Wide Open Spaces!

Saturday 29th December 2012

We have now moved in and it's been just over a week settling back into this way of living again with a proper roof over our heads!.

Did we sleep well the first night?… well, all I can say can you remember when you have suddenly touched something very hot and your reaction?, we had only slept in single beds up until now and falling asleep was no problem it was when suddenly we touched each other and the instant leap to one side thinking "who is that in my bed"???. These jerky reactions soon stopped however and we were warm and snuggled like a pair of dormouse in our massive expanse of sleeping area.

The little farmhouse we have is lovely and is part of barns and stables which I expect one day will be converted to provide more accommodation of some sort. There is also lots of land and Bradley would look back at me when I let him out the door as if to say "can I really run around like a mad thing, is this field just outside my own front door"?. There are two large fires that need a constant supply of logs so after I had passed my chainsaw authorisation, I am now stock piling logs in one of the many barns!. The kitchen is typical of a large French type with big long table to do all your work on and a large old Aga type heater and cooker. We have already cooked a fantastic curry on there slowly cooking all day and plan do make some of our own French bread.

We are about 1km from the centre of Aigurande which is a small sleepy town and it's nice to walk into the Boulangerie for our bread and we even have a decent sized supermarket so no need for transport to get around. We can of course take the motorhome to visit other areas if we want as parking is so easy in France.

Christmas has come and gone and New Year will be upon us in a couple of days. The French celebrate things slightly different here and shops really do close down regularly which is good, but you have to make sure you have what you need. Christmas day was so quiet, everywhere was shut and not a car in sight, on the BBC news all we saw were shops open, queues of traffic three lanes deep on motorways and unfortunately fatal road traffic accidents, such a difference between countries. Living as local people now were are noticing things more and it is so interesting to see the different lifestyles and expectations. 

With UK TV and decent broadband we can certainly keep in touch so look out for the next instalment!

Bonne Journée

Frozen Velcro

Monday 17th December 2012We have lots to tell and some really exciting news as it's been a hectic couple of weeks! We were a little concerned about what exactly we were going to do over the Christmas period as up until now we just make things up as we go along but this time there was a need for some proper organising. The small problem that faced us was the growing depth of snow and ice and the only campsites open were now the big Ski resorts. We had never geared ourselves up for the winter snows as we would have probably been back in the UK but the accident in Italy had put us back about 3 months in total. The expensive insurance policies of various types we had in force, still with over 6 months left to run would also expire as soon as we re-enter the UK and we would have to take out new policies if we returned back into Europe, so we were trying to avoid that option. Also it is law in Germany and the Alpine regions to have proper winter tyres fitted or risk a heavy fine so at over £800 for a set of four tyres we now wanted to head for lower ground and France. That's not to say we had enjoyed the snow especially Bradley and it is certainly different kind of snow all dry, powdery and warmer than the snow we get in the UK!. 
The internet was in overdrive now looking at every option and we came up with the idea of house sitting. With now large ex-pat communities that have escaped the UK and living in Europe there always seemed to be a house sitting opportunity available. We quickly joined the many house sitters registered for Europe, got some references and sat back and waited for the call. Also we had contacted our friend Phil in the centre of France and enquired if he knew of any houses that were available for us for short term. Within a few days Phil contacted us and had found a lovely farmhouse that was available in a lovely location next to a small town with all the facilities we needed and most importantly somewhere safe to park the motorhome. 
The maps were out and we were quickly plotting the course out of Germany 800 kilometres west towards Aigurande in France.The overnight freeze down to minus -10 was pretty severe that night but the blue sky told us it was probably going to be a good day to travel. It normally takes us about 30 minutes to get everything packed away and the engine started but the size of icicles and frozen everything was going to dictate otherwise. Firstly the waste water outlet was frozen solid and as there was almost a half tank (50 litres) we needed to offload this before driving. So out came Lorraine's hair dryer and with the aid of an extension lead 30 minutes later the plastic piping and tap defrosted. Next thing was the satellite dish, there was no way we could detract that so a bit like opening the hatch on a submarine out I went with the hair dryer through a roof window giving the dish and motors a nice morning blow dry. The strangest thing and something I had never come across before was frozen velcro. That is used at the front to stop the large silver cab window insulation covers flapping about and it would just not budge at all. Water had got into the velcro and then frozen solid making the seal better that super glue!. The hairdryer would not reach so it was down to me to huff and puff my hottest breath on it. Thankfully a few minutes later, out of breath and cross eyed the velcro started to rip away with some pretty awful cracking sounds to go with it!. Over an hour later and with the roads now ploughed and gritted we were heading for France.

Vive la France!

What's all the fuss about!

Wednesday 5th December 2012

We all know living in the UK the stigma and effect that even a light fall of snow will have on our roads and transport system. I always grew up thinking that it was always going to be like that coz 'thats how it was' until we came to Germany and saw the other side. They really do cope so well with ice and snow here and I would put it down to a simple thing like the Government like to invest properly and can see the importance of keeping things moving for all concerned. 

We woke up this morning to really heavy snow and had planned to drive 35km into Konstanz for the day to visit the Christmas Markets. Seeing that amount of snow and driving a motorhome would have been a big NO in the UK but the faith and confidence you have here in the German road networks makes the day carry on as normal. The Germans really do manage their snow with fleets of snow ploughs gritting all day long!. Even in smaller villages there are smaller ploughs and gritters driven by local farmers. The thing that really stood out was the teams of people clearing footpaths and cycle tracks..It would take a lot for this place to grind to a halt! 
Short clip from our driving camera can be seen here.

A few have been asking how we are keeping warm especially with a weekend night low of minus -16 expected. The technology of motorhomes has thankfully changed with the times and we bought our Hymer as it was made in Germany and has one of the most advanced insulated body systems on the market. Linked to that dual fuel blown air central heating and we are as warm as toast. We can chose the source of fuel on a dial from electric if hooked up or gas if we are out and about. Also we can choose both gas and electric to work together and then it gets really hot!, we have only used that once but had to set the thermostat very low!.

Auf Wiedersehen 

Frohes Fest!

Sat 1st December 2012
(Dont forget to click the links of coloured text for more information)

We have stayed put for a few days now so that we could visit one of the most traditional German Christmas Markets at Rothenburg and the wait was all worth it! The opening was yesterday and the day before the big freeze suddenly arrived and with it the snow. It was touch and go in the morning but the snowing finally stopped and we edged out of the campsite to one of the special parking areas they have for visiting motorhomes right next to the old city walls. We all wrapped up and Bradley wore his new coat for the first time and didn't we need it with temperatures struggling to get above freezing. 

