What's the Connection Between Mozart's Balls and Julie Andrews?

The answer is Salzburg.  Its the fourth largest city in Austria and is the birth place of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a fact that the Austrians celebrate with the production of millions of Mozart chocolate balls which are available for sale in most shops and of which we have consumed a number today.  Its other major claim to fame is that it was used as a backdrop for The Sound of Music and whilst there is much sound around me as I update this blog, it is the incessant rain beating on the roof that is causing the noise rather than Julie Andrews singing Doh Reh Mee!

We hadn't included a visit to Salzburg into our itinerary and were actually lucky today as we ventured early into the old city to take in the sights before the weather deteriorated.  It is a very compact city dominated by its Hohensalzburg Castle, one of the largest in Europe and first commissioned in 1077.  The view below is taken from the castle's battlements.  Other than the castle it is overrun by cathedrals and churches and it was fascinating this morning to enjoy the tradition of good Austrian folk dressed in traditional clothes and Sunday best heading off to put a word in to whoever or whatever watches over us.

Clearly the Austrian Alps affect the weather pattern greatly here and we do not expect respite from this rain for some days.  It makes the decision easy for us to pack up early in the morning and continue our journey South towards the sun and the sea of Croatia. 

A Debt of Gratitude

It's not often that I adopt a serious note in anything but our arrival in Saint Avold yesterday caused me pause for reflection.

As we drove into the town, a place we had never heard of despite our very many numerous visits to France, we came across the Lorraine American Cemetery which covers just over 113 acres of rolling French countryside. Believe it or not, this is the final resting place of no less than 10489 American soldiers who were killed during the Second World War as they successfully drove the German forces from the French fortress city of Metz towards the Siegfried Line and the Rhine.  The headstones identifying these fallen heroes are arranged over 9 plots in the rolling French terrain.

It is a beautifully maintained monument to these men who lost their lives so many thousands of miles away from their families and friends and serves as true testimony to the sacrifice that they made on behalf of the Allies in World War 2.

To update you on our journey, we are now sitting on the outskirts of Salzburg having covered 375 miles today and just over 1000 since leaving home. We intend to spend the day in the city tomorrow and hopefully I will post an update tomorrow and bring a slightly lighter note to this blog.

Why Does Every French Service Area Smell Like A Pissoire?

We have now been venturing to France and beyond for nigh on three decades with much useage of their wonderful Autoroute system This includes the familiar Aires which seem to be spaced every 20kms and which offer plenty of parking, lots of picnic tables and benches and always toilets.  Many of them also lift your spirits with stunning views of the French countryside.  

However, the other constant that they also provide is an overwhelming whiff of stale urine which seems to drift through the air (or Aire) regardless of where you park. I have been trying to establish the reason for this and can only assume an intense need for truckers to relieve themselves the instant they come to a halt and jump out of their cabs?

We managed to get on an earlier boat last night, The Spirit of France and it was amazingly quiet.  Linda used some of this month's pension to upgrade us to Club Class and you can see from the attached photo just how busy it was!  We had the exclusive service of the Club Steward for the whole of the voyage and we were never able to establish if he was pleased to see us or totally arsed that only two people had elected for the Club experience.

The crossing with P&O was superb and within 40 minutes of leaving the ship, we were getting ready for bed at Aire de Rely having grabbed the last available parking place.  We had completed 337 miles at an average of 22mpg, the latter revealing that I perhaps need to be a tad lighter with the right foot.

We are overnighting tonight at Camping le Felsberg in Saint-Avold but more about that with my next update.

The Excitement Builds But So Does The Weight!

1130 hours Thursday morning and everything is packed including the kitchen sink and the lawnmower, the latter just in case the wardens are slacking on European camp sites.
It amazes me that we used to set off every year to France with our two children and all the accompaniments that four people needed.  Now there are only two of us and yet the car and the caravan seem to be so much fuller. Mind you, part of the extra bulk is down to the medications that we need to function normally and avoid crying out in pain whenever we twist, turn or bend down.  Whoever invented Ibuprofen ranks alongside Louis Pasteur and his invention of penicillin in my eyes. Mind you I might have got that wrong and it was Marie Curie who was the genius?
The other bulky thing is the amount of knitting wool that is loaded up for the trip. By my reckoning the total comes to just short of 8 kilos and by the time we get home I would expect Annabel to have enough jumpers and cardigans to take her through University! Richard and Charlotte need to add another bedroom to any property purchase to provide necessary storage.
Anyway, final touches are being added before our 1430 departure for Dover and trying to outdo my older brother, hopefully a couple of pictures of our transport and home for the next four weeks are attached.

Planning isn't our Strong Point!

Well here we are with only one day to departure and the only thing we have done is book the ferry... and then it's only a one way ticket!
We have had September 2014 blanked out in our diaries since the beginning of the year with the intention of taking the month out to visit both Slovenia and Croatia.  You would have expected with 8 months lead time that the trip would have been planned with military precision, particularly when we have in Linda an expert in logistics. But no, with a week to go we have actually managed to book Red Pennant Travel Insurance with The Caravan Club and a P&O ferry departing Dover at 2315 on Thursday night.
On the subject of travel insurance, we have been "bitten" in the past by taking a cheaper option and vowed never to do this again.  However, it did come as something of a shock to be quoted £160 for single trip cover or £270 for multi trips. As we are venturing to France in June 2015 for a month it was a no brainer to elect for the more expensive option.  Mind you at £270, we could have had a two week holiday all inclusive in Majorca and still had change for a weekend in Blackpool!  By contrast, the £80 ferry charge seems a bargain.
So the caravan is packed, mainly with Linda's clothes, shoes and knitting and the Land Rover has been shown some loving attention over the last couple of days in the hope that it will serve us loyally and well over the next four weeks.  At this stage we have no idea of the precise route that will lead us initially to Lake Bled in Slovenia but I have every confidence that our loyal friend Tom Tom, will lead us safely to our destination via France, Germany and Austria. As back up, Linda my ace navigator of many years standing is to shadow the Tom Tom using her AA Road Atlas of Europe.  It's small but beautifully formed.............just like my navigator.