Day 47 - Milford on Sea second day

The sun is shining and the temperatures are warm. It seems that we could have brought them with us.

This morning there was a plastic duck race in the local stream. The tide hardly moved the test duck but once they were all placed in the water the race was soon over. All this so that we could add to the charity funds. There are raffle tickets and other assorted ways of extracting your money.

In the afternoon a New Forest DA birthday lunch was organised. Tina and Krish helped with the preparations and serving of the food. I spent some time catching up with old friends.

Summer spent the day playing with Pheobe

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Day 46 - Milford on Sea

Up early thus morning so that we can get to the port ready for our crossing at 8am. We left the Aire at approximately 6:30 with a great deal of apprehension. We were concerned that the boys will be allowed to sail because the vet had pointed out that the passport did not gave an up to date record of their inoculations.

We arrived at the checkin desk were the guy spent an age looking at the pet passports. It was only after he started to dish out the paperwork did we feel a little easier. The ferry left on time at 8:00am with all of us aboard.

After an uneventful crossing we landed at Dover at 9:20 and was soon on our way home. It wasn't long before we knew that we were in England as we got caught in traffic jams and delays. We made our way straight to the garage arriving at 12:30. We unloaded the scooter and the trailer and picked up extra chairs and the BBQ before doing some shopping and getting some money for the weekend.

We picked up Summer at 13:15 and soon met Andrew & Krish on the A303. We had arranged to enjoy our final few days at a DA meet at Carringtons CP, Milton on sea.

We spent the afternoon catching up with friends and letting everyone know how our last few weeks had gone.

In the evening we bought some Fish & Chips. I have to say it is something that I missed over the period of time we were away. The weather was cooler than we had been used to. The forecast for the weekend remains bright and sunny. We plan to stay for a few days.

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Day 45 - Dunkirk

After driving all day yesterday it was going yo be an easy day today. We had a lay in and breakfasted at around 10am. For the rest of the morning we read our books, walked the dogs etc before we drove to Auchan hypermarket to fill with fuel before our return home.

After visiting the filling station we parked up and strolled across for some lunch at "Le Flunch". It was our final treat to ourselves. Tina wanted to look around the kitchen wares in Auchan which of course in the end meant a general look around the other aisles. We did a little food shopping before returning to the van and then travelling to Dunkirk.

When we arrived it seemed that it was full again much like the previous day however we did squeeze into a space at the end. Spend the rest of the day reading and watching some football. Big disappointment that England lost thief fame again.

Off to bed immediately the game was over as we need yo be at the port by 7am in the morning so set the alarm for 6am. Long day ahead of us and worry if we will be allowed to travel with the dogs.

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Day 44 - Oye-Plage

Up early this morning as we knew we had to do half of the 600km drive to the channel port. We moved around to the service bay to empty grey and black water and were on our way by 9am.

After about 30mins the Sat Nav decided it had found a quicker a route. My original intention was to go through Luxembourg so fill with cheaper diesel before returning to England. I decided to accept the suggestion only to find that we now were not going to go through Luxembourg. It was 60mins shorter though.

As the route had changed I no longer had a planned overnight stop so we pressed on during the day to see how far we could get. We did get involved in some long traffic jams where there had been accidents. We stopped every couple of hours for a break...made some tea etc. mid afternoon we decided to try and get to Calais / Dunkirk this evening.

We finally arrived at around 7pm at my planned overnight stop for our last night at the Aire in Dunkirk. It was however full. No room in the Inn! Quick look at the Sat Nav and we were off for another 20km to our final resting place here at the beach car park. Tina thought that if Dunkirk was full then Oye-Plage would also surely be full. If this was so then we would go to City Europe where there is lots of space. Fortunately the beach only had a few vans and we were able to join in the line overlooking the sand dunes. Delightful!

We settled down in the end at around 8pm. Tina cooked our meal and we watched Spain get beaten in the football by Chile. I am glad that at last another team will come to the forefront in Europe.

My internet credit ran out this morning so I will have to publish this either when I get some free WIFI or we get back to England. Not long now. Relaxing day tomorrow. Filling with fuel and last minute shopping before we get the ferry early on Friday morning at 8am.

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Day 43 - Mannheim again

We left our spot this morning in Heilbronn thinking that we may well come back again. It was delightful and very relaxing.

We made our way first thing to Lidl to do some shopping. We gave been using up the things in the fridge and freezer and needed to get re-stocked. Slightly embarrassing when they informed us set the checkout they don't take Visa cards. We only just had enough cash to pay for our already packed goods. We had just a few cents left in the wallet.

Next we started our journey to Mannheim. We made our way straight to the Motorhome dealer we had used a few weeks ago. After taking on fresh water and dumping our grey water we soon had the kettle on in our parking place.

Later in the afternoon our friends arrived to take us initially to the vets to have the "boys" examined and pet passports stamped prior to returning to the UK. Our Visa debit card once again was not accepted as payment for Our bill of €70. Thank goodness Hartmut and Claudia came with us. It also seems that some injections the boys gave received have not been recorded...this could be a problem when we'd check in on Friday.

Back at the house we sat and chatted before we strolled up the rise to the Greek restaurant where we were warmly welcomed on our last visit. The greeting this time was even warmer. They were very pleased to see us. Lovely evening chatting, eating and drinking.

We finally returned back to the van at around 10pm and then said our goodbyes for now. We will be seeing them in England soon as they travel to Poole on Saturday / Sunday.

We start our final journey back to the channel port in the morning which we will split over 2 days.

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Day 42 - Heilbronn last day

Another quiet relaxing day today. Tina finished reading her book on the Kindle. She has been steadily going through Sidney Sheldon novels over the past weeks so much so I am now challenged to find her a book of his she hadn't read. I duly obliged and bought her a title from the Kindle store which was downloaded to the Kindle and the kindle app on my ipad. We both started to read the same book on our respective devices. A strange situation but quite enjoyable.

The early match today involved Germany playing Portugal. In the park here people started arriving to watch the match on a large screen. There was also a screen set up at the cafe 30m from our van. We used this facility to buy dinner tonight... Quite naughty but most enjoyable burger and chips.

