Scandinavia June / July 2005

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Diary

Sunday 10 July fine, 30°C - Oslo , Norway - Goteborg , Sweden

·        Up @ 8:30, had breakfast etc, packed up van

·        Left camp @ 9:45, drove onto E18, heading south, then onto E6

·        Crossed into Sweden then found automatic petrol station, only had a little Swedish Kroner (SEK), so put 150 SEK = 12.82 litres, @ 43289 (6003kms since leaving Edinburgh)

·        Then found another station, filled tank (41.87 litres = 497 SEK, @ 43317 kms), paid in NOK (1 NOK = 1.1 SEK), change in SEK

·        Drove on south, mainly motorway, stopped for lunch @ roadside café (open sandwiches and cakes) then on again

·        Arrived @ Goteborg 2:15, found camp (same one as the first time here, Liseburg Camping Karrulund) and checked in, parked and set up (390 SEK for 1 night (high season now))

·        Relaxed in shade, walked down to shop and back

·        Tea @ 7:00 (meatballs and pesto) then walked around camp, full camp now, Swedish / Norwegian holiday season

Monday 11 July fine, 30°C - Goteborg , Sweden to Middelfart , Denmark

·        Up @ 8:30, packed up van etc

·        Left camp @ 9:45, drove to Partille, picked up stuff from storage, repacked van then left @ 10:30

·        Drove to E20 then south from Goteborg

·        Lots of motorway driving

·        Stopped @ Melbystrand, north of Bastard!, did some grocery shopping, @12:30

·        Had lunch @ McDonalds, sat outside, drew 1000 SEK

·        Left @ 1:45, back driving south on E20,

·        Stopped for petrol @ Angelholm, 50.22 litres = 586 SEK, @ 43672 kms

·        round Malmo then across Oresund bridge / tunnel (19 km bridge, 7 km tunnel), 285 SEK toll ( £22 ), into Denmark, @ 3:00

·        Stayed on E20, heading west, stopped for money @ Oreby, @ 4:25, then west again

·        Crossed from Zealand to Fyn across 12 km bridge, then 15 km low level bridge, toll 200 DKK (10 DKK = £1) @ 5:15

·        Kept driving west, turned off @ junction 59, drove to Middelfart, couldn’t find camp so asked taxi driver

·        Found camp ( Gals Klint Camping, 157 DKK), nice spot beside a waterway

·        Checked in and setup @ 6:30

·        Had tea (NZ Hoki and veggies) @ 7:00, AC had 600ml bottle of Heiniken (first beer in 5 weeks), 3.5% alc, 13 SEK / £1!

·        Out for a walk @ 9:00 along the beach next to the camp, relaxed

Tuesday 12 July fine, 30°C - Middelfart , Denmark to Durneberg , Germany

·        Up @ 8:30, packed up van etc, left camp @ 9:30

·        Drove through town to find bank to change money, closed until 10:00

·        Left town, filled up with petrol (50.50 litres = 487.83 DKK, @44034 kms)

·        Onto E20 then onto E45 heading south, very flat country

·        Into Germany @ 11:00, back on autobahn (E45 / A7), fast drivers

·        Drove through Hamburg then turned off @ Harburg drew €100 (£60)

·        Had lunch @ Burger King then back on A7, got petrol (45.23 litres = €58.08, @ 44367 kms), now done over 7000 kms since leaving Edinburgh

·        Back on road south, flat countryside, then into Harz mountains, past Hanover

·        Turned off @ Durneburg, found camp, checked in (Seecamp Durneburg, €18 for 1 night), set up @ 4:00

·        Sat in the shade, went for a walk around the camp then relaxed

·        Tea @ 7:00 (beef curry) then out for a walk along the road, looked across to Schloss Derneburg then back to camp

Wednesday 13 July fine, 30°C - Derneburg to Stuttgart , Germany

·        Up @ 8:30, packed up van, left @ 9:30, drove through surrounding area then onto A7, and drove south

