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  1. #1
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    Default Overland to Bosnia Herzegovina 2014 (Hopefully)

    Preview

    The County Flags in hopefully the order in which we will pass through & maybe spend some time there, but the names have been left blank once again to test your Geography!



    While from AutoRoute, here is the route we will be taking, but this time ‘Anticlockwise’ as 3 years ago via some different places we travelled in a ‘Clockwise’ direction.



    So now all that remains to be said as we prepare for the ‘Off’ is…..

    ‘Welcome’ to new and previous ‘Travellers in the Third Seat’ which we hope you will find comfortable in ‘Flamenco Red’ (That’s the Swedish ‘Tug’) and enjoy the tour as we haul the ‘Tin Tent’ (That’s the Caravan) across Europe.

    I will try to keep the blog updated as we go, but….
    I make no promises on that, as it depends on Internet availability in the places we stop at.

  2. #2
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    Stage 1 “Across a bit of Wales then a bit of England to Calais (France)”

    Once again we follow the same roads to get to Eurotunnel and the trip under the English Channel to France, so after a quick check around ‘Flamenco Red’ & the ‘Tin Tent’….



    While making sure that ‘Flamenco Red’ would once again act a ‘Road Chef’ by cooking the Beef Curry that was for evening meal when we got to Calais…



    Finally on our way and as we cross the ‘Second Severn Crossing’ looking over to our left we see the ‘First Severn Crossing’ that was built to take over from the old Car Ferry.



    While traffic was quite heavy as we went along the Motorway when we reached the M25 which has the reputation of being the ‘Biggest Car Park in the World’ within a short distance we saw how that reputation was made as we were going Anti-Clockwise around London we started to pass very heavy and at times stationary traffic going the other way.



    It took around 4 miles to reach the end of the 4 Lanes going clockwise that were ‘congested’ which I guess was partly due to it being a Saturday afternoon.



    Next stop was Folkestone and ‘Eurotunnel’ where we checked in for an earlier train for France and our first overnight halt in Calais at Carrefour Market which also provided a fill up of Gazole at much lower prices per litre than the outlets back in the UK….

    Tomorrow we continue on to Luxembourg.

  3. #3
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    Stage 2 “Overnight in Calais then on to Luxembourg”

    Once again as we made our way to the train in Folkestone (Which is in the UK), we end up in France before we get onboard as we pass through security and passport control checks, then drive to the platform for boarding.



    After a trip ‘Underwater’ travelling at times at 142Kmph it was a quick but slightly ‘wobbly’ ride to the other side, but much better than being ‘On top in a Force 9 Gale’ trying to hang on to your Toupee as you step outside to just see how high the waves are!!!

    After a quiet overnight at 07:50hrs we set off for Luxembourg and being Sunday except for certain types of Heavy Goods Vehicles (Frozen food being one) no others are allowed on the roads in Europe on Sunday, however we did find as we tried to stop at the ‘Aires’ closest to Calais to get some breakfast that all the parking spaces were occupied by Trucks!

    While carrying on and getting into Belgium the condition of the road surfaces is rapidly becoming full of potholes that are growing!







    As we passed by this sign I did wonder if any of the inhabitants had taken up a specialised occupation or received some sort of training in the art of, as it was also the name of a nearby Village.



    As we then managed to find a ‘Rest Area’ with a parking space I couldn’t help wonder about the sign on the rear of this Truck, as to what happens with the other hand when the left is occupied?



    One of the long stretches in Belgium that is in better condition than a lot of the others!



    While not long after we came to the ‘Old’ Belgium – Luxembourg Border Crossing…



    Then just on the other side we have entered and are in…..





    After another 40 or 50 Miles we come off the ‘TOLL FREE Motorway’ and head off along the main road to the Camping Bon Accueil, Alzingen for our next stop…..









    Must have timed it nicely as Reception only opens at 14:00hrs for the afternoon session while we arrived at 13:55hrs but found the door open!
    While the place looks the same from when we stayed here 3 or 4 years ago, the price/night has not risen while they have now installed a Wi-Fi ‘Hotspot’ in the centre of the campsite which gives everyone access so you don’t have to go and sit outside the reception office doing your updates or email!





    After a leisurely afternoon and a couple of small ‘tasks’ that needed to be done we settled down for a quiet evening, a decent night’s sleep then after breakfast the following morning set off to get the ‘Eurobus’ into Luxembourg City. In making our way to the Bus stop we passed this rather nice house on the main road…..



    Then after just under 20 minutes we got off at ‘Luxembourg Royal quai 1’ while just around the corner is the ‘Hotel des Postes’ building….