It all added to the atmosphere and once inside the predominantly traffic free walls the feel of Christmas was soon about us. First thing was to try and fine a hairdresser for Lorraine as the locks were getting a little out of control and needed taming. We found a nice salon and the excited shriek of the stylist when Lorraine took her hat off said it all. I was shown a comfortable seat with a nice coffee whilst Bradley was treated to loads of treats and cuddles from the remaining staff. We keep forgetting that in most of Europe dogs can go virtually anywhere. Over an hour later Lorraine emerged with a satisfying grin and we said our goodbyes to the nice staff.

The next stop was lunch and there was so much to chose from. A very nice and traditional hotel with a traditional Franconian menu looked just the ticket and after another check that Bradley was allowed, in we went. The inside was all decked out with the most tasteful decorations and we were made to feel very welcome. Rothenburg is a bit too inland for the hoards of coaches that visit the German Markets from the West side  of Europe so it was nice just mixing with the locals and a few Japanese tourists. We soon chose two traditional rustic recipes from the Frankonia (Franken) region and washed down with a half a litre of local beer was just the ticket. (I was soon going to regret that amount of beer when I hit the freezing temperatures outside!)

After a relaxed lunch out we went again taking in the beautiful old town which is like a movie film set and dates back over a 1000 years. Thankfully the excellent public loos were in abundance and thankfully I didn't have more than one beer. It was soon time for afternoon coffee and cakes and we found a 700yr old hotel and café which had the most wonderful seating area within an old library. They also had the most divine Franconian pastries and cakes to sample in the most relaxed and typical German laid back fashion. 

It was almost dark when we emerged back outside again and more and more people were arriving. We could understand why as the Christmas lights were just wonderful. It was like stepping back in time, no flashing blue strobe effects or animated Santa's climbing an electric chimney stack out here, just hand made candle powered or tasteful white twinkling lights. It was the warm local welcome and costume that also made the day. Tradition is you go and hire your cup (Tasse) and then visit the numerous street stalls that serve the 'Gluhwein' (Glow Wine) and drink it stood around the many street tables provided.

5 o'clock arrived and we all met in the main market square (Marktplatz) for the opening ceremony. The choir singing familiar carols in German was lovely and the mayor officially opened the event to the sounds of the local brass band. Being a keen photographer I climbed up the back steps of the town hall and got an elevated position just behind the stage and who did I bump into hiding in the shadows?… none other than old St Nicolas himself. A young American couple with a small child had followed me up and I'll never forget the little boys 'WHAW" when Santa Claus turned around to him in the darkness and said hello in German. You didn't need to understand the language seeing the boys face and I managed to get a great shot as Santa bent down opened his huge sack and gave the boy a handful of small treats….priceless!.

I also managed to shoot a bit of video of the opening ceremony which can be seen by clicking here but my video skills aren't as good as my photography.

After another hour of walking about we had to return to the campsite after a brief visit to the local supermarket as we didn't want to be out and about too late in the motorhome. We had experienced a truly magical day and will never forget Rothenburg and its warm hospitality. 

A brief day catching up and then its off down the Autobahn tomorrow (Sunday) to Lake Konstanz where we hope to visit some more lovely Christmas Markets. We have decided to stick to the main roads now as the weather is really wintery.

Frohes Fest (Merry Christmas) to you all!

The innocence (or ignorance) of the traveller....

German for night = nacht
German for naked = nackt
Both are vurtually pronounced the same way especially for two numpties trying to learn the basics...
Soo.. Lorraine has just learnt from a campsite owner that could speak good english that she has been asking for the last few weeks if she could "stay naked for 2 please" instead of  "can we stay for 2 nights please"
Ooops!

Bottoms up!

Sat 24th November 2012

Well, here we are still in Germany and likely to stay here for some time yet. Going from country to country it's amazing how different the way of life is considering how close they all are and how the border controls have virtually disappeared.

We found Germany the most difficult country to come to terms with but there was something there that kept us from running off to another country. I think the biggest hurdle has been the language and yes we should learn it and we have tried but it is a really difficult language to learn. People have been really good and thankfully are willing to practice their English back to you but they like you to try a bit of German as well. The Germans like their home comforts and that extends to campsites where the facilities are super heated and of a very high standard. The campsite owners are very relaxed and over the last two weeks we have literally been the only people moving about in a motorhome and the exclusive use of the facilities makes us feel very important!. When another motorhome turns up we feel it's quite an intrusion!.

Germany also has some lovely parts to explore even in the depths of winter and we have really explored beyond where the average tourist would tread. We have found hidden Roman ruins, sleeping villages, local ferry crossings on the Rhein and even the odd cafe or restaurant to sample the fantastic beers on offer. Yes, they certainly can boast to have the best beers in Europe. The stuff you buy in the UK is so watered down and needs to be the way that binge drinking occurs. Drinking beer out here is more like having a cup of coffee as it's drunk more socially and slowly. We haven't seen one drunk or wino' with his bottle in the local park, that's not to say there may be some in the larger cities. 

Last week we decided to drive alongside two of the two largest rivers in Germany, the Mosel and the Rhein. Both spectacular with winding valleys shrouded in vineyards (Rhineland) and a very busy commercial shipping in the shape of massive barges chugging up and down all day to ease the strain of HGV's on the countries road network. One lunchtime we stopped for dinner beside the Rhein watching all this activity sail past us, it was fascinating. On going into the town we found one of Germany's top Stein producers so I am now the proud owner of my first original German Stein with which to sip the many locally made beers we come across so often. 

Passing through some small villages in Germany is like stepping back in time, we have noticed how much they look after things out here, you can see really old tractors and cars still in use that would have been thrown away a long time ago in other countries. The fashion is another thing as that doesn't seem to have caught up with the rest of Europe yet. What you get instead is just really good quality of everything. Everything is made really well using the best parts and produce and it's this that literally keeps things lasting so much longer.

We are loving it and even more now that it's nearly the first Advent which means the Christmas Markets open next week!. We have stumbled upon Rothenburg considered to be one of Europe's most beautiful medieval towns having one of Germany's oldest and best Christmas Market. So with some snow forecast its going to be an exciting December this year.

Auf Wiedersehen

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris)..

Guess who managed to find one of these and stupidly try to chase it?.. Its the size of Bradley and once it turned and hissed at him he thankfully came running back to me!!. We are deep in the Forest regions now with lots of Wild Boar as well so its lead and harness from now on!

Diesel £1.04p per litre!

Tues 13th November 2012

Sorry for the delay but we haven't had very good internet recently. Campsite internet varies greatly from free and very fast to €3.50 per hour and slow!. You would think it should be the other way around but sometimes the cheaper is better. Being constantly connected is a service we take for granted and miss quite often but then seeing the next bit of breathtaking scenery on our wonderful trip more than makes up for lack of internet!.

