Aug 26
see our Files for some pics (2008 August pics part 2)
There was a terrific electric storm on our last night in Austria and we were camped underneath those mountains in the pics with “The Walk on the Wild Side”! Neither of us said anything as the rain lashed down but I’m sure both thought, at least fleetingly, of all those cracks in the rocks above! However we both slept well and set off next morning at 8am. Somewhere in the middle of the first tunnel we entered Germany and the first sight on leaving the tunnel was a couple of fields of Llamas! Later in the day we were parked in a lay-by when another old Mercedes van drove by, a much larger version than ours and not quite so old but also converted into a campervan. It slowed down and backed into the lay-by and back past us, the lady driver giving us the “once over” before stopping. She pulled up in front and came back to meet us, on her own, wearing a beautiful sari. We still assumed there must be a partner, perhaps asleep in the van but no Sylvia is travelling alone in that huge great van. We spent some time chatting before she continued on her way to the next town to collect her mail from home, and where we planned to be next day for some emailing.
Next day we met up again and she was distraught, she wished she had stayed in the lay-by with us as during the drive into town she had had a small bump with another car and the other driver had just driven off. She had reported it to the police but was really desperate to apologise.
Within the next few days we found that several towns have large campervan parking areas, a bit like the towns in France that have free campsites to encourage visitors to spend time (and money) in their town. This proved a bonus as both campsites and lay-bys were a little thin on the ground along our route.
We had originally arranged to meet a quilter near Landshut, which we reached on Bill’s birthday 11th August; but we seemed to have lost contact with her in the last few weeks. We hope she is well. We met two lovely ladies as we parked in Landshut who told us the town has some beautiful old buildings and we would have spent some time wandering the streets only Bill’s sandal fell to pieces as we walked from the internet cafe. Now those who have been following the blog closely may remember that we lost one of his other pair of shoes back in Hungary (I had left it hanging on the back to dry after he went paddling in some flood water). Bill being Bill he would not replace the shoes back in Hungary so now he has a problem. As we return to the van to effect temporary repairs we glance in the windows of the shoe shops and he nearly has a fit at the prices. So now he is wearing a pair of sandals with one strapped together with gaffa tape!
We have spotted a few wind turbines here in Germany but many of the huge long barns have their roofs covered in solar panels. We have also seen some interesting road kills which look a bit like mink, plus one fox. There was also a wild deer grazing a field edge the other day and there are many shooting hides on field edges so there must be plenty of deer around.
On Thursday 14th we parked in a lay-by on the road 16 after a long and tortuous diversion during which time we could not see how we would return to the planned route and which led through numerous small villages and towns which must love having all the commercial traffic thundering through the main street. Anyway the lay-by was also a car park for a nature reserve and in the early evening I went for an exploratory walk following one of their signed routes which should have led to a circular route back to the van. Well it didn’t and the only wild life I spotted was a Jay; however what I did find was a small building with PUBLIC COMPUTER written on the outside. Of course! That’s just what you would expect to find in a Nature Reserve, isn’t it? On closer inspection it turned out to have internet connections too. Unfortunately I did not have our USB with me or any money for that matter, but next time I go for a walk I’ll be prepared!
We are still following the River Danube and will be right across Germany, almost into France, and the mosquitos are biting well here. Penny
Bill
From the moment we entered Russia “The car’s been the star!” When ever and where ever we stopped, be it in a market square, village or town centre, traffic lights, even the odd time the police pulled us over, out came the mobile phone cameras, even old ladies and their husbands walked up and murmured words of affection for the venerable machine. The praise went on throughout Ukraine; Hungarians were a little more conservative but still full of admiration for our durability. In Austria the old enthusiasm returned especially from motor cyclists, but then motor cyclists are a breed apart, nothing, not even torrential rain can dampen their enthusiasm for life on the edge. Nearing the Mercedes home land we could feel the tension mounting, what sort of a welcome would await our van? Many of the admirers in Austria were Germans but we did not expect flags and banners, just a quiet nod of recognition from other Mercedes owners and perhaps the odd word in favour of things old and loved. As we left Austria we were mobbed by a lovely family, a young father and three enthusiastic sons in a VW camper heading back home to Germany, we thought that’s a good start. Well it was almost the finish as well, it took three days before we met Sylvia a young German girl driving a very large 1977 Mercedes 406 campervan, a day later we met two families briefly at a service station and later in Landshut two old ladies who fell head over heels in love with the van and wanted to join our expedition! Other than these three brief meetings we motored through Germany almost unnoticed, odd, has there been a football world cup final upset that we have missed?
Bill
Penny again.
We crossed from Germany into France over the River Rhine with an amazing sense of relief on the 17th August. We had not felt comfortable in Germany, the weather had deteriorated, everything was so appallingly tidy, and the failure of the quilting contacts did not help either. We did eventually hear from our contact with an explanation that their holiday plans had changed. We did feel that we might have enjoyed the country more if we had been on the bikes as there are cycle tracks everywhere, and they are very busy too with both local cyclists and tourists. But the trails are as immaculate as the villages, so are the riders, it wouldn’t do to have a plastic carrier bag dangling from the rear carriers! But we do realise that we did not really give the country a chance.
