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European Road Trip
  • Rosemary Platts

European Road Trip

A 23-day adventure by Rosemary Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 5, 2017
    Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Just leaving Scawby.

    Heading for the Hull Ferry

    September 6, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Wednesday 6th September
    We leave home around 5.30pm to catch the Hull to Rotterdam Ferry and by 7pm we are on board and heading for the restaurant after dropping our overnight bags in our cabin.
    After a lovely meal and a couple of drinks we have a walk around the ship and then return to our cabin hoping to get a good night's sleep.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler

    Thursday

    September 7, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    7th September
    We drive off the ferry in Rotterdam at around 9am after a good night's sleep, a huge breakfast and several cups of coffee. Remembering to drive on the right, we pass through Holland into Germany and after 310 miles arrive at our hotel in Trennfeld, Bavaria. We find it with the help of the sat-nav, a nice family run place and in the evening we have a delicious meal in the hotel restaurant. Later we are told by a Dutch couple, who took a different route from Rotterdam, that they were held up for 3hours due to an accident on the autobahn. We are very pleased we took a different route.Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Trennfeld, Germany
    Trennfeld, Germany

    Friday

    September 8, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    8th September
    After a good night's sleep and a Bavarian breakfast we leave Trennfeld and head for Oberaudorf which is on the Austrian border. We drive past fields of grape-vines and hop-bines and miles of roadworks, there are also lots of fields of solar panels! We stop for coffee and a snack in Ingolstadt, a lovely town on the River Danube. The sat-nav diverts us off the autobahn due to an accident ahead and we drive through some beautiful towns including Brannenburg. Oberaudorf is absolutely beautiful, it's a warm afternoon and after checking into our hotel we take a stroll around. Later we head out to eat and decide to try the gasthaus just across the road "Alpenrose" is a beautiful building, it is a traditional Bavarian restaurant and the portions of food are HUGE we should have ordered one between us! The German's eat a lot.Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Oberaudorf, on the chair lift
    OberaudorfOberaudorfOberaudorf, on the chair liftOberaudorf, on the chair lift

    Saturday

    September 9, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    9th September
    Oberaudorf is the most idyllic village located in the Alpine foothills of the Bavarian Alps. The buildings are really beautiful with extravagant artwork painted on the houses and geraniums and petunias cascading from the balconies. We drive a few miles to Brannenburg, the day is taking some time to warm up but eventually the sun peeks through. After walking around the town we drive to the River Inn and walk alongside, there are alpine flowers everywhere and we have a good view of the Alps and the Wendelstein Mountain. This afternoon we take the chair-lift from Oberaudorf village centre up the Hocheck Mountain where there are good views of the Kaiser Mountains. It is quite cold going up but the sun comes out again on the way back down and we both thoroughly enjoy the experience. Later we walk to a restaurant quite close to our hotel, we do struggle with the language in Germany but we manage to order some delicious food and the portions are much more manageable tonight!Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler

    Sunday

    September 10, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    10th September
    We are out of Germany and into Austria by 9am this morning, it is pouring with rain and the Alps are clothed with thick clouds. There is a huge amount of traffic on the autobahn which surprises us as it's a Sunday. This is our third visit to Austria, the first time we got an on the spot fine for speeding and the second time we got an on the spot fine for not having a 'vignette ' (toll sticker). We have driven across Austria by 10.30am and this time manage not to get a fine. We drive straight into Italy, no stopping or checks but the roads are still very busy and it is still raining with low clouds. We notice a difference in the price of fuel, it's 1.83€ here and we are pleased that we were advised to fill up in Germany where it was 1.05€
    We arrive at our hotel in San Zeno di Montagna it has taken us a while to find it as it's in a village high up above Lake Garda but we have a balcony with a lovely view of the lake. Go out to eat at a very nice Italian restaurant, when we ask the waiter if he can translate an item on he menu he tells us what it is in German! Finish off the evening with drinks in the hotel bar. We are hoping the sun will be shining tomorrow.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    San Zeno di Montagna
    San Zeno di MontagnaSan Zeno di Montagna

    Monday

    September 11, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    11th September
    We wake up to a wet morning and head down to the lakeside but the traffic is horrendous and there is nowhere to park. We decide to head back up to San Zeno di Montagna, we have coffee and a cake in the village and then return to our hotel to relax a while. It has stopped raining but the day is still very grey, there are really lovely views of the lake from up here and I head out with my camera then later I take some photos of the sunset from our balcony.
    We have a lovely meal in the hotel restaurant tonight, it's been a relaxing day. We are hoping the sun will be shining tomorrow...    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Lake Garda
    Lake GardaLake GardaLake GardaLake Garda