We continued to read our book until we stopped at the same point. I was threatened by Tina not to proceed beyond that point.

Tomorrow we move on to Mannheim. We need shopping and a visit to the vets is also planned to get the boys pet passports signed before Friday.

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Day 41 - Heilbronn second day

Today we had a quiet day relaxing and taking it easy.

We were later getting up as we knew that we were not travelling anywhere. Tina spent a long time walking the dogs around the park. I was starting to get worried.

Later we took a walk around this huge park. People arrived all day with their picnics, BBQ and footballs. The park has everything for a family outing. A very nice place for people to meet.

Watched the football from early evening. Tomorrow we will probably do much the same.

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Day 40 - Heilbronn

Yesterday saw us at a lovely spot in the corner of a car park very close to the centre of the town. We had immediate access to walks alongside the river and was ideal for exercising the boys. We did not realise that it was the meeting place for the youth of the town with their radios blasting out music to the early hours. It kept Tina awake, not me as when I'm asleep not a lot disturbs me other than when I think there is someone around the van.

The second test of England and the All Blacks was taking place at Dunedin, NZ starting at 9:35am. I was able to use the same radio station I found last Saturday to listen to the commentary. Great game and in the end we lost by just the one point. It is odd how sport can be so cruel. If only we had converted one of those missed kicks.....

Late morning we set off for a site I had identified from the reference books at Waldenbuch. However on arriving the car park was being developed so we soon moved on to the next overnight stop... Heilbronn.

We are parked under some trees with access to services at a small cost. Electric is available and charged by the amount you use. Wish we had this in the UK. Site owners wouldn't be able to rip us off with exorbitant charges especially in the height of summer when we don't need heating. We are next to a huge public park with crazy golf, picnic area etc. seems like a lovely place.

Due to the need to get some telly I made sure that I could get satellite reception and that the trees were not blocking the signal. Had to move twice but managed to get a nice spot. Mixture of nationalities here:- Norwegian, Dutch, Swiss, Belgium, German and of course English.

I connected up to the electric and benefited from the remaining credit left by the previous van. I watched a lot of the football especially staying up until 2am to see the England game. We are one hour ahead of UK time. Unfortunately we lost but we still have two further games to gain qualification from the group. Roll on Thursday when we will be in Dunkirk ready to catch the Friday early morning ferry home and watch the match in the evening.

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Day 39 - Riedlingen

Slow start as we had not made a decision whether we should move on. There are no services available so we eventually decide that it would be better to continue our journey north. The TV picture on itv1 was still not available and itv1+1 makes it so late as we are adding 2 hours to the time being broadcast in the UK. Was not able to watch the opening match of the World Cup last night.

We stopped en route at a Netto supermarket and whilst Tina grabbed some essentials I went and looked at some trailers. There was one I would have loved but not the price at €3300.

We arrived at this small town and parked up. Relaxing afternoon. Just checked the TV reception and ITV1 is better but not brilliant. Will try watching the football on BBC1.

Tina has done a little washing and it has dried in the warm breeze. Should be OK now until we get home. I changed our ferry crossing to 8am on Friday next. Will have to get Tina up early that morning. We should be home around midday. Pick up and drop some stuff off and we will soon be off to Carringtons with Summer, our grandchild. Looking forward to meeting everyone again.

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Day 38 - Lindenberg Im Allgau

Today we retraced some of the journey we made a month ago. We showered, breakfasted and serviced the van as not sure when we will be on a campsite again. We set off at around 10am.

On route we stopped at the same restaurant and gift shop we had bought our new coffee mugs previously. We had strict orders to buy some more as gifts. We also bought some small keep sakes for the grand children. It was 11am so we decided to push on and not eat lunch quite that early...much to Tina's disappointment.

The trip today encapsulated all that is good about Austria and Germany. Unlike Italy the roads were good and I was not forever driving along the edge of the road to avoid the potholes. The scenery was stunning and we soon found ourselves entering Germany. Tina actually stayed awake.

Our chosen overnight spot has good walks for the boys and last time we were here we were able to pickup some television. Success as the World Cup starts tonight and England are playing in a couple of days time.

With the help of our friends, Claudia & Hartmut, I think we have sorted out where we will get the boys looked at by a vet and their passports stamped. Let's hope it will be cheap enough.

Our plan is to stay here another night and relax. Tina has promised to walk into the village and buy a cake. There have to be some advantages of being on holiday!!!!

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Day 37 - Prutz

Last night we were in a public car park with around 4 other vans. Most of the cars had departed but I could have sworn I heard someone tampering with our van at midnight. I dressed again and went and investigated. Nothing there. All this and Tina was still asleep. It was a hot and muggy night. We left all of the roof vents open but we were still dripping with perspiration.

At breakfast Tina informed me that she did not feel 100%. She didn't have her usual breakfast. We were soon on our way travelling north and finally left Italy and entered Austria. Tina did feel better later in the morning. No explanation of what it could be.

We arrived at the site we used a month before and found ourselves a pitch for the night. The temperature was cooler than it had been the last few days at around 30°C but a thunder & lightening storm soon had the temperatures dropping to a more comfortable 25°C. During the storm the mountain tops disappeared. However they soon reappeared when the storm was over.

My lasting thoughts of driving in Italy are:

1. 
   
   The drivers have no patience


2. 
   
   They do not know what a Highway Code is and continue to ignore signs and road markings


3. 
   
   No one seems to drive slowly

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Day 36 - Bolzano

It was a very warm night last night. According to the camper dashboard it was 25°C at 11pm. It stayed like that all night.

We serviced the van and were soon off to the Aplle store I have visited twice before. After some work on the laptop it was determined that there was nothing that could be done in the short term so it looks like a claim against the company I bought my hard drive from as I only bought it in October last year.

On returning to the van it was midday and the temperature according to the dash was 43°C. Another hot day in front of us. We travelled along the toll roads as it made a significant difference to the time we spent travelling. We are now in a public car park with services across the road. In the official parking area it is €1 per hour. Across the road...free. Guess where we are.