    Making our way back down to the high wall of the city the next 4 pictures are clear parts of the view that we could see while trees blocked the rest….









    While looking back into the city you are confronted by a number of small streets that run away from the wall….



    Moving along the wall further we came to a War Memorial which commemorated both First & Second World Wars with the following inscription in 4 languages around the base of the memorial….





    Next stop was Luxembourg Cathedral …..





















    A bit further along you find yourself in the ‘City Judiciaire’ area with this small model and an Key to each of the buildings presumably for people who need to attend the different courts for one reason or another……







    A couple of the buildings…..





    While the view from this part of the city was rather good…..







    With the constant take-off and landing of all sizes of aircraft at Luxembourg International Airport



    We then moved back into the city with the intention of heading over to an older part with these views as we walked along….





    Having spoken over coffee to an English speaking resident who told us that property was expensive here, we were then not surprised when we saw this Parking Place advertised in an Estate Agents at €175/Month ! (£147 or $220)



    While a little bit further along was this rather lovely little shop!



    For some reason that we could not establish this ‘Monument’ had something to do with the story of ‘The Pied Piper of Hammel’









    Next stop was…..




    Then back on the main road we pass this small set of fountains….



    As we looked down to where we wanted to get to….



    Bit further along the road and we find the pathway going down…..



    With some interesting and BIG ‘Wild life’ clinging to the wall at the side of the pathway….





    Then we finally get to ‘Pfaffenthall’



    Building work still uncovers old ruins…..















    Good job we didn’t drive here!



    While this was a good spot for our ‘picnic lunch’….





    Then we start the climb back up to Luxembourg City….





    Then it was up this last section and back to the Bus Stop for the return to the campsite…..



    That’s it for today as the DARK Clouds have filled the sky and that ‘Watering Can’ from up above has just been turned ‘ON’!

    Next stop for tomorrow is a place called ‘Bitche’!
    NOT you dear! It's the name of the town!

  4. #4
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    Stage 8 “Danica Bohinj to Krk”

    Leaving the campsite at Danica Bohinj this morning before 08:30hrs it was a bit difficult to leave the Shower/Toilet/Mains Hook Up keys behind as Reception doesn’t open until 18:30hrs, but we found a helpful lady in the adjacent restaurant who took them, then it was out through the town heading initially for a town called Tolmin that involved some very twisty winding road as well as considerable ‘Mountain Climbing’ with gradients of 15%+ which I think ‘Flamenco Red’ and myself enjoyed the ‘challenge’, I’m just glad we didn’t need the SNOW CHAINS!.….

    Directly behind the metal pole up through the middle of this next picture is an ‘Open Barrel’ on a machine that removes all the bark from the logs of felled trees….



    After which is was the start of the ‘twisty winding roads’ some of which were quite narrow….













    One of the Ski Area ‘Chair Lifts’ we passed as we went over a couple of the mountains…..



    While the now redundant ‘Piste Bully’ and mechanical digger sat waiting for some work…..



    Short break with Mt Triglav in the background….





    Off we go down the other side…..









    With some head scratching from the Grab Operator we just about made it around the bend…..





    This was a bit steep, so I was glad the rear disc pads had been recently replaced….









    Sorry we don’t know who that statue in the middle of the field is or what he did….



    While this next bit was ‘ROUGH’!.....









    WHOA! It took the driver 3 ‘manoeuvres’ with his trailer to negotiate the hairpin bend….



    Then it got a bit better but narrower….



    OK if he can get through, then so can I, just make sure you stay in the middle!...



    Our next R/Hand turn on the route was ‘Closed’ due to roadworks, so we ended up on a 17 Mile Detour which in places was ‘Hairy & Challenging’ to say the least, but ‘BRILLIANT’ just the same, as we set off a bit further down the road up and over the next mountain…..













    Some surprised looks greeted us in this village from the locals whom I think have maybe never seen a ‘Tin Tent’ coming down the road before….















    Strange church spire….





    Wood mill, halfway up a mountain….



    While this roof repair took place with NO LADDERS and there were 2 men working out of that ‘Bucket’ on the roof…..



    Property ripe for offers to refurbish……



    As we enter the town of…..with the world famous Underground Caves that you take a small train to go into…..





    Postojnas ‘Old Faithfull’ still working……



    Out of the town and back into the countryside again….





    As we then get to the place where we were going to spend tonight, but it turned out that it was closed and only catered for ‘Trucks with Beds’ also known as ‘Campers/RV’s’ so after a quick lunch we carried on….







