http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/christianandlyndsay/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from christianandlyndsay en-us Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:56:33 +0000 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:56:33 +0000 Both cranky with colds we had booked ourselves onto our favourite campsite which was not far across the Dutch border from where we had been staying in Germany. We spent a couple of weeks relaxing at De Zanding in the Hoge Veluwe national park near Arnhem and caught up with chores the increasing pile of washing and getting over our colds. Finally ready for a change of scene we headed towards M http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/blog-463318.html Over the Oresund Bridge and we arrived back in Mainland Europe. We had planned to spend a few days in Copenhagen to finish off our tour of Scandinavia before the autumn weather started to set in. Copenhagen is a relatively compact capital city and we were able to wander around all the major sites in just a couple of days. First stop was the little mermaid as small and unprepossessing as expec http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/blog-462502.html With high summer fast approaching this part of the world we left Oslo and drove west over the border into Sweden to what was instantly a much softer landscape. Endless forests still covered the horizon but it no longer felt quite so raw. The mountains had changed to rolling hills and the wider roads meant that we could enjoy more of the scenery no longer the intense concentration that Norway d http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-442444.html Catching the ferry from Hirtshals on the northern coast of Jutland we left a hot and sunny Denmark behind and began the eighteen hour crossing to Bergen in Norway. The vehicle deck was closed off during the crossing so after checking out our prebooked ldquosleeperetterdquo seats similar to airplane seats we bagged ourselves a sunny position out on deck and tried to while away the hours. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Norway/blog-432145.html Its been a few months since our last blog and we have managed to put a few thousand kilometres on the clock in between updates. Whilst we donrsquot have an exact travel plan we had a vague notion of heading towards Eastern Europe before heading up to Scandinavia for the summer. However our extended visit to Portugal combined with our vehicle battery problems made us alter this rough route. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-417455.html The torrential rain continued for our first few days back as we left Algeciras for Cadiz on the west coast of Spain. Adjusting back to the European way of life we spent a week reacclimatising. It seemed quiet without the call to prayer every few hours and the hustle and bustle of everyday Moroccan life with nobody accosting you to sell you something. To escape the continuing rain we decided http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/blog-394061.html Making an early exit from Mergouza to avoid the Bonbon posse who greeted us on arrival we bumped out over the rough roads and north towards Meski our next destination. We drove through the lush Ziz Valley with its extensive palmeries and oasis and arrived at Meski to stay at the Source Bleu a natural spring named after the ultra blue shade of the water. Parked at the source we were immediate http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/blog-384912.html Heading back in the general direction of Agadir to try and sort out the Vanrsquos import paperwork again we made a couple of detours after leaving Fort Bou Jerif. We first headed east to the Oasis at AitBekkou. Having got lost in the confusing roads of Guelmin with its lack of signage we finally found the right road and arrived at the Oasis. This is one of the last remaining Oasis in the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/blog-384729.html Next stop Morocco After buying our tickets from the legendary Carlos and stocking up on pork booze and cheese at Lidl we left at 8 orsquoclock the next morning heading for the port at Algeciras for our ferry to Tangier. As we drove into the Port entrance we got our first taste of what was to come. The snaking queue of vehicles waiting to enter the checkin area started amicably enough bu http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/blog-377506.html After an extended sojourn at Mimizan Plage we had to move on before we lost all momentum so we headed for Biarritz. Free parking and electricity at the camperstop if you successfully avoided the police on their irregular rounds to collect the fees. Last stop in France at St.Pee sur Neville at the lakeside and then into Spain.First Stop Burgos looking for somewhere to Park we pulled up by t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/blog-350399.html With the Inverter safely installed we left the campsite fully working again and headed for Mont St Michel. With no high tide due we were able to park just below the Abbey. We looked around the Abbey and lanes during the day and then wandered back up at night to discover a much more atmospheric place without the tourists and the gift shops closed you could really imagine what it would have be http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Brittany-/blog-342340.html Despite a last minute panic getting the insurance documents and tax for the motorbikes we did get away as planned on Sunday 12th October. After a very calm evening crossing we drove off the ferry and into a deserted Cite Europe carpark to overnight before stocking up at Carrefour the next day. Driving down to Bologne on Monday afternoon we stopped at the camperstop on the Quay front overnight http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Nord-Pas-de-Calais/blog-337090.html