Day 66. Cologne to Swindon
Left Cologne at 8.15 and passed through Germany, Netherlands, snowy Belgium and into France. Got to the Calais terminal at 2.40 hoping they'd allow us on the 3pm ferry. They said no, but in the queue we were waved on and it turned out to be quite empty. Left Dover terminal at 4.20 a d for to Swindon...
Day 65. Cologne
Left Alsfeld at 8.30 just as snow started falling. This got quite heavy on the motorway but dissipated by the time we got to Cologne at midday. Parked up and someone gave us a parking ticket valid til tomorrow - result. Started raining so took an Uber to the cathedral for all of £6. A collosal b...
Day 64. Złotoryja to Alsfeld
Set off at 7am, probably the earliest start we've had in a year, to make up for lost time and also because the weather starts getting into minus figures tomorrow. Kept to 60mph to be on the safe side. Stopped for a McD breakfast and Burger King lunch but apart from that drove solidly til 4pm. Str...
Day 63. Wrocław to Złotoryja
A warm night. Got dropped off at the Carrefour to do the first and last bit of shopping in Poland. Whilst there Stuart had the tyres checked to rule out the vibrations caused by tyre issues. Set off and half an hour in had a blow out. Scary but the car didn't go all over the place. Sat for 2 hou...
Day 62. Zakopane to Wrocław
Woke to fog again. Left a few złoty on the car park man's step for electric use. Stopped at a McD for breakfast. Dropped Stephanie off at Kraków airport and continued on past Krapkowice again (is it that bad?) At one point we had no gas, no water, no petrol and a full toilet and waste water. Af...
Day 61. Zakopane
Set off up Gubałówka on the funicular. Lots of changes since we were last here in 2011 such as toboggon run, football games, high ropes, mini zoo and lots more souvenir shops. Walked to the end to take a look at our old chalet but it's now in a locked complex. Had lunch in the restaurant we used to...
Day 60. Strbske Pleso to Zakopane
Woke to fog again and set off on the picturesque Donovaly road unsure of how much mountain scenery we'd get to see but we broke through the fog and after breakfast first stop was Strbske Pleso and a walk around the lake. Tried to charge us €50 for parking. Next hoped to visit another lake by Gerlach...
Day 59. Banska Stravnica and Bystrica
Another grey foggy day and a late start due to our depressed mood - today we were phoned with the sad news that Colin had died last night. Drove into Slovakia and Banska Stravnica for a walk around the UNESCO town then stopped in Banska Bystrica for the night as we couldn't get much further - nights...
Day 58. Budapest
An early start because parking expired at 7am. Did our first and last supermarket shop in Serbia and set off for the border. Annoyingly the Hungarians not only took fingerprints but made us empty the garage and even had a sniffer dog inside. Arrived in Budapest in the fog and set off through the par...
Day 57. Novi Sad and Subotica
Drove to Novi Sad in fog and took a walk around the centre, over the Danube and upto the fort. Quite a pretty town. Then headed off to Subotica and found a nice central parking spot - free because it was a bank holiday. Walked to the palace and the colourful art deco synagogue (first time in a synag...
Day 56. Belgrade
Rained all day so spent most of it in the motorhome until Stephanie arrived then at 4.30 caught the bus into the centre to meet her. A quick tour of the centre then went to the Dva Jelen restaurant. The dinner was mediocre but the entertainment was excellent with a 5-strong kapela consisting of doub...
Day 55. Belgrade
Left the motorhome at midday and first went back to the zoo to see some of the animals we missed. Got amazingly close to the cheetah. Next took a very ropey tram no.5 to a rather underwhelming botanical garden, then the tram again to the waterfront, a very modern area which could be anywhere. Had a...
Day 54. Belgrade
Today it rained most of the day, so we took a shorter bus ride to a local area called Zemun. Some nice churches, a park and a local market. Walked along the banks of the Danube and then up the hill to the old tower that protected the area when it was a town separate to Belgrade.
Day 53. Belgrade
Set of on bus 15 at 11am in the hope we could catch Tram 22 which circles the old town however this was under repair so we caught another (packed) bus to near the huge St Marks church. After we headed to the parliament building only to see a load of protestors and police with riot shields. We asked...
Day 52. Belgrade
Drove for 3 hours through pleasant countryside to our car park camping in Belgrade. Took a bus about 9k into the centre.. All buses and trams are free so that made up for the half hour it took. Saw castle ruins with views of the Danube, the cathedral, a small outdoor military museum, and had a McD t...
Day 51. Sokobanja
Set of for Niska Banja hoping for a dip in the thermal waters. Nice location in the hills. After doing a bit of research it appears the waters have a high Radon content due to a bedrock of travertine. I guess the spa's name "Radon" should have given us a clue. No massages available either so we...
