A busy week (part 1): Brussels and Cologne

  26.11.12 Bruge to Brussels via Ghent
We left Bruge at 10am despite our intention of getting on the road earlier.  At least the rush hour traffic, if there was any,  had gone and set the sat nav for brussels.  I forgot to take off 'dont use motorway' option so we soon found ourselves on the fast road which was fine but it did mean we were missing some of the local villages.  We came off at Ghent and had a drive through as there was little parking for a van our size.  By mid afternnon we were scouring a place in Brussels to stay overnight.  Our only real option as we needed wifi was to stay at the International Hostel which allowed parking of motorhomes and use of hostel facilities.  It was more expensive than we wanted but we could at least catch up on some work and we were able to skype both Millie and Richard.  Mike and I walked into the centre of Brussels to admire the old town and then we caught a metro to see the EC buildings.  Some of these were most impressive and it was easy to see where our money as tax payers goes.  We were able to catch the Metro back to a stop closer to the hostel but we became disorientated and were soon lost.  Using our very poor french we were dierected back onto the right route and were soon glad to see our mobile home again.

27.11.12 Brussels to Cologne via Maastricht.
We left Belgium for Germany but Maastrict in the Netherlands was directly on our way so we called in for a lunch stop and a quick walk around the town.  It had a lovely square with many tempting cafes but we went back to the van for our regular soup and sandwich lunch and then we were on our way again.  We arrived at a 'stellplatz' the german equivalent of a french 'aire' just as it was getting dark.  This stellplatz had a good position right alongside the Rhine which had a cyclepath that would take us right into the town centre 2.5km away.  We were very fortunate to get the last place on this site. That night we walked into town. it was a long way to walk but we did not want to have to take the bikes off (or more importantly put them back on) the van in the dark. Cologne is famous for its huge cathedral.  It dominates the skyline and  features on all the tourist souvenirs.



  We headed for the cathedral as we knew it to be in the centre of the old town.  This was also where two of the six Christmas markets that Cologne provides are held.  These two markets were good fun. There was a great atmosphere with people drinking and eating german products as well as all the Christmas wares for sale. We tried the local bier called Kolsch and had our first gluhwein. We then walked another 2.5km back to our beds and felt we had completed our exercise for the day.  The next day we headed back into town but this time on our bikes.  Our first stop was the Cathedral.  There was a service on-going which initially prevented us from visting the main building of the cathedral so we decided to go up the Bell Tower.  This was no mean feat with 533 steps rising to a height of 157m.  Unfortunately the weather was overcast with low cloud so we could not get the full benefit of the views from this lofty height.  We then went on to visit two of the other Christmas markets that were not too far away.  Neither Mike or I felt these markets were as good as the ones we had visited the previous night.  I wonder how much this had to do with not visiting them in the dark.  However there was one other thing that had caught my eye that I wished to visit and that was the Ludwig Museum.  I had noticed that they were showing David Hockneys 'Big Picture' Exhibition.  I had not seen this in England and having watched the development of this exhibition previously on television I was very keen to go.  And was I glad I did.  It is a fantastic exhibiton and I recommend it to you all.  His use of colour is amazing and how he also incorporated the use of digital photography and the IPad was outstanding.  All for the price of 10 Euros.  I dont think I would have seen this exhibtion so cheaply in England.  It made my day (not because it was cheap but because it was so wonderful).  Mike and I both loved being in Cologne. However it was time to leave. 

Dover to Calais to Bruges

November 24th - 26th 2012
At long last we have made the crossing over to France in a motor home that so far appears to be working well.  We took the early ferry to Calais and then drove straight down to Bruges arriving at lunchtime.  With only a little trouble we found the 'aire' a special parking area specific for motor homes which provided us with overnight parking, water, electricity and waste disposal at minimal cost.  The site was along side the river and only a 5 minute walk into the medieval centre of this beautiful city. it was perfect for us and fortunately we arrived in time not to have to worry about finding a parking place but had we left it later we may have struggled as all the spots were full by the evening.  Why do we not have this type of facility in the UK?  It cannot cost much to provide and I am sure must bring in additional income into the town. 

Church tower at sunset

Night time in Brugges

 

The ice rink

Mike and I spent two days in Bruges. This gave us sufficient time to wander around the old town and admire the various buildings.  It also gave us time to sample the chocolates, waffles and of course the Belgian beers before we left.  Although still early in the season the town was well decorated with Christmas lights and there was a good atmosphere around the ice rink that had been created to coincide with the Christmas markets.  These we found disappointingly limited but there were so many shops around maybe there was no need for market stalls.

