Extra Pics

I found some phone pics from the trip that I thought some of you may enjoy.....

And now a short interlude..

Some dull statistics..

For the nerds here and out there, here are some facts from the trip:

Miles covered: 3260
Litres fuel used:587
Average speed:45MPH

Top Speed: 131MPH (138MPH on the clock)
Average fuel consumption:25.2MPG
Lowest temperature: 2°C
Highest Temperature:26.4°C
Nights under canvas: 8

Almost there

Richie took over driving duties after the escape from Paris, and made it all the way to Calais at his normal driving-miss-daisy-esque pace. However, the one time he did let rip on the throttle, we sped past a French speed trap - leading to much consternation and concern from Richie....

Paris

eek - here we go...

At precisely 17.04:12, after having parked the car safely off-rue, Tristan and Richard arrived in the centre of Paris, opposite Notre Dame. The scheduled arrival time would have been earlier had they not lost their bearings along the way to Yatje's flat but you know what men and map-reading are like and these pesky French make their street signs so difficult to read. Being the cyber junkies they are, it didn’t take them long to hook themselves up to the internet and soon they were merrily checking emails, googling attractions visited (sur le Pont d’Avignon la-la), displaying their photos and drafting blog entries instead of admiring the wonderful view or even wanting to do anything remotely touristy, despite all the brilliant suggestions of their hostess. Once the internet appetite had been satiated, they realised that their stomachs needed appeasing too and so we went to a lovely little restaurant which served both meaty and veggie stuff since Richard didn’t really want to sample the delights of the macrobiotic mung beans and tofu polenta with alfalfa coulis from the nearby veggie restaurant.

After a good night’s sleep (thankfully with not much coughing and no snoring), we were made to get up and enjoy the beautiful sunny Parisian day and accompany Yatje on a walk along the Seine. Should we mention that ‘saddo’ had her camcorder with her to capture every beautiful moment? Naturally, this rendered us a bit mute for the duration of the walk. Thankfully, it was switched off when we reached the Louvre and its Pyramids and we could speak and joke freely again as we enjoyed our crêpe lunch. Then it was back to the beloved audi- tourer-camper-van again for a typically touristy ride along the rue de Rivoli, around Place de la Concorde and up the Champs-Elysées before a hair-raising dodgem ride around the Arc de Triomphe before joining the périphérique bound for Calais. Vive les vacances!

Dijon

Dijon is an interesting place, we parked up in what appeared to the the town centre and walked about fairly aimlessly. Everywhere we went was modern and not at all what we expected from the spiritual home of Moutard. We did find the Maille moutard shop and after much effort from the girls left with various flavours - the main culprit was the Moutarde a l'Ancienne au Bourgogne Chardonnay which was very lumpy and struggled into the pot from the beer style dispensers.

So clutching our Maille bags we continued to wander, and were just about to give up when turning a corner we came across the old town, full of churches and other architecturally impressive buildings. Phew.

Avignon

On route to Avignon, Richie came down with some new stomach upset, which required a couple of emergency stops and some medication - so he is off the beer again.

We arrived early afternoon in Avignon and easily found the campsite - this time we had chosen an excellent site, opposite the famous 'unfinished' bridge and only a very short walk into the walled town. Which is very impressive, with the ancient walls surrounding the town and keeping it all from sprawling out. After a spot to eat and some beers (well not for Richie still) we wandered around the town into the twilight admiring the decorative floodlighting and finding the bridge not open to visitors at night.

The following morning we arose early to explore the bridge before setting off for Dijon. We both discovered that the bridge is famous for its song the world over (obviously the world does not include the UK...). Does this mean anything to you??

Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond

Leaving Italy

Preparations for the Monaco Grand Prix

When we arrived at the campsite, we didn't think there was a toilet block, but were very pleased to find it in the morning - only there was not hot water, so a rather bracing shower started the day.

The journey from Imperia to our next stop, Avignon was a long one, punctuated only with a brief stop in Monte Carlo, so we left early with the only visit to Imperia being driving round the old town in the middle of the previous night...