So, what have we been up to in the last week?. We went into Luxembourg which was a small but quaint little country which can almost be summed up as not really knowing its identity. Firstly the language is really strange as their native language is made up of a bit of French, German and Dutch but they easily speak English which is good. Then there are the signs, one minute its all in German and then on the other side of the street its all in French. One sign I did see was Diesel at €1.27 euro, that translates to £1.04p per litre! We had heard how cheap it is in Luxembourg but unfortunately we can't spend our adventure driving around here. Mind you the average we are paying in the rest of Europe is £1.18p so we can't complain. 

Then there are campsites!. The further west we have travelled away from Germany the more less winterised are the campsites. Considering most French campsites shut between the end of September and open again late March you know why there are less heated facilities!. You really miss this when having to visit the open air type loos when its nearly zero degrees outside!. One thing we have learnt quickly is that the Germans like their home comforts and quality so it's back into Germany where we can be assured of comfortable campsites which is very important to us. When the Christmas festivities are over it's then going to have to be a decision time as to where we head for next.

The Christmas markets all open on the first advent week (Around 26th November) so we are heading deeper into Germany and will probably end up at Lake Konstanz near the Swiss border at the end of the month.

Auf Wiedersehen 

Cuckcoo Cuckcoo!

Wednesday 31st October 2012

We are in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) region now and it is very cold with some snow around. We have had a great summer in this part of Europe so we can't complain. The efficient central heating system has now been used for the first time in the motorhome and we are as warm as toast, Winter clothes have now been brought out and Bradley has been wearing his pyjamas at night.

Today we visited Titisee, we didn't see any but plenty of Cuckoo Clocks in the shops by the lake. Some say this is the Cuckoo Clock capital of Germany and there were hundreds to choose from in the shops. We hadn't really thought about a Cuckoo Clock before but on speaking to the Senior Elf in one Christmas Grotto we soon started to fall in love with these magnificent but noisy hand crafted and fascinating mechanical timepieces (Yes no batteries!). After finding there was a lever that would silence the 'Cuckoo' bit we decided it would be lovely to have one at home so a small was carefully packaged and is stored in a warm cupboard for the journey back home.

Thursday we moved further north in the forest to Dornstetten, a higher altitude and very windy but as always lots of walks and a nice little town to visit. Shops close for a half day in the week, half day Saturday and all day Sunday so they know how to live here!. We walked to the local supermarket and as we have Bradley one of us has to wait outside. It was Lorraine's turn yesterday and after I emerged into the car park with the trolly Lorraine looked a little frustrated!. A German Jehovah's Witness had seen Lorraine and Bradley waiting  and seized the opportunity for a 'chat'. Lorraine thought her inability to speak German was in her favour but the lady produced a language booklet and asked Lorraine to point to her country. You often ask yourself "why did I" but it was too late when pointing at the British Flag the Lady went off into pointing out what was right and wrong. After what seemed like an eternity Lorraine politely and firmly managed to walk away as she had no door to shut this time!.
We packed our bags with lots of goodies to snack on as it was 'Strictly Come Dancing' and 'The X Factor' tonight!.

Auf Wiedersehen

Winter is here!

Sunday 28th October 2012
Who would have thought that this exact time one week ago we were sitting out in T'shirts on decking having a meal in glorious sunshine watching a fantastic sunset beside Lake Cheming and today we are covered in snow with daytime temperatures struggling to get above 2c and night time at minus 7c…brrrrr.

Its good fun though as we have certainly come prepared. Out has come all the winter clothing and we can really test the new winter features of the motorhome. Technology has come along so much since our last big trip in 2005 and the central heating systems they now install are so efficient. It's a blown air system and you can't have it on full as it's too hot!. We topped up with plenty of fresh water as for once the main tank and piping is on board and insulated away from frost so nothing will freeze. The garage area at the back houses the main central heating unit and even the garage is insulated so the whole space acts as a big airing cupboard. Also our beds run over the top of the garage so it's all rather warm and cozy. 

Bradley has adorned his pyjama's for the first time, the look on his face 'do I have to?' as he gets dressed for bed is a picture, but after a few minutes he really feels nice and snug and loves them really.

I forgot my big thick totes so it's off to town soon to try and source a pair. 

Its due to stop snowing tomorrow so we will be off on a walk to the nearby town and then when the weather warms up a little in the week we will plan our trip through the Black Forest towards Luxembourg. 

Auf Wiedersehen

The wrong arm gesture!

Saturday 20th October 2012.

Well, staying here at Bad Fussing has been lovely. It is an area that is very popular with the German people that come to visit the numerous health spas and wellness clinics dotted throughout the area. Bad Fussing is a very clean and modern town laid out with plenty of facilities to relax and get well!. The local authorities leave lots of easy chairs dotted throughout the town are where you stop to relax and read your newspaper watching the world go by. We quickly realised however that the average age of people milling about was about 65yrs and that made us feel so young, Bradley was in his element as many stopped to admire him and give him a friendly pat. One local man stopped to talk to Bradley and on realising we were British he promptly stood talking to us about everything for 20 minutes to practice his English which was very good. 
Lorraine had been suffering from the injury to her upper left arm and shoulder so after a chat with the local Apotheke (Pharmacist) we were pointed towards one of the many local Arxtpraxis (Doctors). The very nice lady Doctor took some time and rightly diagnosed the injury where a jab first took place in the buttocks followed by a course of tablets and this time with detailed instructions on keeping the arm moving with diagrammatic instructions of gymnastik (Physiotherapy). These 'gymnastik' procedures can be done whilst walking along so as we walk there is no better time to keep up the therapy. The following afternoon after a walk we were walking back into the campsite when Lorraine was going through her gymnastik's and I noticed a few not so friendly glances coming our way. I looked across at Lorraine and suddenly realised as she was marching along, elevating her left arm skywards at 45 degrees with hand and fingers pointing forward it exactly resembled the famous salute once given by a not so nice German leader of the last war who's name began with A' and had a tiny moustache!!.(she might join the ministry of funny walks!). We hurried into the motorhome and shut the door not venturing out again till dark.. lucky we were leaving the next day!.

Sunday 21st October 2012
We have now arrived or rather stumbled across a lovely little campsite beside the Chieming Lake (Chiemingsee). It is one of Europe's largest natural nature reserves where 30,000 (who counts them all?) birds migrate from all over the world and we can hear them too!. It is very peaceful and the afternoon coffee has now been replaced by the finest Bavarian beer. We also saw one of the best sunsets we have seen and photos can be seen here. 

Weather reports indicate possible snow in the next few days so we want to move on tomorrow further west and away from the Alps to lower ground around the Black Forest

Auf Wiedersehen

Watching the cruise ships sail by!