·        Exited @ Kassel @11:15, drove around looking for money exchange, no joy so drew money (€100), then found supermarket and bought groceries, had sandwiches for lunch, back on the road @ 1:15

·        South again, off @ junction 17 @ Stuttgart , drove through town, found camp ground @ 6:00 (Cannstatt Camping, €18 for 1 night), set up

·        Walked to nearby pool @ 7:00 (€6 ea), left again @ 8:00, walked back to camp

·        Had tea @ 8:30 (wurst and corn), relaxed

Thursday 14 July fine, 30°C - Stuttgart , Germany to Zurich , Switzerland

·        Up @ 8:30, packed up van and left @ 9:30

·        Drove through centre of Stuttgart then onto A81, south

·        Stopped at service station for drinks, drew €50

·        Into Switzerland @ 12:00, then towards Zurich , bought vignette for motorway (40 SF) (2.3 SF = £1 = €1.50)

·        Caught in traffic through Zurich then to campground (Camping Seebucht, SF36 for 1 night), checked in for 2 nights, camp very full, Ironman being run starting just along form camp in Sunday

·        Walked up to Wallishofen, changed money (70 SEK, 100 DKK and 700 NOK = 148SF)

·        Bought day ticket (tagekarte) covering buses, trams, trains and boats, 7.60SF ea

·        Caught tram into town (No 7), got off @ Hauptbahnhof, walked around shopping area, bought street map, walked over river and went to internet place (5SF for 30 minutes), surfed net

·        Liz rang Alec Baxter @ futurewatch.ch and got interview Friday @ 1:30pm

·        Walked back to Hauptbahnhof, then down Bahnhofstrasse

·        Went to starbucks @ 5:30, got free wifi internet access, Liz had to go buy power adapter (british to Swiss, 2.80SF)

·        Walked to lake end of Bahnhofstrasse and caught boat @ 7:00 to Wallishofen, walked back to camp (10 minutes)

·        Relaxed then had tea (chicken and veggies) @ 8:00

Friday 15 July fine, 30°C - Zurich

·        Up @ 8:30, had breakfast etc

·        Did some washing then sat outside in the shade

·        Liz got changed and we left @ 12:00, walked along road and caught bus to Enge Bahnhof (still using ticket from yesterday)

·        Drew 200SF, had lunch @ café (36SF for toast Hawaii and omelette)

·        Liz went to interview with agency (not promising)

·        AC went to Hauptbahnhof, bought Swisscom prepaid phone card (49SF for 20SF credit + special this month extra 25SF) (have to register card in Switzerland ), then walked to Stabucks off Bahnhofstrasse, bought drink and surfed net

·        Liz arrived @ 2:30

·        Walked back to Hauptbahnhof, phone card not working, replaced it, bought groceries,  then caught train @ 4:45, S8 to Wollishofenbahnhof then bus back to camp

·        Relaxed in the limited space we have

·        Down to the lake in the camp for a while then tea @ 7:00 (pork cutlets and veggies) relaxed

·        Dark @ 10:00

Saturday 16 July showers / cloudy / thunderstorms / fine, 28°C - Zurich

·        Up @ 9:00, had breakfast etc

·        Caught tram from Wallishofen bahnhof to Central then tram 4 to Tiefbrunnen, on other side of lake to camp

·        Walked through park beside Zurichsee back to town, walked through fairground, went up ferris wheel (8SF ea), 20m high

·        Walked around shops then to Coop restaurant for lunch

·        Walked back along east side of river then back to Bahnhofstrasse

·        Caught tram to Hauotbahnhof to look in shops

·        AC bought new shoes for work (80SF / £30)

·        Went to McDonald to use toilet and get drink, then to Coop to do grocery shopping

·        Caught tram 11 to Burkliplatz, then caught 4:00 boat to Wallishofen Bahnhof, watched the lightning around before we got on, poured with rain as we got off the boat, then stopped 5 minutes later

·        Caught bus back to camp (practise day / support race day for the ironman today, road outside camp partially blocked off), arr 4:30

·        Relaxed

·        Tea @ 7:00 (ceasar salad)