    Tuesday

    September 12, 2017 in San Marino ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    12th September
    The day starts with a severe thunderstorm which continues through breakfast, the weather is so bad we sit in the lounge and read for a while. Around noon small patches of blue sky start to appear and we venture out dressed for wet weather. We turn left out of the hotel and head north, there are a lot of hair-pin bends to negotiate and the roads are flooded with rainwater pouring from the mountainside. Yesterday the traffic around Garda was horrendous but so far it is not too busy in Torri del Benaco and we manage to find a parking space. Lake Garda is so Beautiful but the dramatic weather continues here with gale force winds making it difficult to walk but the sun is shining and there are lots of people walking around. We sit outside and drink coffee while the waiters struggle to keep the tablecloths anchored down and the menus on the table. There is a lot of spray coming off the lake and all the little boats are bobbing up and down. After a while we move on towards the village of Garda but once again we are soon in a long queue of cars, hardly moving and just like yesterday there is nowhere to park. We continue along the road and stop at a shopping area where we buy some water and wine. It is really hot now that we have left the lakeside and we sit outside with an ice cream before setting off again.
    The hotel "Bellavista" is lovely, the staff are exceptionally friendly and welcoming, they go out of their way to be helpful. Our room is clean and quite large and from the balcony we can see the lake, there is a lounge downstairs with a bar and lots of tables and chairs outside. We are going to eat in the restaurant again tonight as we had an excellent meal last night, starting with a glass of Prosecco, salad, pasta, main course and pudding for 16€.
    The village San Zeno di Montagna is very picturesque and we have walked the length of it a few times, there are restaurants and a few shops and places to sit outside with coffee or ice cream. The only problem is we're high up above the lake and it's a 15 minute drive down, it's not very far but the road winds round several hair-pin bends. This is our second visit to Lake Garda and we now realise the best place to stay is somewhere within walking distance of the lake which means you can leave the car at the hotel and if necessary take public transport. Parking is nearly impossible around Lake Garda with slow moving traffic queues and this is the middle of September.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    San Marino
    San MarinoSan MarinoSan Marino

    Wednesday

    September 13, 2017 in San Marino ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    13th September
    We leave Hotel Bellavista, heading south to San Marino and the sun is shining! San Marino is a state enclosed by north-central Italy, it's famous for its medieval walled old town and it is one of the richest countries in the world with low unemployment and a highly stable economy. The capital city is also called San Marino, Mount Titano part of the Appenine range dominates the landscape and three towers sit on the mountain slopes; Montale, Guaita & De la Fratta. We drive through Rimini into San Marino and after dropping our bags at Hotel Rossi we set out to explore the area. It is absolutely fascinating, we leave the car and take a lift up the mountainside where there are cobbled streets and old buildings with fantastic views from the top.
    We decide to eat in the hotel restaurant tonight and what a lively experience it turns out to be, for a Wednesday night it is extremely busy with people coming and going continuously & everyone knows everyone else. (Except us)! We eat lasagne and a fairly decent bottle of house red. There is a long table set for a group of people with several homemade banners " senza del dima" translates as "without smoke", we don't know what that means there is also a buffet set out for a crowd. We hear a lot of noise around midnight but we soon get off to sleep again.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Hotel La Pia
    Outside our hotel in Montecatini

    Thursday

    September 14, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    14th September
    The first thing we find out this morning is that two San Marino football teams were in the restaurant last night celebrating the start of the football season.
    We set off for Montecatini and decide to keep off the autostrada and drive over the Appenine Mountains as far as possible. It is an interesting drive of around 100 miles climbing round the narrow roads and then descending, there's hardly any traffic but we do get stopped at roadworks a couple of times. We stop for coffee at a village in the mountains. The Hotel Pia looks very nice and there is secure parking, we have a balcony that looks out over a square with a very vigorous fountain. I don't think we'll be sleeping with the balcony doors open tonight!
    The Italian coffee culture is quite complicated and we are determined to understand it so that we actually get what we want. A Cappuccino is equal parts espresso, steamed milk & foamed milk and is usually drunk at breakfast with a pastry. Caffe Latte is espresso with more steamed milk and Less foam and Latte Macchiato is steamed milk 'marked ' with a dash of espresso. All these are drunk in the morning before 11am. If you order a 'caffe' you get an espresso, this is their normal coffee and Caffe Americana is espresso diluted with plenty of hot water. If you just ask for a 'Latte' you get a glass of milk. (Which is what you've asked for)!
    It is a warm evening and we take a short walk into the centre of Montecatini. It is buzzing! We sit outside at a bar we have been to before 'Cucina Toscana'. Pasta, Prosecco, Vino and live music too, we have a really lovely evening.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    View from our balcony
    Terme di Montecatini SpaTerme di Montecatini SpaView from our balcony