Saturday 13th October 2012
After several days beside the lovely lake at Wolfgang we have eventually prized ourselves away from the shoreline and picturesque towns and headed further east towards Vienna. We noticed several campsites were located by the massive River Danube so it looked a good place to hang out for a while. We checked into our little campsite, literally on the banks of the Danube and noticed we were the wrong  side of a massive flood defence system… yikes!. After further checks it transpires that where the campsite is located is the most dangerous part of the river alongside the pretty town of Grein. Not really that clever but there wasn't any rain forecast so we felt that two nights would be OK!. The Danube is a massive wide fast flowing river starting well into Germany snaking east through Europe and finally ending up in the Black Sea. We noticed big landing stages alongside the town and soon we could see the massive cruise ships sailing by or stopping off. Now, we are not talking P&O size but still very long and not so tall, more like the big floating hotels you see on the Mississippi. The clever bit is the Captain's bridge of the ships that have a scissor type hydraulic lift so that the crew go up and down according to how high the bridge is they are passing under. We enjoyed watching these long hotels sailing by and manoeuvring around the bends against the fast flow.
Our hosts on our campsite were Romanian and we noticed that the further east we ventured the more we met people from the eastern European countries like Slovenia, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic. Our Romanian owner told us that jobs were not good were he was from and he also mentioned that they had just heard the UK were now insisting they had to have a Visa to work in the UK, interesting as he wouldn't say if it was good or bad!.
After Bradley called a meeting we decided to stick to plan A and head towards Germany. We had seen most of Austria now and have picked a great place we would like to return for Christmas and the New Year.
Well, the Great Danube didn't flood thankfully and we set off for a lovely Sunday drive to our next campsite in the bottom South Eastern tip of Germany. It's great driving over here on a Sunday as nowhere is open and the roads are so clear of traffic. It's really strange planning your shopping knowing that literally everywhere is shut on a Sunday. Personally we would love to see that return to the UK as so many more families would spend quality time together and you would feel much more relaxed as an employee with the added bonus of most lunchtimes off between 12 and 2pm and sometimes to 3pm, and thats compulsory!
Autumn has finally arrived for us now and we don't expect many more barbecues outside on our chairs watching the sun setting. The winter clothing is slowly coming out and short sleeved shirts will be stored for next year. Our campsite at Bad Fussing (Bayern region) is lovely and we may well stay here now for a few days planning our way around Germany. The Black Forest area beckons!.

Auf Wiedersehen

Back to local shopping!

We have certainly had a busy week so far in Austria, our visit to Salzburg was lovely and whether we are in the city or the country it is just so clean and pleasant. When in the city or towns we are just amazed with the colourful architecture and woodwork, going into the country you then see rich greens like you have never seen before. You can understand why they filmed the Sound of Music here as they keep the grasses and fields cut so nicely, and the flowers, there are flowers everywhere. One thing that stands out is that it's like Switzerland,  everything is so clean, no chewing gum on pavements, run down properties or litter. Everyone seems to take great pride in their country and that reflects around every corner. Food standards are incredibly high and we have learnt to shop differently. There are no large 'out of town' shopping areas and certainly no massive supermarkets, DIY or electrical stores. Instead there are small versions of each, often family owned along the high streets of most Cities, towns and large villages. It works well as it makes you go into the picturesque streets to explore and like many years ago the smaller local street shops are thriving. You buy things fresh here, no weekly shopping pushing overloaded trollies with defective wheels towards long checkout queues!. Yes, you get trollies but they are smaller and a bag or two is your limit at the checkout. The 'sell by' dates are far shorter and you may only buy a couple of dinners but they are fresh and you visit the small well stocked supermarkets every 2 or three days. We were worried how this was going to effect us travelling in a motorhome but we have quickly adapted and are enjoying the cuisine that these marvellously organised countries have to offer. Fresher food means less processed food and we feel we have a far healthier diet as well which means healthier people as can also be seen by the amount of cycling. Everyone seems to own a bike and the authorities provide cycle lanes and walkways (Wanderwegs) everywhere. The pedestrian and cyclist is well respected as can be seen by the way traffic will instantly yield and give priority to anyone on foot or riding a bike. We tend to walk everywhere to take full advantage of these excellent safe facilities and Bradley loves it, we also sleep very well!We are currently by the Wolfgang Lake near St Wolfgang and this whole area just comes alive at Christmas with original and authentic Wolfgangseer Christmas Markets. We found this massive floating metal structure beside us on the lake and eventually realised it was a giant Advent Lantern which is floated out with stars all over the lake at Christmas. We are seriously considering returning here over the Christmas period as it just looks so nice. We will be moving further East soon toward the great Danube. I was considering a brief visit to the Czech Republic or Slovenia but Lorraine is not too keen. Also there are insurance implications if we enter these countries and we met someone who had just returned from Slovenia, who said it was really empty and there was nothing to do, so we may well stick to plan A and go into Germany for a month.  

Auf Wiedersehen 

Did you know?...

At this time of year in Austria the cows wear flower garlands when they are brought down off the mountains to lower ground. What a din!. The Sound of Music was filmed here by our lake (Wolfgangsee) but I am not wearing those leather shorts and slapping my knees for no one!

Stunning place shame about the history!

Wednesday 3rd October 2012
(Click on coloured text for other links)
It's strange isn't it that one of the most popular visitor attractions in Germany can remind us of such a shocking history in the beautiful Bavarian mountain region where the 'Kehlsteinhaus' (or Eagles Nest as some know it) is located. Built for Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday this magnificent building is literally perched on top of the Kehlstein Mountain. Getting there is also exciting as you climb up a very step road to Obersalzburg where there is a bus terminus and visitor centre. Here you buy your tickets (Bradley goes free) and hop on one of 5 busses that then all leave in convoy to take you up the most precarious bus ride we have ever been on with only a single track and overhanging hairpins. You arrive at a turning point and immediately walk into a tunnel for about 124 metres before arriving at the original lift all decorated in lovely wood and brass to take you very fast up 400 feet inside the mountain. If that hasn't amazed you at the top you walk out onto a viewing gallery where it really does take your breath away, all you can hear from the many tourists around are all the oooh's and aaahh's. The building was for Hitler to entertain people and maybe discuss or make some of his dreadful plans for domination and its not as big as you think. At the fall of the 3rd Reich, Obersalzburg was virtually distroyed and occupied by the allies but the Eagles Nest Tea House as it became known as at the top was left alone. The Americans well and truly captured the area and opened the local ski resorts and Eagles Nest for their own use and most of the allied troops used it for recreation at the end of the war and for sometime after.
After another of our high altitude meals (How they get all the fine foods and beers up that high beats me) we then booked our return bus and headed back down the mountain. We drove out of Germany again back into Austria and have found a little campsite in Salzburg only 3km from the centre where we hope to go in and visit some of Mozart's history on Friday. Our renditions of 'The Hills are alive with the sound of music' whilst driving are beginning to effect Bradley as he has started covering his ears!….
Click here for pictures on our website gallery

Auf Wiedersehen

Our new addition!

