Home again!!!!

Home again after 8 weeks and 10 countries! We had a wonderful trip, Croatia was just as beautiful as everyone said it would be and now it's time to get back to real life for a while.

It all began in early September......

All packed up and ready to go!

Driving onto the eurotunnel train

Arriving in France 

Luxembourg

Lake Chimesee Germany

Malatal Austria

Napoleon's Bridge Kobarid Slovenia

Starigrad Croatia

Korcula Croatia

Bosnia (just passing through!)

A typical view of the Dalmatian coast Croatia

Venice Italy (and a beautiful blue sky!)

Lake Garda Italy

Acquarossa Switzerland

Freiburg Germany

Losheim Saarland Germany

A village near Lille France - deux Cafe!

Driving back on to the Eurotunnel train

So that's it we are home until our next trip. We may do some winter touring in the UK, but we will be spending Christmas at home.

Thank you for following us on this blog and I hope you have enjoyed reading about our adventures.

We are now considering what to do in 2015 - maybe France and on into Italy. There is still so much to see in Europe it's hard to decide! So what do you think? Some of you may have experience of Motorhome touring - any ideas/suggestions?

For those of you who might just be considering undertaking such a trip, our advice would be........

just DO IT!

It's almost over ......

The journey from Switzerland to Germany took us through the St Gotthard tunnel which is 16.5 kilometres long, it's so long it felt like there was never going to be light at the end of the tunnel! But there was light and before long we were on the German autobahn heading for Freiburg. We arrived at Camping Tunisee near Freiburg at 2.35pm and the entrance barrier was down, we were told we had to wait until 3pm when 'silent time' was over. So we sat and waited as a traffic queue built up behind us and the receptionist sat quietly in her office. On the pip of 3pm the barrier lifted and we were allowed in to register - it just seemed so crazy that we had to sit and wait at the closed barrier whilst the staff sat in the office doing nothing. Just what was that all about? It's a good job we didn't arrive at 1.01pm - we would have had a long wait then!!!
Here's a photo taken at 2.55pm the next day - we counted 7 cars just waiting to come onto the site!

Anyway crazy rules aside, the site was situated around a lake and quite pretty with good facilities. On Tuesday we cycled 8 miles into the city centre of Freiburg along the cycle lanes.

The city centre was mostly large stores, pretty much like any UK city centre except that C&A is still on the High street in Europe. There were a few interesting old buildings and we found a nice cafe by the river to have a coffee and croissant. Later the sun was warm enough for us to have lunch outside, which was a pleasant surprise.

The following day we were on the road again, continuing north west to Saarland and a pretty rural site just north of Saarbruken, Roy the Dutch owner made us very welcome. After a nights sleep we headed out on a well way marked walk starting at the site which took us through forests with burbling streams. The autumn colours were beautiful and in the depth of the woods the silence made your ears ring.

The next day we were on the move again - four countries in a day! Our journey did not start too well as in Luxembourg once again the motorway we were travelling on was closed by an accident. This time rather than just sitting stuck in a jam we were diverted off the motorway but had to find our way in the main roads which were gridlocked with all the traffic off the motorway, fortunately we eventually were able to get back on route and we were able to continue our journey from Germany, through Luxembourg and Belgium eventually arriving at a campsite near Lille, France in the late afternoon. We stopped near to our destination at a Carrefour supermarket to stock up on some good quality fruit and veg as well as some French cheese, biscuits etc. I love French supermarkets almost as much as Lidl, no, I think they are the best! Tell me why is the fruit and veg so much better than we get in the UK?
So, at Lille we are only 100 km from Calais and the Eurotunnel. For our last day of our holiday we took our bikes out for a cycle along the quiet French lanes and found a cafe, a seat outside in the sunshine and a cafe grand creme - wonderful!
Of all the time we spend touring it really is the simple things we most enjoy.

The hills are alive with the sound of Moosic....

After Venice we headed off to Lake Garda for a couple of days, we were lucky that the weather was lovely so we could enjoy the wonderful scenery. We stayed on a campsite called La Ca' right on the side of the lake,but it was busy enough that all the front lake facing pitches were occupied so we picked a pitch higher up on the terraced site, still with a nice view and maybe less exposed to the wind. We left the bikes on the van here and spent our time either walking along the lakeside promenade or relaxing in the sunshine on site. I imagine we saw a very different Lake Garda to how it would be in the height of season, but it was pretty quiet which is how we like it!