Imperia

Well after much dispute and debate, we decided to change our very loose plans of retuning to Blighty via Switzerland, and instead we would return via the Italian and French Riviera.
After a fantastic meal at one of Rob's favourite restaurant, we left Ispra (much later than expected as eating is a very serious thing in Italy and should be done properly) and headed south to Milan and San Remo for a night in Imperia.

Arriving late in Imperia, we saw an old walled city atop a hill on the coast from the motorway and started looking for our campsite. Now, the area is very hilly, which meant that the campsite was not very spacious, nor where there many tent pitches. We looked around for any better sites to discover that in Italy, campsites seem to predominately cater for caravans and permanent on-site bungalows - neither of which we had.

Hospitality

Many thanks to Rob and Laura for thier kind hospitality.

Italy at Rob's place

Unfortunately we missed the turn off to Lake garda after coming over the Brenner pass, so had to settle for lunch on the southern shore of lake garda, instead of the mountainous northern side. A couple of hours later, and we arrived early in Ispra on Lake Maggiore, around 45 mins drive north of Milan.

Rob had planned an extensive evening programme for both weary travellers, however had make cancellations due to the poor state of Rich, still under the weather from a flu bug. Rob took us to a small bar in Cerro with superb views over the lake towards the alps. The next day (Sunday) , after an early night and spirits were high, with Rich feeling slightly recovered after a good nights sleep. Rob was already up early pruning some fruit trees in the garden, and cutting the grass. Following a leisurely lunch we headed off with Rob, Laura and the two children (Loick & Elisa) up a nearby mountain which offered some interesting driving conditions (read multiple s curves), and some spectacular views of the surrounding lakes. The children enjoyed the games park, the balloon race, and playing on their cycles before heading back to Ispra for dinner.

Rob took us out to a nearby bar where we tried some filthy cocktails which seemed to made without mixers (urggggghhh that was painful said Tris) ! The Bar maid was rather unfriendly, however this didn't bother us too much since she was spectacularly beautiful. Rich refused to have any photographs taken of this event !

We managed to get some excellent pizzas with a bottle of free wine, and headed back to robs for another quiet evening.

Richie is finally back on the beer...

Salzburg

We only have a short time in Salzburg before heading off to Italy via Innsbruck, so have a hurried campsite cooked breakfast (our first) and head off to make the most of our time in the town.

I learned a new thing - Mozart was born here and the house he was born in is now a fairly smart bar. Richie was still off the beer, so only orange juice for him.

The town is very pretty and overlooked by an ancient castle built up on the hill. A short trip on the funicular railway and we too are overlooking Salzburg. The view was fantastic, but not nearly as good as from the top of the nearby mountain.

We took the cable car from outside Salzburg up to the top of the Untenburg, well not quite the summit, but still 1800m high and wandered around in the sunshine and deep snow. We couldn't resist the temptation to throw around a few snowballs.....

Mountains

The drive to Salzburg is through some magnificent scenery, skirting along the base of the Austrian Alps.

Plzen Pilsner Urquell Brewery

On the way to Salzburg we happened to go past the Pilsner Urquell Brewery - how could we not pop in. Unfortunately, Richie still had his man-flu, so was not up to doing the brewery tour, nor visiting the museum, so we blew our remaining crowns on more shiny souvenirs from the brewery shop and left for Salzburg.

Last day in Prague

Our last day in Prague we took easy as Rich went down with man-flu and we had already seen the main sights. We shopped for a few tatty souvenirs and Rich had his first and last Bratwurst sausage (we think from a pig, but tasted mostly like the chewy bits). This otherwise quiet day was marked by the fact that Rich was off the beer for the whole day. How long would this last for?

Broken Laptop

I have managed to break the laptop, so getting online is not as simple as it used to be, be prepared for some delays in reporting our exciting news.....