Tomorrow we leave Italy and enter Austria using the non toll route over the mountains. We both hope it might be cooler. We are all suffering from the heat including the 2 dogs.

Our lasting thoughts about Italy are

1. 
   
   Love the scenery


2. 
   
   The people have been very friendly and in the main have tried to speak English


3. 
   
   The aires network is not so well established and therefore paying for somewhere to stay has been frequent than usual


4. 
   
   The temperatures have been consistently hot since coming over the Alps


5. 
   
   There are still people determined to steal from you wherever you are....avoid the metro in Rome


6. 
   
   It was nice meeting and travelling with friends

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Day 35 - Peschiera Del Garda

What a scorcher!! It has been really hot here today. At one point here this afternoon I turned the ignition on and the dashboard read 43°C. The sweat has been running off both of us. It's like being in a sauna.

We started out at about 10am and travelled here using a mixture of toll roads and dual carriageways. We still had some pitied roads but in the main they were better.

So hot we haven't done anything this afternoon except a siesta .... I now understand why they need to rest in the height of the midday sun.

Off tomorrow to get the laptop fixed for a third time. Let's hope it stays fixed.

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Day 34 - Ravenna

Up early to have a shower following a very warm night. Why do camp sites insist on making the cubicles small so that there is no room to hang your clothes whilst showering. Outcome ... everything gets wet. I really don't understand.

We left around 10am heading north east which is the way our sat nav is taking us back to Calais. We are travelling the first half of the journey on yet more poor roads. They are sunk where the heavy trucks have used them and some pot holes have been filled in so badly it makes it worse. The roads are all in a poor state of repair. It will take millions of euros to fix which I am sure Italy do not have.

We arrive at a car park in a residential part of town next to a park. A couple of buses, lorries and one other camper here. It will do for an overnight stop. Colin ... You will be proud of me ... It's free.

It is so very hot here. Temperatures well in excess of 30°C. It is uncomfortably hot...we're not used to it. Off tomorrow to Lake Garda again. I have booked into the Apple store to have my laptop looked at again on Tuesday morning.

We need to be in Mannheim by the 17th June to meet with our friends. I am hoping that we will be in Germany by 14th so that we can pick up some British television ready for the first England game in the World Cup.

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Day 33 - Castiglione Del Lago

Colin, our kiwi friend, has been on about the rugby test match taking place today in Auckland between England and The All Blacks. I therefore searched for a stream for either TV coverage or a commentary. I eventually found a NZ radio station broadcasting the match and we both sat and listened to it. Unfortunately we lost in the final stages of the match.

We left our friends saying our goodbyes as we may not see them until later this year. We made our way north to Lake Trasimeno. The roads were once again full of potholes which is difficult to avoid when we have the trailer on the back. Our general impression of the roads here in Italy is that they are atrocious and don't understand why they don't do something about them. In England the roads suffered from the floods recently but they are at least trying to address it.

We soon arrived at our destination. It was a car park on the eastern shore of the lake with some great views. The Italian plated van next to us had an English guy and an Italian girl in it. They assured us that they had spent the previous night there and had not been disturbed. We settled back thinking that is us however after a couple of hours a ticket inspector approached and demanded we get a ticket. I offered to move and he gave us a couple of minutes before he was back furiously brandishing his parking fine book.

We then made our way to an ACSI site on the western shore once again the roads were aweful. The deal in the book expired a couple of days earlier so we had to pay more for the night than expected. That's how our luck has been going in recent days.

Sat in the shade it is still very hot. Before we left we had 36°C showing on the van dashboard and it didn't drop below 30°C at any time. That's hot.

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Day 32 - Tuscania on our way north

After all of the walking and stress of yesterday we were both exhausted this morning. Tina's back was very painfall and I could hardly walk with my sore knees.

I did manage to walk slowly down to reception to pay the fees for the two vans with our only means left... Tina's debit card. I have made arrangements to use our other Caxton Fx card whilst we travel back but I still needed to look up the PIN number.

After servicing the van we drove down to the village where we knew there was an ATM. It seems unreal having no money at all so being able to draw some out was a great relief. We were soon on our way back to the previous overnight stop where everything was free. On the way we filled with LPG spending €18. We must have been getting low on the second bottle.

Arriving back in Tiscania we soon were hooked up and relaxing in the warm temperatures. The two Colin's spent the afternoon sorting out photos that I will upload when I am back home. Beer o'clock soon came round and we watched a number of vans arrive later in the day....all trying to find a live electric point.

We have still to decide whether we stay another day or move on tomorrow ... It will depend on how we both feel in the morning. Our friends will stay here for maybe a week whilst their new cards are sent out from the UK.

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Day 31 - Rome last day

What a contrasting day....

First we travelled on the train into Rome to see the colliseum a little closer. When we walked out of the metro station we were immediately accosted by the ticket touts for all the different tours we could purchase. The cost of these tours ranged from €40 to as much as €80 per person.

We declined as we had limited time and wanted to include the Vatican as well. We wandered around the perimeter admiring the size and scale of the building. In its day it must have been even more impressive. Only 2% of the gladiators survived combat in the ring.

We then took a walk around the forum and an adjacent church. We then decided to use our tour bus tickets to travel to the Vatican where we could take lunch before we saw St Peters square.

Seeing these sights on the news and television you don't get any feel of the size of the places. It is so good to get first hand experience. Tina and I then decided to head back to the van.

On the way I stopped at a cashpoint and withdrew some money. We soon arrived at the metro where we purchased our tickets. A lady offered to help us .... She put my money in the machine... And then asked me for money for her services.

We then travelled up the line before exiting the station in readiness to catch the next train. It was at this point we realised that my wallet had been stolen....I had been pick pocketed. We now had no money, no cards and one train ticket to use for the two of us. We decided that we needed to register the crime at the Police station. After a 30 min walk we eventually found the place. Completed the form explaining what happened and an official stamp applied. We asked how we were going to get back to the campsite as we needed €3 for the fare and had nothing. The police mans response was to direct us to the British consulate.

