Excellent bike path almost entirely off-road, with a really scenic route. We joined it in Bad Tölz after coming from Strasbourg and left it 100 km before Venice to stay in the mountains and connect with the end of the Via Claudia, which is probably on next year’s program. The trail is often on packed gravel, but even though some short sections aren’t great, our 32C tires were enough—though wider would’ve been better. Mostly wild camping, often by a lake or river. The signage is top-notch. The only downside is the noise from cars in some valleys—out of sight but not out of earshot.

Sites that explain it better than I can: https://italy-cycling-guide.info/ An English site—check the INTERNATIONAL CYCLE ROUTES section.

It’s almost *too* detailed—a 1:200,000 map is plenty.

And here’s a photo to inspire you!

Hi there, We’re heading to the Black Forest region in Germany this August. Are there flea markets in Germany like we have in France? Is there a site that lists them, similar to Brocabrac here?

Thanks :) Have a great day

Hello or good evening, ladies!

Private message conversation. With my thanks in advance.

Looking for a long-term travel companion. Preferably within a 25 km radius of Castres (Tarn) or Niort (Deux-Sèvres). I’m planning to move to the Niort area. However, I’ll consider other “applications.”

Departure on June 1, 2026. Around 14 days. My van easily carries 2 bikes and our "travel gear." In Lörrach, we’ll park it in a safe spot.

My motto: a well-planned trip is a successful trip.

Jean-Luc, 67 years old, 1.70 m tall.

I quote (description from an In.ternet site): "You’ll find idyllic landscapes worthy of the most beautiful postcards: isolated homes nestled with their large roofs on the slopes of meadows, peaceful lakes, sleepy peat bogs, and gorges that seem straight out of romantic tales."

Foxes, wild boars, lynxes, roe deer, stags, wild cats, and red squirrels can be encountered there. The advantage of traveling by bike? More chances to get closer to them, thanks to our silent mode of transport... Harder to spot are the salamander, a variety of aquatic turtle, the European pond turtle. As for the list of birds, it’s too long!

I choose not to specify an age range. The “I feel good with you” doesn’t obey any age bracket... That’s the magic of the chemistry that arises (or not) between two people. Still, physical attraction is a must!

One obvious condition: she should like the German people. Ha! Ha! If she speaks German at a good level, she’ll enjoy our trip even more. Uh... me? 20 or 25 common words and phrases. Especially polite expressions! For communication, I use French and English (widely spoken in this country).

I won’t promise “spectacular-fun-surprising” moments every 10 minutes. For that, you’d have to go to Disneyland in the Paris region. Instead, I promise a well-established itinerary, safe and secure, with good accommodations every evening. After about 4 hours of work, I’ve listed 2 or 3 different addresses we’ll head to via my GPS—if the first is full, it’s next one. 😉

I hesitate to mention the positive elevation gain. That’s the charm of this region: a succession of climbs and descents with stunning panoramas. Maximum altitude: 1380 m.

An e-bike isn’t mandatory. Explanation via private message. If you only have a hybrid bike, I can carry most of your luggage. I think that’s called “kindness.”

Lunch: “picnic.” In such a setting, it’s a must. A bit for restaurant savings, I must admit. Dinner at a restaurant. A potential extension that might appeal to you: from Karlsruhe, take the train to Cologne (Köln), and we’ll follow a bike path along the Rhine River from Cologne to Constance, with its medieval alleys and charming lake. Details of the cities (what to see and do) face-to-face.

Hi, We're heading to Germany in August. Finally, after all this time I wanted to go back to Germany :) I think I need an eco sticker for my car, but I'm not sure. I found this info: "Since June 1, 2022, it’s no longer necessary to buy the German eco sticker to drive in Freiburg-im-Breisgau’s Umweltzonen (low-emission zones). The Crit'Air sticker, rated from 0 to 3, is recognized by the authorities." Could you tell me the name of the website where I can find this info, please? We’ll be staying in Brigachtal (Baden-Württemberg). We’ll visit Friedrichshafen, Triberg, and Hohenzollern Castle.

