Saturday, 29 September 2007
Final pictures
Pictures of Friday and Saturday's return journey now posted: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13201&l=76249&id=511738288
Day 18 – Saturday 29th September
Got up early, used facilities at the camp site and took down the tent all by 9.00am. Tried to pay the lady for camp site but the beds in reception did not seem to be moving as we banged on the door so headed off into town for some wine shopping in Caerrfor and breakfast of pain au chocolate and apricot juice left over from Turkey…. Beautiful!!!!
Lady was up by the time we got back to campsite so setteled up and hit the road once again….. Only about 150 miles to Calais, not too shabby. The roads were dead but the rain was so heavy we almost sailed to the ferry terminal…..
We arrived early, there was a little issue, over the last 18 days we had managed to misplace the ticket so had to sweet talk the lady into letting us onto the ferry but she succumbed to our designer stubble and trendy dishevelled looks and let us through and put us on an earlier sailing.
Crossing was fairly uneventful and time seemed to fly (or sail) and before we knew it we could see the white cliffs of Dover….. We were home!!
All in all we have had an amazing 2 and a half weeks and both have really enjoyed it…… to sum up……
Countries visited 13
Capital cities visited 8
Different beds slept in 9
Meals cooked 0
Miles covered approx 5,800
Hours driving approx 95
Number of boat trips 5
Arguments 0
Encounters with police 3 (inc. one false alarm)
Wicked sound track listens 8
Near death experiences 5 (all due to external factors)
Arrived back in London at 3.30pm. Thanks to everyone who has read and posted comment on the blog. Pencils will be dispatched ASAP!!
Just in cast you were having trouble with yesterdays TLA abriviated sentence, here are some clues…..
CBs Cool Beans From a colleague sam worked with in bristol
GKs Goodness Knows From wicked soundtrack
W Whatever From little Britain (Vicki
JO Jog On From Baz
YISE You is something else From Little Britain (fight fighters)
NtS Not too shabby From Adam Sandler (Hanukah song)
HaF Had a Few From Andrew and Sam’s dictionary of life
RaT Rough as toast From Jacki Smith (Sainsbury’s, polite version)
URish Utter Rubbish From twin town
PtB Posted the Blog From the modern English language!
HtR Hit the road A common phrase!
After our extensive travel experience across the continent we would be more than happy to undertake some private bookings for our lecture and comprehensive slide show entitled “Planning a holiday for dummies”. Rates are cheap, all you need to do is cook us dinner (as we have forgotten how) and provide accommodation if you are outside the M25 or if there is a complementary bottle of wine with dinner. (This is recommended to get a true flavour of the trip!)
Lady was up by the time we got back to campsite so setteled up and hit the road once again….. Only about 150 miles to Calais, not too shabby. The roads were dead but the rain was so heavy we almost sailed to the ferry terminal…..
We arrived early, there was a little issue, over the last 18 days we had managed to misplace the ticket so had to sweet talk the lady into letting us onto the ferry but she succumbed to our designer stubble and trendy dishevelled looks and let us through and put us on an earlier sailing.
Crossing was fairly uneventful and time seemed to fly (or sail) and before we knew it we could see the white cliffs of Dover….. We were home!!
All in all we have had an amazing 2 and a half weeks and both have really enjoyed it…… to sum up……
Countries visited 13
Capital cities visited 8
Different beds slept in 9
Meals cooked 0
Miles covered approx 5,800
Hours driving approx 95
Number of boat trips 5
Arguments 0
Encounters with police 3 (inc. one false alarm)
Wicked sound track listens 8
Near death experiences 5 (all due to external factors)
Arrived back in London at 3.30pm. Thanks to everyone who has read and posted comment on the blog. Pencils will be dispatched ASAP!!
Just in cast you were having trouble with yesterdays TLA abriviated sentence, here are some clues…..
CBs Cool Beans From a colleague sam worked with in bristol
GKs Goodness Knows From wicked soundtrack
W Whatever From little Britain (Vicki
JO Jog On From Baz
YISE You is something else From Little Britain (fight fighters)
NtS Not too shabby From Adam Sandler (Hanukah song)
HaF Had a Few From Andrew and Sam’s dictionary of life
RaT Rough as toast From Jacki Smith (Sainsbury’s, polite version)
URish Utter Rubbish From twin town
PtB Posted the Blog From the modern English language!
HtR Hit the road A common phrase!
After our extensive travel experience across the continent we would be more than happy to undertake some private bookings for our lecture and comprehensive slide show entitled “Planning a holiday for dummies”. Rates are cheap, all you need to do is cook us dinner (as we have forgotten how) and provide accommodation if you are outside the M25 or if there is a complementary bottle of wine with dinner. (This is recommended to get a true flavour of the trip!)