The walk to the embassy was around 45 mins and even before we set out we were knackered and this just added to it. Arriving at the embassy we were told it was closed. The security guard did allow me to make a call on their phone back to the foreign office in the UK. They could not provide any emergency funding. They did put me in touch with our bank but again there was nothing they could do so we were in despair as to how we were to get back to the van especially as we had left the dogs.

The guard must have felt sorry for us as he gave us some Metro tickets which did allow us to get back. The next problem was the walk to the station. Both of us were now exhausted and hurting. The walk took about 20 mins and we were relieved when we finally got onto a train. About 45 mins later we arrived back at our end point where I then realised our tickets for the return coach ride back to the site was in the stolen wallet. Some kind Brit staying on the site paid for our tickets which was really good of him as we only got chatting whilst waiting for the coach to arrive.

It was about 7:45pm by the time we got back to the van. We left our friends at 3:30pm. We expected to find them there and worried about us. No signs of them.... 30mins later they arrive and told us that the other Colin had also had his wallet stolen and they too had been to the police station. What are the chances of that happening independently on the same day. Huge I suspect.

Spent the next hour phoning banks and cancelling cards. We are lucky that Tina still has her cards. Colin & Christina are not so lucky as Christina's cards were stolen in Spain a few weeks before. They have no money and no means of getting any. Their daughter in the UK will send the cards on to an Italian address which could taken anything up to a week.

Our plans have now changed due to the upset today and we will start our trip north tomorrow instead of visiting Pompeii. Happy days!!

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Day 30 - Rome second day

Our planned trip into Rome started at 10am with a coach ride from the site into the train station. We paid just €1 return each. We purchased our single journey ticket allowing 100 mins travel on the metro to and within Rome for €1.50 each.

We travelled firstly into the city and them changed lines to arrive at the bus & tram terminal where we bought our two day sightseeing ticket on an open top bus. The next 90 mins we were travelling around the congested roads of Rome. I am so glad we did not try and bring the van into the city.

It was good to see many of the places that we have learnt about over the years and an opportunity to think about which places we would like to spend more time at. Our tour finished around 1pm so it was tine to find an eating place. All 6 of us sat and had a very enjoyable meal over the next 60mins.

After walking back to the bus station Colin tried to find the tourist information place but with little success. It was now in the middle of the afternoon and Tina and I decided to head back as the day had been hot and we wanted to get back to the dogs. We left the other 4 to make their way to the Trevi fountain.

We arrived back at the van before 4:30pm and the boys were pleased to see us. The van us parked under trees giving a great deal of shade together with the blinds pulled the interior of the van was cool compared with that outside so they were not in distress.

The rest of the day and evening we sat outside enjoying conversation with other Brits that we have met on the campsite.

Tina and I have made the decision that we will visit Rome tomorrow and in particular spend time set the collisium and Vatican City before leaving for Pompeii on Friday morning. It doesn't seem sensible to come all this way without seeing the place even though it is some distance away.

Looking forward to seeing more of Rome tomorrow.

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Day 29 - Rome

For the last 2 days we have been enjoying free facilities, parking, water, elsan & even electricity. So this morning we filled with water, emptied the loo and set off for our chosen site.

We were in a dilemma because I had an ACSI card which allowed me on Camping Tiber campsite for €18 per night but Colin had not renewed in 2014. The price for him would be €29.50. Therefore we decided to try elsewhere hoping that it would be cheaper. We set the sat nav for our destination calling in at Lidl on the way.

We arrived at a Motorhome storage site with a large sliding security door. After being let in we were informed that the price was €20 per night with electric. There were no other facilities. We ate lunch and had a discussion and decided to go to Camping Tiber and hope to 'blag' a cheaper price for Colin. This site has a restaurant, swimming pool etc.

When we arrived I showed my ASCI card and Colin showed the reverse of his expired 2012 card. We then proceeded to all book in together and all got the cheaper price. Result!!

This evening we got chatting to more Brits staying on the site and enjoyed a pleasant few hours drinking and exchanging experiences.

Tomorrow we plan to catch the train into Rome and buy tickets for the city tour bus. Looking forward to a day seeing the historical sights.

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Day 28 - Tuscania second day

Quiet day of rest and relaxation. Tina was not well last night as she did too much and her back was in spasms so it was off to bed real early for her.

We spent most of the day reading our electronic books. Kiwi Colin washed his van and put me to shame. I keep promising myself I will do it sometime. Christina cleaned the interior of their van.

I tried, but in vain, to fix my laptop which has got the same problem reoccurring from the time we were at Lake Guarda. I will have to wait until we get to Rome and see an Apple store or when we get home. I think I have a serious problem with the solid state hard drive.

Colin and I spent some time going through how to use a blog and we set him up with a Wordpress hosted blog. He will need time now to practice using it. Later we had beer o'clock and looked at our alternatives for locations where we might stay in Rome tomorrow. With the GPS coordinates set and a stop planned at Lidl on the way the planning was completed.

It was very hot most of the day but the temperature dropped when the sun went behind the clouds in the afternoon. Still it was another day of catching up with the chores. More adventures to come when we hit Rome over the coming few days...really looking forward to it.

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Day 27 - Tuscania

Up early this morning as we wanted to ensure that we did not get a parking fine for not paying after 8am. As it turned out we did not pay for any of our stay. We were on the road at 9:30am travelling towards Rome.

After about an hour we found a campsite where we were able to stop and have coffee and a cream cake we bought the previous day. Yummy but very naughty.

We found the trip down uneventful except how rough the roads were. I found myself in Morocco style driving i.e. along the middle of the road trying to avoid the pot holes. The main difference here is that the traffic is more plentiful and they are not expecting a camper to be in the middle of the road unlike Morocco.

We parked up and found that the site has water, elsan and electric all free. We did have to search for a hook up point that was working which we managed with the help of an Italian that was already here. We invited them to join us for drinks which they did later in the afternoon for our style beer o’clock. We made ourselves understood using an iPad and google translate to hold some basic conversation.

