We’ve been in the UK for two-and-a-half months now, already a little longer than we anticipated. However, Floozie2 is still awaiting her MOT after having had a very thorough fettling at M-Liner. We were heading to Scotland this autumn so decided to let them have a go at it as they’re based in Alloa. So far, everything has gone well, apart from the time element, which is not their fault – parts are hard to get, as always.
For the past three weeks or so, we have been in B&Bs in Scotland chasing Amanda’s family tree, visiting friends in Yorkshire and now we’re in Cumbria, staying with my parents whilst waiting for the van to be ready. We’re ready to get back into Floozie and hit the road, nice though it has been. We are missing home.
Other highlights have included:
Staying with our friends Miv & Jay the weekend we hit the shores. We had a great time with them, going to Leeds Castle and taking part in an attempt to break the World Kite Flying Record. Not enough people unfortunately, but good fun and good money raised for charity. A trip up the Medway for Sunday lunch was great too.
The Northern Motorcaravan Show, held at Pickering. A quagmire due to awfully wet weather just before the event. It seemed smaller than usual too, but we had a good nosy around and got a lot sorted on the van and for it. Also saw Des O’Connor in concert – don’t laugh, he was brilliant; witty, full of anecdotes and with his five piece combo he sang some wonderful Sinatra type songs.
Reeth. Back home. Having felt homesick for the place for the best part of the summer, it was good to get back. It was also good to realise I was no longer homesick! Lovely to get back, see my friends, and to realise that I didn’t need to live there. We can always go back and visit and driving away again after a few weeks was no problem. Happy. Will miss my friends though!
Scotland: On the hunt for Amanda’s ancestors, we found ourselves based at a great B&B in Turriff Deveron Lodge From there we found the chapel that the Morisons built and the owners kindly showed us round what is now their home. We also traced three generations of Morisons back to 1700 and learned more about the landscape and type of life they led. It was a great four days. Then to Aberdeen to see where another side of the family, the Duncans, lived. Another successful tour around the graveyards in this very fine city. Would like to go back. From Aberdeen to Braemar just to chill out. It snowed and looked fabulous, especially when walking in the glens. Had a trip out to Glamis Castle, which is always worthwhile.
From Scotland we came back down to Reeth, staying at the glorious Burgoyne Hotel We went to a Halloween party, then went to Haworth to see our good friends Giles & Jill and their boys Tom & Joe. Always so good to see them and we were able to spend more than a fleeting few hours which was really good. Also managed to watch Lewis Hamilton win the F1 championship!
Back to my folks in Arnside. We were only going to stay a few days but we both succumbed to back and neck problems, the result of sleeping in strange beds. As we get older, we don’t do strange beds well!! So, seeing as how we were on the doorstep of our cranial sacral therapist in Kirkby Stephen Kirkby Stephen Holistic Health Centre we have stayed here enjoying familial warmth and hospitality (thanks!!!). And now it’s today and we’re making plans to go up to the motorhome tomorrow for the weekend. We’ll be able to get her sorted out ready for the off on Tuesday.
We’ve still to book ferry tickets, waiting until we know we’re ready to go. We are having a chat with the Camping and Caravanning Club on the 20th about becoming Overseas Holiday Site Wardens, which would help with finances and maybe take us to places we wouldn’t normal think of going. We also still have friends we have to see before we leave. That said, we need to be on our way by the beginning of December so that we can meander down to Seefeld via our German friends in Heidelberg.
Up to date. Crikey!
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Monday, 3 November 2008
An update with old news
Hi everyone. Here's an update of news I thought I'd posted months ago; I'm not too sure what happened, but here we go anyway. Theres more to come from our time in the UK and then I will try and keep up a little more regularly. Internet access is generally a problem as is my inability to be consistant! Cheers for now
Friday, 22 August 2008
The best laid plans of mice and men
We left Neckargemund on Thursday to travel to the Loreley on the Rhein river just below Koblenz. We picked a site out of the Big Pitch Guide which sounded ideal for some R&R. I’d woken tired and irritable and when we arrived at the site, I wasn’t much improved. The site was not what I had imagined, which will teach me to use my imagination, and really not that suitable for RVs and for a comfortable stay not really possible. The water dump and singular fresh water tap were down the tight access road to the site, so effectively blocking it whilst getting water on and off. This disgruntled the German couple who just grunted when I apologised and said it may be some while. Obviously not used to using their legs, they couldn’t bring themselves to park their car up and walk the 200 metres to their caravan and collect it when I was done, so sat glowering at me whilst the water dribbled into the tank. Paul, the owner, had pointed out a nice enough plot for us to park up on but right next to a middle-agish couple who seemed to think everyone wanted to hear their prog-rock cd collection. Things were not looking good and our first impressions put us off the place – again. It’s true what they say about first impressions and try as we might to keep an open mind and give places a second chance, those impressions last. We couldn’t even get onto our designated pitch, the gap between the bushes was too narrow, so we just parked up on a slope and decided we wouldn’t be staying. That night, all we could hear was the rumble of goods trains in the valley below. Its fate was sealed. So, we went from thinking we’d be there for a week or more to one night. So where to? Luxembourg! Route planned, we went to bed.
