TT26 - thinnc.co.uk
Transcription
TT26 - thinnc.co.uk
Terry’s Travels TT26-1 And so to Europe Mercie was waiting for us at Pam’s near Torrevieja. We got into Spanish mode immediately by going out to have a pan of paella for dinner between the three of us. Our second night was to a busy bar to enjoy cheering Man U win, especially good fun amongst Chelsea supporters. Dinner followed at 11:40pm— only in Spain. We hit the motorway to visit my only boss’ memorial in Calpe’s lovely cemetery. We then continued into a windy France with blustery 40mph winds along the coast near Sete. We had hoped to meet our friends who live in France but when that didn’t work out we headed for Monte Carlo. Our motorhome owning friends Robin & Norrie had been to the massive Harley Rally in St Tropez. We passed Cannes where the film festival was taking place, it was now raining heavily. Using texts and a GPS we met up in a lay bye overlooking spectacular Monte Carlo with the musical sounds of the F1 racing cars sounding fantastic. I took Robin on my bike so we could ogle at the fast cars and even faster women that are drawn to this unlikely speed event. When you add a wet surface to the normal narrow roads you cannot imagine a race taking place. It’s the place to be seen and the place to be seen having obscene amounts of money. The cars were all something else and when you add the designer dresses, shoes belts, bags it’s not at all hard to see people in tens of thousands of pounds of clothes. It was great to see it all. The race was announced to be a wet one and Robin and I scurried back to Robin’s new Hymer where we could rough it by watching on TV (free) and staying out of the rain. We had a ball watching Lewis win on the narrow streets as we munched our delicious sandwiches. June 4th 2008 Ron & Clare’s Memorial, Calpe 40mph winds—Sete, France Monte Carlo on F1 day We went separately across into Italy as the fast cars started to whizz past—Porches, Maseratis, Lambos, Ferraris, Bentleys, Jaguars and Mercs and some I couldn’t put a name to. Do have a good look at the last photo, this is a McClaren Mercedes (not common) and note the body language of the two posers casually looking at it. In this one small square alone there must have been several million pounds worth of cars. Whilst on the subject of money Europe is EXPENSIVE now... Flash cars and flash? next travel plans: Europe May 20th in Mercie, Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/Slovenia/Austria Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos with captions and previous travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-2 The Italian Riviera June 7th 2008 Ceriane was our chosen site at the start of the Italian Riviera. Not a great setting but proved to be excellent value for a couple of nights. A bike ride down the coast confirmed that it just got better a little further S. Around the campsite was a huge number of greenhouses packed with flowers but the coast looked a bit scruffy just here - despite this there was a Ferrari garage next to the Lidl (cheap supermarket) and I even saw a lap dance club sign. Perhaps that was the draw for our fellow campers—look at first photo carefully. 5 likely lads in rented camper Our next chosen ACSI (discounted) site was full so we went to Camping Aranella on the Italian Riviera. We met back up with Robin & Norrie and squeezed into this site with a brook running through. It was a beautiful location near the village of Deiva Marina, itself a lovely coastal setting. The weather was perfect following the rain. Portofino was almost 2 hours ride N, not a great distance but windy roads through long winding tunnels which were quite cool early in the morning. Clear sea, breathtaking views and time to chat as we waited for the lights to allow us through the tunnels. Parking in Portofino was a challenge even with my bike and Robin’s scooter and we walked down into the village of Portofino. What a most scenic setting with the various coloured buildings surrounding the small harbour. A massive private yacht came in with pristine crew rushing to have it even better than shipshape and Bristol fashion. It had an on board swimming pool but we didn’t get to see the grand daughters ride their Barbie bikes. I made a beer last 50 minutes at 1 Euro per 10 minutes! in the stylish pavement cafe before we got a front table at the keyside restaurant. Yes we had chosen Michael Winner’s favourite place and maybe “his” table. We had just three starters with water and the taste was simply fantastic, Robin and I had chosen a mild curry tasting Ravioli. The ride back was even better in the scorching heat, we stopped to look at a new model Ducati 696 motorcycle, very stylish Italian, before having a beach cafe to