In the afternoon the girls caught up with the washing using our washing machine. Colin and I then tried to fix the spin dryer but concluded that the motor was probably faulty. With the wind and high temperatures the clothes were soon dry.

Tomorrow we intend to stay on here and relax. It seems that it is a national holiday in Italy tomorrow so would not be sensible to continue our journey south. Rome will have to wait until Tuesday.

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Day 26 - Castiglione Della Pescaia

Our visit to Florence over today. Our first task was to service the van. We travelled back to the camp site we used on our first day when we arrived. Loo emptied, grey water emptied and fresh water loaded and we were soon on our way.

We made our way to a small seaside town where there are spaces reserved for motorhomes. We are told by one of the owners that the car park is pay by the hour from 8am to midnight. We have chosen to ignore buying a ticket and plead that we do not understand if someone questions us. We have also displayed our Blue Badge so this might help if an inspector does start to question us.

We believe that an inspector did come around but chose not to approach us as he probably does not speak english. There are some benefits of being in a foreign country…. not many though.

The car park has filled up with locals and Motorhomes have been streaming in over the past few hours. It seems that Saturday night here is very popular. Families are probably eating together whilst the younger crowd are in the bars. We are parked close to some boats. It really is a picturesque place to stay… there are no services here however.

Tomorrow we plan to rise early and have breakfast down the road alongside the beach. I do hope we can find a suitable place.

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Day 25 - Florence third & last day

Breakfasted and dogs walked we left the van at 10:00am to walk to catch the bus. We plan to go to a hill top village that has some great views of Florence. The weather today is overcast and threatening a shower or two. We arrived and decided to have coffee while Kiwi Colin looked around the museum using a ticket that someone gave him.

An hour later and it started to rain just as we decided to catch a bus back into town. The local bus took us back to Piazza San Marco where we set off to find the market. Big mistake on my part …. Tina & Christina love looking around the shops and stalls. Tina bought herself a new 2 in 1 bag.

Lunch was soon taken and then we caught a bus to another vista sight south of the city. Once again the rain came down. We didn’t wait for the tour bus but took a local bus back to the bus station. From here we took a bus back to the van. It took an hour going around the city. I am sure that there should have been a better bus to catch.

Tomorrow we move on. Florence has been a delight to look around. So much history here. The purchase of the Tour bus tickets proved to be a worthwhile investment as it gave us so much more to see and the ability to move around the city easily. We would love to come back some day in the future.

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Day 24 - Florence second day

We breakfasted ready to catch the tour bus at 11:40am however Colin informed us that there was an alternative bus we could catch at 10:30 so we quickly organised ourselves and went and found the bus stop. Boarding the bus we purchased 2 tickets for two days use of the sightseeing tour buses and local buses. We soon found ourselves listening to the commentary in english as we navigated our way around the city. At the end of the tour we were at the bus station where we changed to an open top double decker and proceeded to follow a different route which included more interesting things to see.

After returning to the city we walked to on of the main attractions in the city which was a short walk away. It was the Duomo, a large church with domed roof. We lunched just off the square with a restaurant special. we used their WIFI to upload the photos we had taken during the morning.

Following lunch we took a look around the impressive interior of the Duomo. We the proceeded to walk to the only bridge that was not destroyed in the war… the Ponte Vecchio. We passed the Uffizi museum where a number of significant works of art are housed. The 14th century bridge was impressive and was lined on both sides by jewellers shops selling expensive items.

We then caught a bus back to the bus station in readiness to use a different route again to see the northern region of the city before returning back to the van and the warm welcome from "our boys”

Totally knackered we had a restful evening before we start again tomorrow and go back to some of the places we now want to see again and maybe get some great photos. Tiring but most enjoyable day. Certainly worth the expense of buying the tickets.

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Day 23 - Florence

Quiet day today. We started out at 10:30 and drove the remaining distance of around 30 miles to a parking place next to a sports stadium.There were a few vans already there when we arrived. Both our vans needed to find the els an point so we looked around the area but could find nothing. There is a drinking water tap in the park behind where we are.

We could not last another day without emptying the loo so we looked up another Aire about a mile away and made our way there. We found the services and helped ourselves to the facilities without making and payment and then returned to our original parking place.

This afternoon the two men travelled into the city on the scooter to buy a data sim card to gain access to the internet and visit the Tourist Information office for a visitor map. The city was full of one-way streets and to find your way around was very confusing. However we did achieve our goals albeit we took rather longer than expected.

We have discussed the idea of buying tickets for the open top city tour tomorrow but will make a decision in the morning when we see what the weather for the day looks like. Probably stay here at least another night unless we are moved on…. not really likely though. The parking place is basic but with no costs thus allowing us to spend our money on other things.

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Day 22 - Montopoli In Val D'arno

Today we plan to visit Pisa and the Leaning Tower so it was only a short drive up into the city. After breakfast made the van ready and put the scooter back on the rack. More care this time fitting the wheels back on !!

We hoped to find a car / coach park around the tourist attraction but after driving around the area we found nothing so the plan was that we would park in the sosta for the day and move on tonight. We caught a bus outside the parking area after trying to buy a ticket but the machine was faulty so it gobbled our money , no ticket but a receipt instead. Off the bus and walked a short way to the tower and the grounds of the church etc.

We all had a go at the classic photo. The climb up the 293 stone staircase in the tower would have set us back €18 each. We declined based on cost and our inability to reach the top. Lunch was taken in a small cafe where we uploaded the photos we had taken and looked at the other places we should try and fit in. We visited the church which was magnificent with its vaulted ceiling and internal stone archways. Beautiful place and still used for services.

Later in the afternoon we took coffee at a roadside table before a return ride by taxi back to the van. We then drove the short distance to our overnight stop … a journey of about 45 minutes. The parking place already had approximately 10 vans here when we arrived.

Spent the evening in our van with Colin & Christine having some drinks and nibbles. Tomorrow we will complete the remainder of the journey to Florence and look to explore this old historic city.

