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It is bedtime and I am not a betting woman . Apart from the odd flutter on the Grand National or a sweep at work to pick the winner of Strictly Come Dancing I rarely bet . However, I bet tomorrow the Works of Fiction the weather forecasters will offer us more rain, more dampness and more cold. They can be pretty accurate at times and totally wrong at others so what will tomorrow bring.? What happened to the long range weather forecasts we used to have? . More technology now available and yet the writers of the Works of fiction get the forecast wrong many many times.
Were they wrong when we woke up? Nope, rain again. Damp again and down right cold. As we ate breakfast any thoughts of going east to Bratislava went out through the window. We couldn't guarantee anything any better that way. It was two hours driving for a vague hope that we would get sunshine. Perhaps it was time to cut our losses and head Saltzburg way and see what the day offered. Would you believe we have only taken the chairs out four times? We have put the awning out once and
never used the table to eat outside. Our Cadac remains in the boot. We fall over each other. We cannot get away from each other. Gabby seems small now compared with Suzy. You only notice the difference when you are confined to barracks.
We unplug Gabby and set off via the motorway to Saltzburg. The vignette for the month has paid for itself this time. As we eat up the miles Glenns foot aches. He has resorted to wearing just socks or sandles. It seems pointless stopping. I have visited Saltzburg before. It is not a massive city. It seemed walkable. Its castle is high up on a hill with a cable car available . The church is white and Baroque if my memory is correct, However we all know now what my memory is like. We decide not to stop and head off after stopping for a coffee in a rest area. There are many along this route and all are clean and tidy. We are passed by mad drivers. We are pelted by the rain. We pass impressive Melk abbey. We pass by bucolic cows and alpine pastures. We have to slow down as we pass through the Zoll - the customs. They stop someone and search his car. We are ignored. We have been this way before . At dinner time we stop in a rest area which has signs reporting that we must be aware of the danger of African Swine Fever which has been creeping across Europe since 2014. We are advised to ensure that we put all our rubbish in the bins and put the lids down to prevent animals foraging.
By mid afternoon we find ourselves stuck in a long traffic jam. Three lines of traffic all just inching forward slowly. Lorries in the slow lane going nowhere. Lorries in the middle lane stopped. We have a clear lane and sail past them. It is a weird feeling passing them all and wondering what is going on. The answer is clear later three lanes are converging into one. We crawl off the motorway and the chaos continues. Eventually Silly Sat Nag stops telling us to turn around and we end up at our stop for the night . It is nothing more than a car park with electricity bollards in what is one of the largest motorhome dealers in Europe. Erwin Hymerworld who have kindly offered a night stop for free . Just pay for electricity at 1 euro for three hours if you need it. What a clever idea. A captive audience who can browse motorhomes and the large camping shop next door. Give them water and toilets and perhaps they will buy something from the shop or purchase a new motorhome.
Around is the village. Opened in 2004 it was Germany's first high-end designer discount outlet. On site are over 100 designer names from Bally to Hilfiger, from Calvin Klein to . Versace. The architecture of the village reflects the typical houses of the area. Think McArthur Glen , Cheshire Oaks and Meadowhall and you get the picture.
We fed the electricity machine and headed off for the Italian restaurant on site. It was full as this was a lorry drivers and a shoppers paradise. We ordered our meals . A pizza for Glenn and a risotto for me. The last time we saw a pizza this big was in Chicago many years ago.
This is a brilliant stop over and one we would use again if we found ourselves in this area again. Tomorrow we hit the de dum de dum roads of Belgium. We have booked our train home. Sometimes we get the change free if it is a quiet day and we travel at the same time. Most of the time we pay around £20 to £40 to change the booking . Our last night will be at our favourite site La Bien Assise and we hopefully will get a gourmet meal to end our trip. Looking forward to that.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Weather...
Again, I'm sorry that your vacation to the sunny south was once again ruined by bad weather. I think that this weather system affected pretty much all of Europe. My first week in England was sunny, but cold. When I needed nice weather on my Old Way pilgrimage it rained two out of three days.