A 14+ European Tour!

[XCovlov70]

A 14+ European 'Country' Tour Page 1

Europe Tour AutoRoute Plan



Countries in the tour include: France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, back into Poland then back into Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, back into Germany, followed by Luxembourg, then back into Belgium, finally back into France and last leg into and across England to Wales!

Our trip starts after we had to go back home to shut the garage door!

10 Miles from home and I could not remember closing the darn thing so we turned around, went back and found it open!

Sorted that out then finally set off leaving South Wales and a 200 mile drive across England to Folkestone.

On our way!


While on our way to Folkestone we met this superb outfit that I think is possibly the best 4x4 AWD ‘Tractor’ on the road and it used to be a Fire Engine on Chatsworth Estate.

The ‘Tin Tent’ behind it had been just bought to be refurbished!
Mini Mog & Ex Army ‘Tin Tent’


Arrive at the Eurotunnel Centre, checked in a bit early with no extra charge went on to the car park and set about swapping the beam settings over on the headlamps.

Thanks to some kind design person the headlamps have to be removed and the rear cover taken off then by putting your finger inside you flick a lever that swaps the beam over, you then have to re-assemble the lamp, fit it back in the car and put what look like a couple of ‘Tent Pegs’ in to hold it in place!

Bit of a dam nuisance really especially as you can end up with filthy hands!
Headlamp Beam ‘Change over’


Having ‘checked in’ & cleared Customs & Immigration Control we are already effectively in France but we are still physically in the UK & not even on the train yet!

Shortly after we are heading along the road leading to the train:
Train sidings


Here we go down the ‘On Ramp’ with the Swedish Tug & ‘Tin Tent’ (Caravan) into the BIG Aluminium box of the train carriage, straight down the middle of the carriage, to the man with the chock in his hand, stop, handbrake on, engage 1st gear, open window slightly, he meanwhile puts the chock behind the front wheel, then 10 minutes later the train is off, nice and smoothly but strangely we cannot hear the normal ‘clickety clack’ of the wheels. Must be the insulation in the carriage?

On Ramp


Train Carriage


‘Tin Tent’ shoehorned in!


Must admit that the lighting inside the carriage is excellent & must certainly help to allay any claustrophobic feeling that some people have experienced because of going into a tunnel, pity we cannot ‘Hook Up’ to their Electrics and make a quick cup of coffee, but as the heat will set off the Fire Alarms then that is a definite ‘No No’!

35 minutes later and ‘Voile!’ we are now out on the French side, driving out of the carriage

Off we come in nice sunlight!


10 miles up the road we stop for a much needed ‘injection’ of Diesel fuel and a few hours sleep, courtesy of Carrefour Market & their car park!

That’s us in the corner, well it was Sunday!

[XCovlov70]

A European Tour Page 2 Köln

Monday

06:30 and after quick breakfast we are back on the road heading through, France, Belgium then the Netherlands and into Germany.

Traffic as usual going through or around Brussels was horrendous, but while stuck in it we did spot this rather interesting ‘Caravan’!


As the traffic moved a bit quicker in our lane we managed to get a better view and picture:


Once clear of Brussels the traffic congestion disappeared and we made good progress along the road right through to Köln.


There are ‘Windfarms’ all over this place!


Rather strange shaped ‘Water Towers’ (Well we didn’t see any BIG Bees come out!)


Our first stop for 2 nights is on the outskirts of Cologne (Köln) at Köln City Camping (€20/Night NO Electric Hook Up!) where you can pitch up and watch the BIG Barges still plying their way up and down the Rhine river.

http://www.camping-koeln.de/index.php?lng=en&nav=index



Notably there are still a number of them after my first visit here just on 45 years ago that are still carrying coal, but I must admit, not as many!




Now there is either a darn BIG hole somewhere or these guys have been going up and down with the same load for a very long time, but on closer ‘inspection’ more of them are now carrying other alternative items or materials instead.


First job after getting set up is to get the bikes off the roof of the car so we can set off on the cycle path that is alongside the river, watching the barges and little boats going up and down the Rhine River, and make our way towards the city, but as we pedal along we see a rather strange site that you don’t normally see ‘Down by the River Side’!

A Herd of Sheep with Lambs, grazing on the banks for the Rhine!


Bit further along there is “Der Dom zu Köln am Rhine”


Meanwhile on the opposite bank to us, there are some strange buildings!


It looks like the first two are Office Blocks, and the third is Flats as they have small balconies!