Day 50. Nis
After feeding cat and kittens and filling and emptying, set off for a supermarket in Tabanovce. With Macedonia supposedly having the cheapest prices decided to stop and fill up with diesel too. Soon entered Serbia and headed for Nis through hilly terrain. Took a walk around the town and had a bit...
Day 49. Skopje
After feeding today's visiting cats walked to bus 24 (which quickly filled with over 80s so had to give up seat). First stop in the centre was the Mother Teresa museum (born in Skopje). Walked through squares with huge statues built after the earthquake of 63, then across the Vardar river to the baz...
Day 48. Matka Gorge
Left the fab campsite at Ohrid and drove through mountains, large chunks of which are being carved out for the new motorway, quite sad to see. Also saw some dolomite mines. Drove along the outskirts of Mavrovo national park, loads of minarets spotted in the space of a few miles and quite odd to see...
Day 47. Ohrid
After a morning cuppa by the lake set off on bikes to the harbour where we waited 50 mins for the boat tour. 20 mins late when they asked us to cram onto another boat cos they wanted to wait for other folk. Decided to ask for our money back and went on a 10 min boat ride by the harbour instead. Then...
Day 46. Ohrid
Tired after yesterday's exertions we decided to have a lazy day. Cycled into Ohrid and had a drink by the lake (fresh pomegranate juice), then a wander along the shore and then a Macedonian meal including stuffed peppers, stuffed vine leaves and pork fritters with cheese. Booked onto a boat trip on...
Day 45. Albania
Picked up by our guide and drove into Albania along the lake. Stopped in Pogradec for a coffee and a wander around the town. Guide very keen on pointing out how backward everything is compared to Macedonia. Then onto Korce for lunch and to look at the old and new buildings. Lots of people around as...
Day 44. Ohrid
After feeding 3 dogs and a cat set off on the hour long journey through the hills to Ohrid. Decided on a legit campsite as we need their WiFi for planning and it was delightfully positioned right on the banks of the lake. The lake is very clear - saw loads of trout small fry - and at 300 metres it's...
Day 43. Pozar and Bitola
Spent an hour at the Pozar thermal baths. Only €3pp and quite unique with waterfalls alongside. Then drove through many groves of fruit trees to the N Macedonian border and Heraclea Lycentium, an ancient Greek city. Unfortunately its incredible mosaic had just days ago been covered up for the winter...
Day 42. To Edessa and Pozar
Left Casa Bloo and first stopped at a couple of olive oil shops. They had limited stock - got the last bottle in one - as they're just about to start pressing this year's olives. Also got local heather and orange blossom honey. Drove on to Thessaloniki for a Mc D, then past cotton fields and fru...
Day 41. Casa Bloo
After breakfast started getting the motorhome cleaned and packed followed by a short walk down the road and a rest at the hotel beach. A final long shower then
Day 40. Diaporos Island
Woke to a blue sky and calm seas and after breakfast set off to VourVourou to hire a boat. Motored around Diaporos Island, stopping at the blue lagoon's clear waters where hundreds of small fry surrounded the boat. A refreshing dip then onto some other inlets. After 6 hours, returned sunburned. Then...
Day 39. Orange Beach
Shelved plans for a boat trip due to winds and cloud (where's the calm sunny day forecast?) instead decided to drive around the peninsula, first stop Porto Koufo, then Skyias beach. The vista turned into hills of heather and gorse with beehives everywhere we looked. Also views of Mount Athos on the...
Day 38. Casa Bloo
Made it down to breakfast for 10am. A treat to have a nice breakfast made for us. Walked down to the hotel's small private beach and by then the sun was starting to come out and it was so calm and peaceful we shelved plans and decided to just to chill by the sea for the whole day. So nice to feel th...
Day 37. To Halkidiki
A good night's sleep despite being in the centre of a city. Drove towards Halkidiki and stopped in a Lidl. Many olive groves along the way. Stopped in Nikiti and had a walk along the beachfront. Quite deserted of tourists. Our final stop was at the Casa Bloo hotel which will be our base for a few da...
Day 36. Thessoloniki
Left lake Kirkini after watching the fisherman and his two pelicans and headed to Thessaloniki and first a supermarket for supplies. Then managed to find a parking spot near the promenade. Walked in for a quick tour of the city then after a rest caught the bus back in to a restaurant with Greek sing...
Day 35. Kirkini Lake Greece
Set off early and by 9am were crossing the border Into Greece. At 9.45 we're in the boat on kirkini lake with Captain A who spoke no English. He took us to see the flamingos, a pelican and water buffalo from a distance. After we drove around the lake and parked near some old fishermen who were rowin...