Got up to a sunny morning and went for a shower in the excellent facilities. It’s a shame about the site not really being suitable as it’s in a great location and really quite nice and the miserable Germans and prog-rock groupies were only visitors. Paul is a very cheerful, larger than life character and really helpful. I’d recommend it to anyone and would go back in something smaller, like a tent! We were on the road for 11am, for a two-and-a-half hour journey to Luxembourg. Half way there, Amanda’s reading the Caravan Club book and notices that the maximum length of motorhome permitted in the country is 8 metres. So, at 10.5m, we’re nearly three over then so we won’t be getting in! Plan b/ii/1a. If Luxembourg doesn’t want us, who does. France. Let’s go home! Decided to head for Metz and seeing as how we couldn’t go through Luxembourg, we decided to take the motorway via Saarbrüken. It was heavy rain and I was getting tired so Amanda was looking at a half-way stop off point and came up with Reinsfeld. We seem to have struck gold. It’s a lovely, quiet site, very big with a lake and loads of activities, a bar and restaurant, shop etc and very friendly staff. We’re all by ourselves here on a pitch so can just chill out. Looking at the info, there’s a lot to explore around here, so may just do that. So what was going to be a stop-over may just become a week long stay before heading to Dusseldorf.
Monday, September 08, 2008
And so it turned out to be! To be honest we didn’t do much but walk, sleep and eat. We did get the bus into Trier for an all too brief day visit. Trier sits on the Moselle River not far from Luxembourg, in the fertile and temperate Pfalz Rheinland region of Germany. Its location made it very attractive to the Romans, who developed a small settlement into one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries after the birth of Christ. The wealth of history that exudes from Trier makes for a fascinating place to visit.
Those who know me are fully aware that I am not a lover of cities; even small towns make me nervous when I lose sight of fields, hills and cows. But there are a few exceptions to the rule; Prague and York are two that spring easily to mind and now I can add Trier to their number. There is a vibrant, happy feel to the place. The tourism is obvious but not ‘in your face’, the town has an eclectic mix of shops and eateries and joy of all joys, the whole of the old town centre is completely pedestrianised. I immediately felt safe and relaxed and ready to do some serious sightseeing. A word of advice at this point – wear your most comfortable shoes as you’re going to cover some ground! The distance between all the main attractions is not great but there are so many distractions along the way, unless you are highly disciplined (I’m not) you’ll be wearing the soles out of your favourite loafers.
Start if you can at the Porta Nigra. This impressive entrance gate survived more or less complete as at a later stage of its life it was incorporated into a church, now removed to show the gate in all its glory. From here you can look down the medieval street into the Market Place and the church of St Gangolf behind. The Porta is breathtakingly stunning and built on an immense scale. You can say this about Roman architects; they thought big. ‘Right lads, were going to build a ruddy great gateway. Now I want the stone blocks big, around six tonnes each will do. Oh, and no mortar, we’ll stick it all together with iron rivets. OK? Go on then, off you trot’. You really do have to see it to believe the size of each stone. During its life as a church, religious reliefs were carved into the walls of the Porta, some dating back to the C11th. Beautiful and ancient in their own right, you suddenly realise that the building was already nearly a thousand years old when they were carved. If you are lucky enough, you may find a Centurion keeping guard in the area, just to remind you.
Another reason for starting at the Porta Nigra is that the Tourist Information office is right next door, so you can get all the literature you need to make your way around the city. If you don’t want to have the bother of reading, there’s an English-speaking tour that leaves each day at 2pm from just outside. We discovered this as we were having a rather fine lunch at a neighbouring restaurant, so missed it. There’s also the town museum that is well worth a look, especially if you hire one of those radio guides of which modern day museums are so fond. We discovered a lot of the old town had been destroyed in the last war; it’s amazing how well it’s been restored. It was here also we discovered that a ticket may be purchased that allows entry to all five of the Roman attractions for €6.20, a ticket that is valid for a year from the day of issue. It includes, as a bonus, two out of town visits to a medieval chapel and a Roman villa. It’s the kind of outstanding value that appeals to Yorkshireman in me. Entry to the town museum and the Rhein Landesmuseum, where all the Roman artefacts are on display, is extra.