Tuesday “A Day in Köln”

While “Der Dom zu Köln am Rhine” still holds a majestic place in the architecture along the river, we didn’t get close to it today as my day was spent making a visit to the local Pharmacy and then with some hopefully suitable medication it was back to the ‘Tin Tent’ and stay warm!

I was woken up around 03:00 this morning with a violent headache and some serious coughing and it looks like the virus that I had around 10 days ago has returned with a vengeance which is also affecting my eyesight!

Sorry folks no pictures today and with a 250 mile drive tomorrow then I want the eyeballs to be OK!

Between the coughing, headaches, the noise from Köln Airport with planes taking off from 03:15 & Trains going over the Rhine Bridge I was rather glad to be only staying for 2 days here.

[XCovlov70]

A European Tour Page 3 Buchenwald

Wednesday

After a 245 mile drive mainly using the ‘Autobahn’ we arrive at Buchenwald which is the Concentration Camp from WWII.

Interesting travelling along the Autobahn to see all the Wind Farms and not so many Solar Panel ‘Farms’ which is unlike Spain as they go for the opposite!

On the Autobahn passing Geisen


Wind Farm on side of Autobahn


Rolling hills of Autobahn


Nice little church as we pass by!


We have been given permission to park in the car park for the night but as we arrived relatively early today, then we thought we would make the most of it and see how much of the museum we could cover, so after getting the ‘Tin Tent’ sorted out off we go!

All parked up and ready to look around!


I will apologise for a couple of the pictures below, but without including them then you do not get to realise or understand the horrors that were this place, which I seriously hope will NEVER happen again.

110,000 People from 18 Nations were here, 56,000 were killed by the Nazis, 20,000 were freed by the US 3rd Army on 11th April 1945

A Plan of Buchenwald Concentration Camp.


A picture to show how it grew in size, from left to right: 1937, 1941, 1945


The Railway Station


The ‘SS’ and Camp Guards ‘Accommodation and Offices


The ‘Room’ where every prisoner who ‘died’ passed through to have gold teeth removed before being cremated


Some of the 51,000 People who were killed in the camp


The perimeter wire (Electrified) of the main camp


The Crematorium


Crematorium Ovens


Camp Prisoner Kitchen Utensils


April 11, 1945 ‘Liberation’ as painted by a Camp Survivor after the 3rd US Army had liberated the camp and around 21,000 prisoners had survived.


Buchenwald Bell Tower (Memorial)


Sculpture Group
On the left is the youngest ‘Prisoner’ Yushu, who survived, he was just 4 years old.


A truly very sad & humbling day and one that like Auschwitz will stay embedded in the ‘grey matter’ memory banks for the rest of our lives.
Buchenwald had a lot more to show about the camp possibly through the exhibitions in the buildings even though all the wooden prisoner huts had been demolished, and it was well worth taking the time out to stop, look and learn.

[XCovlov70]

A European Tour Page 4 Ronnenburg

Thursday

After a quite cold (+2C) but very quite night on the Buchenwald car park where I could not stop thinking about the 110 Polish Prisoners who had been put by the ‘SS’ in an entangled enclosure made of boards and barbed wire resembling a cage, it was called the ‘Rose Garden’ it was Winter and they were left to die of hunger and cold.

We finally left Buchenwald this morning for a quite short drive to a small town called Ronneburg as we wanted to try a campsite that we found in the new version of ADAC Stellplatz Fuhrer.

On our way having gone through 3 lots of ‘Roadworks’ in a very short distance we pass the very large blocks of old East Germany Flats in the city of Jena.

Jena ‘Flats’ from the Autobahn


Arrived not long after at the ‘Campsite’ and yes it is very basic, only a fresh water tap is provided up at the old ‘Farmhouse’ there is no liquid waste or chemical disposal points on the site but interestingly there is 16A Electric Hook Up.

Payment for 24hrs stay is €9 fed into an automatic ticket machine.


Quick lunch and then we are off for a walk around the town which is not too far away.

First sign we see as we make our way into the centre is for “Schloss” (Castle) so off we go in that direction to find:

Ronneburg Castle


Nice views from inside looking over the walls.




Today was Market Day by the ‘Rathaus’ but the stallholders were packing up!


Another nice building around a different corner!


Tomorrow we are back on the road to Dresden.

[giorgio]

Thank you very much for the photos.

[XCovlov70]

Thank you very much for the photos.

My pleasure Giorgio!
There's more to come!

[XCovlov70]

A European Tour Page 5 Dresden

Friday

Left Ronneburg this morning for a relatively short drive to Dresden where we plan to stay at a Motorhome & Caravan Dealer’s Campsite.

Well they have 52 places and are half the cost of the other commercial campsites around the city.

