Fuel is by far the costliest element of any trip so whenever in Luxembourg we try to fill our tanks because of the Duchy’s low rate of tax.
Diesel was just €1.11 and LPG as cheap as 0.53 for a litre (£1.34 and 0.87 at home). However, we had to use two garages to do this.
The first one (for diesel) was a German station and we crossed the road to refill with gas at a French LPG station. Neither spoke the others language. Bemused and a little tongue-tied we crossed Luxembourg and returned to France and the gorgeous Alsace region.
Bertha met head-on winds with gusto and by mid-afternoon we were bowling along the well-remembered ‘route des vins’ and heading for a vineyard stop.
Smiling Madame Meyer and her ‘vieux chien’ black Labrador met us with warmth and we enjoyed tasting the house Cremant.
We bought three bottles and, with Madame’s permission, opened one immediately to enjoy the French sunset from Bertha’s warm cab overlooking a wildflower meadow.
Finishing the last of the Han saucisse with rice and garlic croutons it was a joyful return to the region we originally celebrated a big birthday in, some years ago.