Before we left we decided to have a meal in the campsite restaurant - big mistake! We were looking forward to having a proper Italian pizza before we left Italy, but they weren't cooking pizza that night as well as quite a lot of other items on the menu that we chose as an alternative. There was only one other couple dining there and had we not got chatting to them we probably wouldn't have stayed, but we did stay and sadly the quality of the food was awful! Keith had mixed fish which when it came was 95% Calamares with a couple of sad looking prawns thrown in and the green salad was a bowl of chopped iceberg lettuce. It reminded us of Faulty Towers! Anyway we enjoyed chatting and exchanging motorhome stories with the other couple, but we didn't bother staying for dessert or coffee!
On Saturday, after five days in Italy we moved on to Switzerland and a pretty campsite near to Acquarossa. The site was situated in a meadow in a river valley with huge mountains either side, the only sound was the clanging of the cow bells from the adjacent field.

After waking up on Sunday morning with the temperature in the van at 10°C (outside temperature being less than 5°C!) we were grateful for the heater in the van, but once the sun came up from behind the mountain it warmed up nicely and we went out for a cycle ride, stopping along our way for a coffee and a naughty plate of chips at a bar restaurant in little village. The scenery for our ride was just spectacular with snow peaked mountains in the distance and beautiful little Swiss villages perched on the hillsides.
I will have more photos soon, I just need some free wifi! The paid internet I have right now is for one device only, Oh the joys of internet when you're travelling!
We would love to stay longer in Switzerland in the summertime when the days are longer, but it lived up to the reputation of being ridiculously expensive so I'm not sure we could afford it! So after a two night stay we continued our journey homeward - next stop Germany.

Homeward bound....

After a day on the road we arrived at Camp Serenissima in Venice, we stopped on the mountain road along the way to buy locally produced honey. We had bought some Lavender honey when we were heading south and it really was the most delicious honey I had ever tasted, so we just had to stop and buy more to take back to the UK! The journey up through Croatia, through Slovenia and into Italy was pretty easy except what they say about Italian drivers is true!
Our first day on site was dedicated to a few necessary chores (using the washing machine and tumble dryer) and a cycle ride out along the riverside then on Wednesday we caught the bus into Venice. One of the attractions of this site is the bus stop opposite the entrance and we were able to buy a guide map and our bus tickets at reception.

The journey into Venice was through a scruffy industrialised area, along a long bridge and then the bus arrives at the terminal on the edge of the historic city.
Venice was built on a collection of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges, the first thing you notice is the lack of traffic noise - there are no roads or cars just canals and boats ferrying around all the people. If you want to travel in style then the way to do it is on a Gondola, but we decided not to splash out the necessary 80€, extravagance is not our style!
The architecture of the city is amazing with so many special places of interest - churches, art galleries, museums and the like, but the place every tourist heads for is St Marks square and the Basilica. It was teeming with people but you can't take away the splendour of the magnificent
buildings all built in about the 15th and 16th century.

Sadly the Basilica is undergoing restoration at the moment so it's not looking it's best!

We just wandered round enjoying the grandeur and the people watching -so many nationalities in one place! Some of the atmosphere is obviously lost by the fact that the whole city feels as if it's geared toward the tourist, so many tourist nicknack shops and fast food outlets (this is Italy so fast food is Pizza!) If you want to have a special lunch then the square is the place with its white coated waiters lavishing attention on the diners and a quartet playing elegant music. After you have dined you can then stroll among the designer stores and perhaps buy a new Gucci handbag? You will be safe - the armed guard will make sure of that!

Anyway we bought a few souvenirs from the tacky kiosk and got the bus back....

Our last week in Croatia

Oranges anyone?

After 3 nights of peace, quiet and tranquility at Camping Lupis in Loviste it was time to leave, we didn't really have much choice - they were closing for the winter! We had a lovely time whilst we were there, just strolling around the bay, stargazing in the evening or just enjoying the sunshine down on the beach.
We decided to slowly start making our way towards home so chose the ACSI site at Split-Stobrec, but as we approached we both thought the same thing - just one night here will be enough! Actually the site was very pleasant with large level pitches close to the beach and the facilities were good, but the surrounding area was so built up and there was a constant noise of traffic from the nearby busy road.
Nevertheless we stayed for 2 nights and cycled into Split city centre on Thursday. The cycle ride was not fun as we had to ride through scruffy residential areas and it started to rain as well! I was feeling pretty fed up and when we arrived the city centre was heaving with traffic. The main sites in the centre were interesting, with the remains of the palace, but there were just too many trails of tourists following their guides.