Day 34. Melnik
Morning walk down the sandy track to see the sandstone pyramids in Rozhen, then drove into Melnik for a stroll around the town and some lunch. Fed lots of cats and kittens. Next drove to the Villa Melnik winery where you can park for the night as long as you partake in wine tasting and buy some wine...
Day 33. Pirin to Melnik
Mountain views in the morning but these were soon obscured by cloud. Nevertheless we drove up another 2.5km to the start of a walk to a lake only to turn back quickly as rain on the rocky path made it too challenging for Zoe. Drove down the windey pine forest route through Bansko, then a valley with...
Day 32. To Pirin Mountains
After feeding the pushy cat, a dog and filling/emptying duties, left Supayeva Banya but not before driving past the fountain geyser. At 103° it's the hottest spring in Europe. Stopped at Lidl for supplies then carried on to Bansko, the top ski resort in Bulgaria. Drove up to the free camping spot in...
Day 31. Rila Monestary
After feeding the demanding cat , set off for Rila Monestary, the largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. Drove through vineyards with mountain views, then wound through hilly forests to the Monestary which was in a lovely position with a snowy peak backdrop. Lovely exterior and the interior...
Day 30. Sapareva Banya
A rare sunny morning. Discovered the campsite has its own mineral pool and sauna so spent a few hours lazing by the pool and relaxing. Nice not to be on the move for the first time in 4 weeks. Two cat visitors fed. Sapareva Banya has the hottest mineral water in the whole of Europe with a temperatur...
Day 29. Sapareva Banya
Left Sofia late morning after waiting for the owner to fill our gas bottle. Stopped at Lidl then drove about an hour to Sapareva Banya, a hot spring resort. Spent a couple of hours soaking in sulfurous water, in one of 5 terraced pools with a lovely view, then did a couple of loads of washing in the...
Day 28. Sofia
A late start and took tram 5 to the mosque which was closed for prayer. Next to the museum of illusions, the Sofia Museum and on by tram and bus to the zoo. A very old style zoo and some of the animals were pacing in their small cages but they had a very impressive collection of big cats which we co...
Day 27. To Sofia
Headed towards Sofia and surprised at how unspoilt the countryside was (unlike Romania which seems to have ramshackle houses everywhere). Got to our car park, probably the least glamorous stop but secure at least, then took the no.15 tram (about 76p) to the centre. First walked past the National The...
Day 26. Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo
Set off at 10 for the Bulgarian border stopping just before in a Kaufland for a last Romanian shop. Crossed the friendship bridge over the Danube and into Bulgaria. Stopped in Ruse for a walk. Nice church where a wedding was taking place. They use the Russian alphabet. Carried on another couple of h...
Day 25. Bucharest
A late start again and took an Uber to the Palace of the Parliament in the hope of some no shows as all tours were sold out for the weekend. Luck was on our side and they squeezed us in. The place is colossal, the heaviest building in the world due to all the marble on floors and walls. A large area...
Day 24. To Bucharest
After feeding the cat set off for Bucharest and finally no rain!! Arrived in the parking lot and were advised to take an Uber rather than tram as planned. First stop was Caicescu's house which seemed to be stuck in the 70s and not as opulent as expected, apart from the beautifully mosaiced pool. Aft...
Day 23. Driving South
Woke to the sound of church bells and rain. Had a morning welcome from 4 soggy dogs and threw them dog treats. Left late at 1pm as we'd heard of severe rain warnings in Bucharest with schools closing for the day. Drove in the rain til 6pm, just pausing for a McD in Bacau. Stopped at a small, rather...
Day 22. Marginea and 4 Monestaries
A late start and first stopped at the Marginea black pottery works then visited the Arbone, Humor, Voronet and Neamt monasteries. Amazed to see more new churches being built along the way. The last most magnificently decorated church at the seminary at Neamt was built only 20 years ago. Stayed th...
Day 21. Moldovita and Sucevita Monestaries
Woke to the sound of a monk tapping sticks then church bells. Set off to the Borsa chair lift in the vain hope of doing a walk to the Caillor waterfall in the Rodnei Mountains but it was closed. Drove in cloud through the Prislop Pass with some snow at the top. Then through some nice Alpine-like cou...
Day 20. Mocănița Maramureș to Borsa
Early start to the Mocănița Maramureș narrow gauge steam railway. On the way we had to stop to clear a code on the engine. Had the misfortune to share our carriage with some extremely loud OAP Romanians. Nevertheless it was a pleasant 5 hour round trip winding through the Carpathians, each carriage...
Day 19. Breb to Glod
Left Breb in the rain and headed first to Budesti church which was locked. Next onto Sighetu Marmatiei for supplies in a supermarket just a couple of miles from the Ukraine border. Then onto the Impressive Barsana Monestary which was only recently rebuilt in 1993. Onto some villages of the Maramures...