Yay! Prague

The drive down to Prague is mostly dull motorway, interrupted by an old fashioned border crossing where we have to show our passports and buy a permit to drive on the motorways.
The motorway is again interrupted after a few miles when it ends and we join the scenic route along the river Elbe, on lovely low road that follows the twists of the river for many miles. In no time at all we are in Prague, and with a little help from our backup satnav, we arrive at Wenceslas Square and play hunt the hotel. Although I had booked a big name, it was not the most obvious of hotels and took us a good few times going round and round to actually find it.
But we did find it and checked in whilst the BellBoy took the car away (wow valet parking). After settling in we braved the evening in Prague and, fending off the touts for the girlie bars, walked towards the old town looking for our dinner.

Day 2
It doesn’t actually seem like we have done much camping yet, as the last few days have all been spent in comfort in a hotel. But hey, it does mean that we have more time actually in the places we are visiting.

So our first full day in the beautiful city of Prague is spent wandering around the old town, across the Charles Bridge and up to the Castle, taking in a few beers on the way. Hmm, that also seems to be a bit of a theme so far.

Dresden

Got up early (well ish) and set our sights for Prague via Dresden. A mere two hours on the autobahn and we arrive at Dresden, driving into town we find an empty parking spot right outside the Zwinger Palace. Our plan is to have a look around, pop into the FrauenKirche and then head off to Prague.
The Zwinger Palace is lovely, as is the rebuilt FrauenKirche (the original was destroyed by the Brits during the carpet bombing of Dresden). In the town square we stop off for a beer and a piece of cake (I wish I understood German as the cake I ordered was simply enormous and made almost entirely of sugar), and then return to the car...But it is gone...
We spent the next hour trying to find someone who can help and eventually find the police station who thankfully told us that that they did not have the car, and that it has not been stolen but removed as it was parked wrongly. I never thought that I would be glad to have my car towed. A short taxi ride and a lot of cash and we are back on the road.

Last day in Berlin

On the way to Checkpoint Charlie we popped into the VW and Audi showrooms. Some lovely examples seen including the Bugatti Veyron.... Had lunch at cafe near Checkpoint Charlie, then went to see CC itself (the crossing point for diplomats and allied forces after the erection of the Berlin Wall). The posters on the wall give you a small sense of what it was like when the Wall was up and the political manoeuvres between the East and West powers. Then visited the Brandenburg Gate (Berlin’s only remaining city gate, which was in no-mans land when the Wall was up). Came back to hotel for an afternoon nap so that we were fresh for an evenings partying and, being the old farts we are, fell asleep...

Glasto

Tristan needed to purchase his Glastonbury ticket on Sunday which went on sale at 0900. Alarms were set, internet access purchased and at 9am it started. Only it didn't. Nothing on t'internet. Hmm.Wrong day maybe. No, tickets went on sale 9am UK time....

Fun and Games

Another strange thing we noticed during our first evening stroll was a number of girls near AlexanderPlaz all dressed in a similar fashion (jeans, bum bag and some lace up bodice thing), puzzled as to what they were selling, we asked, to discover that that were selling fun (for €80) – maybe a game of battleships or something...

Berlin

Although it was a cold night, and not that easy to sleep in the car (well for me - Richie can sleep anywhere at the drop of a hat), we had a bit of a lie in and finally left for the last leg to Berlin at 10am.

I had booked us a twin room at the Ibis Mitte, which we changed to a double realising it was a smoking room and still stank of fags. Not sure if this was such a good idea, as the duvet was the shortest in the world and I later discovered Richie has a habit of stealing it all anyway..

On arrival we could not help but be amazed by the imposing Fernsehturm (TV tower) which is over 200m high. This was our first stop and gave us fantastic views over the city, before taking a more leisurely tour around the city on the river Spree to see the many sights.

We finished the day with an evening meal and a few beers in the Prezlauer Berg area at a nice terrace cafe, followed by a nice evening stroll. Almost immediately we were accosted by a group of young German girls, apparently on a hen night. The bride to be asked us to buy something from her bag of plenty - the selection was condoms, lollys or alcohol. Richie obliged and opted for a lolly. This then prompted the hen to attempt an English tongue twister for our entertainment. Strange tradition this - but probably better that ours of getting recklessly drunk and sleeping with a stranger....

