries parked up filling every layby meant we'd been caught out again ,with supermarkets closed this time for Ascension Day. Luckily we weren't too far from the border with France ,who were open ,so a small diversion allowed us to stock up again on fresh food. Note to self, check for public holidays in each country we're going too!

After the sightseeing stop off at the Volklingen ironworks and our supermarket diversion we then had to keep going to arrive at our next campsite before the reception closed at 6 pm. We made it with half an hour to spare to find there had been a mistake with our booking and although we'd got a confirmation email no pitch had been allocated.The site was very busy as this was a holiday weekend but luckily they did find a spot to squeeze us into. 

The site was a short walk from the town along a riverside walk so we walked there for the evening . The Bier festival which was in full swing was probably wasted on us but Lesley did sample the local wine . Staufen is a pretty little town , lots of nice cafes, shops and a ruined castle. As Martin isn't keen on sightseeing and Lesley is not keen on hills we were both happy to see it from a distance !

The bikes were out again on Friday as we cycled to Freiburg, a larger town with a small pleasant old quarter complete with market and the opportunity to try Black Forest gateaux, but not a lot else to recommend it.The cycle route there and back was great.

Saturday we went by the very punctual trains to visit Baden-Baden, a very pretty spa town with a lovely long riverside park , Lichtentaler Allee. Trip Advisor does recommend visiting the casino for its decor and  architecture supposedly inspired by the Palace of Versailles but our t-shirts and shorts didn't meet the smart dress code ! Lots of horse statues all around . Overall a very pleasant afternoon wandering around the town .  

We even saw a group of lads dressed in traditional dress like this little fella enjoying a stag do.

Tomorrow we're off again to stay by Lake Constance, stopping on route at Lake Titisee .Hopefully the forecasted thunderstorms will hold off long enough  to let us get another bike ride in around some of the lake.