ourselves to sip a Cappuchino coffee. The tunnels were a welcome cool going back - what a super day out. Di was ready to be taken to dinner at the surprisingly good camp restaurant, on the terrace. Stylish Portofino from “our” table—not Michael W’s They’re lovely Grandpa! next travel plans: Europe May 20th in Mercie, Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/Slovenia/Austria Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos with captions and previous travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-3 Muddy Mugello We headed next for Pisa in heavy rain to meet Gary at the airport. We were getting used to relying on our new GPS Sat Nav, a new model TomTom 730T. Di has christened her Sadie despite her BBC style voice. She got us there perfectly and the rental car was a new Alfa 147 Diesel - excellent. Europe feels expensive now with the pound only buying around 1.20 Euros, the diesel in Spain was around 1.30, in France 1.40 and Italy 1.50 and I’m told 1.60+ now in Holland. The rain was still falling as we parked at the circuit, we cooked in Mercie. Rain fell very heavily for practice sessions for the motorcycle races. The racers were hero’s in these appalling conditions. Many of the spectators are there for the laughs, letting off steam and fireworks, riding their scooters and bikes and of course drinking. One tent had a circle of inverted bottles pressed into the muddy grass as a garden. In fact the weather came very good and we had a wonderful Mugello, even dining at the Fattoria di Palagio restaurant where we saw Loris Capirossi one of the Italian stars. June 10th 2008 Carrara marble a la M. Angelo Muddy Mugello Circuit Gary returned to the UK, Robin & Norrie headed for Rome and Di and I headed into the wonderful Tuscan hills, it was wonderful with the bright yellow broom on the hill tops. There were many bikers on these excellent small roads S65, S610 before we arrived near Ravenna at Camping Romea, it was manic being a bank holiday. I rode the bike into Ravenna and got a bit lost (no Sadie!) but it is a very interesting bit of coast with shipping and refineries. After driving the excellent slow touring road S309 our next campsite was the very appropriately named resort of Malcontenta, we chose the Camping Fusina to get WiFi access, it was a joke. Being on the lagoon looking towards Venice seemed fantastic until the mossies started to bite. In fairness I was able to ride along the causeway into Venice which was a busy traffic jammed approach with multiple rail lines alongside, very different to approaching romantic Venice from the sea. The SP42/SP59/SS14 gave great touring through lush flat farmland until heavy rain started we pulled into Camping Mare in Sistiana. In good weather this site would be good—but the promised internet was kaput and they had fresh baked stale bread...... Typical new house The big ships pass our site next travel plans: Europe May 20th in Mercie, Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/Slovenia/Austria Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos with captions and previous travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-4 Slovenia to Croatia The band of rain was still following us but cleared as we took the scenic coast road to and from Trieste. New roads took us to the Slovenian border and we were soon climbing into the hills. The petrol station was very busy but worth waiting to fill Mercie at about 1Euro per litre. Soon we were into Croatia and headed for the coast. The rain was heavy again and the mucky pools needed care on the small coastal roads. We had read that Camping Umag took ACSI cards and had WiFi. This is a massive site and we had a choice of pitches, some were a bit muddy. We chose a site alongside some Dutch caravans. The evening cleared and we walked the coastline, quiet and lovely in the sun. Our Dutch neighbours were very welcoming and we got to see the motorcycling on their TV. The Euro 2008 football competition started and with this, a large pool, bars with TV, restaurants, an amphitheatre with entertainment, clear sea and quiet roads to motorcycle on we have settled for a while having decided to spend more time in Croatia than Italy. June 12th 2008 Italian cycling style! Adriatic coast Camping Umag England did NOT even qualify for this competition and I have to bear watching a Croatian beer advert (they knocked us out!) which shows Robinson our (goalkeeper?) let in a VERY soft goal—it’s so embarrassing.........I must put it on U Tube. Fruit and vegetables are excellent here and pork is cheap. The small lovely town of Novigrad is 10 minutes S on the bike and the bigger and busier Porec is about 30km South. All this is on the Istrian Peninsular that we enjoy so much. The high