# Northern Migration



## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

That's it ! the local bar by the beach has just put up the cost of a beer by 25%.
The main road is now difficult to cross; traffic has increased ten-fold.
Parking ? What parking ?
Strange sun-loving folks all over the place.

The Sun......now getting mighty hot, shade hopping essential when walking.
O.K. It's time to migrate North to cooler climes, rain and cloud. Lovely !
We are leaving tomorrow morning at errrrr sometime or other.. when we are ready.
Through Spain, probably making for Malavella, lovely little town, then up to the border and heading along the Southern coast of France towards Italy. Destination is Austria, just South of Vienna.
Plans ?....what Plans ? headings with no timetables, only skating too and fro to folks we want to visit.
Most Northerly: Hamburg. Most delightful: probably along the Moselle.
So that's six weeks taken care of.

Then it's thro Holland to a ferry and back to the UK.
Well we do want some rain and cloud.
Another five or so weeks in the UK then ferry to France and a leisurely wander thro' France to arrive back in Spain some time in September.


That's the plan anyway. It worked nicely for the last two summers. 

Wish us luck !


Bill and Dorli


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Good luck Bill and Dori


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

That sounds fabulous Bill - I love the lack of detailed planning - really, I do!


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

So far so good. At lake garda after an interesting drive along and under the Italian coast. We have another 600 kilometres to go to reach our friends in Austria. But for now......tomorrow will be a day on the bikes. Electric of course ! .My first time in Italy. Don't they speak funny ! !
Bill.
Dorli has been to Italy before. I notice she didn't learn much Italian.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Yes, I had thought Italian was very like Spanish but it isn't really.


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

jiwawa said:


> Yes, I had thought Italian was very like Spanish but it isn't really.


Interesting, when I worked a summer season in the IoM, the hotel had Italian Chefs and Waiters but Spanish kitchen hands, think they said they could understand 3 out of five words each. Certainly the curse words were easily understood between them and were the first bit of lingo I picked up. lol.

Terry


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

I learned Italian when I was 15 years old from the neighbours. They had daughters the same ages as my sister and myself and we spent many hours in their houses. I'd done 4 years Latin and 3 years French by then and within 6 months I could understand everything they were saying. My brother married one of their schoolfriends and they kept Italian as their home language so I managed to keep it alive in my head. Bit rusty now to speak it but was challenged on a recent flight back to SA, my seat neighbour a young girl of about 20 was on her way to stay with friends there and I assisted her through passport control as she didn't know a word of English. It's a pretty and expressive language!


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## terencepaul (Feb 8, 2018)

Good luck and safe travel. Sounds great. 
Curious to see Location, Costa Blanca is that home as I see you are going to the UK eventually?
Oops, Spain in September LOL


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Now eighteen years in Spain. Family and friends in Germany Austria and the UK. Our neighbours in Spain are mainly French so we think of ourselves as Europeans. Ain't the Continent great !
Drinking a lot of beer with lemonade and water. We haven't escaped the heat yet but we will be working on it !
Spent a lovely day in Lake Yards area yesterday. Today we are in Austria at Klagenfurt semi official parking in the municipal car park cos all MH places already full. Not surprised nearest camp places 35 euros plus.
Bill and Dorli


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

I dunno where Lake Yards is......I thought I wrote Lake Yards !
bill


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## terencepaul (Feb 8, 2018)

Super trip then, enjoy. 18 years huh and I guess many of those years in campers.
Lake Yards still LOL 
We have returned to campers after none since the kids grew up a few years back. The main reason being after ten years living in Turkey it enabled us to drive overland and bring our dog with us and any possessions we still wanted to hang onto.
There is certainly many more vans on the roads and it's been an eye opener to see the amount of northern Europeans coming and going to Spain.


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Today in Graz. Very nice reception at Premium Stellplatz. Twenty two euros inc leccy, swimming centrum next door. We were smothered with maps details bike routes bus routes tram routes museums and finally.......a large juicy apple each to munch! 
Services a plenty in a long line, bar, restaurant dog exercise area ......WOW ! What a setup. Very high, very large trees offering plenty of shade if required.
Finally..,....it has been raining. Are you following so far ?
p.s Graz is a beautiful city. I thought I should mention that !

Bill and Dorli


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

My nephew n family live in Graz - they have a wonderful lifestyle. Bit like UK 40-50yrs ago. Maybe we should send all our Brexit voters there?

No, wouldn't be fair on Graz.