Day 17 - Friday 28th September
Our last full day of holiday abroad. Today’s mission is to find wineries, purchase wine and find a campsite to pitch tent before it gets dark! We’re only about 300miles from Calais now so today should be pretty laid back leaving only a morning’s drive to the ferry tomorrow.
Throughout our journey our conversations have varied somewhat. However, one consistent theme contained within everything that proceeds from Sam’s mouth involves ‘clichés’… or ‘catchphrases’ usually from films. I’ll give some examples: “Goodness knows”, “Cool beans” etc. Everyone, I’m sure, who’s ever met Sam knows about these idiosyncrasies. And to say they bugged Andrew would be too much, however, with 18 days of travelling ahead of us it didn’t take long for Andrew to mention the issue. Cunningly the solution involved TLAs (three letter abbreviations/acronyms). Cool beans soon became ‘CBs’, meaning ‘that’s pretty cool’, but then it became necessary to add to the abbreviations. We soon had ‘CBBs’ which stands for ‘cool baked beans’ which implies the subject is slightly better than CBs. Being the masters of catchphrases we then invented an abbreviation for something seriously impressive, so we invented ‘CBBITS’ (CBBs in tomato sauce!).
Sad you might be thinking… but see if you can work out the following paragraphs, this is how we iz speaking these days:
Awoke. Night’s sleep NtS, probably because we’d HaF last night. Breakfast disappointing, in fact it was URish. Had t’internet access so we PtB. Packed dusty and HtR. CBs, we were off.
Stopped at service station to buy a map and some oil for Dusty. Plotted route to Reims with vineyards on route – 133 of them! We’ll soon be in Champagne-Ardenne.
Arrived at Bollinger, they took one look at us, and said YISE, URish, so we JO and headed for Moet. CBBITS, they let us is! We looked RaT compared to all the swanky looking suits! Tour was NtS, got a free glass of champers and then HtR once again.
Headed towards Reims trying to find Moet vineyards, CBB’s we stumbled across them, amazed and giggling with excitement we took photos and stole some grapes then HtR heading for campsite. Map was URish, campsite nowhere to be found, W we thought and JO to the next one. URish it was closed, GK’s what the cartographers were drinking when they tacked up the map!!
Camping, W, no camping symbol on map in next town but when we got there there were signs for camping, URish it also was closed…. JO to next town where we decided we would get a hotel. Once again we saw signs for camping and decided to give it once last go! CBBITS it was open NtS. Tent up in 5 mins flat, into town for dinner. Amazing find, Laon, 2 huge gothic cathedrals, took photos and wandered through medieval walled city!! Had amazing pizza and a beautiful Cotes du Rhone NtS. Off to bed around 10.30……
CB’s we slept well despite not having HaF!!
Throughout our journey our conversations have varied somewhat. However, one consistent theme contained within everything that proceeds from Sam’s mouth involves ‘clichés’… or ‘catchphrases’ usually from films. I’ll give some examples: “Goodness knows”, “Cool beans” etc. Everyone, I’m sure, who’s ever met Sam knows about these idiosyncrasies. And to say they bugged Andrew would be too much, however, with 18 days of travelling ahead of us it didn’t take long for Andrew to mention the issue. Cunningly the solution involved TLAs (three letter abbreviations/acronyms). Cool beans soon became ‘CBs’, meaning ‘that’s pretty cool’, but then it became necessary to add to the abbreviations. We soon had ‘CBBs’ which stands for ‘cool baked beans’ which implies the subject is slightly better than CBs. Being the masters of catchphrases we then invented an abbreviation for something seriously impressive, so we invented ‘CBBITS’ (CBBs in tomato sauce!).
Sad you might be thinking… but see if you can work out the following paragraphs, this is how we iz speaking these days:
Awoke. Night’s sleep NtS, probably because we’d HaF last night. Breakfast disappointing, in fact it was URish. Had t’internet access so we PtB. Packed dusty and HtR. CBs, we were off.
Stopped at service station to buy a map and some oil for Dusty. Plotted route to Reims with vineyards on route – 133 of them! We’ll soon be in Champagne-Ardenne.
Arrived at Bollinger, they took one look at us, and said YISE, URish, so we JO and headed for Moet. CBBITS, they let us is! We looked RaT compared to all the swanky looking suits! Tour was NtS, got a free glass of champers and then HtR once again.