We woke on our second day to find that the rain had cleared and although very windy it was a lovely sunny morning.  We decided to cycle around the outskirts of the town, following the canals.  Cycling is such a great way to see a city.  We passed some lovely views, windmills, bridges and more old buildings.  Look at the photo of the lace work that has been incorporated into the chain link fencing that surrounded one of the windmills - such detail.

lace work on chain link fencing

A gate house

After cycling for a couple of hours or so we made our way back to Buster for a soup and pate ('Belgian coarse', of course) lunch and a short rest.  We then went back into town on foot to buy some Belgian chocolates.  This was not easy as there was so much choice with prices going up to 30 euros a kilo in some shops.  But we found some that we liked and we are now limiting ourselves to one a day.  Well, you can have too much of a good thing.  We had also decided that we needed a beer so we went to a bar we had seen the previous day that was advertising over 1000 different brews - again too much choice.  We went for a cherry flavoured version and a 'leffe type' beer.  Both were good but we were sitting in an outside bar terrace and we were getting cold so we went home to finish off with a bottle of Hoergaarden with a pasta supper.  It seemed a very apt way to spend our final hours in this part of Belgium.  Tomorrow we move onto Brussels.

Picking up Buster

November 19th 2012

On Sunday 18th November we left my Mum's house where she has kindly been putting us up for the past few weeks.  Unfortunately I think our bad luck has now rubbed off onto her as her heating boiler has packed up and been condemned by British Gas.  She has been left without any heating and only an immersion heater for hot water.  Hopefully it will all be sorted out for her soon but we did feel a little guilty leaving her despite her threats not to darken her door at least until Christmas.

We drove up to Newark in beautiful sunshine.  Our task today was to take everything out of our old vehicle and put into the new one.  Although the two vehicles are very similar in size the storage space on the new van is not as good and so Mike and I spent a few hours juggling everything around.  However by  suppertime we had most things in place and Mike had worked out all the gas, electrical and water systems and so we were able to cook our first meal in the new van. Mike christened the van by spilling his glass of wine but as there was more in the bottle it was not the disaster it could have been.

Our first night was disturbed by the constant roar of traffic on the nearby A1 but the bed was very comfortable and despite low temperatures outside we felt very snug.  Monday morning we had the official hand over when we had to hand over our keys for Hymie.  I felt rather sad as I had got attached to this van but she had failed to deliver the service we required so she had to go.  We had also identified a couple of minor (we hope) snags in the new van which are being rectified as I write and then it is down to Cathy's to hand over the Renault and then on to Wales to give the van a good test before we go abroad and to say a final farewell (again) to Richard and Louise. Mike having already said goodbye (again) to his kids at the weekend. We then plan to get to Dover for the 24th November.

Hymie swapped for Buster

Interior of Buster

Friday 9th November

Galley area in Buster

The sorry saga of our van continues.  As reported previously we were not able to pick up the van on our return from France.  In fact another electrical problem was found requiring yet another part from Europe.  We had had enough.  We contacted the people we purchased the van from to arrange a meeting with the sales director, service manger and customer service to discuss our van.  Mike was very clear that the van, despite all their efforts was still not ready and that this was seriously disrupting our travel plans; something had to be done.  The upshot was that they took the Hymer back we purchased a Burstner Solano in place of her.  Some of you may wonder why we did not do this weeks ago but it has been a difficult decision, partly because each time something has gone wrong it has been thought it has been fixed and it has only been on the next journey we have found out that there is still a problem.  Secondly and more importantly we took a long time, almost 6 months, to find a van that we thought would suit our travel requirements.  We had made modifications to it and it was set up for our journey.  Changing the vehicle would not be easy and we would probably have to make changes to it and of course, we had no guarantees that any new vehicle would be problem free.  Anyway with much deliberation we have now chosen Buster the Burstner.  It has a different living set up to Hymie but I am sure it will work for us.  Buster is two years younger and has less miles on the clock.  Buster is a manual drive so at least we wont have the problems we have had with an automatic gear box and lets hope there aren't any other problems.  We are getting the solar panels and other bits and pieces put on this week and hope to pick up the van at the weekend.  We then plan to give the vehicle a couple of good runs in this country before heading out.