Replete from lunch we headed towards the delightful marketplace, bubbling with activity from the traders and tourists. The narrow, half-timbered houses are a joy and there’s a lot to take in. Sit by St. Peter’s Fountain and just soak in the atmosphere. A handful of the buildings dating to the early C13th were originally required to be defensive. You can see a slightly low 1st floor window that is actually the front door with access originally being made by ladder. Made me wonder how that would be negotiated if the noble merchant was coming home in the early morning after a night out with the lads at the Frog & Groat. I struggle with the front step of the motorhome.
From the square, you can fork off to the right for the Barbarathermen, once the largest bathing facilities in the Roman empire, the Thermen am Viehmarkt, which is more or less right in the heart of the old town or the Kaiserthermen. We struck off in this direction, as just beyond is the Amphitheatre. The Kaiserthermen is again built to gigantic scale and a section of the wall still survives to a height of 19m (62’). These baths were built not only relaxation but as a meeting place of the Emperor and his cohorts. It’s mesmerising, not least for the fact that the underground network of service tunnels survived intact.
Running out of time for the day we scooted up to the Amphitheatre. It deserves the capital letter as yet again the level of preservation is astounding, despite the fact that it was used by the townsfolk as a quarry in later years. The arena is surrounded by a 4m high wall, beyond which 18,000 people could sit and cheer the carnage they witnessed before them. Beneath the arena is the area where combatants waited for their turn to face death in the name of entertainment. Two millennia later, you could still feel the atmosphere of fear. Sitting high on the bank looking down I couldn’t help but ponder on the differences of culture. But not for long as it was time to hobble back for the bus back to base.
We only scratched the surface of Trier. To do the city justice a good three full days or longer would be needed especially if, like us, you also like to sample the culinary delights on offer or sit and watch the world go by with a coffee. There are so many facets and periods of history to explore beyond the obvious Roman element that a week would probably still not do it. We enjoyed the relaxed, friendly feel, the fashionistas parading this year’s styles, the buildings and history, the food and the quirkiness of the back street boutiques. For me it rivals the best York and Prague have to offer and we will certainly be back. And within the year; the Yorkshireman in me will remind me we still have four attractions left on our ticket.
On one fine morning, the sun shone and showed up all the muck and grime on Floozie2, so I decided it was time she had a bath. Not too bad a task with a long handled brush, a hose and a bottle of Fenwicks Motorhome Cleaner. Good stuff that! Did the roof too; found a small hole where something heavy had dropped on it. Soon sorted with sealant. She sparkled in the sunlight, ready for her debut at Dusseldorf. Our time at an end at Reinsfeld, we reflected on the lovely area and friendly people. It’s a rural agricultural place and I think that always shows in the mentality and the way the locals approach life. They’re a lot more welcoming and including and even after only a few days we were being recognised and spoken to. I like that. The site is lovely despite management issues and red squirrels were aplenty. We will definitely go back.
DUSSELDORF CARAVAN SALON.
I have to start with a confession, well two actually. The first is that I have, for most of my adult life, been a confirmed motorhome anorak; a camper nerd if you will. The second is that I have never been to the Dusseldorf Salon, the Mecca for all motorhome nuts like me. Quite why I have never reasoned but it was with a thrill of nerdy excitement that I pulled off the A44 into the Messe – straight into a long queue of motorhomes. They were being marshalled, with true German efficiency, onto their camping places. There are overhead gantries to guide you into the right lane. ‘Mit Strom’ (with electricity) or ‘Ohne Strom’ (without). No choice this time; you have to get there very early to catch that particular worm and all the 800 electric hook-ups had been taken. Never mind, there were still another 2500 pitches without. Parked up nose to tail in long tree-lined rows we were soon sharing a friendly ‘Guten Tag’ with our neighbours. We paid our dues for three nights, were given the necessary papers for person and window of motorhome, and settled in.
It can’t be said that it’s quiet. The camping place is right under the flight path of Dusseldorf airport, which is next door, so you get a good view of the aircraft as they fly only feet above your head; a double whammy if you’re also an airplane spotter. Also, a marshal was sat in his truck giving instructions over a tanoy to annoy. What ever happened to the personal one to one element of these events? Fortunately he drove off to bark instructions somewhere else so we were left in relative peace for a bit. The planes stopped at midnight until about five in the morning too and the night was blissfully silent.
I didn’t sleep. Like a child before Christmas I was too excited at meeting all the elves that were responsible for making all my favourite toys. A courtesy shuttle bus takes you to the Messe and it’s a good ten-minute journey without stops. I bought two-day tickets at the kiosk, thereby gaining a significant saving (more to spend on goodies) and at the stroke of ten the assembled masses swarmed into the halls. What a sight to behold! Lots of shiny new models and smiling shrewd salespeople to persuade you to part with your pension plan. I was having flashbacks to the Santa grottos of my childhood.