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Day 21 - Marina di Pisa

Last night was yet another warm one. Both Tina and I read our books until late. The morning started like most mornings as we prepared to move further south. We had decided to spend a couple of days at Pisa. A site was chosen and we set off at around 10am

Around 30 mins into the drive we heard a loud crash and something scraping the ground behind us….. it was our scooter trailer. The wheel had come off. I soon stopped and got out of the cab to greet a kind guy walking back up the road towards me carrying our wheel. It took us about 15 mins to jack up the trailer and replace the wheel and we were on our way again. It was very lucky that we had managed to have the repair done in Venice as this could have been far worse. The scooter stayed attached and was not damaged.

About an hour later we arrived at the Sosta near the beach village close to Pisa. We discussed using the scooter to get some shopping from Lidl and try and find the visitor attraction. We made the trip into the town but after a frustrating time driving around the one way system we gave up trying to find the shop. You really need to have a satellite navigation device visible when trying to negotiate around a strange place on a scooter.

We returned to the vans and decided to take our friends van into the town with the aid of our trusty friend "Tom Tom”. Upon arriving we realised our earlier failed attempt got us to within 100 metres of the shop. We both bought far too much shopping but this time there was no issues about carrying it on the scooter.

One thing we did achieve was find the other sosta in the town and we plan to move to this parking area tomorrow and then do the tourist thing which will probably include the classic photograph that everyone does when coming here.

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Day 20 - La Spezia

Our day for moving on so we needed to service the van and have that last constant flowing hot shower before we set of to meet out friends Colin & Christina. They live in New Zealand but have been touring Europe for quite a while. Colin is a kiwi whilst Christina has a very strong Scottish accent.

We left site at around 10:00am and made good progress on the 336km drive. I chose to use Toll motorways so that I was not driving for many more hours than needed. We arrived at around 3pm. The tolls cost us €45 which hurts when we normally try and avoid them as we are rarely in a rush.

When we arrived Colin had gone off to find a bar televising the Grand Prix. We sat outside and caught up on the gossip with Christina before Colin returned.

Our plan tomorrow is to go and spend a day or so at Pisa and see the leaning tower. this may well be followed by a trip to Florence and then on to Rome. For us it will be where we part as we will start the journey home whilst Colin & Christina will continue south to Naples and beyond

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Day 19 - Venice visiting day

Up early to try and get an early bus. Awful night for both of us as we have been bitten repeatedly all night by mosquitos. Very itchy legs is making the morning very uncomfortable.

Caught a 10:15 bus into Venice after packing some drink and sandwiches. The journey took about 25 minutes then came the test…. how do you find your way around on the water buses… its like the London Underground except they use boats. We found our first place to board the Vaporetto to St Marks Square… we got it right.

On arrival at the square I was a little disappointed as I expected much more but I cannot express what that is. There were people milling around everywhere. Tina decided to shout out loud “Hello from Ray & Margaret Miller”. I am sure they thought she was mad. There were many cruise ships in the port and the place was packed with Americans

We looked at going into the Bassilica but the queue was so long we would have been worn out before we started. After strolling around the perimeter of the square we decided to walk through the back streets towards the bridge of sighs. On the way we stopped and had a pizza and coffees in a small restaurant. The prices were reasonable not like those in the square.

Our next task was to find a boat to Murano. Judged that it would be better to pick that up back at St marks Square so on a bus we got and soon arrived back there. A short walk along the waters edge and we picked up the stop for the Island. This trip was much longer and across the open water. On arrival we stumbled upon a glass blowing demonstration to a tour group. Unfortunately it was near the end. However, soon afterwards we found another where the guy made a prancing horse whilst we sat and watched. Amazing!!!!

Time was slipping by so we decided that we needed to get back to the van. The boys would have been left for near on 7 hours by the time we got back to the campsite. We have been parked under some trees so the van is very cool during the day as we get plenty of shade and together with this we closed all of our blinds. The boys were really please to see us.

Time now to relax and let our legs recover before we leave tomorrow for the west coast of Italy where we intend on meeting up with some friends we made whilst in Morocco earlier in the year.

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Day 18 - Venice second day

We woke after a warm night but we seemed to cope with it better. After a leisurely breakfast I went up to reception to enquire if the person was around that could fix the scooter trailer. I was told that they did not start work until 2pm.

We decided to take the scooter and do some shopping at Lidl. We are not likely to be able to do any shopping until early next week as we will be going into Venice tomorrow and traveling on Sunday & possibly Monday.

As usual we bought too much to fit into the bike but we managed to carry what we couldn't fit into under the seat and the top box in carrier bags and carried these in arms and on the foot plate.

I then returned to Lidl to buy some beers and soft drinks while Tina put the food away. She also washed some of our bedding. The rest of the morning we both spent reading books.

After lunch we had the on site maintenance guy look at our trailer problem and he quickly announced "No problem" Soon after he arrived with an electric arc welder and 10 mins later it was fixed. Worries over. Whilst fixing the weld issue he announced that we had a storm due in an hour.

Not long after the appointed hour we had a downpour for an hour or so. Our first rain for a few days. It certainly helped the temperatures and humidity.

More reading later in the afternoon and it is likely our remaining time tonight will be taken up reading our ebooks.

Bought our tickets for Venice in the morning. Need to get up earlier to make a packed lunch. Food is very expensive in the city.

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Day 17 - Venice

Last night we did indeed get the laptop going and we watch a film. It was two and a half hours long and involved a love affair between a guy and his computer operating system. I was expecting Tina to say that could be me competing against a computer but luckily she didn't..... she let me off.

We called some friends we made whilst in Morocco this year who are on their way to Italy. We hope to meet up with them over the weekend or Monday on the west coast. We therefore decided that we had better get on and take that visit to Venice. We didn't get a chance to look around Verona but we may do that on the way home.

We took the toll road to Venice which was shorter in distance and time and worked out marginally more expensive. We arrived at the site around 12 o'oclock.