All for now folks.
Penny
There was a terrific electric storm on our last night in Austria and we were camped underneath those mountains in the pics with “The Walk on the Wild Side”! Neither of us said anything as the rain lashed down but I’m sure both thought, at least fleetingly, of all those cracks in the rocks above! However we both slept well and set off next morning at 8am. Somewhere in the middle of the first tunnel we entered Germany and the first sight on leaving the tunnel was a couple of fields of Llamas! Later in the day we were parked in a lay-by when another old Mercedes van drove by, a much larger version than ours and not quite so old but also converted into a campervan. It slowed down and backed into the lay-by and back past us, the lady driver giving us the “once over” before stopping. She pulled up in front and came back to meet us, on her own, wearing a beautiful sari. We still assumed there must be a partner, perhaps asleep in the van but no Sylvia is travelling alone in that huge great van. We spent some time chatting before she continued on her way to the next town to collect her mail from home, and where we planned to be next day for some emailing.
Next day we met up again and she was distraught, she wished she had stayed in the lay-by with us as during the drive into town she had had a small bump with another car and the other driver had just driven off. She had reported it to the police but was really desperate to apologise.
Within the next few days we found that several towns have large campervan parking areas, a bit like the towns in France that have free campsites to encourage visitors to spend time (and money) in their town. This proved a bonus as both campsites and lay-bys were a little thin on the ground along our route.
We had originally arranged to meet a quilter near Landshut, which we reached on Bill’s birthday 11th August; but we seemed to have lost contact with her in the last few weeks. We hope she is well. We met two lovely ladies as we parked in Landshut who told us the town has some beautiful old buildings and we would have spent some time wandering the streets only Bill’s sandal fell to pieces as we walked from the internet cafe. Now those who have been following the blog closely may remember that we lost one of his other pair of shoes back in Hungary (I had left it hanging on the back to dry after he went paddling in some flood water). Bill being Bill he would not replace the shoes back in Hungary so now he has a problem. As we return to the van to effect temporary repairs we glance in the windows of the shoe shops and he nearly has a fit at the prices. So now he is wearing a pair of sandals with one strapped together with gaffa tape!
We have spotted a few wind turbines here in Germany but many of the huge long barns have their roofs covered in solar panels. We have also seen some interesting road kills which look a bit like mink, plus one fox. There was also a wild deer grazing a field edge the other day and there are many shooting hides on field edges so there must be plenty of deer around.
On Thursday 14th we parked in a lay-by on the road 16 after a long and tortuous diversion during which time we could not see how we would return to the planned route and which led through numerous small villages and towns which must love having all the commercial traffic thundering through the main street. Anyway the lay-by was also a car park for a nature reserve and in the early evening I went for an exploratory walk following one of their signed routes which should have led to a circular route back to the van. Well it didn’t and the only wild life I spotted was a Jay; however what I did find was a small building with PUBLIC COMPUTER written on the outside. Of course! That’s just what you would expect to find in a Nature Reserve, isn’t it? On closer inspection it turned out to have internet connections too. Unfortunately I did not have our USB with me or any money for that matter, but next time I go for a walk I’ll be prepared!
We are still following the River Danube and will be right across Germany, almost into France, and the mosquitos are biting well here. Penny
Bill
From the moment we entered Russia “The car’s been the star!” When ever and where ever we stopped, be it in a market square, village or town centre, traffic lights, even the odd time the police pulled us over, out came the mobile phone cameras, even old ladies and their husbands walked up and murmured words of affection for the venerable machine. The praise went on throughout Ukraine; Hungarians were a little more conservative but still full of admiration for our durability. In Austria the old enthusiasm returned especially from motor cyclists, but then motor cyclists are a breed apart, nothing, not even torrential rain can dampen their enthusiasm for life on the edge. Nearing the Mercedes home land we could feel the tension mounting, what sort of a welcome would await our van? Many of the admirers in Austria were Germans but we did not expect flags and banners, just a quiet nod of recognition from other Mercedes owners and perhaps the odd word in favour of things old and loved. As we left Austria we were mobbed by a lovely family, a young father and three enthusiastic sons in a VW camper heading back home to Germany, we thought that’s a good start. Well it was almost the finish as well, it took three days before we met Sylvia a young German girl driving a very large 1977 Mercedes 406 campervan, a day later we met two families briefly at a service station and later in Landshut two old ladies who fell head over heels in love with the van and wanted to join our expedition! Other than these three brief meetings we motored through Germany almost unnoticed, odd, has there been a football world cup final upset that we have missed?
Bill
Penny again.
We crossed from Germany into France over the River Rhine with an amazing sense of relief on the 17th August. We had not felt comfortable in Germany, the weather had deteriorated, everything was so appallingly tidy, and the failure of the quilting contacts did not help either. We did eventually hear from our contact with an explanation that their holiday plans had changed. We did feel that we might have enjoyed the country more if we had been on the bikes as there are cycle tracks everywhere, and they are very busy too with both local cyclists and tourists. But the trails are as immaculate as the villages, so are the riders, it wouldn’t do to have a plastic carrier bag dangling from the rear carriers! But we do realise that we did not really give the country a chance.
All for now folks.
Penny
Tony
2008-08-27