    Friday

    September 15, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    15th September
    It is a beautiful morning in Montecatini and after breakfast we take a walk around the town. There is an unexpected short shower but it is still warm and it's not long before the sun is back out and it's hotter than ever. We sit at a corner cafe and watch the world go by, people dress very smartly in Montecatini-Terme both in the daytime and the evening, we do some shopping and, of course, have a gelato. The houses and hotels all look stunning, painted in the sienna colours and the shutters are traditionally green. Walking round this morning we came across the hotel where we stayed on our last visit here in 2013. The scrapes on the ceiling of the underground car park are still visible where George got the Navara stuck!! The truck was just too high to get in the car park, fortunately, the hotel manager managed to find us somewhere else to park.
    A lazy day today, although we have been to the laundrette; it has now started raining so we are going to eat in our lovely hotel restaurant tonight.
    We have just had a delicious Italian meal, salad, pasta, steak & potatoes. I couldn't manage a pudding but George had a creme caramel. Then we had some amaretti biscuits with a wine liquor & I had a Grappa in the bar which was delicious but George wasn't keen. La Spezia tomorrow, hope it stops raining.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    The Citadel in Sarzana
    SarzanaSarzanaForti dei MarmiForti dei MarmiForti dei Marmi

    Saturday

    September 16, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    16th September
    We leave the lovely Hotel La Pia in Montecatini where we feel we have been well looked after by the friendly staff, it's a bit overcast as we head for the coast and we see several white storks fly over the road. We have never driven this part of the Italian coastline before, it is really beautiful, we stop for coffee and a pastry in Lido di Camaiore but it starts to rain so we drive a little further up the coast. We stop again in Forte dei Marmi it is a very smart place and most of the beaches are private with no public access so we take a long walk along the promenade to a public beach. It is very clean and a place we might like to stay sometime, although we would want to be in one of the hotels with a private beach. The sun is shining now and it is very hot, there are lots of walkers and cyclists with designated paths for each. There is some sort of cycle race and we only just manage not to get involved!
    Our hotel, Le Travi, is very much off the beaten track, it's an old house but beautifully decorated, the owners are very friendly and give us a choice of rooms.
    We walk into Sarzana to check where the railway station is and train times for tomorrow as we plan to go to La Spezia and onto Cinque Terre. The centre of the town has some lovely buildings and two large squares. Wandering around as far as the city walls we come across the Citadel which is playing host to some sort of living museum or medieval re-enactment. We watch for a while and then walk through the narrow streets back to the Piazza Nicolo and sit outside and order pizzas, when they arrive they are huge - we should have just ordered one between us!!    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Cinque Terre
    Cinque TerreCinque TerreCinque TerreCinque Terre

    Sunday

    September 17, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    17th September
    We really like this place where we are staying for a couple of nights it's a B&B and our hosts are friendly, they don't speak English but we are managing quite well. We take the train into La Spezia and onto Cinque Terre, it's a rugged piece of coastline on the Italian Riviera and comprises of five villages. The coastline, the five villages and the surrounding hillside are all part of The Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is reached by train, we buy a ticket and then get on and off at each village, it is a very popular tourist destination and today it's extremely busy. It is all fascinating, we didn't quite know what to expect but we have a fantastic day, it's very warm too. When we head back to La Spezia it is so busy that we only just manage to cram onto the train, an uncomfortable journey, thank goodness it's quite short. Our last night in Italy, we eat pasta & drink red wine in Sarzana before walking back to base. Heading for the French Alps tomorrow.Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Puget-Rostang. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
    Puget-Rostang. Alpes-de-Haute-ProvencePuget-Rostang. Alpes-de-Haute-ProvencePuget-Rostang. Alpes-de-Haute-ProvencePuget-Rostang. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

