Monschau

(Words by Toni, pics by Jon).

This morning we left Dunkirk - today we must slog down the motorway to reach today's destination, Monschau. This is just across the Belgian border into Germany. We have visited this place before - every year it holds a wonderfully seasonal crisp and cold xmas market. However lovely in the snow I was looking forward to seeing it in the summer sunshine. It is just as pretty. Lucious green forests and woodland. The first hotel we stopped at was a bit of a concrete jungle so I thought it probably wouldn't be so expensive. Got that wrong. At 110 Euros per night for the ugly monstrosity on the outskirts of town we'd thought we'd try somewhere else. So we took the bike as far as we could go before the narrow and cobbled pedestrian area took over. We tried another but there was no room at the inn. On we went, ever hotter in the 30 degree heat (in our bike gear) until we tried another cafe/hotel - Der Eifeler Hof. Oh joy - they had a room! But oh no, the shower wasn't working, there were problems with the plumbing which meant we had to shower in a room on the floor above. But the room was only 20 Euros each per night, including breakfast, and the staff were friendly so we ate their that night. Delicious food. Today is a bank holiday weekend in Germany so it is very busy here. But even so the crowds were dissapearing and staff were closing cafes by 9pm.