We had decided to take a quick tour through all the halls to get our bearings and mark out what we’d go back and see. All was going to plan until we hit hall seven with the big boys’ toys and came to an abrupt halt. Hall seven is the hall where, if you signed on the dotted line, you would not escape with change out of £150k. Indeed, on the Volkner stand there was a Volvo coach conversion with slide out garage amidships that would stand you to the tune of €1.7m if you could hold the pen stable long enough to write your name. Oh, and the car displayed with it was another €109k and no, they wouldn’t throw it in with the deal. I asked.
Coming down from the dizzy heights of cloud cuckoo land, there were offerings from Concorde, Neismann & Bischoff, Vario and a name new to me, Phoenix. The way this company bolts vehicles together is just remarkable and the result is a range of particularly nice motorhomes with some intriguing and spacious layouts. Price? About €250k+
Needing food and drink after a hard couple of hours of dreaming, we retired to one of the numerous cafes for a coffee and cake. My wallet heaved a sigh of relief as it realised that was all it had to buy, then thought it had actually bought a new ‘van when it came to pay. Boy, do they know how to charge for naff coffee! Be warned it’s not cheap. Lunch was also expensive, but to be fair it was actually quite good, so the Yorkshireman in me only grumbled a little bit.
Suitably fortified, we hit the technical stands to see what trends were showing for the coming year. It’s fascinating to see the industry following domestic trends for décor and appliances and how there’s a company somewhere producing all the doors, windows, lights or even body panels. I swear you could have custom built your own unique motorhome from all the bits displayed there. I didn’t see anything that was a major revelation but I’d say motorhomes of the near future and going to look even slicker than they do now. Expect soft closing kitchen drawers on high line models and central air conditioning courtesy of a reasonably priced unit from Truma.
Finally, there was the accessories hall where you can shop ‘til you drop. A bewildering array of awnings (caravanners are in for a treat with some very fine new designs), gadgets and as always some chap demonstrating how his polish is the best you’ll ever use. We managed to resist and headed for the bus back to base. That evening we heard music playing in the distance and on investigation found that the camping area had its own bar, food court and entertainment marquee all adding up to a fine evening of conviviality.
Without question, the Dusseldorf Salon is an must see event even if its only to marvel at the sheer scale of it. The manufacturers must spend a king’s ransom on building their stands and customer hospitality suites, let alone the amount of carpet and laminate flooring that goes down. Hymer had the whole of one hall to themselves, fully carpeted. Hobby had real grass and flowerbeds surrounding each of their vehicles!
One of the most noticeable things to me was the fact that motorhomes are growing bigger and bigger. I am the proud owner of a 35’ Winnebago and I’m used to being the big boy on the block, but those days are numbered if what I saw was anything to go by. Sure, you can still buy a nice little compact, but the trend does seem to be ‘bigger is better’. Nearly all the major players are building motorhomes that are on nodding terms with 30’ of length and 7.5 tonnes in weight. The Iveco chassis is very much in evidence as it’s easy to cutomise with air suspension and levelling jacks. Another chassis gaining popularity is the MAN 8.18. This can be downrated to 7.5 tonnes at the sacrifice of payload, but likely as not it’ll be 8.8 tonnes. Book your LGV test soon! Frankia for one were displaying a 9m coach on this chassis whilst Concorde had a number of coaches of a dimension you’d expect to come from over the pond in the USA. I think it’s brave of these companies to be spending huge sums of money to develop and produce motorhomes of such stature and expense in the face of the prevailing economic climate. I spoke to a number of exhibitors who all said the same thing; it’s quiet this year. Whatever the outcome, these ‘all bells and whistles’ motorhomes are literally a big step in luxury and home from home living. I did just wonder though; with this trend for larger vehicles, how will the campsites cope?
As always at these shows I like to have a wander around the campground to see what people have got, have a natter and swap stories. There were probably about a thousand units parked up and what struck me most was that the majority were less than five years old and a good number of them pretty new. So maybe the industry can weather the storm, who knows?
After two days, the anorak in me was more or less satisfied and we headed away into our sunset again happy that we had finally made our way to Mecca. We were also happy that of all the vehicle we saw, there wasn’t one we’d swap Floozie2 for. She is home. We did managed to get a lot of things sorted for upgrades. We have chosen a replacement awning for the one that was ruined earlier this year and also found a company that will make a custom built porch awning that we can use in harsh winter conditions, so that’s being designed as we speak. It will be a boon, as we found we traipsed a lot of snow or mud or general wetness into the van and made a real mess last winter. Now all the nasties can stay outside. The main awning will also have front and sides to make into an outside room, as if we need the space!
