Back and Gone

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30/09-07/19/2023

We drove fast to Sangatte which gave us a day in hand to rest before our tunnel. I did enquire about bringing our crossing forward a day but that would have cost us a further £70. We managed to hold back from spending that cost and possibly more at the near fish restaurant. We ate up the last of our tinned food 😔

I sorted and bagged the food cupboards and did admin. We walked along the beach and found an ice cream. We also ran … me reluctantly but J had put the scales out and they guilted me into it.

The new aire at Sangatte
Have to remind ourselves that these German bunkers were to keep us out.
Fab concrete walkway.

Back in Blighty we booked Jez onto Woodlands Farm in Chichester for 3 nights. But only stayed there one night. Mum cooked for us and we stayed over. I should mention that she also dealt with load after load of laundry … from mattress protectors to rugs etc. The house had our stuff drying off every door. Dad had tried to start both cars before we arrived the 12 year Merc started immediately. The 18 month Greek Vitara was dead as a dodo. The lithium battery starter pack got it going and we drove it up to London on Sunday. If there was anything else wrong with it, we wanted to know before we set off!

Lovely walk around Battersea Park before Maddy and Jordan cooked Sunday lunch
Spotty coat for a spotty dog … too big for Kevin the grandpup

With both cars parked next to Jez, I emptied Jez and made 4 piles outside. 1. Not to be used until Crete and going in the roofbox. 2. Not to be used until we get to Albania and Corfu going in the boot. 3. Used on our journey to Albania, small 12v fridge, some clothes, picnic equipment and Corrie! 4. Stuff for storage at the Aged Ps, such as the twin tub. Then I loaded it all … was taught to pack by my father!

J drove up to Egham to see Sinead and baby K-M and so avoided the packing! Necessary though as we were doing a fast turnaround.

On Tuesday we both finished cleaning Jez and took him down to storage in Andover. With a list of repairs … top of the list is the fridge / freezer and boiler not working on gas. Mum fed us again and we finished the fruity vodka we’d brought!

Up at 0400 to catch our return ferry. Ferry this leg as their flexi ticket is about the same price as the Tunnel normal one.

Long driving days with stops in Karlsruhe, near Ljubljana and Split.
At Katlsruhe we ate next-door to the Ibis (truly) Budget at an American diner. My naked chicken burger came with an unfeasible mountain of wedges. I did leave a few!
We don’t need reminding how much we like Slovenia.
A wedding party singing and waving flares
The historical centre of Split is simply stunning. Fortunately we have visited before as it was rammed with folk off cruise ships. Our room was 3km from the centre and the rest of the town was dirty, ugly and tatty.
Quick salad on the stairwell (our balcony) in Split
Low tyre pressure came on. Found the nearest tyre repair … on the side of a house. The guilty nail cost all of £15. Just relieved it wasn’t a blow out.

Border crossings were all quick. And so quick into Albania, we weren’t even stamped out of Montenegro. Fortunately, the Greek car’s green card covers Montenegro and Albania. But not BiH, so we used the new bridge around Dubrovnik. Driving down the Dalmatian coast is stunning. BUT so slow. Most of Montenegro is limited to 50kmph. And so we are now in a new to us country for a week … Albania.

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