    You could soon tell you were approaching Croatia with all the Money Exchange offices offering to take your other currency for the Croatian Kuna, but as the Bank ATM’s offer a much better exchange rate, then we didn’t bother stopping…





    Next stop was getting out of Slovenia, which strangely we had our passports checked!...



    Then as we got to the Croatian (Hrvatska) Border, they were checked again and the ‘Border Agent’ then asked for Flamenco Red’s ‘Papers’ which I gave him and that left him ‘puzzled’ as he was expecting me to give him a ‘Green Card’ which I would have needed if Croatia had not been a member of the EU, but as they are now I don’t and this confused him!....



    Next stop was the Motorway ‘Toll Booth’ which hopefully for our trip down to Bosnia will be the only one…..



    Then we get onto for us a new road as it was ‘Under construction’ the last time we were here, but now it saves the long haul through the centre of Rijeka, and then down past the industrial area near the port….











    Then we exit onto the road that takes us directly to the bridge for the island of Krk, and after paying the toll to get over we are on our way again….





    While we meet this ‘Machine’ that looks like it was a trial item for the War of the Worlds film but is actually used for bridge maintenance as there are cradles hanging down from each side…..



    With the small sign for the Airport(Otok) of Krk



    Then a little bit further we meet this ‘Roadworks Robot’ waving the Red Flag which is good for slowing drivers down as they approach the roadworks….



    A couple of miles further and we arrive at our next campsite called ‘Nijivce’ were we intend to spend the next 7 nights, so the pictures will be input tomorrow……

  5. #5
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    Stage 9A “A day in Senj”

    After four years it was disappointing to find that the Internet ‘HotSpotSenj’ still didn’t connect you to the Internet even though you have got a really good connection signal all around town as well as the campsite.

    When I went to find out why it turns out the person who installed it left shortly after! Maybe they were ‘pushed’ so didn’t bother with the actual Internet connection which was left as a ‘parting gift’ for the Council?....

    So all the updates and any internet connection has been obtained while sat outside the campsite reception as sadly their signal is that weak you can only connect while sat outside the office. An External Antenna was not on the previous and still not on the current shopping list for this campsite…..

    Meanwhile……

    Remember that picture from yesterday with the very Dark Sky?
    Well the ‘Overhead Watering Can’ was turned on again last night along with a very high & blustery wind that is called the ‘Bora’ with the result that we had a very ‘rough’ night as the ‘Tin Tent’ was rocked about, and this lasted till around 06:00 hrs this morning, then a couple of hours later the Sea and Sky looked like this…..





    Then on our way into town we stopped to take a closer look at one of the Poppies as it was a much more vivid red colour than the other surrounding it….





    Then we get to the Supermarket and see this sign for the Parking area and cannot figure out why the symbol for a Tent was included as the parking area is covered in both Concrete & Asphalt which gave us a mental picture of some poor person trying to knock their Tent Pegs into either Concrete or Asphalt and having a near impossible job to do as well as a lot of blunt pegs!.....



    Later on in the day the Sky really started to clear up and the Sea became quite calm after last night…..





    While this evening we got to see a decent Sunset…..











    On the road again tomorrow on the next stage to Nin & Autocamp Peros….

  6. #6
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    Stage 10G “Continuing our time in Zaton/Nin”

    Friday:

    Totally lazy, did exactly nothing….

    Saturday: Totally different matter…..

    We set off on a bike ride on the other side of Nin and headed off to Vrsi Zukve and on the way went into…..



    With a plan of the saltworks just inside the entrance….



    Then next to it were some of the salt trucks and one of the railway engines….



    While inside the museum which was free to enter we started to work our way around the exhibits….







    With a couple more of the salt wagons in better condition than those outside that had some examples of some of the products for sale in the museum….



    The ‘Human Salt Train’ before they got their first diesel locomotive….







    Working on the salt pans…..







    The label on the weighing scales that could weight out sacks of 100Kgs….







    72% Cocoa Chocolate that has 1% of ‘Flower of Salt’ mixed into it while the ‘Flower of Salt’ also contains other minerals such as magnesium, calcium & potassium and ‘YES’ it gives the chocolate a strange but quite nice flavour in which you can just taste the salt…



    Unfortunately we could not complete the visit by going on the tour of the salt pans as Saturday is reserved for groups, but we intend to go back on Monday and do that part as it is open to individuals.….

    While having said that the 'Salt Producing Season' is only 3 months long, July, August & September thanks to the intense heat of the Sun.....