Headed towards Reims trying to find Moet vineyards, CBB’s we stumbled across them, amazed and giggling with excitement we took photos and stole some grapes then HtR heading for campsite. Map was URish, campsite nowhere to be found, W we thought and JO to the next one. URish it was closed, GK’s what the cartographers were drinking when they tacked up the map!!
Camping, W, no camping symbol on map in next town but when we got there there were signs for camping, URish it also was closed…. JO to next town where we decided we would get a hotel. Once again we saw signs for camping and decided to give it once last go! CBBITS it was open NtS. Tent up in 5 mins flat, into town for dinner. Amazing find, Laon, 2 huge gothic cathedrals, took photos and wandered through medieval walled city!! Had amazing pizza and a beautiful Cotes du Rhone NtS. Off to bed around 10.30……
CB’s we slept well despite not having HaF!!
Saturday, 15 September 2007
More Photos
More photos uploaded:
Monday in Rome: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13075&l=2ae24&id=511738288
Tuesday in Rome: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13077&l=eccfd&id=511738288
Switzerland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13079&l=11959&id=511738288
Monday in Rome: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13075&l=2ae24&id=511738288
Tuesday in Rome: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13077&l=eccfd&id=511738288
Switzerland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13079&l=11959&id=511738288
Day 15 Wednesday 26th September
Today when the alarm went off we had to drag ourselves out of bed as we had a big day ahead, we hope to see the rest of Italy today and be in Switzerland for tea! We got our running shoes on and ran through Rome (up the Spanish steps) to the car park, retrieved poor old dusty (yep, 15 days in and we have named the car!!) and headed back to the hotel. Showered, ate, packed and were on the road by 9am! Our plan is to do a drive-by photo/cultural/scenic whistle stop, pop in, looks good wham bam thank you mam tour of Tuscany; Florance, Pisa, Lucca but avoiding Milan like the plague. Discussions for today’s itinerary were lengthy but we have (I think) settled on Interlaken in Switzerland which is about 500 miles to do today in total. (177 done as I am typing this)!!
Florance was pants, we drove in, got lost, took one picture of a woman balancing a guy on her head (nothing even remotely scenic), found ourselves on the map and left!!
We hate the Italian road signage system, it’s also pants! The map is always different to the actual road layout (maybe it’s because the map was printed in 1982???) at important junctions and they never put anything useful like a road number or junction number on the signs. Maybe they aren’t so hot with numbers!
We didn’t go into Lucca as we needed to make up time! We missed Pisa because we went the wrong way on the motorway! Our opinion is that if it’s not big enough to see from 15k’s off then it’s probably not worth seeing at all!!!!!
It started to rain just as we got to Parma, the first rain we have seen all trip! Boo!! (camping tonight will be fun!!)
The rain continued. Made it across the Swiss border without an eye-batted. Rain was still heavy as we headed up through Switzerland towards the infamous Gutthard tunnel (at 17KM it’s the longest tunnel in Europe… we think). Temperature outside the tunnel had surprisingly dropped to 5C but inside the tunnel it steadily rose to 29C! Out of the tunnel we decided to take the shortest route to Interlarken which happened to involve going over the Susten Pass. In hindsight this was not the most thought-out of decisions as we ended up climbing so high in still miserable weather conditions until the temperature dropped to -2.5C. What we forgot was that at low temperatures rain turns to snow! Driving conditions were interesting! Good job we had a competent bob sleigher at the wheel. We felt rather like the Jamaican bob-sleigh team in the film ‘Cool Runnings’ when they were up against the Swiss!
Campsite found eventually and we pitched the tent in the dark successfully – thanks Steve. Headed into Interlarken for supper and unadventurously selected a Pizza place called ‘Piz Paz’ which for it’s name excelled itself… and had the best toilets in the world … we’ll just say they were robotical and leave the rest to your imaginations J
Got back to the tent prepared for a noisy night’s sleep.
Florance was pants, we drove in, got lost, took one picture of a woman balancing a guy on her head (nothing even remotely scenic), found ourselves on the map and left!!
We hate the Italian road signage system, it’s also pants! The map is always different to the actual road layout (maybe it’s because the map was printed in 1982???) at important junctions and they never put anything useful like a road number or junction number on the signs. Maybe they aren’t so hot with numbers!
We didn’t go into Lucca as we needed to make up time! We missed Pisa because we went the wrong way on the motorway! Our opinion is that if it’s not big enough to see from 15k’s off then it’s probably not worth seeing at all!!!!!
It started to rain just as we got to Parma, the first rain we have seen all trip! Boo!! (camping tonight will be fun!!)
