European Fantasy Tour
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David, sounds idyllic....we had a break already in mind for late summer but nowhere near as ambitious as that.....just an amble to Italy (via Austria or Switzerland) for some trundling and to take in SE France to meet up with pals.....would have had to work out best sequence so as to be in France for end September...
However, given a free reign and the fact that Italy has been calling us (in the van) for ten years despite visiting by cruise liner and plane several time in that period, i guess the idyll might just be to get there.....and soak it up.
whatever the near future holds, i hope you two get your dream or at least part of it.
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Something a bit different, I would tour Scandinavia, I would work my way to Denmark then cross to Norway,making my way up the coast to see the northern lights and then back down through Finland , take the ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm,through Sweden ,then make my way back to the UK by making the journey up as we go along
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our first 'foreign' van trip, 11 years ago, was to Denmark....why, no real idea...seemed like a good idea at the time.....and it was!
fabulous beaches, great weather, lovely people etc....travelled through (and stayed in) part of France, Belgium, Holland, Gemany and then Denmark...
we we returned we were totally smitten with Continental travel and now we only do a bit of the UK each summer to be with pals 'who dont' (and certainly 'wouldn't' now....) and revisit the same old...
still, upward and onward, remaining optimistic hoping to consign fantasy to reality...
good luck to all the dreamers...
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Our first trip abroad was only our second outing and we drove to Eastern Austria, south east of Vienna. We only had a 2 week holiday but really fancied going into Hungary. We couldn't because it was still Communist run and closed off.
So now we would return, stopping off in Berchtesgarden, into Austria and carry on into Hungary, to the Hortobagy Nature Resrve and then onto Romania and the Carpathian mountains.
From there we would head for Estonia and catch the ferry into Finland and birdwatch there and follow the route home via Denmark and Northern Germany.
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I would like to make a round trip of France, mainly on the coast. If I insert my imaginary first night stop off the ferry at Neuf Chatel en Bray ( for Stocking Up and acclimatisation) at Camping St Claire, where shall we go tomorrow and by what route. Leisurely 200 miles per day. Photos and recommendations for sight-seeing, shopping, culture should be included. No aires as caravanners are included.
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HD
That would be a very long trip! There would also be an option of a side trip to St Petersburg by train from Helsinki?
I think Scandinavia also but perhaps not quite as ambitious as yours. Up through Germany to Fehmarn Island to Puttgarden and across on the ferry to Denmark to Copenhagen. Then across the "Bridge" possibly to the strains of Hollow Talk by the Choir Of Young Believers? Then perhaps Malmo to Gothenburg and back down to Helsingborg for the ferry back to Denmark and then gradually work our down through the country with a stop at Sonderborg. Schleswig-Holstein is a part of Germany (Denmark) we have not been to. Fortunately we have been to some of the coastal towns of Norway so easier to miss them out although it would be quite fun to go up to the Arctic Circle.
It seems as if we have plenty of time to dream!
David
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A trip I would like to do is across to Slovenia then up through the former eastern block countries, taking in all the places we couldn't visit when we lived in Germany. Coming back into Germany and along the north German coast. Scandinavia is not on either of our places to visit with the caravan but might do it one day on a cruise ship.
I like AD's idea of hoping across using some of the islands of the med. Always fancied Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily not sure if it should be a caravan or a small MH each has its advantage's and disadvantage's.
So many places yet to see and like other's just wishing for this to all be over with so we can get back to ticking off a few more.
For ever hopeful
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To Schleswig-Holstein or not? That is the question ... If I'd wanted to really insufferable, I'd have posted this at 18:48 [but only 'cos the limitation of the clock makes it impossible to produce the punchline in relation to the subsequent conflict
...Steve
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I think we'd like to go back to northern Germany to visit a friend in Friedrichstadt, it's a very pretty little town with canals, we've both been before but not with the van. Maybe we'd get a trip out to the N Frisian Islands, then a good tour of Denmark and see the Baltic again, perhaps even put a toe in to Sweden. If we could do it at a leisurely pace rather than our normal whizz around type breaks it might help us enjoy it more!
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We took a 17 day cruise in August 2019 Stockholm to Dieppe via St Petersburg and most ports in between [just the 1 sea day; it was exhausting!].
Because I had had a couple of pulmonary embolisms, the last one about a year before the cruise, I didn't much fancy flying to Sweden so Elaine suggested going by train! What a great wee adventure!
Day1 Burntisland to Edinburgh then on to Newcastle, coach to the Ferry and overnight Newcastle to Ijmuiden then Day 2 coach into Amsterdam.