A working holiday Oct 30th - 4th Nov

  
October 30th to November 4th
Our friends, Mark and Julie bought a small mud-built farmhouse 6-7 years ago that they have been slowly converting into holiday accommodation.  It is situated in Brittany just out side the town of Plumiere. Our original plan had been to see them within the first months of our travels coinciding with the half term holiday so that we could take Millie.  Of curse, we had no van to travel in and Millie didn't want to come as she was going to miss Halloween and firework festivities with her school friends.  Mike and I, still kicking our heels back in England, decided to fly over to see and help them in their final (well nearly) push to get their home ready.  We flew from East Midlands to Dinard airport with Ryan Air.  For all the bad publicity Ryan Air get we found the flight very efficient.  Providing you read Ryan Air's small print and make sure you have your boarding cards printed on one side of A4 paper and that your luggage meets their exact size requirements you really can keep the costs down.  Our flight was on time and with no 'checked' luggage we were off the plane and out of the airport within 10 minutes.  However Julie and Mark who were picking us up had met a 'deviation' and had got completely lost in the small roads of rural France and were an hour late picking us up.  But never mind.  It was good to see them and we drove into St Malo for supper.  St. Malo is a wonderful walled town despite being a major ferry port.  We visited the supermarche first to pick up food and drink supplies for the week.  (best buy 3 bottles of decent wine for just over 5 euros) and then went into the centre of the old town for mussels and frites finishing with the Bretagne specialty of crepes et beurre. 


We arrived at the house in the dark (awaiting electrical second fix), Mark arranged the lights and Julie lit the woodstove and we explored the house.  Downstairs was one large room divided by the stairs into kitchen and living area.  The house was beatuifully decorated in pale grey, with panelling around the walls and exposed beams.  Upstairs there were two good sized bedrooms and the bathroom.

The following day the weather was good so we decided to work outside.  The men did external painting and Julie and I started to clear the land of large boulders that had been revealed when the   area had been flattened ready for the lawn. (Note who was doing the heavy work!) I was also concerned about the mess on the back border of their land where they had had had a hedge removed and dumped.  My concern was that as there was so much soil in with the remains of the hedge it was beginning to resprout.  I think had it been left it would have started to regrow and cause a bigger problem in the spring.  Julie and I decided to tackle this area and soon we had a good bonfire going and we spent the rest of an exhausting day dragging out parts of the hedge and feeding the fire.  The bonfire went on to last the whole time we were in France.  The following days were spent indoors painting skirting, doors, bannisters etc and whilst the painting was not completed before we left, Julie and Mark were very pleased with what had been acheived by the four of us.

On our last night with them we drove to Josselin.  This town was beautiful, a large chateau high in the town over looking a large river.  We had a supper in a small French restaurant and it was a lovely treat after we had all worked so hard.  Saturday morning we were up early as Julie and Mark had to be in St Malo to get their ferry back home.  Our return flight was not until Sunday so they dropped us off in St. Malo and we spent the whole day walking and exploring the town thoroughly.  Thank goodness the weather was dry and sunny. We reached our hotel at about 4pm and fell on the bed and slept for an hour giving our aching legs a chance to recover.  There was no restaurant in the hotel and so in the evening we walked into the commercial centre and had a pizza and glass of beer.  Sunday we had to check out at 11 am, but our flight was not until 8pm, so we left our bags and went to explore another part of Bretagne.  Looking at the map we saw we could pick up the Brittany Coastal Path by walking through Saint Severan.  Again the weather was kind to us and although it was blustery it was sunny.  We walked for a couple of hours through a beautiful park, picking up the coastal route and then stopped at a beach-side cafe for a drink.  Continuing our walking we saw various 'places of interest' as well as beautiful coastal views. Our next stop was the boulangerie where I successful ordered sandwiches in French, we ate these in a bus shelter as a sudden shower arrived and the park did not seem such a good idea.  The shower was relatively short-lived so we were able to work our way back to the hotel without getting wet.

A taxi took us to Dinard for the flight home.  Again another efficient flight home but there was one thing that perplexed us whilst we were waiting for our plane to arrive.  Sitting in the departure lounge we saw a large plane from Azerbaijan land.  Dinard is such a small airport, why on earth would a plane from that part of the world land here?  We never found out, the only people who got off were the pilots, I don't think it had any passengers. After 30 minutes on the runway it was moved off to another part of the airport and we never saw it again.

Oh and the van?  Roger had phoned to say that he needed a few more days to check the vehicle over so we would not be able to pick it up on our return.  C'est la vie!

Croatia

October 14th Arriving in Cavtat

CAVTAT

evening view from balcony bar

Mike relaxing with a beer

After a very early start on Sunday morning (1.30am) we caught a flight to Dubrovnik airport from Birmingham. The flight lasted 2.5 hours and then after a very short transfer of 15 minutes we found ourselves in Paradise in the beautiful small town of Cavtat.  Our hotel was right on the waterfront and gave us wonderful views across the warm and tranquil Adriatic sea to the walled city of Dubrovnik. It didn't take us too long to relax! Every morning and evening we walked the kilometre into the centre of this picturesque small  town along the coastal path where we were able to watch fish swimming in the clear water and admire the various different boats.