season prices start this weekend and many boat trips are available even one back to Venice. A beer and a wine here are 2.30 as opposed to 5.50 in Italy! Breakfast at Camping Umag One of the interests on a Campsite is that your neighbours keep changing. We now have a German couple opposite—both men look to be in their eighties. So not Derby and Jones but Fritz and Hans. I helped our neighbours Martien and Wil fold a heavy outdoor mat. I understood that it was going to the bin, I picked it up ready to dump it in the rubbish but Wil stopped me—she was giving it to her friend a Dutchman called Bin! This caused great laughter in the Dutch community! Third photo by Wil..... Novigrad Marina next travel plans: Europe May 20th in Mercie, Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/Slovenia/Austria Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos with captions and previous travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-5 Bad weather It’s been awful weather with lots of rain and even a cold snap. I talked to two English couples who had rented motorhomes for a month “it’s a long way for poor weather” - but they expect to buy and do more, we hope to see them. We have been inside Mercie a lot and the computer, hifi and library have had a lot of use. I am reading Jeffrey Archer’s trilogy of his time in jail (a good read). Mercie is a similar size to his early cell but we are FREE to leave to visit the bars and restaurants and it’s been brilliant to share Euro 2008 with the Germans, Dutch, Croatians a few Poles, Italians and French. We seem to be the only English that can stand having our legs pulled. We wear orange for Holland and wave a Croatian tea towel at the appropriate times. We decided to stay at Camping Umag for all our time in Croatia since it has been excellent with good staff and service and places to motorcycle to. There are a lot of children and we enjoy seeing them have fun at the mini disco. This builds into a noisy and bedlam giant Okay Cokay which works in all languages. June 17th 2008 Porec on Istrian Peninsula Mini ferry carries mini dustcart I now have a copy of the ACSI DVD with 8,600 campsites and recommend this to anyone travelling Europe, this also gives info on Turkey where we hope to travel to next year. In fact my target is to visit as many countries as my age. Croatia is a great place to visit if you want a quieter less commercial type holiday. A Polish couple moved opposite and have provided the latest fun for us all. She was very noisily shouting at her husband as he reversed (many times) the caravan. The building then started and 6 hours later had an awning and an extension, Di commented on a Polish city and I sent word when the chandelier was being fixed. The following day was erecting the TV dish, also hours of a task annoyingly with much noise too. The Dutch don’t like the Germans and the Poles, the French not anyone at yet the Euro is so strong...... A week ago I got toothache, I got an appointment for the following morning, Sunday at 9am, by 9:10am I had a diagnosis, X-ray of the infected tooth and prescription. This was 14 pills for £10, at least the drug company made them look good value by making them big enough to choke an elephant. They seem to have worked so far—and the dentist didn’t charge. Soil makes good red mud too! Croatians celebrate soccer win Current travel : Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/ Slovenia/Austria/Czech/Germany/Holland Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos with captions and previous travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-6 Summer South of Alps June 27th 2008 We heard that summer was arriving—and it did, with wall to wall sunshine and 26-28C it was paradise again. We explored the nearby coastline and decided that San Lorenzo was our most favourite small place. It has a population of around 250 but has a small church and harbour. The population probably grows to around 1,000 in the peak period. It is joy to ride on small quiet roads all around the area and the laid back attitude makes it a great place to drop out and relax. San Lorenzo on Istrian Peninsula We had lunch in an upmarket restaurant as a Father’s Day treat on the San Lorenzo coast, it felt like our own villa with expert chef and a maid. We had the best seafood we have ever eaten. The tools for cracking the crustaceans were necessary and lunch became a very relaxing two hours gazing over the garden and sea. Riding the hills inland gave the impression of great pride in the land and flowers and fields of lavender were quite a sight and smell. Each Thursday the campsite has an exhibition and tasting of the locally grown hams and wines and there were ladies expertly making fancy lavender