made it!

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You must be getting sick of the word' problems' - I know I am but of course there were. Firstly having got off at 6.30 as planned after tears from Fatmay and best wishes from all and promising to ring fatmay on 1st Dec from wherever I was I headed - slipped down my escape road to the other house to collect things to go on trip.All was well till my usual turning place which proved once turn too far.Fortunately for me one of the locals from the lower house area stopped to chat before taking the kids down to the bus stop for school and therefore heard my struggles to get a grip and came back to help.As I say fortunately for me but not for her as pushing at the front left her covered in mud splatters from head to toe.After profuse appologies from me and ´'niama problem ´from her + best wishes for the trip she went back to get changed and back on the road ,but still needing to turn ,I passed the other spot I´d used and kept on as it looked as dangerous until I reached the next house track. Not having been that far before, and pitch dark - misty, I did not spot that the entrance had been blocked off with large boulders so the first I knew was a grating- tearing sensation.Worried about getting off I pulled forward and then headed down the street out of sight in my embarrassment. It was only when I stopped that I saw the back light( on left )trailing on the floor with no plastic cover but all bulbs still working miraculously!!However there was still the problem of how to reattach it. Using the lead of my phone charger i tried to secure it, but the rough nature of the road promptly shook it free.However once back on the new road it appeared to stay and after a firmer wedging of the unit I drove cautiously down to the petrol station outside Varna where I got a ´spider´to attach it and headed on (with my journey only stopping twice to check still in place.Having got within striking distance of Sofia, following a diversion and back then on to motorway,I was travellling along already realising that I might not be able to shop in Sofia that day therefore meaning I would be pushed to reach Berlin on Sat as hoped for.An explosion and horrendous juddering - grating sound assailed me about 100 yds down the motorway and I realised that one of the tyres(given the all-clear the day before at the garage)! had blown . On the hard shoulder it became obvious that it had ripped ,rather than before ,as not remould and looked for all the world like black spaghetti. However I had also the day before bought a replacement hydraulic jack, the orig having leaked its fluid, so I felt fairly confident that I would soon be on my way.However once removed from packaging and assembled it didn´t appear to work too well.So thank god for Kapital, via katia ,I was able to be given a breakdown no for Sofia area and got professional help with the change .The jack was ok just long time to complete lift )and after parting with 107 Lv trickled into Sofia and tried to find the hotel. Came in at an area I didn´t know,asked directions for the rd to pernick which I needed to reach the hotel.Got them,found the road but after a couple of calls to reception arrived in Pernik!!So had to head back to Sofia and try again.Fog was a peasouper and traffic wildly heavy meaning that communication with reception had to be done while driving . Suffice it to say that eventually I found the hotel after following a kindly car driver who ,having received directions from where we were, led me straight to it.Eventually he agreed to take the money I offered after protesting no need.By this time it was 7.50 and I did little more than explain problems with light and get promised help to sort it in the morning.I decided to stay for a second nite,notified Ilona of change and settled down to a shower ,spot of tea from off the van and bed.Beautiful room and very helpful staff. I realise I forgot to say at the next service station ( after the breakdown )with tyre place attached Ihad got 2 new winter tyres on front and now have 7 tyres in total!!Next am after the free breakfast in the hotel I gathered that the hotel maintainance man would help me get parts and drive me there and back. I agreed to the second night but said I wanted to leave at 4.30 on Sun so paid then.I set off by taxi down the town to present shop and left the handyman making running repairs to the light unit as no part could be found.I returned about 4 with all presents got,having called in at the new Hostel Mostel,reaquainted myself with the owner´s wife and chatted to some of the hostelers over a cup of coffee. So a good day in the end particularly as the light was now covered by polythene held tight with sellotape - a repair that got me over 4 borders with no problem!After a leisurely shower more of cold collation from van and a largish drink of whisky I set my alarm for 4 and slept soundly.Agian I was besett by fog but as hoped little traffic and found the route out ok, following an intensive study of roads the nite before.It turned into a brilliant clear moonlit sky once out of Sofia and proved to be a beautiful run up to vidin.Had not taken in that border crossing was in fact by ferry(across Danube) therefore had to turn round and retrace my steps to the ferry sign and wait for 40 mins in the q to get on.The danube was dirty brown what could be seen through the mist ,certainly not blue!!Then Romania.Expecting poor roads I was pleasantly surprised, having taken a secondary road too early in my desire to get going,apart from repeated road works it was obviously recently tarmaced and good to drive on.As expected later on to the main roads there was much more traffic and more hills than i´d imagined plus a super road with tunnels along the side of a lake.At least I realised that I was going to have to put in petrol and with only 40€ and plastic I was struggling to find one I could use.Eventually I came upon an ''International campsite´'where the proprietor changed my last 30€ for Lei and I pulled into the next station to use the