A good crossing on the ferry followed by nine hours of traffic jams, roadworks and torrential rain. It is great to be back in Blighty. Even the cats weren't bothered, ho hum.....
Off to the coast and in a hypermarket in Boulogne I came across the newly released French language version of my Vespa Large Frame book on the shelves. Good stuff, I hope they like it. Christine owns the white car which is beautiful and has been fully restored Ericks is blue and radically lowered. Another day another breakdown. Half an hour at the roadside saw me on my way again but the car is starting to feel the effects of its exertions. Anyway, tired and grumpy I rolled up at a posh camp site at one minute past seven to see the door being shut as I walked up. Just to compound matters the curtains were then pulled. Checking the sat nav produced another only a couple of miles away so off I headed once more. Things could not have worked out better, Christine and Erick who own the site both have 2cvs and made me very welcome. Have a look at their website it is a great place to stay if you are in North Eastern France , www.campingdelamuree.com
A slow day on the back roads to the Rhine then in to France at Colmar. The sun finally made a brief appearance allowing me to get the tent up before it started raining again. One benefit of being in Germany rainy or otherwise is the quality of the beer. This little number is a dark lager available from a machine in the hotel corridor for just over a pound a bottle. Life isn't all bad. A bad day today. Climbing out of Slovenia and the the long grind through Austria was giving the car real problems and aggravating the oil problem it has had for some time. I dropped off the motorway as I was becoming a liability to other traffic as I was moving so slowly. Arrived in Munich in high winds and torrential rain so camping was definitely out so gave ended up inanIbis budget for the night. Going to have to study the map in the morning and plot a route to the Channel on quiet back roads. I will worry about the British leg later. Met up with Uros for a couple of hours in Belgrade before leaving at noon in 36C heat. The drive up the motorway was tedious but at least the miles were rolling under my wheels. Croatia came and went and I ended up in Ljubliana for the night having managed another 400 miles. Dropped Elizabeth off at the airport and pointed the bonnet north. Macedonia was transited in a few hours thankfully without the huge queues at the border this time. Stopped just south of Belgrade having covered four hundred miles. Final day in Greece and we are in Hotel Nice View south of Thessaloniki. It is aptly named. Blisteringly hot once more so another day of swimming in the sea and drinking copious amounts of fluid. Elizabeth flies home in the morning and I will head back up to Macedonia. Hopefully the border crossing will be a bit quicker this time. |