    Next stop was Vrsi Zukve, and having collected 2 ice creams from the supermarket just out of the picture, we took a seat behind the wooden hut that is to the right of the old tractor, and listened to the music of Dire Straits, who were belting out with the help of the owner and his BIG Speakers, the track called ‘Money for Nothing’ as we also contemplated having a dance on the quayside! ….



    The view from our seat as we listened to the music....



    Back on the bikes and along the promenade we go with some rather nice houses along the front.…





    Only got the first part completed but already with a price tag of over €200,000 and still needs a coat of paint on the outside….



    As we turned around and started to make our way back we then spotted this building that is behind the Tourist Office that looks as though an explosion occurred insde….



    While a bit further along and around the corner was this Sun Room on top of another room in the villa which I suppose because of its location gave guests a superb view over the ocean!….



    This property on the corner was up for sale with an email address and telephone number in Germany to call if you were interested, but seemed to have been unoccupied for quite some time, while the property was a striking colour!…..



    Meanwhile back at the campsite having really enjoyed the dried Figs in Morocco it came as a bit of a surprise to also find here dried Figs, but these have also been sugar coated and they are really very moorish …..



    Bit of lunch and then a cycle ride to the nearby bay where the sea is very shallow so you can walk out a long way while the seawater is quite warm, although you do walk into the odd cold spot which stops you in your tracks for a minute, but it’s where you find some interesting little creatures…..

    Like this little crab that can move much faster than a Footballer taking a Penalty!....









    Then we see this Whelk making its way along the seabed…..



    While a bit further along are 2 very small Clams opened up for the incoming tide…..



    Not quite like lying back reading the paper in the Dead Sea, but at least is was a nice and warm spot……



    While I understand it’s called a ‘Sea Cucumber’ that is all I know in this case…



    This ‘shell’ looked BIG as it lay on the bottom, and then I got it out of the water and saw…..

    Not sure if it was a bit of ‘Seabed Hanky Panky’ or whether the BIG fella was trying to get at the little fella for some reason but they were soon parted….



    While this was the BIG fella….



    As it made a ‘beeline’ for my finger!....



    Then I turned the shell and it shot back inside….



    Before coming out again, at which point I put it back down on a rock on the seabed before making my way back to my bike for the trip back to the campsite…



    As I then passed this Steyr Tractor, which seemed to be in the wrong location next to the sea having just come home from ploughing a nearby field…..



    Bit of a strange day in all I think!...

  7. #7
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    Stage 3 “Luxembourg to Bitche”

    After a rather wet night as the rain finally stopped around 03:00hrs we were on our way by 08:15 for the short trip to Bitche, but not before we had spotted this arrival on the campsite which looked rather nice for an ‘Overland Camper’ but I never got chance to enquire which way the occupants had come as the camper was ‘Made in Australia ….



    Rush hour for traffic coming into Luxembourg…..





    Next we were back on the Autobahn and into Germany….



    As we get near Saarbrucken we go past a very large Steel Mill in Völklingen with the Blast Furnaces……



    Followed we think by the Rolling Mill…..



    Followed by the Electricity Generating Station ……



    While some very LARGE water pipes went along the road into the Electricity Generating Station and around to the Water Cooling Towers…..





    Then a bit further on we passed the Pit Heads of the Coal Mine…..



    While just after were the lock gates for the Barges on the Saar Canal…..



    Coming into the outskirts of Saarbrucken……





    Then hang a right and we are back into France…..



    Coming into Sarreguemines…..











    Then further along the road and after a descent down a 15% hill we come into Bitche and the outline at the side of the tree on the left hand side is the Citadelle which is absolutely enormous!







    As we get to the far side of the village we then hang another right passing this display on the far side of the town to head up to the large carpark at the Citadelle….



    OK so we know we are heading in the right direction….



    While to give you an idea of the place here is an ariel photograph that I ‘borrowed’ from a book we got in the Tourist Office in Montreuil sur Mere as we came back from Morocco and paid them a visit…..



    Now on the car park looking at the pathway leading up and the walls while high are over 1meter thick…..



    The ‘Plan’ of the Citadelle….



    The outer gate…..



    The view over into the town…..



    The building on the left was only 1 story high but was made into 2 story’s by the Germans during WWII, while the ‘roadway’ behind with all the archways underneath is the only access in and out…..





    Looking back down you can see the mechanism of the Drawbridge by the two story building that is now the Ticket Office….