    Monday

    September 18, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    18th September
    The day starts with an Italian breakfast, orange juice & really good coffee, fresh fruit, cereal & yogurt, toasted ham & cheese sandwich and cake & biscuits!! Our host insists on driving in front of us to the autostrada, we have quite a few miles to do today so we need to keep on the main roads for a while and we pay over 30€ in toll charges. We drive through the centre of Genoa and then back on the autostrada, through Monaco and into France. We stop in Nice to do a bit of shopping and fill up the car. Then we head inland and slowly climb up the Alps, the views at 3000ft are breathtaking but the roads are narrow with a sheer drop on one side. It takes quite a while to get up to Puget-Rostang and our hotel,
    Auberge Du Riou in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, it is much cooler here although it has been cloudy all day. We have a ground floor room this time and because it's taken us a while to get up here we decide to eat here tonight.
    We take a walk around the village and the sun has just decided to come out; it is a beautiful but remote place and we have a delicious meal in the auberge restaurant although we don't manage to eat it all.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Stele du Vol 9525 Memorial
    Sisteron. Alpes-de-Haute-ProvenceSisteron. Alpes-de-Haute-ProvenceSisteron. Alpes-de-Haute-ProvenceStele du Vol 9525 Memorial

    Tuesday

    September 19, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    19th September
    Our first French breakfast of the trip is different types of bread and jam, I butter what I think is a slice of homemade brown bread and it's gingerbread, very nice though. Most of the day is spent driving through the Alps; we detour to Le Vernet to take a look at the memorial for germanwings flight 9525 where 150 people died when the plane was deliberately crashed by the co-pilot. The sign reads "Stele du Vol 9525". This happened in March 2015 which was two years after our first visit to this remote part of France. The simple memorial is a very moving sight, it is in the nearest accessible place to the actual crash site, the distant Alps are today topped with a dusting of snow. We see plenty of wildlife, a deer, a fox and several red squirrels.
    Our next stop is in the very pretty town of Digne Les Bains but just before we reach the town there has been a road traffic incident and the police helicopter is hovering over the side of the highway. We have lunch in a little cafe next to a supermarket where George enjoys an hour or so choosing a dozen bottles of wine.
    We drive to Sisteron, a town full of flowers and floral decorations, the wind is really strong now and it's difficult to walk around although it isn't cold and the sky is blue. We pop into an art gallery where there is an exhibition of paintings by artist Rene Seyssaud and then back to the car and onto our hotel in Clamensane.

    We are later than usual arriving at the hotel as we have stayed here before and therefore we know where to find it. When the owner answers our knock at the door he tells us the hotel is closed for 3months and it is not possible that we have booked for the night. Booking.com have obviously made a mistake as we have the paperwork but it's already 5.30pm and we need a bed for tonight. He sends us a few miles to another village but the place is closed up, we head back to the main road north and try one or two places before we finally settle on a hotel on the road to Gap. It's one of the few places with tea making facilities and a fridge and as we have bought a salad and some hummus (& wine) we eat in our room.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Auvergne-Rhone Alpes region
    Chambre d'hote at Macon

    Wednesday

    September 20, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    20th September
    Our hotel is in Tallard, near Gap in the Haute-Alpes, Provence region and the nearby aerodrome is the best known centre in France for parachute activities. We watch some sky diving as we have breakfast, the manager is very friendly and keeps coming to chat to us. There is a lovely blue sky this morning and we see a black squirrel as we leave.
    We drive through the centre of Gap which is very busy, the area between Gap and Grenoble is stunningly beautiful and there are a few white clouds around the top of the Alps. We are following Route Napoleon which is the D1085, it's actually the route taken by Napoleon in 1815 on his return from Elba.
    We are staying in a very unusual chambre d'hote in Macon tonight, it's decorated in an eastern style. It is just a few feet away from the River Saone and when we walk alongside we see a kingfisher land on the side of a boat and then take off again. Our host is a charming woman and she brings us glasses of red wine and tomatoes from the garden. There is a kitchen and I think she said she would bring us breakfast to our room in the morning, we'll see...    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Burgundy Region
    BeauneBeaune

    Thursday

    September 21, 2017 in France ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    21st September
    We cannot see the River when we wake up, it's covered in mist and when we leave Macon at 10.30am the temperature is only 9c although the mist is slowly rising.
    We did have our petit-dejeuner delivered to our room this morning but we went looking for it at 9.30am as we didn't understand that it would be left in a little passageway between her house and our room!
    Around noon the sun starts to shine, we stop in Beaune which is a walled town in the centre of Burgundy and sit outside at a cafe for coffee, (George has a Kir)! The day has turned really hot and it is lovely to sit and watch the world go by. We continue our drive north heading for Nancy in the Moselle region. We see lots of large birds, buzzards, kites and at least one eagle. We are now in the Burgundy region and we drive through miles of vineyards in the valleys and slopes west of the Saone, We drive through Dijon, the capital of the Burgundy region with its trams and canals, it's lovely to keep off the payage today. We see some beautiful towns including Nuits St George's and Neuf Chateau, we drive over La Moselle River.
    We stop off at a supermarket to buy something to eat tonight as we are getting tired of eating out every night. It is about 6.30pm when we arrive at Dommartin-sous-Amance, we are staying in a farmhouse tonight and are met by at least four very friendly dogs. We hope to have a look around Nancy tomorrow as we are just too tired tonight.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Ferme du Montheu
    Healthy lunch in Luxembourg!Chateau in Marche-en-Famenne