Friday 28th September 2012.

(Click on links in text below for more information)

We finally got to the great Grossglockner Pass described as 'Having a driving and nature experience of a special kind on 48 kilometres of high alpine road with 36 hairpin bends and an altitude ascent to 2,504 metres!'. We also chose a brilliant day thankfully as its pointless going up this high if there is any cloud cover. For me this has been a dream long coming. In 1977 I was sat in my Panda Car on Marsh Mills Roundabout in Plymouth, Devon watching the world go by and only 2 years into my 30 year career with the police. I was on night shift and it was about 2am in the morning and I could see the headlights of something slow coming towards me down the A38. It was a Mercedes Motorhome and a posh one too for those early years of motorhome design and the very nice couple we asking me how much further it was to Padstow. We got chatting and they happily let me look around inside before they went on their way. I got back in my car and had this dream that when I retire I would love to have a motorhome and take off across the highest points of the Alps into Austria and Switzerland. Well, today Lorraine and I just did that!… and what an experience, well worth waiting the 35 years for!.

The pictures we took (see here) speak for themselves and we spent the whole day exploring the many roadside attractions, views and historical parts of the pass. Considering the height, the engineering is jaw dropping including a fully functional and heated restaurant at the foot of the largest glacier in eastern Europe. It didn't matter what the meal was (It was lovely by the way) but sitting there with the views we had will never be forgotten. Bradley found (or rather sniffed) out something new called a Marmot. Marmots are everywhere at these altitudes and live in the wilds but love the scraps from the tourists. They are very cute and not unlike our own beavers but with different tails. We had to hold onto the lad as he suddenly thought he could become a mountain goat of sorts and start chasing them all over the place. A trip into the souvenir shop found a lovely selection of these cuddly squeaky Marmots so we just had to get one. But what do we call him?. Well the Emperor of Austria Kaiser Franz Joseph and his wife back in 1856 climbed to this point which is now named after him so our new addition is affectionately known as Franz Joseph! and he sits pride of place on the top of the dashboard. 

The motorhome coped well as the descent is particularly heavy on your brakes but careful driving saw us safely down on lower levels to book into our next campsite.

The weather has finally closed in for a couple of days so we are chilling out near another lake before heading briefly over the nearby German border to try to visit one of Hitlers hideaways during the war called Eagles Nest. (Featured in Band Of Brothers) 

Auf Wiedersehen (Or Cheers as we have heard some Germans say)

This green & pleasant land

Friday 21st September 2012.

We have arrived in Austria at Innsbruck after picking up our vignette at the border. Like Switzerland there are no general tolls roads but any vehicle under 3.5 tons needs to purchase and display a vignette (Like a tax disc) in the windscreen. The options were for 5 days, 2 months or 1 year so we went for the 2 months. 

The campsite at Innsbruck was by far the best campsite we had ever experienced. En suite family rooms in modern blocks and even Bradley had his own heated shower room and he thought it was fantastic. Bradley unfortunately had to go on another bus ride and something more to experience for the first time was having to wear a muzzle. All dogs over handbag size have to be muzzled whilst on any public transport, taxis etc or they won't let you on!. You can imagine his face but we took lots of treats and the custard on his dads apple strudel at lunchtime made it all worth while. Like a lot of larger towns and cities Innsbruck had an 'Old Town' inside a modern shell, no traffic and everything slowed down to drinking coffee and beers at the many street side cafés and restaurants. The Austrians are different from the Swiss and the first you will notice is their confidence and observational studies they make on everything passing their table. It can be a bit off putting at first but you quickly get used to it with a smile and a "morgen" (Thats like a hello or 'good morning' haven't got to the afternoon, evening bit yet). Lorraine has learnt a bit of basic German that local people appreciate and they are far more likely to then break into perfect English to help you out. I really should learn more but I concentrate on the driving which is getting very 'deliberate' as my driving instructor would have called it. It's not manic like the Italians but every driver knows exactly where they are going and not using excess speed. ('hesitate' is not in their driving manual). I find it good to drive this way and with this smaller motorhome with its bigger engine I feel so much more confident and looking forward to Germany in a few more days. 

Now, please excuse us going onto food again but it just gets better and better. First there was these wonderful Schneeballen things and then we hit the Strudel and Sacher torte, oh, and I forgot the Weiner Schnitzel (Thats pork or veal bashed thinner and fried in breadcrumbs. I went for the pork option looking at Lorraine's stern look but altogether the culinary delights are wonderful. The Austrians also like their bread a lot, there are about 12 different varieties of bun in a bakery before you get to anything else so its fun tasting all the lovely types of bread. More on other delicacies later. 

Lorraine has been nursing a muscle type injury to her left upper arm which suddenly became more painful lately disturbing sleep and not much fun so we stopped in this small town called Frieberbrunn to get something from a pharmacy. The Pharmacies are just brilliant in most of Europe with the staff almost as good and as knowledgeable as Doctors. The Pharmacist immediately sent Lorraine down to the local doctor, no appointment necessary and they even had X-ray facilities!. The diagnosis was soon made that it was a nasty bicep strain, tablets and cream issued and the arm has to be rested in a strap most of the time!. (My chores list has just doubled!).  The cost to us was nothing and all they needed was a photocopy of the E111 and passport or driving licence. What a service.

We have been slowly making towards the famous Grossglockner Pass (The Grossglockner is the highest mountain in Austria) and are now at a campsite in Lienz waiting for a cloudless day. Bit difficult at this time of year but tomorrow (Friday 28th) is looking fairly good so we may well take off. The pass will be shut soon and sooner if it snows so we want to get up there asap. The pass is chargeable but there are visitor centres, museums and viewpoints at various stages plus we're assured of a spectacular drive!. Bradley is fine with that as it doesn't involve a Bendy Bus, Electric Fence or a Muzzle!

Will get some more pictures online soon.

Auf Wiedersehen (Or Cheers as we have heard some Germans say)

Arrived in Austria...

21st September 2012

Well, via Germany actually (Lake Constance) and found heaven!
21st September and we have arrived in Austria, what a place! Just found these things called Schneeballen and just heaven with a cup of coffee!. Its about the size of a cricket ball and mainly biscuit with loads of different butter creams inside then covered in like a strudel type pastry before various coatings of chocolates sealed around the outside.. Even I couldn't eat a whole one but just out of this world!
Now I'm not going to make a habit of telling about food delicacies too often as I get accused of always thinking about my stomach but its very hard when you pass the shops we are seeing in these lovely historical towns and city centres.