Almost Berlin

Following Wolfgang’s advice we pointed the car east to Nuremburg and then north to Berlin as the motorways are new and fast though I still have not managed to get to top speed on the unrestricted A-Bahn. It was a long way, driving into the night for 6hrs in 1.5hr shifts, stopping only for fuel and driver swaps.

By 1am we were about 50 miles out of Berlin, so called it a day and slept in the car at a motor way services.

Mannheim

Woke up to another chilly morning. Breakfast consisted of two soggy fruit tarts bought in France. Waste not want not! Drove to petrol station to pick up some Nurburgring souvenirs before heading off for Mannheim. On arrival went to town centre for walkabout. Spotted Lidl (and went in), spotted Conrad (like Maplin), went in and bought some techic gear. Relaxed with a beer in the town centre before departing to meet Sandra and Wolfgang at their beautiful house, where we were made very welcome, had coffee and cake and shared our news.

Nurburgring

On 29 March the ring was only open from 17:45 to 20:00. We arrived at the track about 19:00 and paid for 2 laps. After a comprehensive safety briefing that consisted of taking our cash and pointing to the track entrance we were on our way. We completed 2 laps of the Nurburgring. Rich’s lap was last one of the evening as closed track afterwards (and well before the published closing time) so we were rather lucky to get our laps in. Tris was overtaken by very fast (new) TT. A few corners later and he had lost us! Rich had a running commentary from Tris about every corner being very sharp and selecting the correct gear. Lap times as follows: Tris in 11:49, Rich in 12:24. Afterwards had meal and a few beers at restaurant in Nurburg. Planned rest of the trip in detail. Called Sandra and Wolfgang to arrange last minute visit! Slept in tent at Nurburgring camp site.

Cologne Part 2

After such a cold night, we slept in late and checked out after ablutions at lunch time. As we paid we noticed a metal plate on the wall showing the various water levels during the regular floods of the Rhine. In fact the most recent flood had been only 2 weeks ago, and would have covered our little tent fully where we had pitched it, luckily no flooding happened during our one night stay.

We then went to the town centre for walkabout and lunch. Popped into Globetrotter to pick up additional camping supplies. Amazing store on 4 stories with it’s own diving pool and rain/ice test chambers.

Went looking for the Dom, but got lost.....

Cologne

We finally arrived in Cologne late wednesday evening (still day 1) and found a nice camp site right on the Rhine. No one was there to direct us, so we set up our little tent as close to the river as we could get, and settled down for a meal of bread and cheese and couple of beers before bed.
God it was a cold night...

Day 1 Calais and Beyond

Up at 5am to pack and get ready for our 9.30 ferry from Dover. Tristan picked up Richie at 7am and we left for our adventure. We then returned for Richie's glasses and left again for our adventure. Then back to Tristan's to drop off house keys that we not needed and again we set off on our adventure - finally.

Seafrance took us across the channel, and provided a tasty breakfast - full English French style.

We arrived on time and set off from Calais to Dunkirk to do our shopping, after all can't go to Calais without doing some shopping...

Then off to Gent for lunch where disaster strikes (well more like a little inconvenience), when we tried to run the laptop from the car's power system to track our GPS route on a map for our avid reader. The power pack beeped annoyingly before going silent and taking half the lighter sockets with it. This then proved to be more than an inconvenience as we now had no way to keep our Beers cold! So off on a mission to the Carrefour outside Antwerp for replacement fuses and wires n stuff.

Mission accomplished and power re-established, but still unable to actually power the laptop, we made our way to Germany....

Starting Point

Welcome to our lovely new blog - here you will read of our exploits as we drive around Europe in Tristan's comfy Audi A6.

Our road trip was conceived some months ago when Tristan first got his A6, and wanted to use the 4 wheel drive to go over some mountain snow. This developed in to the 3 thousand mile odyssey of the European Road Trip (complete with tour T shits and meticulous planning).

Oh how you all laughed and joked, but who's laughing now, eh??