    Friday

    September 22, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Breakfast in France, lunch in Luxembourg & dinner in Belgium just about sums up today! North East France is not a very popular tourist destination but it is an attractive area and includes the historic cities of Verdun, Metz, Nancy and Strasbourg. It is very rural, we see lots of cows and there are large areas of forest similar to The Black Forest area of Germany. We arrive in Luxembourg, fuel is only €1 which is the cheapest we've seen this trip, we stop for lunch at a very upmarket shopping centre and George buys me some earrings.
    On into Belgium, no stopping or checks, we are staying in a really lovely chambre d'hote in the Ardennes and there is a chateau just around the corner. The owners are lovely people and the family Jack Russell is called Yoko, he's very friendly too.
    Tonight we drive a couple of miles into Marche-en-Famenne and eat at a Moroccan restaurant, I have chicken with cous cous and George orders chicken pastilla which is a mixture of chicken, almonds and spices in a thin pastry, both delicious. I order mint tea, forgetting that the Moroccan's automatically sweeten it, so I have to order another pot without sugar. George drinks the first pot!    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Alkmaar
    AlkmaarAlkmaarAlkmaar

    Saturday

    September 23, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    23rd September
    Our 45th wedding anniversary today, we have a lovely Belgian breakfast before heading to our final destination of the trip, Amsterdam. It is very misty again as we set off but by 11am the sun is shining and around 12noon we arrive at the Dutch border. We are on the A9 and directly under the flight path into Schipol Airport, planes are flying in every couple of minutes. We arrive at our hotel in Alkmaar which is north of Amsterdam and we have to park in a car park a few minutes away. The friendly young women in charge at the hotel speak very good English and we have a cup of coffee with them before going to our room.
    Tonight is a shopping event in Alkmaar and we set out to see what's happening. There are lots of people walking around and even more cycling around. Tall people on large bikes, hundreds of bicycles parked all over the city, it seems strange to see people dressed up to go out and riding a bicycle. There are so many cafes and restaurants to choose from, many with outside heaters as although it's a lovely evening it is getting cooler all the time. The shops are open until 11pm tonight and the streets are lit up with fairy lights, there are musicians and singers everywhere. A great atmosphere and a fabulous place.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    Amsterdam
    AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam

    Sunday

    September 24, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌫 12 °C

    24th September
    The hotel is called Stad & Land and the train station is just across the road which is ideal for our trip to Amsterdam. Breakfast is served in the bar and it's very busy when we go in around 9.30am, we're not sure if everyone is a resident or if it's the place to be for Sunday breakfast in Alkmaar. We are welcomed by two of the young women we met yesterday and one of them kindly offers to print a map showing where we go when we get off the train.
    Amsterdam is an extremely busy place with a staggering amount of people on bikes and thousands of bikes parked around the city. It's easy to believe that there are more bicycles than people in The Netherlands. It is misty when we catch the train but the sun soon breaks through and we enjoy walking by the side of the Canals and over some of the fantastic bridges. So many people but we manage to find an outside table in the sun and we have drinks and share a plate of hot nachos with jalapeños & cheese. Today is the warmest weather of our trip and we are the furthest north.    Read more

  • Rosemary PlattsEuropean Road TripTraveler
    The Cheese Museum
    The Cheese MuseumThe Cheese Museum

    Monday

    September 25, 2017 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    25th September
    It is quite cool this morning and after a good breakfast we pack up for the last time. We visit the Cheese Museum in Alkmaar which is really interesting and informative and we are given a couple of pieces of cheese to eat while we watch a film about the history of cheese-making in the Netherlands. We set off for the ferry in good time and make a detour to the coast, we have lunch and a walk in a place called Katwijk. Arriving at the ferry around 5pm, we are soon on board and in our cabin, we have a drink in the sunset lounge and then go into dinner around 7pm before it gets too busy. It has been a fantastic three weeks, we have stayed in so many different places it's hard to remember them all and we have travelled through eight different countries. Looking forward to getting back home tomorrow, we are due into Hull early so we should be back home in Scawby by 8.30amRead more

  • Trip end
    September 27, 2017
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