We were sad to leave Switzerland but are pressing on towards the Grossglockner Pass before the first heavy snows.

Catch up soon 

Aufweidersen!

400 volts and a bendy bus!

Monday 17th September 2012.

Bradley back again, so soon you say!. Well you'd think I would have a quiet time but not if my folks get their way!. 

Today we all set off into town, safe enough I thought as the harness went on again. The walk started well and then we stopped in a shelter type thing. It wasn't raining and Dad was fumbling about for change and mumbling about charging me half fares. What's a fare?. I thought the folks must be tired to stop in this shelter as they sat down with some other people that joined us all looking at their watches. Then this blinking great bus stopped by us with a kink in it.. It was huge and had about four sets of doors that immediately opened. The bus was clever as it tilted towards us to let some people off and then I felt my harness tighten… OH NO surely we are not getting on that. I tugged towards the pavement in the direction I thought town was in but it was no good and in no time I'm on this thing under the seats looking at all sorts of legs and shoes. 

I tried not to shake too much and 15 minutes later we stopped and once again I made a bolt for the door, exiting at speed with Dad nearly falling out into this huge bus station to everyones amazement!. I got lots of praise so I must have done something good.

We had a great time in Luzern looking around the town and me picking up a few tasty bits from various coffee stops. Dad then made a beeline to these big historic ramparts that surrounded the back of the town but had a large flight of steps leading up to them with grass everywhere. Like is often seen in Swiss towns there are farms and grazing cattle everywhere on massive green areas and fenced off with wired fencing that clicks. I knew I was going to be let off to stretch my legs on all this grass but Mum was concerned about something electric. I heard Dad say that 'its ok its switched off' and off I went charging about like spaniels do wondering what he meant. The next thing that happened to me was yet another 'out of doggy experience' as I touched this small thin wire fence. It was like something had kicked me with a size ten shoe right on the nose!. I shot backwards howling and screaming like a banshee that was due to invade the next country. I must have cleared 20 feet in 2 seconds and for a while hadn't a clue where I was or which world I was in. There may have been a slight smell of burning but the blue sky came back quickly with Mum & Dad running towards me. I was fine but had to check my tackle, make a few sniffs and put out a love puff to make sure everything was there. Dad was so apologetic and said it was completely his fault that he didn't check that the electric fence to keep the cows in was actually on!.

We sat down yet again whilst I regained my composure and the rest of the afternoon was spent with me getting whatever I wanted… yes!..

We had a great day really and are nearly at the Austrian border, I wonder what lies inside that country for me?..

Lots of licks to everyone!

Elementary my dear Watson!

Thursday 13th September 2012.

Bradley here!. It's about time I did another blog from the dog's perspective as I feel I have been conned again!. Since my last traumatic experience in that dangling box on a wire they called a cable car filled with funny people walking on planks of wood, I have to say that I have not seen or been near another one since!. Fine by me as anything that wobbles like that beneath me sends me into a spin and I begin to pant rather a lot. Wimp I know, but I like to be on terrafirma and Mum & Dad know that really.

The country we are in at the moment has lots of chocolate which I get to taste every so often but also it has really posh poo bins which come complete with different coloured plastic bags, currently orange, with which to collect my 'deposits'. Mum & Dad keep stuffing many of these bags into their pockets in real glee that they are free!. 

Today off we went for another serious walk (I know this as I wear my special harness) and passed a few of those dangly box on a wire things. We soon headed towards a very high hill, I think the humans call them mountains. This one was particularly big and I could see what looked like a railway line leading from this building. Impossible I thought how can a train stick to that. We got closerer and closerer and suddenly this open air box with several people in it came down and stopped in this building we were heading towards. Blimey I thought, someone is daft enough to travel in that!.. Oh no!.. I heard Dad say "have you got the tickets"? and the last time he said that we ended up in that other dangly thing. But this time where were the wires?. I know I had to be brave as I had the feeling I was about to have another of these out of doggy experiences that caused me to tremble and shake uncontrollably. 

Sure enough I was herded into a seating area which had seats above and below me, I heard someone call it a Funny peculiar Railway (or something like that) but it wasn't very funny at that moment!. This whole contraption was at an angle of about 45 degrees and no way was it going to move, surely!. We sat there lovely and quiet for some time and the nice people behind stroked me, did I look that nervous!.. this is OK so far I thought!. Suddenly a bell sounded and a lady locked us all in before the whole contraption moved…upwards!… OH NO!, here we go again, why is it always upwards?, can't we just go downwards once in a while!. 

I jumped on Dad's lap to show how brave I was.. wrong thing to do!…. By this time we were several hundreds of feet up and looking over the side made me feel dizzy. I am starting to shake….'Dad can we stop and get off please'?. I also thought what in heaven's name was driving this thing, it had no engine and without any introduction we met another funny peculiar railway thing coming down the other way. I heard Dad say 'half way up' and looked at me doing a jelly impression before putting me down on the floor. The whole thing suddenly stopped and I was straining at the lead pointing at that door ready for off as soon as the lady opened it. On stepping out of the carriage I was stupid enough to look down instead of up realising just how far we were up and at that point I lost it completely, whimpering and squeaking like a muppet, literally crawling on all fours as low to the floor as I could before Dad & Mum took me to a nearby seat and I regained my composure. 

Then the weirdest thing, by this massive waterfall I saw Mum dressed like Sherlock Holmes half way up a mountain. Apparently we had arrived at a falls where Sherlock & Moriarty fell to their death. 

There is always good at the end and we then headed off into the woods where I was treated to a lovely 4 mile walk slowly back down the mountain with all four paws firmly affixed to the ground. 

What next I ask?. On the whole I am having a fantastic time but not as many doggy friends to meet in this country. Instead there are these massive cows with huge bells around their necks that come running up to me thinking I am a long lost relative, I'm afraid I have to run off and ignore them as they are so ugly!.

I was running around in the snow today, had a whale of a time before ending up beside another lake tonight… not a cable car or funny peculiar railway in sight, thank goodness!.

Lots of licks to everyone!

Beavers at 2164 metres!