I also found a producer of high line invertors that means that we will have a unit that will, using batteries, boost our electrical power if we’re on a site with a low amperage hook-up. So no more not being able to use the air-con etc. Coupled to a solar panel or two and or a wind generator, we could actually be independent of the national grid altogether. The unit was reasonably priced compared to rival brands, sweetened by a 20% discount. All in all, a very productive trip.
We made our way, via a circuitous route to France. Having programmed the satnav and doing what I said I would never do – not check the route – Amanda said ‘this road takes us through Luxembourg’ OK says I which way then? So we head north, stop for a drink, I look at the map. ‘Darling, the area’s Limburg, not Luxemburg (L/burg as she’d read it!) Mind you I was as daft; I should have realised that Luxemburg was 250km south. Anyway, we looped back round and what should have taken half an hour took two. Then in Antwerp we had an exact repeat of Rouen. A sign on the motorway had a an exploding car on it that we took to be you can’t take LPG into the tunnel. Problem is you come off the road and there’s no diversion or sign of how to get through. We worked something out, but not without getting all stressed out by it.
Finally got to Gravelines and pitched up here at the Camping les Dunes in Petit Port Phillipe. Sweet town with a lovely square. Gravelines is built on an old naval fort and is fascinating. Pooch has to go to the vet there on Thursday, so we are going to hire a radio guide from the tourist info and have a wander round. This last weekend, there was a fete to celebrate the liberation of the town at the end of WW2. A group of enthusiasts set up a camp displaying mostly American vehicles, tents and equipment. We took it that it was the Americans that were the ones to liberate the town. There was also a fair (I won two more teddies to add to the collection on the dashboard) as well as a Brocante (antiques sale) actually it was more a car boot sale, but enjoyable non the less.
And so it came to pass that our adventure in Europe has come to an end for this trip. We have been here just four months and done 2200 miles and had a great time. We really look at our trip to the UK as a bit of a break from the trip rather than coming home. More and more we feel home is in France.
Friday, 22 August 2008
The best laid plans of mice and men
We left Neckargemund on Thursday to travel to the Loreley on the Rhein river just below Koblenz. We picked a site out of the Big Pitch Guide which sounded ideal for some R&R. I’d woken tired and irritable and when we arrived at the site, I wasn’t much improved. The site was not what I had imagined, which will teach me to use my imagination, and really not that suitable for RVs and for a comfortable stay not really possible. The water dump and singular fresh water tap were down the tight access road to the site, so effectively blocking it whilst getting water on and off. This disgruntled the German couple who just grunted when I apologised and said it may be some while. Obviously not used to using their legs, they couldn’t bring themselves to park their car up and walk the 200 metres to their caravan and collect it when I was done, so sat glowering at me whilst the water dribbled into the tank. Paul, the owner, had pointed out a nice enough plot for us to park up on but right next to a middle-agish couple who seemed to think everyone wanted to hear their prog-rock cd collection. Things were not looking good and our first impressions put us off the place – again. It’s true what they say about first impressions and try as we might to keep an open mind and give places a second chance, those impressions last. We couldn’t even get onto our designated pitch, the gap between the bushes was too narrow, so we just parked up on a slope and decided we wouldn’t be staying. That night, all we could hear was the rumble of goods trains in the valley below. Its fate was sealed. So, we went from thinking we’d be there for a week or more to one night. So where to? Luxembourg! Route planned, we went to bed.
Got up to a sunny morning and went for a shower in the excellent facilities. It’s a shame about the site not really being suitable as it’s in a great location and really quite nice and the miserable Germans and prog-rock groupies were only visitors. Paul is a very cheerful, larger than life character and really helpful. I’d recommend it to anyone and would go back in something smaller, like a tent! We were on the road for 11am, for a two-and-a-half hour journey to Luxembourg. Half way there, Amanda’s reading the Caravan Club book and notices that the maximum length of motorhome permitted in the country is 8 metres. So, at 10.5m, we’re nearly three over then so we won’t be getting in! Plan b/ii/1a. If Luxembourg doesn’t want us, who does. France. Let’s go home! Decided to head for Metz and seeing as how we couldn’t go through Luxembourg, we decided to take the motorway via Saarbrüken. It was heavy rain and I was getting tired so Amanda was looking at a half-way stop off point and came up with Reinsfeld. We seem to have struck gold. It’s a lovely, quiet site, very big with a lake and loads of activities, a bar and restaurant, shop etc and very friendly staff. We’re all by ourselves here on a pitch so can just chill out. Looking at the info, there’s a lot to explore around here, so may just do that. So what was going to be a stop-over may just become a week long stay before heading to Dusseldorf.
