About Clunegapyears

Travelling around Europe with James in our motorhome. And now solo, with friends

Days 88- : Blimey – its hot!

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Clunegapyears

88 – Wednesday: Driving and France Passion

Made contact with a friend who has a house just west of Besancon… ‘yes come on over’. But by the time we exercised, tidied up and put the Sat Nav on and set the settings against Peages, we decided we did not have enough time to get there in one day. We basically drove. Stayed overnight in a France Passion … nothing to do with our sex life! France Passion are farms and small businesses with a bit of space around them who allow 3-5 motothomes to ‘park’ overnight. We used them last year on several trips and nearly all were pretty fabulous. This one was in a tiny village called Midreveaux on a small cow farm. We had the parking to ourselves so got the table and chairs out. Quick walk around the village and back for a glass …. gin straight from the freezer :). It is warm.

89 – Thursday: Blimey it’s hot!

With the heat starting, we staggered around our exercise … J made of more resilient stuff as K kept getting overheated and having to drop to a walk 😦

Sally Sat Nav took us down LOTS of VERY SMALL roads; fortunately little traffic. Arrived at our friend’s house: offered and gratefully received a cold drink followed by a dip in the pool. The pool has only been open two weeks and the surroundings are still work in progress. But the pool …. 32C and the water like silk. Just brilliant. According to the thermometer, the afternoon reached 41C. Blimey it’s hot!

We dined out in style at a restaurant called the Cactus … French chef whose Mexican wife is front of house. Don’t know where we put it given our reduced stomachs from our meagre and healthy rations from travelling Scandinavia, but we all managed three courses and a coffee.

90 – Friday: Thunderstorm and Hotter!

Having had a bellyful of food and wine last night, the exercise went awol this morning. Started to feel humid and then a thunderstorm making it more humid. We left about 11.00 just as the sun started with some heat …

Stopped at Beaune as James had not seem the Hotel de Dieu, a charitable hospital, still in use since C15. It has a very recognisable roof and is still part funded from its own vineyard sales. Not sure how that works on the PC front … wine and health! Absolutely boiling, airless and humid walking around the Hospital. Our ice creams were melting faster than we could eat them. Spot the Englishman abroad! Note, no socks though!

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Drove onto a place called Digoin on the Loire. We are in a large aire de camping car. It has facilities and were able to empty the chemical toilet. Attempted to pay for water using a variety of credit and debit cards, but the machine was not having any of it. The weather app says it was 38C – think real feel must be higher as it is soon debilitating. All windows and roof lights are wide open.

Maddy sent me a pic of her and her best friend on a camel; apparently it was very sassy … the camel that is!

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90 – Saturday: Vichy, funnily enough known for water!

Decided the aire was a rubbish place to overnight. Not just the insect sort, but gnats (mopeds) and little boy racers used the large car park as a circuit until about 4.30. And this on top of the noise and tannoy from the boules tournament going on below and, of course the heat. We both slept in the nud, with all the windows open … serve anyone right, had they looked in. But we were in good company as the other 13 ‘vans all did much the same, although i can’t vouch for their sleeping attire!

Not much at Digoin, but a rather pretty viaduct canal over the Loire river. Both J and I used it for our exercise … as we were late up and it was starting to get hot, I Norked, but J ran.

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We lunched and a neighbour helped us with buying the jeton for 100l of drinking water …. he had rung the supplier of the point de service earlier and sorted out the problem I had the day before. Both us and Chardonnay fully replenished, we set off for Vichy.

Vichy was the home of the collaborative government during WW2, but next to nothing is made of this. It is all about the spa drinking waters. And the waters came and got heavier as we started to explore …. I am sure the droplets were twice normal size. We sheltered in a coffee and cake shop :).

Then had a quick look at the park and the source of one of the springs. We did not go for a prescription of waters … apparently you have to book the Dr 3 months in advance!

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We did not linger in Vichy as we would have been washed down a gully. We found a France Passion about 40 mins from Vichy at a chateau in Vicq. As we arrived, we were shown onto a proper hedged camping spot. Offered water and electricity, which we did not need. Asked if we would like to attend the theatre production this evening; which we declined a J has little French and I would also have found it hard work to follow. By now the weather was on / off sun and rain, so we actually managed to get the awning out and sit out for our drinks and meal. Bear in mind that France Passion are supposed to be a arrive with what you need, leave nothing and few facilities, if any … these camping pitches over looking the Charolais white cattle were quite special.