cash.Enough to take me into hungary. I found I didn´t have to worry about petrol as they had a card station.However they forgot to put the top on I found at my next stop in Austria.Travelling towards the border crossing into Austria I had been watching the phenomenal lightning show ahead and realised it was right over the border so I would have to negotiate and just hoped that the thorough search of the inside of my van at Hung border wouldn´t be repeated in pouring rain there.Obviously had looked liked a smuggler or else the van had looked like a suitable vehicle.Anyway my only lasting impression of Hungary will be their ruthless and microscopic search of the van. Rain it wasn´t but driving snow in the lightning and blizzard condits.Fortunately the roads are good,new wipers and a relatively small area affected I drove on briefly through Austria shedding wet snow on the way.So Czech Republic next.The main motorway was composed of 6ft concrete adjacent slaps causing a juddering effect on the car.That made it hard to realise that despite having a new petrol filter fitted, after myrecent problem in Bulg. I appeared to have the same stuttering as in Dover and guessed that the Hungarian petrol had been below par or else and more likely the Roumanian fill would fit for the timing.So stuttering (sporadic )fits from engine and continuous juddering from the road surface compounded my developing feelin of despair and questioning whether I was going to have time to visit Berlin .However it was so important to me to not waste another day on car that having got no luck with the problem ,namely a new filter or a mechanic to try to shake muck out and continue,I decided that Dresden if I could keep going was the obvious answer .I did with a lot of trouble and bouts of using hard shoulder and flashers and parked before looking for bank,internet and poss garage to solve problem.Eventually found a bankomat and withdrew 250€, after several attempts found an internet cafe to explain update to Ilona but said still expecting to be with them that eve.Phone was only allowing emergency calls so I sent 2 texts to see if I could text on arrival at appointed meeting place. No reply so not sure but was not concerned as public tel would be available.It turns out that messages did not reach Ilona´s phone and when she tried to ring me she found the phone not operational.Un able to find a garage or filter and rembering I had gone from Dover to Frankf on the outward journey I decide to risk the 100+ km to Berlin.The car positively flowed to Berlin after information from me that we were nearly there!! So I ARRIVED!! parked along the road as agreed and outside a chinese restaurant which I thought would serve as a landmark to the van´s position.I also hoped they might have a public phone or let me pay to use theirs.no on both accounts but was told there was one just up the road.Therefore having thanked them I headed off to find it,check what coins it took and began the phoning session.First I tried the house no but was told in German then English that the code was not recognised so undaunted I got my coin out and started again with the mobile no.Again it would not accept it.Perplexed I tried again and then gave up.I went back to the chinese ordered a pot of tea which produced a more cordial welcome and eventually went to the van and settled down for the night ,going to try again when more refreshed in the morning.Meanwhile the folks had decided in desperation to retire at 12.00,wondering what happened to me having been unable to get through.Just before I went to sleep I remember deciding to drop off nos from the home phone no until it worked.This I did and got through to Ilona.Thinking it was 8am(home time) and not 7am really it came as a shock but also a relief that I was ok and there.She agreed to meet me once dressed and Liam got to school.The rest of the time has been a delight and worth all the heartaches enroute.Yesterday they hunted for a solution for the filter problem with typical Berlin pride and tenacity to the fore and found a kwik-fit type place that said we could bring the van down for them to take a look.We did without much hope from the original contact.However a young worker was quite obviously intrigued with what was going on and decided to go out and look.He agreed with my assessment that any petrol filter would be ok and that they could do it.Also check the fanbelt after squeaks -squeals enroute and for good measure asked if they could help about the lights.Had no unit but could replace the bulbs and replace the weatherproofing with the remaining plastic and my new roll of sellotape.We therefore completed all the details(well Ilona did) and left to pick up Liam from school go for a coffee and some shopping before his music class.Olaf arrived to pick us up and we agreed to return about 7 for the van. All the aforesaid accomplished we returned to the garage at 6.30 and decided to leave collecting it till the next day(to save going back again that evening.) The house is actually not theirs but they have 2 delightful flats in the house-one for living and as an amalgamation of two snall flats has many rooms.The upstairs one doubles as their 2 offices and guest suite.Fantastic facilities gaining 5 stars for quality and for hospitality in the Andi Guide to Accomodation.Today I went on a bus tour of Berlin where you could hop on and off therefore seeing Checkpoint Charlie, getting my itinerary stamped with original stamps(in absence of a passeport)5€ and visiting the compelling museum exhibit housed in one of the shut up buildings from by the wall. Then back on the bus with earphone commentary of sights passed to Sea-life centre and aquadome ,cathedral and subsequently Reichstad and Brandenburg gate before catching the u-bahn and returning to home area without a single slip-up---tenacity and fortitude of Andi,equally as dedicated as the Berlinners!So that´s it an all´s well that end´s well ´story and still a lot of tomorow before journeying on.Bye now,Supergran.

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