Monday, September 08, 2008
And so it turned out to be! To be honest we didn’t do much but walk, sleep and eat. We did get the bus into Trier for an all too brief day visit. Trier sits on the Moselle River not far from Luxembourg, in the fertile and temperate Pfalz Rheinland region of Germany. Its location made it very attractive to the Romans, who developed a small settlement into one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries after the birth of Christ. The wealth of history that exudes from Trier makes for a fascinating place to visit.
Those who know me are fully aware that I am not a lover of cities; even small towns make me nervous when I lose sight of fields, hills and cows. But there are a few exceptions to the rule; Prague and York are two that spring easily to mind and now I can add Trier to their number. There is a vibrant, happy feel to the place. The tourism is obvious but not ‘in your face’, the town has an eclectic mix of shops and eateries and joy of all joys, the whole of the old town centre is completely pedestrianised. I immediately felt safe and relaxed and ready to do some serious sightseeing. A word of advice at this point – wear your most comfortable shoes as you’re going to cover some ground! The distance between all the main attractions is not great but there are so many distractions along the way, unless you are highly disciplined (I’m not) you’ll be wearing the soles out of your favourite loafers.
Start if you can at the Porta Nigra. This impressive entrance gate survived more or less complete as at a later stage of its life it was incorporated into a church, now removed to show the gate in all its glory. From here you can look down the medieval street into the Market Place and the church of St Gangolf behind. The Porta is breathtakingly stunning and built on an immense scale. You can say this about Roman architects; they thought big. ‘Right lads, were going to build a ruddy great gateway. Now I want the stone blocks big, around six tonnes each will do. Oh, and no mortar, we’ll stick it all together with iron rivets. OK? Go on then, off you trot’. You really do have to see it to believe the size of each stone. During its life as a church, religious reliefs were carved into the walls of the Porta, some dating back to the C11th. Beautiful and ancient in their own right, you suddenly realise that the building was already nearly a thousand years old when they were carved. If you are lucky enough, you may find a Centurion keeping guard in the area, just to remind you.
Another reason for starting at the Porta Nigra is that the Tourist Information office is right next door, so you can get all the literature you need to make your way around the city. If you don’t want to have the bother of reading, there’s an English-speaking tour that leaves each day at 2pm from just outside. We discovered this as we were having a rather fine lunch at a neighbouring restaurant, so missed it. There’s also the town museum that is well worth a look, especially if you hire one of those radio guides of which modern day museums are so fond. We discovered a lot of the old town had been destroyed in the last war; it’s amazing how well it’s been restored. It was here also we discovered that a ticket may be purchased that allows entry to all five of the Roman attractions for €6.20, a ticket that is valid for a year from the day of issue. It includes, as a bonus, two out of town visits to a medieval chapel and a Roman villa. It’s the kind of outstanding value that appeals to Yorkshireman in me. Entry to the town museum and the Rhein Landesmuseum, where all the Roman artefacts are on display, is extra.
Replete from lunch we headed towards the delightful marketplace, bubbling with activity from the traders and tourists. The narrow, half-timbered houses are a joy and there’s a lot to take in. Sit by St. Peter’s Fountain and just soak in the atmosphere. A handful of the buildings dating to the early C13th were originally required to be defensive. You can see a slightly low 1st floor window that is actually the front door with access originally being made by ladder. Made me wonder how that would be negotiated if the noble merchant was coming home in the early morning after a night out with the lads at the Frog & Groat. I struggle with the front step of the motorhome.
From the square, you can fork off to the right for the Barbarathermen, once the largest bathing facilities in the Roman empire, the Thermen am Viehmarkt, which is more or less right in the heart of the old town or the Kaiserthermen. We struck off in this direction, as just beyond is the Amphitheatre. The Kaiserthermen is again built to gigantic scale and a section of the wall still survives to a height of 19m (62’). These baths were built not only relaxation but as a meeting place of the Emperor and his cohorts. It’s mesmerising, not least for the fact that the underground network of service tunnels survived intact.
Running out of time for the day we scooted up to the Amphitheatre. It deserves the capital letter as yet again the level of preservation is astounding, despite the fact that it was used by the townsfolk as a quarry in later years. The arena is surrounded by a 4m high wall, beyond which 18,000 people could sit and cheer the carnage they witnessed before them. Beneath the arena is the area where combatants waited for their turn to face death in the name of entertainment. Two millennia later, you could still feel the atmosphere of fear. Sitting high on the bank looking down I couldn’t help but ponder on the differences of culture. But not for long as it was time to hobble back for the bus back to base.
We only scratched the surface of Trier. To do the city justice a good three full days or longer would be needed especially if, like us, you also like to sample the culinary delights on offer or sit and watch the world go by with a coffee. There are so many facets and periods of history to explore beyond the obvious Roman element that a week would probably still not do it. We enjoyed the relaxed, friendly feel, the fashionistas parading this year’s styles, the buildings and history, the food and the quirkiness of the back street boutiques. For me it rivals the best York and Prague have to offer and we will certainly be back. And within the year; the Yorkshireman in me will remind me we still have four attractions left on our ticket.
