Saxony-Anhalt

Wow, we thought we were lucky yesterday when we camped on the dandelion speckled green on the edge of Großalmerode, but today's spot is even better! We've parked up on the bank of Bindersee in a meadow of tall grass accessed by a tiny track. A white sign attached to a wooden telephone post reads that bathing is at your own risk - brilliant! A chance for a wild swim!

The rain had once again been torrential, we put the new antislip mats under the front tyres, hoping there wouldn't be any problems when it came time to leave. It was wet and chilly outside so we spent the rest of the day taking in the tranquil views from inside the warmth and comfort of the van, while Will set about making pizzas for tea. A Grey Heron would occasionaly fly accross the rain rippled surface of the lake, while Great Crested Grebes did a mating dance. The two toned call of a cuckoo was our near constant companion, although we never saw it. While it was light, swallows darted after flying insects and as dusk fell, bats took over from where they left off.

Thankfully the rain abated overnight and day two brought with it a beautiful blue sky, although still with a chill in the air so we rummaged around in the boot and found our full length wetsuits. We (unsurprisingly) had the whole lake to ourselves. While Vicky acclimatised, Will had a quick dip before donning his wetsuit and we swam out to the middle. Afterwards, we played around underneath a Weeping Willow from which someone had hung a knotted rope. To watch the video on the VnW Travels You Tube channel, click here: https://youtu.be/ngeby_XZ3F4

It was a wonderful feeling to be in the water under the open sky but it also felt good to step back into the van, get the kettle on and turn the heating up! Will made use of the daylight hours by practicing with Peggy the Drone and trying to fly his kite, although whenever he took hold of the strings, the wind disappeared.

We finished the day with a three course vegan meal of padrón peppers, cauliflower cheese and a Magnum. We are generally skeptical of imitation products but the cheese sauce tasted good, definitely better than sauces we've made with some german dairy cheeses!Read more