pouches. The children were now becoming quite tanned from the use (10 hours per day) of the extensive pool complex. Amazingly we stayed for 18 days at Camping Umag including a holiday to celebrate “ the Day of the AntiFascist Uprising” which packed the park with lots of families having fun and we were very sorry to leave, we had made friends and enjoyed the friendly feeling, the cost was about £325 total some of it peak season. We learned about a Camping Istria card for an even lower price (apply in advance). We took the scenic motorways A1/A2 to reach our next chosen site of Terme Catez in Slovenia. This is a big site with thermal pools and lots of aqua park playthings. We had learned of another general holiday (Slovenia Day) so we booked in here for 3 days. Once again this gave the chance of people watching. We have seen very few Brits or even people from countries other than Croatia and Slovenia. The motorcycling has been a great way to explore the small roads and my little bike is doing about 90mpg (20+km/litre) with over 3,000km ridden and only 10 months old it’s great motorhome transport. A rare sight in Croatia Field of lavender Evening at Camping Umag Current travel : Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/ Slovenia/Austria/Czech/Germany/Holland Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos with captions and previous travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-7 Austria Euro 2008 June 28th 2008 Terme Catez was an excellent centre to explore the delightful area in Central E Slovenia. There are pretty churches in even the smallest country villages. You get the feeling of space and fertility with crops growing everywhere. Slovenia uses the Euro where Croatia has its own Kuna, both countries significantly less expensive than Spain, France and Italy. More and more you find that English is the most used foreign language amongst all the European countries as they open up and people travel more. Terme Catez with campsite The old un-restored buildings are getting less and less and many of the new houses are very stylish indeed with the good use of colour which greatly contrasts with the drabness of the old communist regime. The photo shows the renovations in one particularly pretty town of Benize. Di and I parked the bike and wandered around before enjoying a coffee in one of the many pavement cafes in this College town. On a 200km motorcycle ride I visited Celje and a magnificent castle before returning on minor roads via wooded mountains. It gave the feeling of New Zealand with motorcycling at its very best. My companion was Sadie (the GPS) and although I only needed to check once it gave a secure feeling since the signposts are not very clear on the small roads and only rarely do you get any distances. The East Europe mapping proved very good. Austria was our next country and we entered close to Maribor. Extensive development of the road and Customs caused some delay for us but the queue of lorries would have kept them waiting for over an hour. It was hot and we decided to look for an ACSI campsite early. Leibnitz (S of Graz) was what we chose and has been so excellent we have stayed three days. It is a most beautiful town of similar size and feel to our beloved Nelson in New Zealand. We have used a bar that is part of the Admiral (betting) group to watch Eurosport and talked with friendly people. Even better a giant screen in High Definition has been showing all the Euro 2008 and we will be there tomorrow for the final—Spain to win! There is a lot of other happenings in this lively and cultured town and the information centre has helped very enthusiastically—even sending us to a WiFi cafe, its fast and free and with great coffee.......... Shows renovations everywhere Slovenian countryside Leibnitz Austria Euro 2008 Current travel : Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/ Slovenia/Austria/Czech/Germany/Holland Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos and earlier travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-8 Leibnitz & Traisen The final of Euro 2008 was amazing in the arena, what was so surprising to us was at least 90% were cheering for Spain and even booing Germany - this in a German speaking country adjacent to Germany. When we had walked back to the campsite many were still sitting outside enjoying the balmy evening. Leibnitz (like Nelson) www.leibnitz.at has many activities, the photo of the main street shows the finishing line of a mini marathon and earlier there was many other sports related activities with the street closed and a live band. Motorcycling around all the Province was a joy, it was subtly different to Slovenia with more organisation and affluence. The countryside again was extremely