Thanks :)

Hello, We’re heading to Bavaria from May 13 to 23, with a side trip to Austria. Here’s our itinerary: Day 1: Brussels-Munich Day 2: Munich Day 3: Munich and departure for Salzburg We’ll be staying three nights in Salzburg. Then we’ll head to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where we’ll stay for five nights. Visiting Munich and Salzburg isn’t too tricky. Once in Garmisch, we’re planning a day in Innsbruck, a day for Neuschwanstein Castle, and the rest is still up in the air. What’s really got me stumped is that we’d love to see Königssee Lake—everyone says it’s a must-see. We’d also like to visit the Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus), where the landscapes are supposedly stunning. This would either be a round trip while we’re in Salzburg or on the way between Salzburg and Garmisch, but I’m guessing it’s impossible to do the drive from Salzburg to Garmisch, the Eagle’s Nest, *and* Königssee Lake all in one day. Plus, the Alpine route between Salzburg and Garmisch seems prettier than the highway. But honestly, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with the planning. We should’ve added a stop between Salzburg and Garmisch, but the hotels are already booked. Thanks for any advice on the itinerary and visits! Another question: How far in advance should we book Neuschwanstein, Königssee, and the Eagle’s Nest in May? Thanks so much in advance for your tips and ideas!

Hi there, I’m flying from Marseille to Bali this year and have a 1h30 layover in Frankfurt, from Terminal 1 to Terminal 1. Do you think that’s enough time, considering I don’t know the airport or the language? Thanks. »

Hi there,

I arrived in Berlin last night. In another discussion, I shared how much of a "nightmare" the flights from Nice were.

I’ll be posting some impressions here—what I liked and what I didn’t like as much.

This is my first time in Berlin. I’m staying for two weeks. For now, I’m alone, but I’ll be joined by someone in a few days.

Just to clarify, I won’t be posting any photos because my camera gave up the ghost the day before I left. It refused to read memory cards, and I don’t have a smartphone—just a tablet that I leave at the hotel.

Speaking of photos, a few years ago, at the Ducasse d’Ath in Belgium, I met a retired teacher who wasn’t taking any pictures of the festival. I asked her, "You’re not taking any photos?" She told me that during a trip to Nicaragua, she’d photographed howler monkeys and only noticed when looking at the pictures later that the males had huge testicles—something she hadn’t realized in person. She said, "Since then, I don’t bother with photos anymore!" I’ve thought about that often and wonder if I should do the same and stop taking pictures. Still, I’ll probably get a smartphone since it’s hard to go without one these days.