On one fine morning, the sun shone and showed up all the muck and grime on Floozie2, so I decided it was time she had a bath. Not too bad a task with a long handled brush, a hose and a bottle of Fenwicks Motorhome Cleaner. Good stuff that! Did the roof too; found a small hole where something heavy had dropped on it. Soon sorted with sealant. She sparkled in the sunlight, ready for her debut at Dusseldorf. Our time at an end at Reinsfeld, we reflected on the lovely area and friendly people. It’s a rural agricultural place and I think that always shows in the mentality and the way the locals approach life. They’re a lot more welcoming and including and even after only a few days we were being recognised and spoken to. I like that. The site is lovely despite management issues and red squirrels were aplenty. We will definitely go back.
DUSSELDORF CARAVAN SALON.
I have to start with a confession, well two actually. The first is that I have, for most of my adult life, been a confirmed motorhome anorak; a camper nerd if you will. The second is that I have never been to the Dusseldorf Salon, the Mecca for all motorhome nuts like me. Quite why I have never reasoned but it was with a thrill of nerdy excitement that I pulled off the A44 into the Messe – straight into a long queue of motorhomes. They were being marshalled, with true German efficiency, onto their camping places. There are overhead gantries to guide you into the right lane. ‘Mit Strom’ (with electricity) or ‘Ohne Strom’ (without). No choice this time; you have to get there very early to catch that particular worm and all the 800 electric hook-ups had been taken. Never mind, there were still another 2500 pitches without. Parked up nose to tail in long tree-lined rows we were soon sharing a friendly ‘Guten Tag’ with our neighbours. We paid our dues for three nights, were given the necessary papers for person and window of motorhome, and settled in.
It can’t be said that it’s quiet. The camping place is right under the flight path of Dusseldorf airport, which is next door, so you get a good view of the aircraft as they fly only feet above your head; a double whammy if you’re also an airplane spotter. Also, a marshal was sat in his truck giving instructions over a tanoy to annoy. What ever happened to the personal one to one element of these events? Fortunately he drove off to bark instructions somewhere else so we were left in relative peace for a bit. The planes stopped at midnight until about five in the morning too and the night was blissfully silent.
I didn’t sleep. Like a child before Christmas I was too excited at meeting all the elves that were responsible for making all my favourite toys. A courtesy shuttle bus takes you to the Messe and it’s a good ten-minute journey without stops. I bought two-day tickets at the kiosk, thereby gaining a significant saving (more to spend on goodies) and at the stroke of ten the assembled masses swarmed into the halls. What a sight to behold! Lots of shiny new models and smiling shrewd salespeople to persuade you to part with your pension plan. I was having flashbacks to the Santa grottos of my childhood.
We had decided to take a quick tour through all the halls to get our bearings and mark out what we’d go back and see. All was going to plan until we hit hall seven with the big boys’ toys and came to an abrupt halt. Hall seven is the hall where, if you signed on the dotted line, you would not escape with change out of £150k. Indeed, on the Volkner stand there was a Volvo coach conversion with slide out garage amidships that would stand you to the tune of €1.7m if you could hold the pen stable long enough to write your name. Oh, and the car displayed with it was another €109k and no, they wouldn’t throw it in with the deal. I asked.
Coming down from the dizzy heights of cloud cuckoo land, there were offerings from Concorde, Neismann & Bischoff, Vario and a name new to me, Phoenix. The way this company bolts vehicles together is just remarkable and the result is a range of particularly nice motorhomes with some intriguing and spacious layouts. Price? About €250k+
Needing food and drink after a hard couple of hours of dreaming, we retired to one of the numerous cafes for a coffee and cake. My wallet heaved a sigh of relief as it realised that was all it had to buy, then thought it had actually bought a new ‘van when it came to pay. Boy, do they know how to charge for naff coffee! Be warned it’s not cheap. Lunch was also expensive, but to be fair it was actually quite good, so the Yorkshireman in me only grumbled a little bit.
Suitably fortified, we hit the technical stands to see what trends were showing for the coming year. It’s fascinating to see the industry following domestic trends for décor and appliances and how there’s a company somewhere producing all the doors, windows, lights or even body panels. I swear you could have custom built your own unique motorhome from all the bits displayed there. I didn’t see anything that was a major revelation but I’d say motorhomes of the near future and going to look even slicker than they do now. Expect soft closing kitchen drawers on high line models and central air conditioning courtesy of a reasonably priced unit from Truma.