K even made a mossie / wasp trap, which sadly did not catch even an ant, but has brought it with us and is determined to show it works.

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Days 83 – 87: In search of warm and sun

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Clunegapyears

83 – Friday in Frederikstad

More running, followed by packing up and using the emptying and refilling station on the campsite. We are hammered on toll roads as we are over 3.5 tons … somewhere around 3 times a car toll, so we set Sally Sat Nav for toll free. No idea how much she saved us, but the views were prettier than the main road and motorway, if slower and bendier.

We had been ‘collecting’ Norwegian beer and cider cans. You pay a ‘Pant’ (deposit) on them and then post the empties into a machine that prints a credit note for use in the supermarket. The machines cleverly spot fakes … it rejected a Finnish Fosters can. K went in with two bags full and came out with the tinies value in milk and cheese spread. We did well leaving Finland with only about 50p in local currency; K had looked for something for 6 NOK, but could not find anything that cheap!

We stopped off at Frederikstad. K thinks it vaguely familiar .. Must ask Mutt if we visited this … she WILL know. It is incredibly twee and pretty, but worth the stop. It was a fort for over 300 years. Cafes and craft shops now; see the crochet bench below. K had to explain to James that there is always room for an ice cream or cheese as they go into a different stomach. He was eventually persuaded to have an ice cream so K could … too embarrassed to pay for only one using a card!

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And so to Sweden, once more.

We have parked up off the main roads in an archipelago overlooking the Tjorn bridge, which opened in 1960. A disaster in the 1980s when it was destroyed by a ship in mist, who could not alert anyone for 45 mins that the bridge was down. 8 people died in cars that drove onto the bridge … and off.

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84 – Saturday: Another Archie Pelago

We decided to stay on the island and explore a bit. The plan had been to go onto Gothenburg, which is the 2nd city of Sweden and had 4 pages in the guide book to denote its importance. However, we were feeling a little citied out after our two days in Oslo. And the weather looked fair … time to enjoy being outside. We drove to the the tourist information in the main town on the island and picked up a cycling map and were told there was the annual harbour festival going on. We had a wee dander down there and an ice cream (separate stomach, remember!). What was really lovely to see was there was not a booze bar in sight. Lots of coffee and cake, music (including the diesel engine for the country and western railroad sound), local produce and arts and crafts stalls, old wooden sailing ships with joyful bunting. People were having a really good time without the need to get off their faces.

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The whole of the Swedish Ford Mustang Club had convened and James was finally towed away.

Lunch back in Chardonnay and call it a reaction to warm weather, but we both went for a nanny nap. The bike ride became a distant non-reality. We drove to the sculptures / ancient burial mounds and then decided not to go in as it was £8 each. Just as well we had not cycled after all!!!

Back to our pitch of last night and the view of the Tjorn Bridge. A BBQ at the picnic tables – lovely.

85 – Sunday: Driving to Denmark and Hamlet castle

Little to report … we drove, passing Gothenburg …. this will be another trip. Arrived at the dock for the boat to Helsingor DK… paid £72 and boarded almost immediately. Castle in view on arrival so we followed our noses and parked up between it and a marina. We had a leg stretch around the very pretty town and fair gawped at what seemed really cheap prices.

Another motorhome had checked it out with locals… yes it was free. The toilets were free. The chemical toilet disposal was free. And the water was free. And yet, the castle car park next door was fee paying and packed! We did laundry and both showered … it makes such a difference knowing you can replenish water supplies the next day really easily.

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86 – Monday: Ferry Unexpected Ferry

We wandered into the town to replace part of James’ e cigarette and by the time we had done this it was properly raining (again). Our urge to visit the castle was washed away. Something about the rain as we feel we should use the day as a driving day … so we did. Replenished water and set the sat nav for fastest route to Bordeaux, near our destination for 12 days time to meet up with K’s family.

It was not until the symbol of a ferry came up, that we became aware that Sally Sat Nav was taking us down to Rodby for the ferry to Germany … we had expected to go across the Storbaelt and Little Baelt – island hoping through Denmark. A quick phone call to Scandlines and J discovered that the 45 min crossing was less than we had thought it might be … £85. Given the Storbaelt bridge was £36 we decided to go for it. Unfortunately, we had a 2.5 hrs delay as one of the boats had broken down, fortunately we could see it gaping hull in the dock, so no one was stranded at sea. We took a thrown together salad up onto the boat and, as it was 9.00 p.m. when we alighted, we headed almost immediately to a Stellplatz in Burg auf Fehmarn. Stellplatz are motorhome parkings in Germany. Sometimes they charge and often have sanitary services and electricity. We had to do a wander and get coins for the parking ticket of EUR10 … does this count as a campsite? We have stayed in campsites for only 22 nights and in a fee charging marina for 2 nights. Pretty good going.