The rain continued. Made it across the Swiss border without an eye-batted. Rain was still heavy as we headed up through Switzerland towards the infamous Gutthard tunnel (at 17KM it’s the longest tunnel in Europe… we think). Temperature outside the tunnel had surprisingly dropped to 5C but inside the tunnel it steadily rose to 29C! Out of the tunnel we decided to take the shortest route to Interlarken which happened to involve going over the Susten Pass. In hindsight this was not the most thought-out of decisions as we ended up climbing so high in still miserable weather conditions until the temperature dropped to -2.5C. What we forgot was that at low temperatures rain turns to snow! Driving conditions were interesting! Good job we had a competent bob sleigher at the wheel. We felt rather like the Jamaican bob-sleigh team in the film ‘Cool Runnings’ when they were up against the Swiss!
Campsite found eventually and we pitched the tent in the dark successfully – thanks Steve. Headed into Interlarken for supper and unadventurously selected a Pizza place called ‘Piz Paz’ which for it’s name excelled itself… and had the best toilets in the world … we’ll just say they were robotical and leave the rest to your imaginations J
Got back to the tent prepared for a noisy night’s sleep.
Day 14 – Tuesday 25th September
Our plan of getting up and going for a early morning run around Rome went out of the window when Andrew silenced the alarm and we went back to sleep!! We were meeting Steve and Rachel at their hotel at 10.30 so showered and had breakfast then headed off to the ‘Savoy’!
The day was action packed and the miles racked up (approx 10 miles according to tour guide De-wilde and her guide book!)
Having arrived too late last night to go up St Peters Basicila we decided to make this out first stop of the day! On route we had a stroll in the park, walked through Popola square where they had some line fountains, but they were not a patch on the lions in Trafalgar square!! By this time we were flagging so stopped for coffee but no cake!! We climbed the 540 steps and were rewarded with amazing views of Rome and the Vatican City! Took some snaps, gave the pope a wave and headed off to wards the Forum.
On route we stopped for lunch which consisted of salad and a beer! We then stopped again to buy ice cream and we have to say it was the best ice cream ever. Andy had choc rum and prune and Sam had Amaretto yum….. yum….!!
The Forum basically is the ruins of the ancient city of Rome which was the seat of power and government through out the Roman Empire, which at its peak in approx 100 AD surrounded the Med and was pretty much the ‘known’ world……. (maps in photo album).
The highlights were the Temple to one of the gods and the coliseum, but it was all pretty impressive.
Andrew took over as map reader and tour guide and we went on an alternative tour of the city but he did manage to find us a restaurant that served gnocchi…… yum yum!!
Cocktails tonight were in a little bar on a back street called the news café, if your ever in Rome we can recommend the colada’s which came in many different flavours. We the played the game ‘mystery drink’ you had to order a drink from the menu that you had not heard of before. That lasted for 1 round before Steve and Rachel left…. Thanks again both entertaining and guiding us round Rome…. We hope you get home safely!
The ‘boyz’ then hit the town big time (for another 2 drinks) then toddled off to bed, by now it was about 12.30
The day was action packed and the miles racked up (approx 10 miles according to tour guide De-wilde and her guide book!)
Having arrived too late last night to go up St Peters Basicila we decided to make this out first stop of the day! On route we had a stroll in the park, walked through Popola square where they had some line fountains, but they were not a patch on the lions in Trafalgar square!! By this time we were flagging so stopped for coffee but no cake!! We climbed the 540 steps and were rewarded with amazing views of Rome and the Vatican City! Took some snaps, gave the pope a wave and headed off to wards the Forum.
On route we stopped for lunch which consisted of salad and a beer! We then stopped again to buy ice cream and we have to say it was the best ice cream ever. Andy had choc rum and prune and Sam had Amaretto yum….. yum….!!
The Forum basically is the ruins of the ancient city of Rome which was the seat of power and government through out the Roman Empire, which at its peak in approx 100 AD surrounded the Med and was pretty much the ‘known’ world……. (maps in photo album).
The highlights were the Temple to one of the gods and the coliseum, but it was all pretty impressive.
Andrew took over as map reader and tour guide and we went on an alternative tour of the city but he did manage to find us a restaurant that served gnocchi…… yum yum!!
Cocktails tonight were in a little bar on a back street called the news café, if your ever in Rome we can recommend the colada’s which came in many different flavours. We the played the game ‘mystery drink’ you had to order a drink from the menu that you had not heard of before. That lasted for 1 round before Steve and Rachel left…. Thanks again both entertaining and guiding us round Rome…. We hope you get home safely!
The ‘boyz’ then hit the town big time (for another 2 drinks) then toddled off to bed, by now it was about 12.30
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