Finally, there was the accessories hall where you can shop ‘til you drop. A bewildering array of awnings (caravanners are in for a treat with some very fine new designs), gadgets and as always some chap demonstrating how his polish is the best you’ll ever use. We managed to resist and headed for the bus back to base. That evening we heard music playing in the distance and on investigation found that the camping area had its own bar, food court and entertainment marquee all adding up to a fine evening of conviviality.
Without question, the Dusseldorf Salon is an must see event even if its only to marvel at the sheer scale of it. The manufacturers must spend a king’s ransom on building their stands and customer hospitality suites, let alone the amount of carpet and laminate flooring that goes down. Hymer had the whole of one hall to themselves, fully carpeted. Hobby had real grass and flowerbeds surrounding each of their vehicles!
One of the most noticeable things to me was the fact that motorhomes are growing bigger and bigger. I am the proud owner of a 35’ Winnebago and I’m used to being the big boy on the block, but those days are numbered if what I saw was anything to go by. Sure, you can still buy a nice little compact, but the trend does seem to be ‘bigger is better’. Nearly all the major players are building motorhomes that are on nodding terms with 30’ of length and 7.5 tonnes in weight. The Iveco chassis is very much in evidence as it’s easy to cutomise with air suspension and levelling jacks. Another chassis gaining popularity is the MAN 8.18. This can be downrated to 7.5 tonnes at the sacrifice of payload, but likely as not it’ll be 8.8 tonnes. Book your LGV test soon! Frankia for one were displaying a 9m coach on this chassis whilst Concorde had a number of coaches of a dimension you’d expect to come from over the pond in the USA. I think it’s brave of these companies to be spending huge sums of money to develop and produce motorhomes of such stature and expense in the face of the prevailing economic climate. I spoke to a number of exhibitors who all said the same thing; it’s quiet this year. Whatever the outcome, these ‘all bells and whistles’ motorhomes are literally a big step in luxury and home from home living. I did just wonder though; with this trend for larger vehicles, how will the campsites cope?
As always at these shows I like to have a wander around the campground to see what people have got, have a natter and swap stories. There were probably about a thousand units parked up and what struck me most was that the majority were less than five years old and a good number of them pretty new. So maybe the industry can weather the storm, who knows?
After two days, the anorak in me was more or less satisfied and we headed away into our sunset again happy that we had finally made our way to Mecca. We were also happy that of all the vehicle we saw, there wasn’t one we’d swap Floozie2 for. She is home. We did managed to get a lot of things sorted for upgrades. We have chosen a replacement awning for the one that was ruined earlier this year and also found a company that will make a custom built porch awning that we can use in harsh winter conditions, so that’s being designed as we speak. It will be a boon, as we found we traipsed a lot of snow or mud or general wetness into the van and made a real mess last winter. Now all the nasties can stay outside. The main awning will also have front and sides to make into an outside room, as if we need the space!
I also found a producer of high line invertors that means that we will have a unit that will, using batteries, boost our electrical power if we’re on a site with a low amperage hook-up. So no more not being able to use the air-con etc. Coupled to a solar panel or two and or a wind generator, we could actually be independent of the national grid altogether. The unit was reasonably priced compared to rival brands, sweetened by a 20% discount. All in all, a very productive trip.
We made our way, via a circuitous route to France. Having programmed the satnav and doing what I said I would never do – not check the route – Amanda said ‘this road takes us through Luxembourg’ OK says I which way then? So we head north, stop for a drink, I look at the map. ‘Darling, the area’s Limburg, not Luxemburg (L/burg as she’d read it!) Mind you I was as daft; I should have realised that Luxemburg was 250km south. Anyway, we looped back round and what should have taken half an hour took two. Then in Antwerp we had an exact repeat of Rouen. A sign on the motorway had a an exploding car on it that we took to be you can’t take LPG into the tunnel. Problem is you come off the road and there’s no diversion or sign of how to get through. We worked something out, but not without getting all stressed out by it.
Finally got to Gravelines and pitched up here at the Camping les Dunes in Petit Port Phillipe. Sweet town with a lovely square. Gravelines is built on an old naval fort and is fascinating. Pooch has to go to the vet there on Thursday, so we are going to hire a radio guide from the tourist info and have a wander round. This last weekend, there was a fete to celebrate the liberation of the town at the end of WW2. A group of enthusiasts set up a camp displaying mostly American vehicles, tents and equipment. We took it that it was the Americans that were the ones to liberate the town. There was also a fair (I won two more teddies to add to the collection on the dashboard) as well as a Brocante (antiques sale) actually it was more a car boot sale, but enjoyable non the less.
And so it came to pass that our adventure in Europe has come to an end for this trip. We have been here just four months and done 2200 miles and had a great time. We really look at our trip to the UK as a bit of a break from the trip rather than coming home. More and more we feel home is in France.
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