87 – Tuesday: Shorts and Driving

Exercised and K spotted really cheap shorts and trousers in the centre of Burg – she was definitely not moving fast enough! Given she is using string to hold some up, it really was time to replace some items in her wardrobe. After breaky we set off and returned with 3 pairs of shorts and one pair 3/4 length trousers – all for a grand total of £32. We do like Germany and its prices. The town offered multiple choices of lunch for around EUR10. We also stopped at Lidl and bought fuel on the way. As we departed, the queues to get into the town were humungous. Mostly S and some DK plates all on a much cheaper than home shopping spree.

A driving day and the rain came and went and returned and left again. Was K too optimistic in buying shorts?

Having decided to stop by 7.00 p.m., we found a free Parking … with free, if slow, wifi, at a place called Neuss (nice and free) Ski Hallen.

Days 79 cont – 82: Stave Churches and Osmosis in Oslo

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Clunegapyears

79 – Monday Continued

Having left Flam and its very efficient wifi, we headed off on the E16 for Oslo. The weather forecast for the next 5 days is cloud and showers. We stopped off to look at Borgund Stavkirke. There were 1000s of wooden churches built in the countryside before the (Lutheran) reformation. Very few remain and this one has remained unaltered since the Middle Ages. Slightly ominous as we drew up … big carpark, big visitor centre and biggish price – NOK80 each …. approx. £14 for the two of us. We desisted; we are all for supporting preservation work, but not yet another museum and infrastructure … especially on our budget! Whilst we missed out on seeing the inside, but could see a fair bit from the outside.

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Sally Sat Nav tried to take us off the E16, but as we were not expecting it, we ploughed on. Was it 15 or 20 miles of road works we encountered? Very slow and dirty. Just as well Chardonnay is well overdue a wash, however she has a new level of muck on her existing dirt.

As we have come further south, there have been fewer and fewer free parking (overnight) opportunities; again all part of the reaction against the sheer number of motorhomes and encouraging us to pay for campsites. However we found a lay by and joined a German van. We anticipated the noise from the E16 so close would keep us awake, however, there seemed to be very little traffic …. had everyone else known about the road works?

80 – Tuesday and Driving

Having slept in, we basically just drove all afternoon to the Ekenberg Campsite, over looking Oslo. I remembered staying here with Maddy and the Aged P’s about 8 years ago. Very busy … park up where you can so long as you are 3m apart and try and find a levelish bit – our wheel chocks have made an appearance! Two loads of washing and a BBQ – more fresh meat and enough for 3 meals … Aah lovely 🙂

As soon as we finished cooking it started to rain, so us and all the wet laundry (refused to pay for a dryer) into the ‘van. Quite inventive … smalls suspended from the rotary hanger, jeans from trouser hangers, T shirts on normal hangers, a towel from trouser hangers and the duvet from two trouser hangers … hanging off every shelf, hook and the roof lights. Starting to smell like a Chinese laundry. (J did a 2 mile run on arrival – the campsite was ideal for running as it is situated in a large multi facility park that stretches for miles – nice soft ground for running….).

81 – Wednesday: Osmosis in Oslo

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We knew the weather forecast was for wet … but it teamed down all day until 5.00. Waterproofed head to toe we caught the bus to the central station. Climbed the roof of the new Opera House. The Opera House is really impressive: completed in 2008, white Italian marble on the exterior sloping down to the sea shore. Still raining heavily so we booked tickets for one of the summer concerts.

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Took shelter in the cathedral, which surprised us as it only seats 900. The Crown Prince royal wedding must have been cramped and due the cross shaped seating only half the guests would have seen the ceremony. Whilst the foundation stone was laid in 1694, the ceiling is really low and was over painted in 1936-50 in a modern style. Slightly odd and incongruous looking.

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We persisted in our tourist walking route, but having picnicked under the shelter of a car park canopy we aborted! Back to the Opera House for a coffee and beer and somewhere dry to sit. After the concert we went to the National Gallery. Really well done as it is not too large, all on one floor, and it take you through only one room of icons and more swiftly onto explaining the more modern influences on Norwegian artists, from Munich, Berlin and Paris . So we saw and did not understand the Scream; it was more interesting reading about the two Scream thefts and how one of the 4 Screams is the most expensive painting sold in private ownership. Liked some of the Thomas Fernley and Christian Krohg.