·        Out for a walk @ 7:30, along the road, sat by the lake, back @ 8:15

Sunday 17 July fine, 34°C - Zurich

·        Up @ 9:00, had breakfast then walked to Wallishofen bahnhof @ 10:00 (ironman on, cycling of road outside camp)

·        Bought Canton wide day ticket (22SF ea) then caught S8 to Hauptbahnhof, changed to S10 train @ 11:30 for ride up to Uetlikon Station (820m above sea level) then walked up to top of hill, then up tower to 900m above sea level

·        Nice view, a bit hazy

·        Walked back down to train @ 12:30 then back to Hbf (Hauptbahnhof)

·        Had lunch (pizza slices) @ station then caught river boat down to Burkliplatz then waited for lake boat, stood and watched the ironmen

·        Got on lake boat @ 2:30 and sailed to Rapperswil at southern end of lake, arrived @ 4:15 (all travel today covered by day card), sat in the sun on the way and got burnt

·        Walked around Rapperswil then over part of the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland

·        Drew 200SF

·        Caught S5 train from Rapperswil @ 5:30, back to Hbf @ 6:00

·        Caught S16 to airport, to have a look around (only shops open on Sunday are airport and Hbf)

·        Liz bought Sunday Times from UK (9.50SF / £4), tea in food court

·        Train back to Hbf then tram to Wallishofen Bhf then bus to camp @ 8:30

·        Relaxed, read paper

Monday 18 July fine / thunder showers, 28°C - Zurich

·        Up @ 8:30, had breakfast etc

·        Into town (bus) then walked to internet place surfed the net

·        Walked along Bahnhofstrasse, bought a washing basin then had a drink in Coop

·        Walked to Hauptbahnhof, caught triain to Wallishofen, bus to camp @ 1:00

·        Bought groceries @ camp shop then sat in van, watched rain and had lunch

·        Did some washing, sun out, then rain again

·        Tea @ 7:00 (cordon bleu schnitzel and veggies)

Tuesday 19 July showers / fine / showers, 25°C - Zurich

·        Up @ 9:00, had breakfast etc, spent the morning looking at options, jobs in Zurich nearly impossible without German, booked ferry back to uk for Monday from Le Havre

·        Out @ 11:30 walked to Wallishofen Bhf, bought dayticket and caught tram to Enge Bhf

·        Had lunch @ McDonalds then caught No. 6 tram up to Zoo (22 SF ea), walked around zoo

·        Tram back down @ 3:00, then short cablecar down to Niedorfstrasse

·        Walked along and checked emails then walked around town, up Linderhof  then through old town

·        Walked across Limmat then did some grocery shopping, caught bus to camp @ 5:30

·        Relaxed

·        Tea @ 7:00 (pasta and sauce)

Wednesday 20 July cloudy / heavy rain overnight, 23°C - Zurch to St Die, France

·        Up @ 8:30, had breakfast, packed up van, left camp @ 10:00, got petrol (41.87 litres = 66 SF, @ 45265)

·        Drove through town then onto A1 then A3 to Basel , stopped to change money (20SF = €11) crawled through Basel (roadworks and windy motorway), then onto A35 north in France

·        Turned off @ Colmar and onto N415 into hills (Massif Vosges) to St Die, arr 1:00

·        Parked in town (most shops shut 12:00 - 2:00, camp shut till 3:00)

·        Had lunch @ Creperie (cheese, egg and ham savoury crepe, €8 ea), then wandered around town (shops open now), drew €90

·        Drove to camp @ 3:30, checked in (€25 for 1 night), parked and set up, relaxed

·        Out for a ride @ 5:30 to town pool (€5.50 ea) for a swim, back to camp @ 6:30

·        Tea @ 7:30 (chicken breasts and pasta)

Thursday 21 July cloudy / fine, 25°C - St Die to Epernay , France

·        Up @ 8:30, had breakfast, packed van etc, left @ 9:30

·        Onto N59 northwest, around Nancy , stopped for petrol @ 10:30 (39.61 litres = €48.28, @ 45540 kms (8200 kms since leaving Edinburgh ))