On our way to Dresden


Dresden Campsite


Campsite ‘New Section’


Having checked in and found a place we then found that as well as having to pay extra for your water & showers & you also have to pay for dumping your Chemical WC & Grey Water (Kitchen) waste. Electricity will set you back €0.50/Kw.
Places in both the old and new sections are quite small and some of the ‘Trucks with Beds’ (RV/Camper) seriously protrude into the roadways which makes getting in and out fun!

Saturday

While we have been to Dresden on a couple of previous occasions it is a city that is still re-building after WWII and has also now completed the ‘clean up’ of grime coated buildings bringing them back to their former glory, lets hope with less pollution it lasts a bit longer this time!

Handy Tram Stop about 500 meters from the campsite so we were able to get a ride for a Senior Citizens Fare of €4 for a ‘Day Ticket’ and this allows you to travel extensively bus within a ‘Zone’ that covers the city!

On the Tram


In the City Centre ‘Old Communist Flats’ being refurbished.


Old and New structures


The inside grounds of the Meissen Museum


Plus a Panoramic Picture! (It’s 3 Pictures bolted together that Jan’s camera provides the facility!)


The Clock Tower in the Museum with the Ceramic Bells down each side and they actually chime!


A “S—T—R—E—T—C—H” Trabbant, WOW!


Dresden Cathederal finally cleaned up


View as you approach the ‘Old City’




‘Litter Patrol’. All the Yellow & Red ‘spots’ in the picture are people picking litter off the river bank. (Not seen this in the UK?)


‘Steptoe & Son’ for Tourists, but the horses were very friendly!


The Lutherian Kreuzkirche Dresden (It looks like a stucco finish on the walls








City view of Cathedral


We asked the lady in this ‘Model Shop’ if we could take a couple of pictures to show friends around the World and all we got was a very stern ‘NO’ so we went outside and took them through the window!

Magnificent Fretwork Models in a city shop






Lunch Today was: Curry Wurst! Yummy!


We decided after lunch to go off on a couple of Trams and ‘Ride the Rails’ to see a bit more of the outer parts of the city.

Making our way back to the tram stop the Double Decker Horse & Cart City Tour came by!


Interesting church with black towers and red tiled roof




Wall ‘Art’


House ‘Shapes’


Every Boys ‘Dream’. This was in the Railway Station and could be run by putting money in the slots as there were 3 Trains


NCSI ‘Fan Club’ for Abby (But it was a bit weird watching the gyrations as they danced!)



Spontaneous ‘Street Dancing’ but we think ‘Bunny Ears’ was celebrating something?


And for the man in the Red Jacket with his booze bottle in the bag there is really nothing to say, other than ‘Hic’!


Got back to the campsite after quite a long but interesting day and found that the very expensive brand new ‘Truck with Beds’ in the picture below had been ‘SOLD’.
The family and the salesman were all enjoying a couple of celebratory bottles of wine! I think the dealer also threw in a couple of free nights on the campsite so they could work out what all the buttons were for, but the bread rolls were waiting on the step this morning!

Now that’s what I call ‘Service’!


Finally a nice Dresden Sunset!


Next stop will be the Czech Republic via a little bit of Poland.

[XCovlov70]

A European Tour Page 6 Vrchlabi

Sunday

After leaving Dresden at 08:30 this morning we should have had a relatively short drive today to Vrchlabi, except it didn’t quite turn out like that!

Our route took us across the German – Polish Border then through a small corner and a few miles of Poland with a planned ‘Re-Fuel Stop before we cross the border into the Czech Republic and arrive at our destination.

Church close to Autobahn in Germany


Yet another German ‘Wind Farm’


German – Polish Border Crossing (No Passport required!)


Much needed ‘Re-Fuel Stop’ at Zgorzelec in Poland


Having filled with fuel we set off only to find not far down the road a sign post about a POW Camp which has now been completely demolished.

It was called ‘Stalag VIII A’ and was a German POW camp during WWII.

Reading the notices we see that although the camp was supposed to have a capacity of 15,000 Prisoners, it held over three times that capacity at one time and around 12,000 Soviet prisoners died there.

Stalag VIII A Pictures








If anyone wants to complain about the number of ‘Potholes’ on the roads back in the UK then maybe they would like to come over to Poland and compare notes!

I thought at one point the ‘Swedish Tugs’ suspension was going to come off it was that bumpy, but surprisingly the ‘Tin Tent’ took it all in its stride and nothing came adrift off either when we finally stopped.

Here are a couple of pictures as we made our way through this little bit of Poland to get to the Czech Republic.




