So our older son is getting married in the south of France on June 4th. I've rented a high-top diesel Westy in the Netherlands and we'll be driving from there up to Sylt and Hamburg to visit my wife's relatives, then making our way south to Mont Ventoux for the wedding. If anybody has any suggestions for people or places we should see on the way, I'm open to suggestions. We'll be going south via Hanover and Mohrendorf, then down through Freiburg and Lyon to Ventoux. Also happy to get together with TBers and talk double bass, bluegrass, VW T3 vans or whatever! We'll be avoiding major cities and are most interested in touring the countryside and smaller cities but we are definitely going to make a pilgrimage to Mohrendorf to visit Roland Wilfer, the double bass maker! Seeya, Jake
Find one of the multitude of race tracks in that part of the world and do a track day with the rented Westy?
Freiburg is worth the visit. Beautiful small city. Not far from there (5 miles), in Waldkirch, you can visit luthier (DB and cello) Michael Bornhak. you can check some of his work in bornhak.de and also on his Facebook page. He'll be more than happy to talk bass.
I can recommend nearly anywhere along the Rhine. Cologne and Dusseldorf are very nice IMO. The cathedral in Cologne is a very remarkable example of Gothic architecture and 15 years ago, anyways, there was a chocolate candy factory and museum within walking distance across the river. I've never had bonbons as good since. There are lots of castles along the Rhine too, well worth seeing from a historical perspective. Oh, and if the stars align, you can catch a WDR Big Band concert starring John Goldsby on bass.
Nice! I wanted to go and drive the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans but it may be too far west for us to get to in the time we have... Clermont-Ferrand is pret
Great idea! Freiburg and Michael Bornhak are both right on the way. There was a DB luthier in France who I bookmarked years ago, just in case we ever ended up in Europe - and I can't find him. I remember a photo of a converted barn with the second floor all white washed and full of basses...
Thanks Fran, you're absolutely right. I did find him in my Bookmarks but I am unable to connect to his website... According to Google he's just north of Lyon and also right on our route. I'll try calling him when we're nearby.
Try this: Luthier Jean Auray - Spécialiste en contrebasse, Contrebasse de voyage - Double bass specialist, Travel double bass it's working for me right now.
Maybe a compatibility problem with the web browser program that you are using...try from another computer.
The Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, France is pretty cool. "The place is famous for being the official residence of Leonardo da Vinci between 1516 and 1519, when Leonardo died." Also has replicas of da Vinci inventions and a copy of the Mona Lisa painted by da Vinci.
five years ago, my wife and i walked the camino for our honeymoon. the trail starts in southern france. we had such great memories! i recommend the basque region of northern spain. san sebastian was great! food, wine, beaches, sights, museums...highly recommended!