verdant and the crops looked big and healthy with many smelly farmyards to ride past. The campsite was different feeling to others that we have stayed at. It feels more a transit site, perhaps its because it is close to the Slovenian border. It also seems to attract a high proportion of towed caravans. We helped one German couple who looked as if they were in their 80s to hook up but a large proportion have remote controlled battery powered wheels to easily move the caravan (around 2,000 Euros). A bread van calls around 7:30, a very popular service. At weekends the pool and sports facilities that are alongside are extremely busy and there are plenty of tanned bodies around. About 3 hours touring, motorway and big tunnel W of Graz then superb route 20 and we arrived early at the next place we fancied - we hadn’t booked and had plenty of choice sites at Camping Terrassen. To drive in Austria you buy a 10 day Vignette sticker for €7 up to 3.5 tonne (we just fit) - cheaper than tolls! The motorcycling using Traisen as a touring centre is amazing. The area we chose is between Saltzburg and Vienna (about 50km away). One pass was around 4,000 feet and our excellent terraced campsite is at about 1500 feet with solar heated outdoor pool. Overlooking the small town of Traisen we hear the occasional steam train whistle and the oompah band practicing. The church clock tower is very tuneful too. The best Austrian sound is from the tinkle of cow bells as the immaculate cattle graze on the rich high meadows. The temperature has been perfect and you can almost drink the air. July 3rd 2008 Leibnitz main street Near Traisen Austria Biker stop Fabulous biking road 21 Current travel : Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/ Slovenia/Austria/Czech/Germany/Holland Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos and earlier travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-9 St Polten July 7th 2008 The photos show why we enjoyed the campsite so much and from there we rode to St Polten which is the regions main City. It was a great place to visit and we caught it preparing for it’s biggest music event of the year. The main square had pavement cafes and the mix of people to watch was very diverse. A big stage was being rigged and you can see the flowers are a big part of the impressive Austrian life - it all seemed far removed from the recent awful publicity of the monster who imprisoned his daughter. From “our” terrace We decided to move on and use Mercie wild camping in a temporary car park near St Polten’s city centre. We had an afternoon visit hearing local brass bands, ate lunch and then returned to Mercie for a siesta to prepare for the big night out. We got back around 7pm and things were hotting up. Two major stages with bands changing every hour or so plus many other smaller venues. Punk in one, jazz in another, children’s events in another and we came across another that was presenting dance. This was especially thrilling to watch and we stood entranced for the whole performance which was to such a high standard. A much bigger selection of photos will be added soon to my website and this tells the story far better. What was so good about the whole event is that the full spectrum of ages were having fun and socialising. There were wine stalls, several hog roasts and even an ox roast. Crepes were being cooked and of course the usual sausages, frankfurters and the odd carton of pommes frites to go with the beer that was being swilled. We made our way to the main stage to hear one of the stars and then back to the smaller square where a hefty artiste in her 60s really had the crowd singing and laughing. It was jammed everywhere by now and we were tiring so walked back to Mercie to get our heads down. Just as we were dropping off a HUGE explosion nearly blew us out of bed - it was fireworks time midnight. The crowds eventually drifted away and emptied the car park (a few cars were left by the prudent drinkers) and we slept....... When we wild camp we normally leave as soon as we wake and we were on the road by 5:15am ready to greet the rising sun. It was in my eyes for a while before we swung N and had terrific touring driving roads S33, S35, S53 and S52 which brought us very scenically from Austria to Brno in the Czech Republic. Camping Terrassen St Polten market One of concert stages Current travel : Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/ Slovenia/Austria/Czech/Germany/Holland Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos and earlier travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-10 Brno July 9th 2008 Just over the Czech border was this amazing sight, we bought our Vignette and Sadie (our GPS) took us right to the campsite, small