Coastal walk to Cavtat

We went 'all inclusive' which worked well, definitely tempted to take advantage of the free drinks due to the last few weeks of van pressure, but we kept our heads. On the second evening we discovered that a guitar recital was being held in the cloisters of an old monstery in Cavtat.  It was lovely listening to the music in this ancient building which was open to the stars.  The one bizarre moment was when the last plane for the night flew over low as it prepared to land at the airport which was only a few miles away.
Day three we woke to heavy showers.  It obviously wasn't going to be a beach day so we caught the local bus so that we could visit the beautiful and very historic city of Dubrovnik. We spent most of the morning walking the wall, looking down on the old Churches, buildings, ports and harbours and talking to fellow tourists. Fortunately there were no showers whilst we walked the wall but the weather deteriorated as the day went on and so by 3pm we decided to head home.
The rest of the week we had glorious weather, we continued to explore the local area by foot, swimmimg in the sea when we got hot and then lazing by the beach with our books. Jacqui loved swimming in the clear waters but was a bit perturbed when standing at the water's edge she found her ankles were being nibbled by small fish.  Forever the scientist she withstood the pain to find out what was going on and it appeared that the fish were focusing on an area where she had received a mosquito bite.  Anyone know a reason for this? The other amusing episode was when a child caught an octopus in his fishing net.  The octopus must have been at least 2-3 feet long.  It caused quite a stir as this very alien looking creature was put onto the promenade.  After much squealing and photo- taking the poor creature was allowed to return to the waters where it swam off very quickly.
Not only was it approaching our last night at the hotel but it was also the last night of the season for the hotel.  This was all it needed for the local army reserve forces to hit the hotel for a free meal and drinks. We found out later that they then went on a tour of all of the local hotels that were closing down, for yet more drinks. 
Our holiday acheived what we needed a complete break from all the hassle we had been experiencing at home but then on the Friady before we returned we had an e mail from the electrician to say that the part that we had been waiting to be delivered from Italy had arrived but had turned out to be the wrong part.  Immediately all our previous frustrations returned as we realised that there was going to be another significant delay to getting the van fixed.

Not going to plan (1)

We set up this Blog to allow all our good friends and family members to keep track of where we are and see what a wonderful time we were having. We promised to post pictures, give commentary and details of our expected pleasurable experiences. And only three weeks ago we purchased, with the kind help of Jacqui's work mates and an advance on an early Birthday present, a digital camera that would not only take 3D photos, video, panoramic shots and map locations to show our readers the precise position where our pictures were taken (how cool is that). Well things have not gone to plan!

Let me take you, our blog readers, back a few months.

After six months of searching Jacqui and I found our " ideal Motorhome" at Brownhills in Newark back in March 2012. We originally tried to avoid Brownhills as they did not enjoy the greatest of press. They seemed to have very poor after sales service. But they had the vehicle we wanted.
Armed with this knowledge and our desire to have the right van for the trip we agreed the purchase with a warranty that should cover us if anything went wrong. Well it wasn't long before we put this warranty to the test.

In April we decided to take Millie and ourselves down to Cornwall to see Louise plus try out our new van. The journey down seemed trouble free however the following morning a light appeared on the dashboard showing we had a problem with our gearbox.
The owners manual advised that we should contact a Fiat dealer at the earliest opportunity so they could locate and rectify the faulty. I dually phoned Brownhills who asked if we could return the van so they could investigate. This we did once we returned.
Rather than draw out the story all I need to say is. It's now October 10th. We tried out our van six times. Brownhills have had the van returned to them, by us, six times over the last six months before finally passing on the reoccurring problem to a specialist gearbox company to investigate. Within a week they found the problem but now, even more frustrated, I am now waiting for Brownhills to obtain and give the approval for the repair to be made.
To date we have now cancelled two pre-booked ferry crossings and likely to miss a third. With no home between the two of us we have found ourselves living with neighbours and family. Can I thank my mum, but particularly Jane & Chris and Jacqui's mum for putting us up and looking after us so well for, so far, almost two months.
So to all our Followers - we have not gone yet but will, hopefully do so soon.
11th October. Thankfully the Auto electrician has really pulled some favours and found a replacement part in Italy and managed to gain approval from Fiat to fix our van. However, there always seems to be one these days, it will not be delivered until Friday week and once installed we may have only resolved the problem but maybe not the cause.

We have decided to leave the van in the UK until fixed. Jacqui and I have booked a late deal to Dubrovnik to get away from all the  frustration we have been experiencing recently.