alikim

As we get nearer the UK, we’re starting to reflect on the trip and what we’ve seen and done. All has all mostly gone to plan, and exceeded our expectations. It’s been an amazing experience. In the 6 months we have travelled 10564 miles, stayed at 54 different Campsites, spent 7 nights on a yacht, 4 Different Apartments, 3 Hotels, 4 Nights with Friends, and one night on a ferry. We swam in seas, lakes, pools and thermal baths; climbed mountains, walked and cycled through valleys, sailed islands, and explored towns, cities and ancient sites. We ate in restaurants with amazing views, camped at spectacular sites, and met some great like minded people on route. Today travelling through Europe is easier than you think. Thinking how our predecessors managed to find their way through Europe with ... read more

We decided as we had liked Germany so much on the way out, during our trip to Bavaria, that we would return on our way back. We had seen a lot of cities and were keen to see the autumn colours in the countryside. So, after a brief stop near Dresden, and an amazing spa (sorry no pics as we were nude!), we headed for the Harz Mountains. The weather has changed significantly, its very cold most nights although we’ve been very lucky to avoid too much rain. The trip took a new turn looking for camp sites that could help us keep warm, and we found we have a liking for sauna and indoor pools! Luckily many campsites in Germany are open all year and cater for the cold weather. The Harz mountains, are covered ... read more

Day 161-162 Krakow Poland and a load of Dogs Leaving Hungary we headed north, through Slovakia towards Poland and our next stop Krakow. The temperature has significantly dipped and we are wondering why we are heading north rather than going south to the warmth of the med once again. As a consequence, we have also started to sleep downstairs occasionally rather than the penthouse -not only because of cold but the occasional water torture on our heads caused through drips of condensation. The journey through Slovakia, and across the border towards Krakow was beautiful with great landscapes and mountains. Before we reached Krakow we stopped at the Unesco World Heritage site of the Wieliczka Salt mine. It closed as a salt mine in 1995 and now is a museum. Walking down and down a staircase we ... read more

After crossing the busy Romanian border crossing, (busy for lorries - not for us fortunately ) we headed north for a stopover in Romania’s Capital Bucharest. The guide books didn’t say too much to write home about Bucharest but we had to go through it anyway, so seemed sensible to stop. Bucharest is a clash of old and new. Ceauşescu the last communist dictator, raised a lot of Bucharest to the ground, to not only build his Parisian type boulevards, but also the second largest building in the world, the Parliament building with its 6000 rooms. They don’t make it easy for tourists with no information at bus stops where buses go and the Underground stations that don’t have maps where the trains go, apparently they don’t go anywhere they were only designed to take workers ... read more

The drive back into Greece was very long! Our plan was to aim for a camp site south of Thessaloniki where I would rest up while Kim Travelled back to work at the Boat Show in Southampton. We arrived about 9.30pm to find the camp site in darkness, and ended up sleeping in the Bongo on a side road just outside town. Kim had 1 full day prior to jetting off, so we had to find a place, the campsite had closed a week or so earlier, the season appears to end early here. Another campsite we found was pretty deserted and nowhere near any kind of life. Getting a bit anxious, we hunted down a lady with apartments to rent, and in no time we were set (it was almost as cheap as camping!). Nea ... read more