Tina decided it would be a good opportunity to do some washing. Everything set up and we find out the spinner in our new twin tub will not work. No obvious sign of why... will need some more investigation. I also noticed that one of the retaining straps on the scooter had come off. Further examination revealed that a weld on the trailer had cracked half way round the support. Hope to get this fixed tomorrow.

Our plan of going into Venice may be put on hold to get the work done on the trailer. We can get a combined bus and water taxi ticket which will take us around the city when we finally are in a position to go. Where we are parked has some great shade and this will be most welcome when and if we are able to leave the van.

Another film tonight and some relaxing time in the warmth. Last night it was so hot I couldn't sleep at 4am and was up until 5am. I do hope its not that warm tonight as it becomes uncomfortable.

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Day 16 - Verona

Another very warm evening and trying to put back my files onto the laptop and it failed again. Made another appointment to visit the Genius Bar at the apple store for the morning.

On our way again this morning at 10:30. The van will soon know it's own way. After a little banter the head geru decides that the SSD drive might need a firmware upgrade. After checking it seems he was right. I am so glad he was around. About 90 mins later I walked out with laptop in hand looking and working like brand new.

Note to self: when back in UK make sure you have a time capsule created. ( a backup)

We left to travel to Verona and arrived at around 1pm. After I bite to eat we sat and relaxed. The Sosta is another parking area controlled by a payment barrier. No electric but the cost is fair at €10 per night. Probably stay another night and explore the city tomorrow.

Film night again tonight as the laptop is working.

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Day 15 - Peschiera del Garda new site

This morning we showered and made the van ready for the short distance to the Apple Store. Before leaving we serviced the can and paid for our two nights stay €23.50.

On route from the site we checked out another Sosta which was down by the lakes edge with some great views however they also wanted a great price... €23 per night including electric. No thank you. We arrived early for the appointment and so we had some lunch in the shopping mall and looked around a few shops.

While I attended my appointment Tina had a rest in the van with the boys. It was hot this afternoon. I returned 90 mins later with the laptop working. Most of the time was taken backing up the files before wiping the hard drive.

We decided to try another Sosta (sister to the site we left thus morning). We only have one other can with us on a huge area. We do gave some road noise but nothing like the trains. The toilet block us much bigger and nicer and I believe all for the same price.

This evening whilst trying to put back the files I seem to gave managed to corrupt the operating system again. Another visit to the Apple Store tomorrow us now booked before we move on to Verona.

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Day 14 - Peschiera del Garda second day

We decided that we would have a leisurely morning getting up and catch up on some chores. Where we are parked is towards the back of the site and we get the noise of the mainline trains throughout the day and night. It didn't affect us too much.

Late morning we did some washing with the twin tub. It was very helpful to take it to the shower block where there was copious amount of warm water and electric for the machine. It soon dried in the very warm weather.

We had lunch and then took the scooter out site seeing along the east edge of the lake. We stopped and had a little walk in a park where a guy was practising his bar juggling skills. On the way back we stopped at Lidl for some provisions. I had to remind Tina that we only had a small scooter. As it was I had a bag on the foot plate with no where to put my feet whilst we returned.

Watched a film in the evening and during this time Woody wanted to go out and the laptop decided to freeze. In trying to fix it I made it worse (so I am now given to understand). I then tried all sorts of ways to finish watching the excellent film (The Physician) and in the end we connected the ipad to the TV and wirelessly streamed it from the Hard Drive.

I have made an appointment to visit the Apple Store some 8 miles away tomorrow afternoon.

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Day 13 - Peschiera Del Garda

Saturday night in Iseo certainly lasts along time. The locals must have all been out partying and certainly it did not go quite until well after 1am. We had intended to stay another night but what with the noise and the fact that the cassette toilet was near overflowing we needed to move on.

Stopped in Iseo at a supermarket for a few basics before travelling back to Lake Garda but we had chosen a sosta recommended on one of the forums. The cost is €12 per night but we do have the use of showers and electric. On first connecting up we kept tripping the supply as we had the electric hot water on…. it must only be a 6amp supply.

The temperature has been almost unbearable at 35 deg. I am reminded by Tina that we could do with a roll out awning. Maybe one day I will succumb.

Taken the boys for a walk down to the lake. It seems to be the place to visit. People and motorbikes everywhere. It could be Poole on a Tuesday night. We have all come back exhausted by the exercise in this heat… mainly the boys I must say.

The site was crowded when we first got here but many of the weekenders have now left leaving the site with a few empty pitches.

Hope to get the scooter off tomorrow and see where it takes us. Lets hope the weather stays the same.The forecast looks like it is staying and getting better later in the week.

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Day 12 - Iseo

Last night was really warm compared to those we have had since leaving the UK. It was very peaceful as we had our own corner of the car park.

We decided to make our way to a smaller lake west of where we were. It was a 60km drive which seemed to go very quickly. We were soon in Iseo parked up next to several Motorhomes and Coaches. Soon after our arrival we walked down to the lake with the dogs. There were many people sunbathing on the grass close to the waters edge. It was delightful sitting and enjoying the warmth and the views over the Lake.

Lake Iseo is much smaller but has its own charm. We the continued to walk into the centre of town along the footpaths. There were many restaurants with indoor and outdoor tables. Many people had decided to come and eat …. it seems a popular place. On the way back to the van we bought a slice of pizza each which we devoured.

The afternoon saw us relaxing in the van. In the early evening the car park started to fill with cars … more people coming down to enjoy a Saturday evening by the Lake eating at the many restaurants. We watched a film. The van door is still open at after 10pm as the temperature is still warm.

We will have to find an els an point tomorrow…. I really would like to stay here another night. Delightful place. Hope to go exploring the perimeter of the Lake on the scooter.

GPS 45.65363, 10.04487
///revisit.valley.composed

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Day 11 - Gardone Riviera

Leisurely start to the day. The night was cold as we were high up in the mountains. Tina found a mound of snow that had not yet thawed whilst out walking the dogs. Woody bounded into it whilst Bobby tippy toed through it however they both seemed to enjoy it in their own way.