Next ‘slow down’ was the Czech Republic Border Crossing, again completely open, not a Border Guard in sight!


Cold hard winter has caused number of river walls to collapse with ‘Road Works’ that are long time ongoing!


Very glad as we made our way down this ‘Road/Track’ that it was Sunday and no one was coming up! We just about managed to get through without any ‘Bark Removal’ being carried out!




As we passed the church in the last picture which was on our right-hand side in a village called ‘BiLȳ POTOK’ we then started to climb up the road going around a few hairpin bends and noticing within a relatively short distance SNOW on the road side!


Continuing up the road the snow was getting more noticeable on either side but thankfully not on the road at this point but that was shortly to all change!




After 3.5 Miles of ‘Hill Climbing’ with around 1600Kg hanging on the back in the ‘Tin Tent’ we get to the top of the mountain to find 2 METERS of Snow is still blocking the road on the other side!


As the ‘Swedish Tug’ does not come with either a Snow Plough or Blower fitted as an accessory then we are left with NO choice but to turn around, crawl back down the mountain and take a 38 Mile Detour to get to our next stop, which kind of made the day interesting but quite knackering!

Finally arrived at our campsite in Vrchlabi for the next 4 nights and it is: “Euro-Air-Camping, Kralovehradecky”
http://www.euro-air-camp.cz/

By the time we had got set up, water on-board and sorted out a couple of other things we really did not fancy starting to think about or even cook Dinner and as the campsite owner came over to greet us he also gave us an A4 sheet of paper which on one side was the ‘Restaurant Menu’ and on the other side ‘Places of Interest’ in the area and information about the campsite including the access code for the Wi-Fi.
All in English! Brilliant.

As a result we ordered, as spelt on the Menu!

1 “Pfeffer bieefsteak,garnish”


1 “Devilish roll (join of pork rolled with cheese and asparagus + gingery asparagus sauce, garnish)


The meal was delicious and at a cost of £15 for both of us including drinks it was truly Value for Money.

Off now for a hopefully good night’s sleep and a trip into Vrchlabi tomorrow.

[XCovlov70]

A European Tour Page 6a ‘Monday’ Vrchlabi

Monday

After a really nice quiet night after breakfast and with the Sunshine breaking out we decided as both of us are running out of clean clothes to firstly get some washing done!

Well when you have had your ‘Long Johns’ on both forwards, backwards & inside out there are not a lot of other ways to wear them!

With that out of the way along with a quick wash for the front of the ‘Tin Tent’ thanks to all the road dirt from our trip up and down the Mountain yesterday we decided to spend the rest of the day in the town of Vrchlabi

Before we set off I thought it might be good to show you what the campsite looks like as along with a family from Denmark we are the only ones here!

Campsite Reception


Campground


Got into Vrchlabi and parked up outside the area that required ‘Hourly Payment’ as we had no Czech currency until we got to the proverbial ‘Hole in the Wall Machine’ (ATM).
Walking up the main street we spot a little market stall set back off the road like you see quite frequently in cities in the Far East!

Market Stall


Main Street Pictures






The ‘Town Square’


As you turned left from the above picture you saw the entrance to a Park that had the following ‘Explanation Signs’ on the entrance gate:
(Look closely all you ‘Men’ at the bottom row, second from the left!)


Just across the green is the ‘Town Hall’ which looked rather majestic, and inside the doors to offices or corridors looked quite spectacular with their marquetry panels!








Walking a bit further up the main street we spot this rather majestic church which the outer door was open but the inner door closed and locked but at least we could get a picture through the glass




Moving further along the street and now more or less on the outskirts of town we come to the river and looking one way a rather nice newly built house, while the other way is a pleasant view of a weir (At the top of the picture)




From the next picture I hope you can see how much later the tree foliage is in opening up for Spring!


Turn around and make our way back into the town so we get a different view looking down the main street


Spotted a couple of the ‘Local Oldies’ having a conversation outside one of the shops along with a couple of Geese who looked like they were getting ready to start ‘Honking’


As it was getting on past Lunch time we stopped at a small café for a quick bit to eat and a wonderful Czech Coffee!

Ordered a bowl of ‘Mountain Soup’ which is a speciality of this area and along with the coffee it was more than satisfying to keep us going till dinner


Finally, can you remember the story of “The 3 Little Pigs”?
Well in this town they have 4!


Tomorrow “Tuesday” we are off exploring a place called Pec Pod Sněžku

[Paul55]

This is great stuff, great pics and very inspirring, i'm working on talking my other half into a road trip now. i cant wait for future updates on your trip. what weight is the caravan you are towing?