Europe2017

A collection of 77 posts

Europe2017

Sweeties from a stranger

The longest driving day of the holiday, 414km, 257 miles and just under five and a half hours behind the wheel. Much of it in very heavy rain. It started very badly. I've been driving in Europe for over 60 days now, so why did I turn left out of

Europe2017

The grand old duchy

Luxembourg is an interesting city. It's easy to see why the city was such a formidable bastion in mediaeval times. It's built above a gorge some 60m deep. It doesn't look it from this photo but we'd barely started walking down the slope.  This view down from the citadel gives

Europe2017

Back and forth in France

First port of call this morning had to be a supermarket. We need a few supplies and yesterday's trip to Lidl's totally failed to source them. There's a huge Auchan not too far off our route. That must be good.  Problem #1 - Satnav wants to go a different way

Europe2017

The vexed problem of Moldova

Dunno what dance we did, to what weather god but it was definitely the right one. The forecast for today was wet and we even envisaged it being our second only day this holiday of being van-bound. And it did lash it down overnight. Lots of standing water on the

Europe2017

Marie Poppins

Plans for this trip after Munich and the Black Forest have always been a bit fluid. I thought that was mainly because we have already visited so many places in Northern France that we were uninspired. Hence choosing Strasbourg, way over in Alsace, a previously unexplored region. The reality is

Europe2017

Shirley Valentine moments

Time for moving on. We've enjoyed this site. They've done the little things to make the visitor experience better. Like providing baby changing places and sinks in each toilet, but with a light and electric mobile above to keep baby occupied. Or the low level sink in the dishwashing room

Europe2017

Same old, same old

Almost a repeat of yesterday. A flyer in the kitchen here in the campsite suggests there is an arts and craft market in Freudenstadt town square today and tomorrow. Had we know we'd have gone somewhere different yesterday! Now it ought be a repeat of yesterday except that the bus

Europe2017

Germany - it'll be nice when it's finished.

Freundenstadt (is it just me or does the urge to burst into Beethoven's ninth just happen every time you hear the name?) is a typical German town. That is to say, several of its main roads are being dug up. We're not taking the UK pothole fixes, or the gas

Europe2017

Ubergärig und untergärig

Lazy day today. It has always been the plan to find a small Black Forest town and chill. Alpirsbach is ideal because it has just enough to make a walk into town worthwhile but little else - apart from the brewery. The brewery is in cahoots with our chill-out plan

Europe2017

And I forgot ...

In all that self-indulgent melancholic wallowing yesterday I completely forgot to add the driving route Of course the roads were much wigglier than that. Liz snapped a Satnav picture - ignore the fact that I've just strayed over the speed limit!

Europe2017

Free beer!

Or possibly today's title should be "Bus pass at last!" More about this later. Not the best of days from a stress viewpoint. Driving was unpleasant for a few periods during the day. We left the campsite and decided to head North out of the city temporarily to  the largest

Europe2017

Free Burg

If I leave here tomorrow Would you still remember me? For I must be traveling on, now Cause there's too many places I've got to see Today's 25,000 steps in a nutshell: walked into town, found the market, a minor wander up and down the main shopping street, took

Europe2017

Black forest greens

When the day has been mainly behind the steering wheel (well at least 5 hours 23 minutes of it according to my journey tracker) it's hard to have a huge amount to say and even harder to have decent photos. However, today we could break the journey up. Hymer (who

Europe2017

Rain interrupts play

Germany takes its Sundays seriously. All the stores, including the large department stores, in Munich city centre are closed. Even the large shopping mall down here by the messe is completely shut. Amazing! It does mean lots of families cycling along the city streets. Parents spending time with their children,

Europe2017

Doppelbock serendipity

Today should be a sight-seeing day but we just aren't organised. We've not really got a list of sites penciled in, so it will be a wander round down-town Munich hopefully avoiding the drunken hordes. Liz had found a fabric shop selling authentic local fabric used for making traditional dirndl

Europe2017

Wiesn

So, another bucket list tick - Oktoberfest in Munich.  It's weird. In a world where alcohol is demonised here is a festival where it is mandatory to drink to excess. No half measures, you want a beer it has to be a litre. And let's make it strong (6%abv)

Europe2017

Henry Ford goes to a beer festival

Before Oktoberfest let me share my impression of Salzburg's much lower key Rupertikirtag. Just the thousand or so drinkers needed good organisation if it was too flow smoothly. That organisation was provided by a production line process. Workers had just one job and they did that time after time. Firstly

Europe2017

Another fine Messe you've got me into.

Despite the fact we haven't really finished exploring Salzburg (and I'd be happy spending another day at the festival) it's time to move on. Within minutes we cross the border into Germany and experience the longest border delay so far. Seems like German immigration are stopping occasional cars and briefly

Europe2017

Rupertikirtag

It's St. Rupert's day today. Who? None other than the patron saint of Salzburg and so excuse for one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Trouble is it's a bit wet again today. The morning's OK so we wander into town and stumble across the house that was Mozart's

Europe2017

Things to do on a wet day

The forecast for today and tomorrow are poor. Shame because a major outdoor festival starts here in Salzburg tomorrow. It's raining when we leave the van this morning and hadn't really stopped all day when we returned tonight; at best it was drizzle, at worst it was pretty heavy. We've

Europe2017

Fun with water

Back 400 years or so ago it was common amongst part of European society (often high,-ranking Catholic cardinals) to have gardens that were a fun escape from the humdrum everyday life. Often the fun element was supplied by water, with unexpected fountains and even water-powered tableaus. Sadly most of

Europe2017

High Tea

Well, high lunch actually. Over a mile high! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Vienna had a Vienna card that gave us free public transport and discounts on museums and attractions. We just about broke even on the three day card. Salzburg has similar but rather than discounts it gives

Europe2017

Wachau wash out

So far we've been really lucky with the weather. If anything is been too hot rather than cold and wet. I can only recall 2 days in the last 6 weeks where it was wet enough to make us change our plans, one day in Hanover we stayed in the

Europe2017

Post-war Vienna

A city of rubble and shortages. The black market thrived. The currency was revalued and overnight people's saving evaporated. Food was scarce and you could pay a fortune just for a simple loaf of bread. We may not have any understanding of this but we did experience the price of

Europe2017

Clocks, absinthe and opera

Remember back a couple of days ago when I commented that the problem with Vienna is that there are just too many museums and art galleries. Seeing them all would take a couple of weeks and a couple of week's salary. So choices have to be made. Two choices: #1