Sorry to sound a bit critical here, but Keith and I much prefer the countryside and the quieter places, like our visit to the abandoned village on Tuesday.
Friday was Keith's birthday so we decided to head back to Starigrad-Paklenica on our journey north up the Croatia coastline and escape the hustle bustle. We ended up at the wrong campsite (thanks to the sat-nav!) to the site that we intended, but we found a lovely pitch on the beach about 10 metres from the sea so it turned out alright in the end. The weather was not so good, but the day ended with a beautiful sunset.

We decided not to go out for a meal to celebrate Keith's birthday and it was a good choice as the rain
came down with vengeance after about 9pm and we would have got soaked walking back to the
campsite from town! It rained heavily all night but we awoke to a lovely day, we spent the day relaxing and enjoying the sunshine, going out for a walk later in the day.
We had planned to move on the next morning, but the forecast was just too good to spend the day on the road so we stayed another day and went out for a bike ride stopping at a deserted bay for our picnic lunch.

That's what we have really enjoyed about Croatia - being able to find isolated areas where you can relax and enjoy peace, quiet and the beautiful scenery

So after a month in Croatia it's time to move on, back towards home (eventually!)

Next stop Venice, Italy .........

Rucksacks and walking shoes....

We decided to give our cycle legs a rest today (Tuesday) and hiked 5km from our site at Loviste up to the abandoned village of Nakovana, the area being a historical site. The walk was quite straight forward so no risk of getting lost but it was all uphill to get there! Fortunately the weather wasn't too hot so the climb didn't take too long.

When we arrived, like many historical sites in Croatia (and other countries for that matter) it was very understated and with a complete lack of sign posting quite easy to miss!
We wandered around the buildings, some having been abandoned in the last twenty years and some obviously from hundreds of years ago. All stone built and lacking in any proper roads, just paths and tracks between the dwellings.

We peeked into the derelict houses and could see the old bread ovens built into the stone walls and we also found a millstone in situ but no obvious way it was turned.

I wonder how old this is?

When I got back I looked up on the internet a bit of history and the area has been inhabited for thousands of years, evidence of early Neolithic civilisation having been found in a cave in a nearby hillside. Because of it's archeological importance the cave can't be visited, there were hundreds of artefacts found in a hidden section. Centuries later the whole area was certainly an important one to the Illyrians, who ruled the area prior to being conquered by the Romans. The Grad hillfort, occupying the summit of a nearby outcrop, was an important centre of Illyrian power, and is thought
to be a possible power-base of the Illyrian queen Teuta, and a centre of resistance to Roman rule.
Even though the cave itself can’t be visited, the abandoned village of Nakovana, with its old stone houses and cobbled lanes, was a wonderful place to enjoy a stroll back in time.

Last night was a beautiful starlit night so we put the lights on our bikes and cycled along the village road to an unlit bay where we sat and listened to the gentle lapping of the sea looking up at the millions of stars, there are so many more stars when you get away from light pollution!
I wish I could take a photo of all those stars....

Croatian wildlife and strange noises in the night...

One of the first things we noticed on our first night at Orebic was the strange howling noises coming from the hills. It didn't sound like any creatures we had ever heard before, a chorus of plaintive howling sounding really spooky. So I asked the campsite receptionist and she told me it was the jackals - a cross between a fox and a dog. I then looked it up on the internet and the weird cacophony we were hearing was from the Golden Jackal, a distant relative of the wolf, but much smaller, about the size of a fox. We were lucky enough to see one crossing the road yesterday - sadly it was gone before I could get a quick photo.

It was fascinating to watch this colourful chap crossing our pitch - amazing markings, it looks like they were painted on!

We have seen some rather large flying insects and are bugged by mosquito and midge bites, we don't go out without our insect repellant on now

I was sitting outside enjoying a cup of tea the other day when a massive (about 3 inches long) cricket landed on my foot - I'm not sure who jumped faster him or me!
This little chap was out scavenging for nuts and berries on the site and stopped for a photo shoot before scampering off

And finally a quick update..... We wrenched ourselves away from the wonderful view to a campsite on the tip of the Peljesac peninsula at Lovista, a small (but beautiful!) village at the back of beyond. It's incredibly tranquil here and the site is impeccable - right on the seafront, the silence disturbed only by the howling of the jackals in the evening.