Finland-Finland-Finland....: Early days - Southern England and Northern France

Introduction

This blog has 3 main purposes:

1. To serve as a memory jerker for us

2. To let friends and relations know where we are and what we are doing

3. To provide hints and tips for other motorhomers who visit the same areas

Mon 29th April 2019

We have a week of visiting friends and relations before we begin in earnest. So today we set off to see my niece near Reading, and her new daughter Hazel, before moving on to Horsham to see Alan and Libby, and spend a couple of nights on their drive. I joined the RN with Alan, in 1963. We met up again at a Fisgard reunion a few years ago.

Tues 30th April

Near to Horsham are Leonardslee gardens. They used to be famous for their azaleas and rhododendrons, but was bought by a Russian oligarch and closed to the public for 7 years, during which time the gardens went to rack and ruin. They have now been bought by a South African vineyard owner, and are being restored to their former glory. They reopened to a blaze of publicity a few weeks ago - and the car park was chock a block.

56 years after joining up together (but not Libby!)

It was at this point I realised I had left the charger for my camera batteries at home. Drat! (or words to that effect). Amazon to the rescue I took out Prime membership, and ordered a replacement to be sent to a post office in Hastings.

Wed 1st May

Next stop, Hastings, where we both grew up. We spent the night in the car park of the White Hart, Guestling, just on the edge of Hastings. Pauline, a neighbour from our old days in Hastings, joined us for a drink..

Thurs 2nd May

And move just a couple of miles to Hastings see Rosemary's elderly Aunt Stella, 86. Despite her age, she walked 1 1/2 mile down to Hastings Old Town for a meal at Whites, in George Street (excellent - recommended!) before walking into Hastings town centre and catching a bus back - and I collected my replacement battery charger. To my relief, it was both the right one - and worked.

with Auntie Stella at Whites, George St, Hastings

Thence on to Dover sea front for the night, ready for a ferry tomorrow.

Fri 3rd May

Caught the 0925 P&O ferry to Calais. Normally we go to Dunkerque, because it is less prone to industrial action. However we are spending the weekend at a chateau at Dohem, about 25 miles from Calais, to celebrate the 70th birthday of another old navy friend, Brian. We have Sally Satnav set up to avoid toll roads - but somehow she took us onto a peage. Because of the van size we are charged as Class 2 - often double the car rate, and we have been hit with some expensive tolls. However, this one was only €4

Sat/Sub 4/5th May

This is a lovely chateau, beautifully decorated. Since Brian booked it it has appeared on television, featuring a hen party. Since then bookings and prices have gone through the roof. Swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym room, sauna (none of which are of huge interest for me) and only half an hour from Calais. It has taken most of the weekend to find our way around. Unfortunately, it has been very cold, and a fair bit of rain:(

Brian the birthday boy

Connor, Leanne, Catherine, Tom

The ladies of the house...

Full group minus the photographer


McCormick siblings

Mon 6th May

Time to move on, lots of farewell hugs. We headed back to St Omer to use the bunkerage facilities, top up with gas for cooking and heating, and diesel. Now set for another 600 miles driving - our first 2 vans could only manage 150 miles on a tank of fuel. We have set a course for Vilnius, about 1200 miles, and got as far as the Belgian/German border near Aachen before stopping for the night at an aire near Kelmis. 4 free neat and spacious plots marked out on tarmac, by a park. Some horrendous traffic around Liege

Tues 7th May

A long drive today - 422 miles. We have set Sally for Vilnius, and are following her route blindly. That is, we are not noting where she is taking us, just going there - and we have found ourselves back in Dresden, one of our favourite cities. It did mean we kept driving than we would have done, just to reach Dresden for the night. Some horrendous queues at road works in the old East Germany - and when we reached the end, it was just 3 men with a small hot tar machine sealing the joins in a small portion of concrete motorway. But this new van can hurtle down a motorway at 75, no problem. Our last van, being mainly fibre glass, would flex and twist like banshee at over 60, making it quite scary to go too fast.

The view of Dresden through our windscreen

We are at the same aire we stayed in for our last 2 visits, just over the Elbe river from the old town, an ideal position. €15 per 24 hours, electricity included.

922 miles. And diesel is much cheaper in Germany than UK, France or Belgium

Wed 8th May

We spent the day in Dresden - only a 10 minute walk over the bridge. Visited all the places we visited last Time - coffee in Dresden 1900 (which has an old tram inside - I asked how they got it in, and they said they built the cafe around it), the Frauenkirche - an absolutely beautiful church destroyed in thw 1945 firebombing of Dresden, and rebuilt in only 7 years after reunification, lunch at Kunst Cafe Antik - superb food, great value, and in an antique shop. A MUST if you visit Dresden, then up the Frauenkirche dome - we haven't done that before, and finally tea and cake at Grand Cafe Castelpalais.

Last time we were here we went to see the ballet Manon at the nearby opera house. We wondered whether there was an opera today we could see - the cheap seats are really quite cheap - and tonight's opera is "4.48 Psychosis" - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/21/sarah-kane-448-psychosis-play-opera-royal-opera-house-guildhall - an opera about suicidal depression and mental illness - what a jolly opera for a Gilbert and Sullivan fan! We didn't book tickets!