Amsterdam to Duisburg; Duisburg to Hamburg then overnight Hamburg to Copenhagen [Deutsche Bahn uprated trains now double deckers so more capacity but no sleeper berths!]. Arrived 0630 on Day 3 for a leisurely final leg to Stockholm, leaving some 2 hours later [or so we thought...].
15 minutes before departure time, the dreaded 'Service Cancelled' message appears. No staff about to answer questions so we and a posse of other passengers roam over the station looking for the Information Office [hidden behind a row of shops and eateries, with staff doing their best to hide within ...].
The cancellation was due to a major power failure, but not just any old power failure, this was a special failure [M&S advert music in my brain at that stage!].
It appears that at one of the remoter stations en route [think Wallander filming], there is/was a house adjoining the station. It appears that an upset Swede murdered someone at the house 48 hours earlier, and tried to destroy the evidence by burning down the house. So successful was he, that he also burned down the Station and destroyed the track power supply and signalling kit ...
So, train to Malmo, 2 coach transfers and a Mystery Tour around 1/2 of Sweden before finally getting on a train that was scheduled to reach Stockholm about 3 hours later. About 15 minutes running time from Stockholm, the Driver announced that he wouldn't be able to make the destination within the allotted time, so he was terminating the service at the next Station where 'local staff will offer guidance' ...
The original train would have reached Stockholm at 13:36. We arrived just after 19:00, and, to add insult to injury, we were scammed by a Turkish proprietor of a Burger Bar who claimed that the Credit Card hadn't worked, so asked for cash. I was too tired to spot the scam [cleverly for just under £20 so Cr Card company not interested in investigating].
Nest time we'll fly and worry about embolisms later! But the cruise was very good, well except for a couple of problems ...
Steve
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Our fantasy tour of Europe was planned to start next week! Leaving the northeast on the day before Good Friday. The final destination was planned to be Slovenia or Croatia via the tunnel, through the Low Countries, Germany Austria and Lake Garda in Italy. So as everything from routes, stopover sites and rallies had been meticulously organised in the finest detail and paid for! The trip is now cancelled.
This holiday for both our ‘ significant birthday’ trip is now our ‘fantasy tour’ for some date in the future.Stay safe all of you!👋😷
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I remember you posted about your friend before Brue as we, also, had a friend who lived in Friedrichstadt, which for a small place in a different country is very coincidental. Unfortunately our friend passed away a couple of years ago and his wife has sunk into a deep depression. We did see her a couple of years ago but she hasn't replied to our letters. We would probably call in on the return leg of our fantasy trip as we would passing it.
It's a lovely little place.
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Oh, that's sad and interesting too. Our friend, who is on his own now has moved in to look after his elderly father. We keep telling him we'll get there! (His family were originally from Poland.) We met him through work.
OH spoke to him last week and the situation over there is much the same as here.
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My fantasy trip over there would to be to over winter in Greece. I remember reading a blog of someone towing there and even visiting islands. I suspect it will remain a fantasy.
what is more likely is Baltic states to Poland then south to Hungry and return via Austria etc..
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I don't know if this is allowed in this section but my fantasy trip was planned for this July/August and with us living in Spain we were planning an overseas trip too the UK a place we haven't toured for about ten years.
After arriving in Portsmouth we would have turned right to get the IoW ferry a place i have not visited since my childhood in the 60's and this was the theme behind our planned trip remembering family holidays from our youth, places like Poole/Weymouth, Paighton/Torquay and then onto Cornwall. Wife wants to jump from here all the way to the Lake district and onto Scotland where she says she had one of her best holidays when young. Then down the east coast of England visiting all those resorts from the early 60's Scarborough, Bridlington, Mablethorpe and Skegness to finish.
Then off home to Spain for a bit of Sun.
Phil Sorry if you think this should be in the UK section
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Nice van, sure you want to sell it?
its frustrating to be tied where we are....we were only due to return from Spain this coming Sunday....however it could be worse....
we get out every day for our walk...overdue for a bike ride...and we brought back plenty of wine....
the fantasy will become reality, its just a question of when....stick at it
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Hi David, still in the planning-OK,argument-stage but spent a bit of time looking at the aferry.co.uk website yesterday.
Some of the prices will come into the realms of fantasy for those used to the relatively cheap cross channel routes!
The short hop from Corsica to Sardinia seemed expensive-then I remembered its a fantasy so the planning goes on and its looking like Sicily as the next stop.
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