·        Drove west from Nancy on N4 then N44 to Chalons-en-Champagne, went to mall for lunch (calamari and corden-bleu pork, €12), drew €100

·        Got grocery shopping in Carrefour

·        Drove west on RD3 to Epernay (home to Champagne cellars Moet Chandon etc)

·        Found camp (Municipal Camp, €15 for 1 night), parked and set up @ 3:00

·        Relaxed then out for a bike ride to town (1 km), walked around town

·        Back to camp @ 7:00, had tea @ 7:30 (beef noodles)

Friday 22 July cloudy / fine, 27°C - Epernay to Rouen , France

·        Up @ 9:00, had breakfast, packed up van

·        Left camp @ 10:00, drove north on N51 to Reims then west on N31

·        Stopped for petrol @ Soisson ( 46.27 litres = €55.25 @ 45855 kms)

·        Carried on west to Compiegne , stopped @ Carrifour mall for lunch and sugar @ 12:30

·        Left @ 1:30, crossed A1, still on N31 through to Rouen , missed signs for camp, wound up south of town, back to town, foud right road then to camp ( Camp Municipal , Deville Les Rouen, €26 for 2 nights) @ 4:30

·        Set up and relaxed

·        Tea @ 7:30 (Chicken curry, gas ran out ), out for a walk @ 8:30, got icecreams, drew €100

Saturday 23 July cloudy, 24°C - Rouen , France

·        Up @ 9:00, had breakfast

·        Caught bus into city @ 10:15 (€1.30 ea)

·        Walked to Cathedral, then along Rue de Gros Horloge (main shopping street) to Place du Vieux-Marche

·        Found internet place and checked emails etc

·        Went into Church of Joan of Arc (she was burned in the square) then wandered through the streets

·        Had lunch in rue de Carmes @ 1:00

·        Walked to Hotel de ville (town hall) then through to St Maclou church

·        AC bought book @ English bookshop then wandered back to Cathedral

·        Caught bus back to camp @ 3:00

·        Relaxed, rang up about live-in jobs in Windemere, sounds interesting, have to ring back on Monday

·        Had tea @ 7:00 (sausages in rolls), walk around the streets @ 9:00

Sunday 24 July rain / cloudy / fine, 26°C - Rouen to Le Havre , France

·        Up @ 9:00, had breakfast, packed up van in the rain

·        Drove to N15 @ 10:00 then north and west, through heavy rain at times to Le Havre

·        Drove to docks then followed signs to camp (Camp Parc Montgeon, €13 for 1 night)

·        Set up in light rain @ 11:30, rain stopped and sun came out

·        Out for a bike ride through wood surrounding camp then to shop, bought bread stick, and groceries

·        Back to camp for lunch @ 1:30, relaxed in sun

·        Tea @ 7:00 (chicken and pesto), walk around the camp @ 8:30

Monday 25 July cloudy, 20°C - Le Havre , France to Winchester , England

·        Up @ 7:00, had breakfast, packied up van and left camp @ 7:30

·        Drove down to P&O dock and checked in @ 8:00 for ferry (“Pride of Portsmouth ”, cost £144) for Portsmouth (9:30 sailing), boarded @ 9:00

·        Had coffee and croissant, bought tickets for movie @ 11:00 (now on British time) (£4.50 ea, Batman Begins)

·        Sat and relaxed until 11:00 then watched movie, good movie

·        Had lunch @ 1:00 then outside to watch approach to Portsmouth , docked @ 2:15, off @ 2:45

·        Drove onto M275 then M27, off @ Southampton Airport

·        Got petrol then drove to Tescos for grocery shopping, drew £100 pounds

·        Onto M3 north then off at junction 10, drove to camp (Morn Hill, near Winchester , £13 for 1 night) and set up @ 4:00

·        Got full gas bottle (£11)

·        Tea @ 7:00 (stuffed chicken and veggies), walked around the camp then relaxed