Hello, We’re back from this cruise. Boarding in Dunkirk: The doors opened around 12 PM. Since we were a bit early, I asked if my husband, who uses a walker, could wait inside instead of outside. I left him with the two suitcases and our two backpacks in the small hall while I parked the car in the reserved CFC parking lot for 10 € per day. The shuttle that was supposed to take people from the parking lot to the model pavilion was supposed to arrive in 5 minutes, but after 15 minutes, nothing. After waiting 15 minutes, I saw a man walking and asked if I could follow him. In 15 minutes, we arrived, and still no sign of the shuttle—it must have passed us. Arrived at the model pavilion. My husband had already checked in the suitcases with the help of a CFC staff member. The remaining formalities were completed quickly. We were on board by 12:15 PM. Headed to the buffet on deck 11 and waited in a lounge to access our cabin. At 2 PM, we discovered our balcony cabin on deck 9 at the rear: spacious with a large balcony compared to MSC/COSTA. Since we were at the rear, cabin 9202, there was always an issue with elevator number 4: "priority." Elevator number 2 stops at deck 10... and elevator number 3 was often out of order, leaving only number 1 for those with mobility issues to reach the buffet, especially for people who struggle with stairs. Note: only one child on board and lots of "gray hair." DAY 2: At sea. Lots of activities offered. Day 3: GOTHENBURG (Sweden). Sunny, 19°C at 11 AM. Excursion booked with CFC: Gothenburg and Haga for all. Interesting visit with a great guide. The HAGA district, in our opinion, is full of cobblestones and nothing special, not suitable for people using a cane or wheelchair. Elevator number 3 was out of order again. Day 4: Copenhagen. 15°C in the morning, showers in the afternoon. We didn’t book an excursion since we’d already stopped here with CFC in 2025, and based on advice from this forum, we took the hop-on/hop-off bus right in front of the ship. I still went to see the Little Mermaid again. No TV, but the elevator was fixed. DAY 5: At sea. Still no TV. DAY 6: GDANSK (Poland). 15°C, rain all day. There’s a shuttle to get to the city center. We took the excursion: Panorama of Gdansk. The guide left us at the entrance of the city center for 45 minutes, telling us what to visit. Meet-up for the rest of the tour at 3 PM. The bus left at 3:15 PM to cover 10 km to see St. Mary’s Cathedral. We arrived at 4:16 PM... The guide said there are often traffic jams in that direction. We had 10 minutes on site before heading to see the lighthouse and the Westerplatte monument, where we also had 10 minutes. Many of us wondered why we didn’t do the tour in the opposite direction since they knew there would be traffic... I went to reception to complain about the organization. The staff member read me the program: we were supposed to start with the lighthouse, then go to the cathedral and stay for 30 minutes before heading to the center of Gdansk for a short guided walk with some free time to buy souvenirs, etc. The guide did the complete opposite of what was planned and didn’t even give us a guided tour—just dropped us off in the city... DAY 7: Bornholm Island (Denmark). 14°C, a few sunny spells. We saw in the excursions that there was a walking tour of RØNNE. So, like many others, we explored on our own. There was a small orchestra welcoming us at the port and two people with city maps. We took the shuttle to leave the port—it ran every 15 minutes. The tourist office was next to the "shuttle bus." A pleasant visit at our own pace. DAY 8: KIEL (Germany). 18–23°C, nice weather. We took the "Kiel for all" excursion. Great guide and interesting visits. The port is in the city, and in 10 minutes, we were in the city center by following a blue line on the ground from the port. Elevator 3 was stuck again... and the TV was back. DAY 9: At sea. Elevator 3 works. DAY 10: At sea. Elevator 3 is out of order again... DAY 11: Disembarkation in Dunkirk. Cabins had to be vacated by 7:30 AM. Buffet open until 9 AM. Elevator number 1 was "reserved," leaving only number 2, which doesn’t go up to deck 11... a problem for people with mobility issues who had to cross the entire deck 11 and try to use one of the four working elevators at the front, which were crowded. My opinion: Interesting stops. The onboard staff were always welcoming, smiling, and mostly French-speaking. Evening shows were better than in March/April 2025—better singers, dancers, and presenters, and the costumes were improved. I liked the "magician" shows less. There were three onboard lectures by a very cultured person, but they went off-topic and were too historical for my taste. I didn’t attend the other two; my husband went to the second but not the third. For this cruise, there was a bridge theme, but we’re not players or interested. We didn’t take a drink package on board—water, coffee, tea, and herbal teas were available.

We had a water leak in our cabin the night before disembarkation. We reported it, and after the technical staff came (with a translator who didn’t speak English), we were asked to leave the cabin for a while for repairs. We went to a lounge, and after 1.5 hours, I checked in at reception. The repair took longer than expected... we had to change cabins... not ideal the night before disembarkation. No balcony cabins were available, so we got an ocean-view cabin, 6075, with a bathtub (impossible for both of us to use). We packed our suitcases, took a shower in our cabin, and moved to the new one. Noise from chairs until 12:30 AM because the cabin was under a lounge, and constant ventilation noise in the hallway... sleep was hard to come by. Disembarkation: Well organized. We were helped with transporting the two suitcases and bags to the waiting room while I took the shuttle to get the car. Guylène