We spent the last couple of days before departure loading Huee with all our essentials for a 3 month trip.
We went to the weigh-bridge to make sure we are not overloaded. All OK 60 kg to spare, so room for some wine when we get to Europe lol. We put some gas into our new re-fillable bottle, but found a slight leak, so Phil checked all the connections and he is confident it is all good to fill up when we get to Europe, where it is cheaper than the UK.
20th April 2016
We had a very special birthday party to attend today – our Great Grandson, Archie is one year old today. He is such a stunner and I am sure he will grow into a handsome boy. His cake was beautiful too – chocolate with butter cream inside.
We drove over to Hull to catch the 6.30pm ferry to Zeebrugge. Poppy settled in her kennel, she is used to this now and just settled down. We went up to the bar and had a couple of drinks while sailing down the Humber and watching Grimsby and Cleethorpes fade away.
22nd April 2016
We woke in Belgium to a bright coolish day and headed off South towards Koblenz – Koblenz is an ancient city in central Germany, and a gateway to the terraced vineyards and ruined castles of the Rhine Gorge. In the center, a monumental statue of William the Great marks the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. A cable car connects to the hilltop Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, which hosts museums and cultural events. South along the river is the neo-Gothic Stolzenfels Castle with its gardens.
Our first night was spent at a Stellplatz we had our first meal cooked with our new Ridge Monkey cooking pan, I am quite impressed with it.
It was such a lovely peaceful spot we decided to stay for two nights as Phil wanted to mend/adjust a couple of things that were not quite right.
24th April 2016
We carried on Southwards and spent the night in a Rest-stop in Pforzheim near Stuttgart. Passing some beautiful scenery in the Alps.
25th April 2016
Today we entered Austria – more beautiful scenery we spent the night at
Camping Via Claudiasee, Pfunds, Austria right next to a fast flowing river.
26th April 2016
These are the last shots of Austria before we drove into Italy.
We spent the night in Bassano del Grappa at a municipal camping stop – but their machine was not working so we did not pay.
27th April 2016
Drove through Italy on non toll roads, through some interesting towns but nothing really pretty. We spent the night in Gradara. Gradara is a town and commune in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, in the region of Marche in central Italy. It is 6 Kmfrom da Gabicce Mare and Cattolica, 25 Km from Rimini, 15 Km from Pesaro. This area is very special to us as we spent our honeymoon in Cattolica – 35 years ago.
28th April 2016
We drove further south to Fano and found a beautiful spot to spend the night next to the beach, at the side of Restaurant la tratto. It was pouring with rain when we arrived so we did not walk along the beach. This is the view from our window.
We did have a nice meal in the restaurant finished off with Vodka lemon sorbet, it was lush.
29th April 2016
Today is our son Andy’s birthday. I hope he got the card I posted before we left.
Just a short hop to Ancona today to catch the ferry for Greece. We made a quick stop at Lidl to stock up with a few bottles of Zinfandel, my favourite wine.
We boarded the ferry and all 3 of us made our way up to our pet friendly cabin. Patras Travel who we always book with give us a free upgrade of a cabin and a 30% discount off food in the self service restaurant. We had a quick stroll around the deck for Poppy to have a walk. Then Phil and I went to eat, we had 1 chicken and chips, 1 Spag Bol,1 Greek salad with the biggest piece of cheese I have ever seen, and a bottle of Greek red wine all for 19 euros. We went to bed early excited to be arriving in Greece when we wake up.
30th April 2016
Wow what a beautiful day, wall to wall sunshine and 19 deg. We disembarked in Igoumenitsa and made our way across to the old port to catch the little ferry to Corfu. This was the first time we have been on their new fast ferry, was a perfect sail, the sea was so calm. We arrived at Corfu Port to find lots of traffic, it was so busy as this is the annual ‘red pot throwing day’ On the Greek islands Holy Week ceremonies begin on Palm Sunday. At 11.00 in the morning, the litany of the Holy Shrine of Saint Spyridon takes place in recognition of the miraculous deliverance of the island from the spread of the deadly plague in 1629. This litany is the largest in size and length, and follows the trail of the old Venetian city walls. All the Philharmonics (the local name for brass bands) of this Ionian island participate to honour the Patron Saint of Corfu. On the same night, the “Mántzaros” Philharmonic presents a solemn concert which beautifully evokes the melancholy mood of the Passion, or Holy, Week.
We have had an incredible journey in our new to us 17 year old, left hand drive Hymer van Huee. He has behaved very well, I was a little nervous at first because he is quite a bit wider than the old van, but I have driven the 1200 miles confidently, well most of the time. One hairy moment was when we had to cross quite a narrow bridge, lots of traffic about and there was a bluming great Artic coming towards me I am sure there was only a couple of inches each side of us. We have loved having all the space, the beds are so comfortable and the bathroom is luxury to us.
What has made this trip extra special for us is, we have been carrying a precious cargo. Our very good friend, whom we met in Arillas, several years ago, Christine died last September. Her husband Bob said that they had always talked of driving to Arillas and asked if we would take Christine’s ashes with us. We feel very proud and privileged to have been entrusted to do this. Bob will be flying out with other members of the family later this month and we will scatter her ashes on what would have been Christine’s birthday.