Tuesday 11th September 2012

We have done our first major mountain pass today. Travelling east up the scenic route 19 the landscape was changing every few kilometres with our ears popping indicating we were climbing to new heights. The villages were so picturesque and Lorraine was busy trying to take pictures as I was trying to negotiate narrow streets and sharper bends. The was no rush whatsoever, large lorries could no longer follow us and instead had to load themselves on the many autorail routes to get them through the mountains. However we were joined by hundreds of motorbikes as we approached the start of two passes ahead. We arrived at the junction of two passes (The Grimsel & Furka) and looked up to see these roads precariously stuck to the side of this gigantic mountain in front of us. The look on our faces must have been priceless as our jaws dropped in awe of the view and the task ahead of us. Something else twitched as well as I knew the strain this would put on our engine and above all the brakes!. Without hesitation and with excitement we turned left and committed ourselves to the start of the Grimsel Pass. The motorbike riders affixed cameras to their helmets as did some sports cars and we all set off. It was very leisurely as every driver and passenger was taking in the fantastic scenery on the straight bits then hanging on for dear life as you negotiated the sharpest hair pin bends dangling several hundreds of feet above where you had just come from!. Lorraine's grip on the door handle became tighter and even I could feel myself leaning inwards trying not too look too much as 3.5 tons of our pride and joy edged slowly around the next bend literally inches from a sheer drop. Bradley knew this kind of driving was different but he felt relaxed at the 20mph top speed and curled up for a snooze wondering what all the excitement was. Our progress was slow but the bikers were very courteous only passing when it was safe. If you have a motorbike this has to be the ultimate road to drive on!. On the way up we only used 1st and 2nd gear but the van coped really well and we arrived at the summit to a sea of motorcyclists having a well earned drink on the veranda of the Berghotel. Now the best bit... we turned into the small car park and at the end saw a sign depicting a motorhome pointing to a rough track disappearing around the edge of a rock face. We couldn't believe that there was a special place here just for us to park overlooking a beautiful lake at the top of the world, what a better place for lunch!. 
After lunch we went for a walk feeling the wonderful fresh air and we noticed some small miniature alpine houses and there to our amazement were a family of beavers waving back and enjoying the sunshine!. What a weird find at this altitude were you don't even see birds!.
What goes up must come down and our descent was equally as exciting but this time trying to keep the brakes from getting too hot. We were only stopped by a rescue helicopter that had to land on the road in front of us to pick up someone we can only presume was taken ill or injured whilst out walking. 
We are now on lower ground at a lovely campsite at Meiringen and the weather has now closed in with thunderstorms and rain. Temperatures are expected to drop as well and the first snow is expected on the peaks. We will move towards Interlarken in a couple of days and then its some more passes to negotiate snow permitting before Luzern.
The main language seems to be German the nearer we get towards Austria so its 'Auf Wiedersehen' till the next time!

The Eiger summit is in sight!

Woke up to this view today, the scenery is getting more jaw dropping now as we head towards the main Swiss passes. They are all open at the moment as the weather is fantastic and views are spectacular. We move up to a higher altitude campsite tomorrow (Mon) from where we will try to do three of the highest Swiss passes in the Motorhome!. Should be fun and will really test things out!. If the passes are closed there is a vehicle train we can hop on but wont be half as much fun! Bradley has tasted some lovely cheeses tonight but not meeting as many Swiss dogs yet!. The people are so friendly and German seems to be the default language so now its out with some more translation aps' on the iPad!. Lots of great photos to come so will catch up again soon.

Swiss Army Wife!

Friday 7th September 2012.

We have been in Switzerland a few days now and slowly getting used to all the differences travelling between countries brings with it. It is really exciting adapting to a different type of lifestyle and customs with everything in different places and doing things different ways. (Bit like going into your favourite supermarket and the new manager has decided to put all the products into different aisles!). Talking of which we went into our first Swiss supermarket yesterday and I now know why the Swiss Army Knife is so popular throughout the world. The Swiss are just so organised, neat, tidy and super clean. At first we thought we had entered a really modern science lab, the place was so spotless and immaculately dressed staff everywhere. A customer only has to look puzzled and a member of staff is there with a helping hand. They left us alone after a while as we looked beyond help!. We just wandered up and down the aisles in awe at the displays but mainly at the prices!. We may not be staying here too long as the prices are twice if not three times as much as we are used to. Having said that as far as the Swiss are concerned there has been virtually zero inflation for many years so things do not go up in price and so wages (albeit very high) stay as they are as well. The whole country seems to run like clockwork and there is even Gym equipment complete with instructions along wooded walks where you can exercise a bit more if you want to. No one, even children and teenagers, are walking along with their faces and gaze stuck to the text keyboard of a smartphone, in fact I haven't seen anyone with a smartphone!. Instead everyone seems to be out and about with their families on the many leisure facilities and cycle networks that criss cross everywhere. Every road but motorways have cycle tracks!. Now there's the chocolate!, well needless to say I found the chocolate display first and we (the Royal we!) are sampling some lovely milk, white and dark Swiss chocolate, thankfully the prices are reasonable inside the country. We also have some of that wonderful cheese to try out over the next few nights. 

We are in central Switzerland now and me and my Swiss Army Wife! will be moving towards the North Eastern corner and Luzern, maybe quicker if the pennies are running out but not before we get a real taste of this wonderful country.

Ta ta for now!

Give us this day our daily baguette!

Sunday 2nd September 2012.

We have found a lovely campsite right beside the lake at St Point de Lac in the region of French Comte. We are only a stones throw from the Swiss border now and getting really excited to visit the second country that like us is not a member of the EU. 

The journey here was very relaxed taking in the ever changing landscapes and architecture as the rooftops changed to cater for the winter snows as we climbed further towards the many summits of the mountainous regions that surrounded us. It's great driving on the ordinary roads avoiding the toll roads and motorways, you see so much more.

Arriving at Camping Les Fuvettes we are within walking distance of the pretty village of Malbuisson that hangs over the side of the lake and this morning I took off with Bradley to walk into the centre of the village to find a boulangerie to get the daily bread. This is a customary thing done by many locals and we really enjoy the hunt for the daily baguette. No loaves of sliced plastic bread full of additives here, just freshly baked natural bread that has to be tasted to appreciate. Bradley wondered what was happening as I kitted up with walking shoes and coats for something which normally takes a couple of minutes.

Determined not to speak english I tried my first french asking a local couple where the nearest boulangerie was and understanding their directions. Arriving at the shop I managed to purchase the bread and then got carried away and bought two croissants and some of that fantastic custard flan and mille feuille. Our pace hurried as we were on our way back to have a typical continental breakfast with some lovely coffee.

Later in the morning we all took off again back to the village and found a lovely delicatessen where we purchased some locally produced wine, smoked hanging sausage, honey and chocolate noisette. Guess what we will be eating later!.

As we were walking back a massive convoy of vintage vehicles then arrived at the village. Horns were sounding as they passed and the whole village came out to wave to this wonderful convoy of vehicles from France and Switzerland which must have lasted for about 30 minutes. I was in heaven busy identifying.. Mini Coopers, Truimph TR4's, Renault Alpines, BMW 2002, Ford Escorts, Triumph Spitfires, MG Roadsters, Morgans, Renault 5 turbos, Simca's, Citroen Dauphines, Rolls Royces, Morris Minors and many many more old models from across Europe and even some American muscle cars.