As we travelled down the mountain the sun came pouring in and the temperature rose. It was the first time Tina had taken off her cardigan all trip. We soon stopped to get some provisions so that we will not be short over the weekend.

We then took the scenic road west of Lake Garda. Fantastic… mile of mile of road tunnels wending their way next to the shoreline. The Lake is enormous and we could not see the end point. As we travelled along we would come upon small villages, many hotels and restaurants. A real tourist area.

We had chosen a free parking area close to the shore and when we arrived we found that it was being developed so we could not stay here tonight. A short distance away was some coach parking. Upon enquiring we were told that €10 would allow us to park for the remaining part of the day and the night. I wasn’t going to argue.

Later in the afternoon we took the scooter down to the local town, Maderno, some 4km away. We sat and had coffee in a roadside cafe just as some of the locals were doing. Tina loved looking around the souvenir shops. She purchased a gift for Summer that we know she will love. Tonight we have spent a quiet time in the van… me catching up with some paperwork and Tina reading her book on the Kindle. Its hard work enjoying yourself on holiday. I am so pleased we were able to get to the Lake. We may visit another of the Lakes tomorrow.

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Day 10 - Mendola

More rain last night but awoke to find it a little brighter and dryer. Serviced the van and last use of the shower block and we were soon on our way.

We intend to be heading towards the lakes initially so a stop on the way is planned. I have picked out a free parking spot about half way. We spent about an hour travelling down from the mountains into Italy and into the valley below. The outside temperature got as low as 4 deg C. It certainly got warmer and sunnier as we came further south.

Soon we turned off the main roads and started to ascend the mountain again. It was a continous zig zag as we climbed ever higher. The views were spectacular… lush valley with snow capped mountains. The area has both a Germanic / Austrian as well as an Italian feel.

We have now parked in a deserted car park for a ski centre. There are no other vans here but it is very tranquil. We rode the scooter back into the town to look in the souvenir shops and also part way back down the mountain to get some better shots of the view.

Quiet night ahead of us looking at a film and early to bed. Tomorrow we make our way to Lake Garda Lets hope it is as scenic as today.

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Day 9 - Prutz

Slow start this morning as we are not travelling. We planned to take a ride up to a Glacial reservoir but the rain did not stay away long enough in the afternoon. Instead we spent the late afternoon and evening watching a couple of films I have brought with us.

We took advantage of the included electric and water supply to use our newly acquired twin tub washing machine. Copious amounts of hot water and electric to run the machine meant we got through a weeks washing. We then found a drying room in the main complex which they must use for drying ski boots and clothes in the winter.

Note to self: Do remember to collect our things in the morning.

Paid our dues for the 2 nights and will be moving on into Italy tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will soon get warmer and dryer. I understand that England may well be better than here. …. they just don’t have the scenery Ha Ha.

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Day 8 - Prutz

Today we set off for Austria and the Fern Pass. I was hoping that we would be able to enter and cross Austria without having to buy a GO box which is the toll system on the motorways. I have done a lot of research and read about the toll free route across the Alps from Germany into Austria. Now comes the time of truth. Yes we did it. It was really easy following the Tom Tom app on the IPad. No issues and no getting lost and taking the wrong road.

We enjoyed some fantastic views of snow capped mountains as we came over the pass. We stopped at a Restaurant and gift shop on the way and bought some gifts and had a meal. The large coffee mugs we bought will be the envy of the DA… or so I was told as a reason to buy them from my dear wife.

We continued along the way and eventually found the campsite but had to figure out how to get to it. The bridge across the river was closed. We soon figured it out and turned up and pitched ourselves as the office was not open until 5pm. We plan to stay for 2 nights and catch up on some R&R and washing. The weather was cold as we come across the mountains today and is not much warmer at the campsite. The outlook is not great… more showers and bright spells.

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Day 7 - Lindenberg Im Allgau

Last nights spot was lovely and we could of easily stayed another night but we decided to move on.

We made our way further south hopefully towards some better weather. We seem to be having continuous showers some heavy followed by some bright sunshine. I am hoping that we will see some warmer sunshine when we get over the Alps.

Our overnight stop was again close to a nature reserve. We had 3 neighbours. Locals were our walking, jogging and cycling. Once again we were able to get some TV. Our dose of Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Tina hasn’t got withdrawal symptoms yet. We then watched DIY SOS. There was a piece in the middle of the episode where Billy, the electrician, goes horse riding. It is so funny it had us with tears rolling down our cheeks.

Rain continues to fall and I worry about getting off from where we are parked on grass. It might need a call to the breakdown services.

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Day 6 - Burgbernheim

We serviced the van today and our luck dictated that it started to rain. On leaving the site we made our way west towards the villages making up the Romantic Road.

We found the Restaurant / Museum but their was no obvious place to park so we ventured onward to the next place a few miles up the road. The same situation occurred so we chose a third alternative which turned out to be a nature reserve on the outskirts of the village. A lovely spot where we had 6 neighbours.

We were able to receive some TV last night and we saw the last episode of The Crimson Field and I saw the last Match of the Day for the season. At least I now know who Bournemouth will be playing in the championship next season.

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Day 5 - Mannheim

Tina had invited Claudia and Hartmut over for breakfast. They arrived at 11:00am and we tucked into bacon & eggs. We had discussed that we would wander down and browse the many vans the dealer had for sale.

We looked at a van conversion and discussed the possibility of renting one for a short time. Not sure that they were that committed. We looked at all sorts of size vans and prices ranged from €30k to €135k. If only we could win the lottery. (Note to self: It would help if you bought a ticket occasionally)

We later had a coffee and sat and discussed whether they should move. This seems to be a perennial topic of conversation which will never be resolved. Claudia suggested that they pick us up later for a trip to the “Ice Parlour”. We have been a number of times before but not for a number of years. It did not disappoint. We all had a number of different varieties of ice cream and the evening was most enjoyable.

We then went back to the house for some wine and I helped set up the internet radio Hartmut had bought from Conrads. I struggled with trying to read German but we managed it and it was added to his collection. On leaving we made our farewells until we meet in a few weeks on our return to the UK.

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