As the rain stopped (for a while) we were able to BBQ and move some of the washing around …

82 – Thursday: Fram and Trams

Running am……….. J did 4 miles up and downand i ran for 16 mins VERY slowly for a lot less!

With a wet am forecast we planned a late start, as it was, it was fairly dry although still chilly. We bussed to the Bygdoy Island (now joined to the mainland as they filled in the sound in C19. I remembered the Kon-Tiki museum from my Maddy and Aged P visit, so we went to the Fram museum. My interest had really been stirred in the Arctic Explorers at the small and old fashioned museum in Tromso. We spent all afternoon here. Two floors explaining about the background to the race to reach the Poles, the crews and the technical developments towards each. The Fram was used initially by Nansen who believed they could be locked in the winter ice and drift over the North Pole. He realised the drift would miss the Pole, so he and one other headed off with kayaks and sledges and made it further north than any one previously. They saved each other’s lives and over wintered in a hut. Sverdup then used the Fram for a scientific exploration or the Arctic. Amundsen intended using it to go to the North Pole, but as someone claimed to be there already, changed his mind and chased off against Scott for the South Pole. There was also information about Scott’s expedition: it really was ill prepared for the conditions compared to Amundsen’s. The other boat there is the Gjoa, in which Amundsen was the first person to make it through the North West Passage.

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All (Arctic) Heros above.

Nansen is absolutely my new all time hero. After his exploring and contribution to science, he worked with refugees from all over and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nanson ID card is still in use as identity for stateless persons. Amundsen was first through the NW Passage, contributed to science, first to South Pole and first to visit both the N and S Poles. A couple of biographies straight onto my reading list.

We were so late out of the museum, we’d missed the last bus out so had to use the tourist ferry, but it took us straight to the Town hall Area. We then used our public transport pass to tram and bus around the city a bit. We had planned to walk past the Bislett Stadium, but mistook trams for busses so gave it up as it was getting late. But saw the Town Hall and the Nobel Peace Prize building; Peace being selected by Norway, all the other prizes by Sweden.

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Days 78-79: Soggy Flambe

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Clunegapyears

78 – Sunday: Driving around Sognefjorden

James had passed a terrible night … passing traffic and the odd horn, so we decided against a long walk today. We did, however, drive to the next town to exercise along the cycle / pedestrian path and then moved onto a proper picnic viewpoint to breakfast. All this takes time, you know!

And driving around the fjord also takes time … slow bends, two ferries and lots of tunnels. One tunnel was 16 miles long. Claimed to be the longest in Europe – does anyone know any better? There were a couple of wide emergency places built in; they looked like the inside of glaciers due to the lighting:

The fjord is really pretty, but not spectacular like some of the scenery … more wooded slopes down to the water and quite a lot of fruit growing. We had booked the Flam mountain railway for Monday, so had to get on round so no stops, other than for lunch and driver changes.

Typical church with extremely well tended graveyard

We struggled today to find chemical toilet emptying. A number of signs have been taped over and the waste point now invisible or removed. There are also more signs in lay-bys starting no camping. They are definitely reacting against the number of motorhomers free camping. However, we ignored a crossed out toilet sign, found the emptying point and found a lay-by with no signs! We even BBQ’d the second lot of meat purchased the day before and hung our washing on the bike rack…. thumbed nose to ‘no camping’!

79 – Monday: Soggy in Flam

Drove to Flam (passing the crowded campsite!) and the visitor centre printed our tickets for us. Breakfasted and onto the train. Pretty empty .. would this be due to the weather? Rather sodden and increasingly wet. An American couple told us the train was fully booked tomorrow; I suppose it depends when the tour groups get in. Last time K did this with the Aged Ps and Maddy it was even wetter and mistier, so a slight improvement there. Nice scenery: at one point you can look up the valley and see the hairpin path and the shuttered railway track. The train stops at a waterfall for passengers to take pix. There is also a dancing blonde and red clad siren swaying to music at this point … one of the local legends. However, the scenery is nothing compared to further north. If the weather had been better, we could have taken the bikes up and cycled / free wheeled the 21 km back down. Perhaps next time … third time lucky with the weather.

Days 76 – 77 Geronimo at Geiringer!