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Have been country hopping tween Austria and Slovenia along a beautiful scenic route. Wine tasting of course, local food served while film crew was in attendance. The staff were dressed up in local costume for occasion. I was not asked for my autograph !
Thunderstorms aplenty at the moment. Today the girls took the opportunity to take the lads to shopping centres to keep out of the rain and browse as only the girls can do. Tomorrow we leave our friends to go to Vienna and expect to stay there for a couple of days. I am struggling with the local dialect, but Dorli, being German, has no problem. I am a source of amusement as I try to pronounce some the unpronounceables ( can't spell them either ).
Hop to become better educated! Some hope !

Bill and Dorli


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Austria and Slovenia were my 2 favourite countries for driving in, this last trip. Such beautiful scenery.


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Two very good points about travelling Austria: diesel is relatively cheap, lowest seen less than one euro fourteen perlitre.
Secondly, motorway rest places have services for motorhomes.
We have been studying the maps/info and through eyeball to plan our attack on the city tomorrow.
Old fogies have special travel rates ! I think we will qualify.
No idea where we will visit, but the castle at the very centre of Vienna will be the starting point.
Bill and Dorli


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

All previous thoughts about routes are abandoned. We are hopping from outdoor swimming pools with MH sites nearby.
Its a heatwave thing. Dorli, my trusty navigator is using Google with ..Freibad...outdoor swimming pool.....and town picked on the map. This is working well. We are spending our time under trees, listening to the millions of little ones enjoying the swimming during the heatwave. All systems working well, and all cold drinks topped with water and ice cubes.
What a life !
Bill and Dorli


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

That's the great thing about a MH trip Bill - you can just go with the flow.

Sounds great!


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Have been frozen out for a while from this site, now solved problem, but don't know how,
We are in a site by the Rhineland-Palatinate, bike ride from Koblenz. Weather now much kinder and bikes are the order of the day. Enjoying multi national campers from all over, and very helpful they have been. Shopping in Koblenz a must for the boss. 

We were astounded by the number of motor homes at the Lorelei part of the Rhine, must have been more than a thousand, no kidding. We didn't stop. 

Tomorrow visiting a family member near Bonn and expect to visit a known site that was very welcoming last year. Also want to visit a restaurant where I ordered four robber plates last year.
Theses are for children who are fed from morsels from their parents plates.
The owner saw the joke.
Shopping for sites takes up considerable time for Dorli as she looks for good prices without hidden additions but includes the basic services.
Enjoying Germany!


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Went on a school trip to Koblenz and the Lorelei in 1956. Think it cost my mum about a tenner. Still remember it all looking down on the rivers.

Ray.


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Shocking cost of using cash machine in Germany with a Spanish debit card. So much for EU unity. Four euros fifty cents per hundred at " free " cash points.
Fortunately we have been able to use card purchases for most things but there is always the case that it's cash only.
Since then we have discovered that Edeka supermarket give " cash back " after purchase of at least 10 euros ( possibly varies from place to place, and supermarket to supermarket ).
We have since checked to find out if any charges have been applied to these cashbacks, and found none. A nice money saver.
Some of you may have found similar cashback facilities in other markets and other EU countries. 

If so..... please let everyone know.
Sorry if we are teaching everyone to suck eggs !
Bill and Dorli.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Not sure about Germany Bill but I found they always told you when they were going to charge a fee and I'd just take my card n go elsewhere. Always found fee-free.


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Hi, Jiwawa. The bank charging money for card use is my bank in Spain where the debit card was issued. That was a surprise.
A little more research online turned up a list of fourteen supermarkets giving cashback ( Bargeld abheben ) some with 10 euro minimum purchase, others 20 euros, and cashback varies between 100 and 200 euros maximum.

Very useful !
Bill


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Hi Bill, I don't think it is anything to do with Germany, we stopped using our debit card for cash some years ago when our English bank put a charge on it.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes Jan, we terminated our UK MBNA, Barclaycard and Nat West credit cards about 15 years ago when they all put the usage charge up to 2.95%. We have been with the Post Office CC ever since. Fee free.!!!
For cash we move a lump (small) over once a year via Currency Fair to our French bank at a good rate and no fees. Other than that my pension goes directly into the French bank to cover utilities.

Ray.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

We still have our pensions paid into Nationwide and send money to currency fair when the rate is as good as it gets :frown2: then to our German bank.
We have a Nationwide credit card and they don´t charge when you shop, but do for cash withdrawals which we don´t need to do.
I made sure we had enough € for this year because who knows where the exchange rate will finish up.:frown2: and not using the credit card while the rate is low.


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