It has been a great day and as the last glass of that 2009 Chardonnay is gone we are now getting out all the documents ready for the border crossing tomorrow.

See you in Switzerland!

Bradley Bonus tip!

If you are travelling and have a smartphone with an app like iBooks on the iPhone scan your passport and driving licence to a PDF file so that it can be read like a book. We forgot our passports today at La Poste when buying Swiss Francs but the scan of the passport on the iPhone was accepted!.. brill! Not only that if you are unfortunate enough to loose either then at least you have something to show.

Run chicken, run!

We have just spent a lovely week with our friend Phil in central France. Having finally got going again it's great to be back in France. It may be because we had only left France just over two months ago that we immediately noticed again how laid back and unpopulated this country is. We were quickly relaxing into both the driving and general lifestyles of somewhere that is like literally going back in time. That was really the case after we reflected back on our week we had with Phil. When they say France is like 40 years behind the UK it is hard to see as a two week tourist, but, live for a short while as we have just done and it soon becomes so real. 
I asked Phil where the TV was when we arrived and he pointed at a nice 'throw' over something square and upright resembling the shape of a TV, thats where it stayed for the whole time we were there. Instead we just sat outside with either wine, gin, beer or some other more potent concoction (of which you had forgotten the contents after the first sampling) just chatting away and covering every subject from politics to points of view!. 
Phil has a wonderful dog called Ben, he is a cross labrador with a red setter and so laid back you wouldn't believe it!. Then Bradley arrived and this mad spaniel was to shatter Ben's peace (and sometimes his favourite spot!). They both got on like best buddies thankfully but one thing became obvious quickly was Bradley's determination to chase anything on legs that he could. On the first day Phil told us of the story of another visiting dog that went out in the massive acre of ground where the chickens have so much freedom, when they were suddenly aware of the shrieking and high pitched clucking of the complete ensemble with the dog appearing with a chicken in its mouth through the mist of flying feathers!. As soon as Phil finished the word feathers we too were witnessing the same clucking and shrieking of chickens and we all three said 'Bradley' very loudly!. Ben came in shrugging his shoulders and hid with his paws over his eyes and we flew out ('scuse the pun!) to see Bradley in hot pursuit of nearly every chicken!. It was a blessing there was more than one as when the chickens did a bomb burst mainly in the air he didn't know which one to go after next. We got to him just in time with his lead which then stayed on for several days until he had learn't they didn't need rounding up and we needed some more eggs for breakfast!.
Bradley being Bradley then had a plan!... he realised he wasn't going to be allowed to round up these strange sounding clucking things with only two legs but they had a nice air of eau de chicken, left in the form of a deposit on the ground every so often, mainly after being frightened by him!. He could now be trusted without a lead again and after a deep conversation one morning around the table we suddenly became aware of the most pungent smell of well, chicken sh*t!. We looked down at Bradley who looked as if he had just visited the perfume counter in Debenhams and very pleased with his purchase of fresh eau de chicken sh*t which he had managed to roll all over him!!.. Back on the lead again and after several douches and application of his own doggy spray called Stink Bomb (Thank god we brought it)  he was once again allowed in the Motorhome. 
The remainder of our week with Phil was spent walking through the most beautiful and peaceful river settings that we have seen and been sworn to secrecy as its Phil's special place, visits to local towns and villages where there are no tourists and me getting my crown stuck back in by a lovely local dentist. We also got to see my sister Steph who was also spending a couple of weeks nearby with her friends Jacky & Roy. Thank you for a lovely day together.
A big thank you to Phil (Not for the 4 pounds I've gained in weight) for a lovely insight into the best of french life and we will take some very happy memories with us on to our next leg now towards the Swiss border before the summer closes down for another year.
Au revoir! 

Back in France!

Mon 20th August 2012. Got through the very busy Channel Tunnel crossing yesterday and the heat hit us! Temperatures of nearly 40 degrees but can't complain after the dismal weather in the UK of late and also thank goodness we had the habitation air conditioning fitted. It was so hot this afternoon we both went inside and had a lovely siesta. A great barbecue tonight with the last of the English sparkling cider and then it's off early in the morning on the last leg of the journey to our friend Phil where we may stay for a few days in central France.

Downsizing

Sorry for the lack of blogs but we have been concentrating so much on getting back on the road again. We were determined a short time after the incident that we were going to return to Europe and if we didn't get going soon and catch the last of the summer then it might not happen at all. We had 6 months to plan the last trip and get the motorhome and car ready but this time only a few weeks!..


Discussing how we would do 'part two' on the way back it was quickly agreed that we would not tow with a car. Although having a car was a real benefit the downside was that out of the thousands of campsites in Europe you could only use the largest due to our size and access difficulties. Also we were over the magic 3,500kg weight so tolls and ferries were more expensive. 


Luck soon was on our side as our dealer had the perfect motorhome in stock which meant no long waits for delivery etc. The next issue was getting the funding as we had to deal with several insurance companies covering the Motorhome, Car, Travel & Legal Protection. Fortunately and after putting a lot of pressure on them we received full settlement on the Motorhome and Car. Part two was now really on!!.


Our new motorhome 'Lily' (Dont ask!) was ready in no time and it now meant fitting it all out and testing. A big thank you to family and friends who gave us the garage and workshop facilities for this. 
We are one metre shorter and a quarter of a metre narrower and it doesn't sound a lot but in motorhome terms it means having something which will almost get on a normal parking space and enable us to get a lot nearer to cities and towns. We still have our permanent single beds and something built in Germany (Hymer) is turning into a real pleasure to both drive and live in.  Photos of Lily can be seen here


We are now on various (busy) campsites and all is going well and planning to get to the Channel Tunnel on the 19th August for part two!.. (Never thought we were going to say that 2 months ago!).


More blogs to follow soon.. Andy & Lorraine xx and a big lick from Bradley.

The British summer!

Thursday 14th June 2012
So far so good and today we heard that the motorhome has been taken to a salvage yard and DVLA have reissued the normal number plates for both vehicles so that we can retain our own number plates. Once we receive the V5C documents back from DVLA and the insurance companies have them we will then finalise the claims. We have found a lovely replacement motorhome at our dealer and he is kindly keeping this back for us pending the successful outcome of the claims procedure. We have decided not to tow again and are in fact downsizing to a smaller motorhome but still keeping the features of the two single beds. This will give us better access to more campsites, car parks and facilities but we may have to cycle or walk further which isn't a bad thing.
One thing for sure is that we will hopefully be back in glorious Mediterranean sunshine which is seriously lacking here in good old Blighty since we have been back. Lucky we unpacked our rain coats and wellies!.
Will keep you updated as we are optimistic that we could have a replacement motorhome by the beginning of July.