and simple sloping down to the lake. We felt like plutocrats amongst the mainly campers. Our neighbours were two young girls who arrived to camp by mountain bike. We hadn’t seen any Brits for some time but there were Polish, German, Latvian and one Australian couple. I came across a local event and admired the local costumes and music. Wine and nibbles were being handed around. The photo shows the incredible detail in the costumes of both men and women. Di and I walked along the lakeside and came across a big Beach Volleyball event. This had Brazil and Canada competing with male teams from all Europe and was all super professional in both competition and presentation. The cheer leaders leaped into action after every point to the accompanying music. We watched the exciting semi final but since the final clashed with F1 we chose to watch Lewis Hamilton win the very wet British GP. Beach volleyball in a landlocked country was an amazing bonus to catch and watching live was very entertaining. The men are hunks which attracts the ladies to watch........ Just over Czech border Male Czech traditional We were at Brno (it’s not a touristy place) mainly since we hope to return for the MotoGP. I rode the bike towards the circuit, heard bikes and finished up riding an offroad track around the perimeter. It is a spectacular location with space, trees and altitude changes with easy access from the motorway. The contrast of the Czech Republic being left behind as the rest of the countries we have visited progress was very marked. Old buildings and unused newer ones told the story. The currency (Koruny) is 30 to the British pound - a year ago it was 42. No longer does it feel especially cheap but people are friendly and there is good food in the supermarkets. Good beer is cheap and the ladies great lookers - even without the beer!. Sadie took us to our next campsite Camping Oase near Prague via the uneven motorway, we hit heavy rain and pulled off to another lake to make lunch. This scenic lake had no access to a view and I risked a minor road - which proved to end in a forest. From campsite Radka Beach volleyball Current travel : Spain/France/Italy/Croatia/ Slovenia/Austria/Czech/Germany/Holland Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos and earlier travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk Terry’s Travels TT26-11 Sachsenring Germany/UK July 18th 2008 Heading to Prague airport suddenly we were seeing big traffic jams. Jet2 came in on time and we were soon on the motorway N via Chomutov and crossing into Germany. Again the scenery was stunning with excellent roads as we headed to Chemnitz and to the circuit. The campsite seemed better organised and we got a good flat pitch amongst the 35,000 or so campers alongside the Sachsenring for the MotoGP. After the weekends racing Gary returned to the airport and we headed along the A1/A2/ before arriving at our chosen site Camping Naumberg in a quiet rather twee German village of that name. The architect designed site was excellent and value at €18. There are lots of ancient houses but the renovations seemed a bit over the top with painted pointing. Our last night in Mercie was just across the border in Holland at Camping Roland at Afferden. Nice enough but €30. Shopping in Tiel didn’t have much appeal with the Euro being so strong but it was pleasant to watch the busy river traffic before heading to Europoort and the night ferry to Hull (UK). Riding a surf board Cycling is very popular in CZ Drizzle and 12C at 8am didn’t make us too welcome back in England as we drove the busy M62 to our base in the UK. Unpacking/cleaning and taking Mercie for some work and a service so she is ready for her next adventure made for a busy day. The 8 week trip had been great and very varied, the highlights being meeting and making friends, the two MotoGP events and Euro 2008 as well as the variety of 9 countries. We especially enjoyed Croatia and Austria. Sadie (the GPS) proved a marvellous travel companion with the mapping of both Western and Eastern Europe in detail and we will take her again. The extra costs on the trip due to a very (and strangely?) strong Euro were quite noticeable and of course diesel is like liquid gold now but still cheaper in Europe than the UK. Vignettes are an advantage over paying toll charges where you can. Whilst back in the UK I plan to meet contacts (made using Friends Reunited) from my childhood that now seems aeons ago....... Terry Kawasaki entertains at MGP Ecologically aware campers! Mid July: back in UK. Brands Hatch & S of UK , Nurburgring, Brno - then ??? Oct : NZ via Dubai/Malaysia/Thailand/Brisbane. April ‘09 UK via Tonga/Mexico/Cuba Many more photos and earlier travels on my website www.THinnc.co.uk