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Clunegapyears

76 – Andalsnes (Raumabanaen nearly) Geiranger Fjord

Raining and the forecast promises more rain all day. We drove into Andalsnes as this is where the Rauma railway runs. Some bloggers have said it is more spectacular than the Flam railway, but we had missed the morning train. Last night K had tried to get a timetable and prices, but although on 3G, the web pages would not load …. never mind, we’ll do the Flam after all.

From Andalsnes we followed the queue of cars, buses and motorhomes up the Trollstigen … the much photographed very hairy hairpin bends. Visitor centre at the top with viewing platforms. Saw one large caravan … no idea how he coped with the bends. Such were the low revs in our van, that on a half tank of fuel which prior to the ascent showed a range of 200+ miles – this quickly dropped to 70 miles. First gear was used a lot. The road was so narrow, we had to keep slowing right down and evidenced two motorhomes have a wing mirror clash … fortunately, I suppose, they were both French so could understand each other’s accusations of blame! We had our own wing mirror contact later on, but fortunately at snails pace, so not even a scratch.

The visitor centre at the top of the pass had some great viewing platforms; one right over the top of some bends and one of the waterfalls. Looking down was not for everyone – a number pf people backed off at the drop.

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The top of the pass had a lot of snow and more amazing scenery.

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Geiranger Fjord was everything it is billed for (K had been in 2007) – truly spectacular – we cruised the Fjord in the tourist boat – 16 Km to the mouth and then turned – it is difficult to describe the waterfalls without exaggerating. The commentary described life on some of the precipitous farms, where children were tethered to stop them falling of the cliffs and soft fruit such as peaches were grown. One story involved the ladder which was used to access the farm (and it must have been a long one!) being lifted up so the tax man left empty handed. Opposing waterfalls … the Seven Sisters and the Suitor … he asked each in turn for their hand in marriage and was rejected … he turned to drink and the bottle, with a little imagination, is visible at the bottom of the fall. Whilst we have not been blest with a late and cold spring, we are blest that the waterfalls are more magnificent than normal.

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The following are for Maddy and the Aged P: Pic of the stream where Maddy sat staring at how beautiful it was about 8 years ago … and the camp site was mostly tents then. Where did all these motorhomes come from?

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Back in the van and more hairpins uphill again – not so bad as before. But more deep snow packs and a frozen river or was a it a glacier?

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Then down the other side and we happened upon a night parking area by a river with amazing views out towards the snow capped mountains and grass roofed summer huts.

77 – Near Stryn and Cleaning

We should have left early to travel to Bergen to meet Sinead, but sadly her yacht had to leave sooner than planned due to a bad weather forecast…another time and place hopefully. Instead, we walked/ran in the most beautiful sunshine along the river – what a way to start the day.

And then – our van spoke to us in a west country dialect saying – “please clean me?” Bugger….. ! We even lifted the carpets!

Drove a short way to refill water to onto another watery lay-by and cleaned ourselves! The water stop had not too expensive BBQ meat and ice creams :). Really good to taste fresh meat, if that does not sound too Anthony Hopkins / Hannibal Lector. We have been living on tins (thank you M&S and Saisbury’s), risotto made from mostly dried veg and soya mince. All very tasty, but the texture of fresh chicken …..

76 – Andalsnes (Raumabanaen nearly) Geiranger Fjord

From Andalsnes we followed the queue of cars, busses and motorhomes up the Trollstigen … the much photographed very hairy hairpin bends. Visitor centre at the top with viewing platforms. Saw one large caravan … no idea how he coped with the bends. Such were the low revs in the van, that on a half tank of fuel which prior to the ascent showed a range of 200+ miles – this quickly dropped to 70 miles. First gear was used a lot.

Geiranger Fjord was everything it is billed for (K had been in 2007) – truly spectacular – we cruised the Fjord in the tourist boat – 16 Km to the mouth and then turned – it is difficult to describe the waterfalls without exaggerating. Back in the van and more hairpins uphill again – not so bad as before. Then down the other side and we happened upon a night parking area by a river with amazing views out towards the snow capped mountains and grass roofed summer huts.

77 – Near Stryn and Cleaning

Drove a short way to refill water to another watery lay-by and cleaned ourselves! The water stop had not too expensive BBQ meat and ice creams :). Really good to taste fresh meat, if that does not sound too Anthony Hopkins / Hannibal Lector.

Clune Gap Years

A journal and reflections of our motorhome travels

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