Day 18. Breb
A late start. Walked around Breb village looking at the wooden houses with their ornate wooden gates. They also had pot trees. If there's a red pot on top there's a girl of marriageable age in the house and the more pots the greater the dowry. Another impressively painted iwooden church interiors an...
Day 17. Herina to Maramures
Mostly driving today. Drove to Dej then on a pleasant road past some vineyards and a hilly forests. The last few miles had a horrendously potholed road. Arrived in the Breb campsite but kept skidding on the wet grass so had to make do with a leaning pitch.
Day 16. Targu-Mures and Herina
Drove to Targu-Mures but despite circling the town for 20 mins we couldn't find any sign of a parking space for cars let alone a motorhome so decided to move on. After shopping in Lidl, drove to Herina and parked by the church on the hill. Nice views and a quiet night.
Day 15
Left the car park and drove to Sighisoara which is another Saxon city. Walked around the old town and stopped for a drink in the square. Then a half hour drive to Bietan to look at another fortified Saxon church. Found a spot to park in a field and fed farm dogs and were surrounded by cows. Warning...
Day 14
Slept in until 11 - driving and walking have caught up with us. Drove through hills to the old Saxon town of Viscri. There are a string of fortified church towns which were started in 12th century. Climbed the church tower up some steep steps and walked the cobbled streets. King Charles has a house...
Day 13
Nice not to have driven for a day but back on the road for a half an hour (finally saw some sheep whilst driving through Bran) to the Bear Sanctuary. Had an interesting walk around the sanctuary, seeing lots of rescued bears and hearing their stories. Zoe adopted one (Alpina) for a year. A short dri...
Day 12
Stayed in Bran today. Cycled in to have a look at some Romanian dancing and culture - still no sheep. Then walked up to the castle and wandered around the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s book. Nice castle. Stopped for cake and coffee in a restaurant and then back to the festival area for some more cul...
Day 11
Had some rain in the night which made us worry a bit about getting off the field by the river, but no problem in the end. A very slow 75km drive to Bran over the mountains on windy roads all being repaired. Parked up in Bran (hopefully for a couple of nights) and then cycled a couple of km into the...
Day 10
Set off at 9am to avoid crowds of cars on the Highway. The weather was good driving up the North side and we got some good shops of the section highlighted on the Top Gear trip. Near the top, the clouds closed in and the way down most of the South side was in smurry weather with little visibility of...
Day 9
A surprisingly peaceful night until cars started arriving around 8. Drove to Sibiu and wandered the old streets. Went in three churches including a very decorative orthodox one. Climbed the 200 steps up a tower in another church to look down on the colourful rooftops. Stopped for a cold drink (still...
Day 8
Had a leisurely start and a warm goodbye from the dogs. Drove for about 3.5 hours to Cluj Napoca which is the 2nd biggest city in Romania. A big motorway project is carving up a lot of the countryside en route sadly. Cycled into the old town and wandered around the churches and university buildings,...
Day 7
A quiet night’s sleep by the tennis club. Drove into Hungary and stopped at a ski resort where we rode the toboggan runs. Couple of times and rode up the mountain in a chair lift. Really hot and sunny After a brief stop in Tesco, carried on into Hungary (why do Hungarian houses have drainpipes that...
Day 6
Had a quiet night with just the sound of the nearby stream. Drove across the border to a castle near Presov for breakfast and then through the town without stopping. Got to Kosice and walked around the lovely old town for about 6 hours. Many churches, fountains and statues. Had a drink overlooking t...
Day 5
Had a quiet night’s sleep and then headed up into the Donejz river valley and stopped at Nowy Sacz. Wandered into the old town and revisited a Pierogi restaurant that we went to 8 years ago. Found out that there was a polish cultural event going on so watched many performers sing in horse drawn carr...
Day 4
Another long drive day but we stopped halfway in Wroclaw for a 2.5 hour walk around the town. Lots of churches and trams, a river and a large town square which was populated with hundreds of older ladies from the university of the third age, all wearing weird hats. Stopped in the indoor market for p...
Day 3
A long drive through Germany today and stopped late afternoon in Bautzen. Walked around the old town with many towers and a big church. Had an ice cream. Moved the motorhome to a more level part of the car park , hoping for a quiet night.
Day 2
Had a really good sleep until 10:30 am. A quick breakfast and then 6 hours of driving through Belgium, Netherlands and Germany with a stop for lunch and snack shopping. Stopped in Warburg for the night and walked around the hill town and its many churches and squares. - very hilly. Popped into a Kel...
Day 1
Left Swindon at 7:30 in the morning and just about managed to catch our 11:30 ferry from Dover. A slow crossing and then drove as far as a sports field car park near Ghent to park the motorhome. Unloaded the bikes and rode 9km into Ghent and then walked around the pretty centre. Rode back and got to...