    At the top of the ‘roadway’ although the picture is a bit ‘fuzzy’ you can see a LARGE door on the left set back which has deep axe marks in it after one battle where the Citadelle was stormed but the attack failed. The door when closed was also used to stop the enemy gaining entrance, should they get on the ‘roadway’

    While a bit further up is a metal portcullis which was also lowered down….



    We then made our way to a small room for a film about the attack by Prussian soldiers in 1780 which was very realistic, and at the end had to follow a defined route through various tunnels into different rooms to hear more about the attack which was very interesting, however my apologies for some of the following pictures that did not turn out that clear due to very low lighting in the tunnels and rooms…..













    Into the Blacksmiths Workshop, where they made knives, nails, and other implements including horse shoes…..





    Carry on into the main room for the Well which held 2 large buckets of 200ltrs each, and was drawn by 2 men who pulled the buckets up from the inside of the well using the large wooden wheel…



    Next up was the stables where a lot of the townsfolk took shelter during the siege and the injured soldiers were brought…..



    While a bit further on was the Bakery which made all the bread for the Citadelle which was something in the order of around 500 loaves/day….



    The Bread Oven….



    The Officer’s quarters…..





    Then after a very enjoyable hour on the Film/Video/Audio tour it was back outside and a walk around the top….





    Inside the small museum….





    A model of the Citadelle at the time of the siege….



    The old church with a clock that still works today…..



    While inside upstairs is the mechanism which I could not get rid of the balcony rails!



    Looking out from the walls…



    One of the Guns on the walls….





    Looking from one end….



    The single Poppy in the car park that we saw when we got back…..



    While a walk into town gave us these two pictures…..





    That’s it for today. Tomorrow it’s back into Germany and Hohenstadt.

  8. #8
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    ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

    Looks great so far. Incredibly green. Very jealous seeing as my Mayday tree is just starting to bud out and the rhubarb is poking out and then we had 4-6 inches of snow on the ground Saturday morning.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by ssicarman View Post
    ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

    Looks great so far. Incredibly green. Very jealous seeing as my Mayday tree is just starting to bud out and the rhubarb is poking out and then we had 4-6 inches of snow on the ground Saturday morning.
    Well you got the Snow & we got the RAIN, so me thinks that's why it so green!
    I was just glad that the 'Tin Tent' didn't spring a leak for some of the stuff that came down!

  10. #10
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    Stage 8A “A morning in the city of Krk”

    After finding out that the nearest bicycle shop was in the city of Krk as the rear brake cable had seized up on my good lady’s bike, we decided to go and see if we could get a replacement cable but also to use the time for a look around the city as we had planned to go later in the week….

    Having found a parking place and then found that the Parking Meters had been covered up, so not payment required we found the cycle shop, got the cable and off we then went for a stroll around the city which to be truthful is not that big….







    Sun dial on the harbour front which was quite accurate with the time but the temperature at 30C (86F) was a bit ‘iffy’ as we made it around 20C (68F)







    As we walked along the harbour front we noticed these Caterpillars hanging by their thread from the branches, while the thread was anything up to 30ft long!
    It was surprising to see the number of people who felt them as they brushed passed but didn’t have a clue what it was or where it came from!



    Even as I was eating this rather nice ‘Banana Split’ I noticed one of the Caterpillars drop straight down the back of a man in a seat on another table opposite!....



    Off again and down some of the very narrow streets which reminded us of the Kasbahs in Morocco….







    Wrong colour for me, as a Liverpudlian it should have been Yellow, but that would more than likely have scared off the fish that you saw in the section below the water line….







    While the building under the light coloured roof is the back of the Bishop’s Residence!.....





























    The Front Door of the Bishop’s Residence….



    Then as we go down another narrow alleyway we go under another archway which seem to have been built to stop the house walls from falling into each other…..



    At that point we decided to head back to the campsite, repair the rear brake on the bike and set off for a ride from the campsite along the coastal path towards Malinska….

    From the campsite it was a short ride to the small harbour in Njivice….





    While it looked like this rather nice small power boat was having a bit of engine trouble with the cover open and cooling water coming out of the outlet on the port side, but strangely no noise from the engine?



    Not very far along and we hit the ‘New Road’ which was signposted but is just being built…..



    Then as we get onto the correct narrow track there are some very brightly coloured Thistles growing along the side while this one had a ‘Lodger’ in the middle…..





    Just then the ‘Overhead Watering Can’ kicked in which was totally unexpected, so as we also had laundry out drying we turned around and headed back to the campsite and on the way spotted this colourful BIG fly on another Thistle….



    With a couple of pictures of our current campsite…..





    That’s it for today, we just hope the weather improves tomorrow!

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