Gone for a while

[Blogwitch]

Cheers all round as I won't be poking my nose in anywhere.

I have just spent the last week getting my car ready for it's annual trip to Bulgaria, a round trip of about 4 something thousand miles. 5 days there, 14 days holiday and 5 days back. But I will be on my own as the partner is flying there just after I should arrive. That being said, I just might make it 3 days each way as I don't have to have piddle stops every hour and the hotel has been warned that our apartment may be needed a couple of days earlier.

The main problem I have had is getting the charging system set up in the boot (trunk) for charging the mobility scooter batteries, plus making sure everything will fit in there. I also had to check my emergency puncture set is still in date and nothing is missing from everything that needs to be carried, I could fill the boot just with the bits that are required by law, and the French are terrible for those sorts of things, I have even had to buy new breathalysers as the others were a month out of date, but at least the old ones have nice glass tubes that can be used for something in the shop.

Well my partner, Phyl, has her own house and land there, but because of bad builders and her not overseeing them, the main roof has collapsed (the house is about 150 years old), so we are going around and try to sell her property as is and maybe buy a brand new one instead. I saw some last year, and they were fabulous, some even having an attached massive barn that my shop will fit easily into. If I sell my house here, it would buy 3 mansions out there, with the cost of living about 1/3rd of what it is here.
I know for a fact it will do us both good, the warm weather and being by the Black Sea will reduce our maladies by half, as it has done for the last 3 years we have been there.

I have already sold some of my none wanted workshop bits, and geared up for getting everything up and running by the end of June, so looking forwards to that.
There will be more stuff for sale after I get back from holiday and doing some more sorting, mainly casting sets that I will never be able to finish, so you lads that live fairly close to me, keep an eye out for some bargains.

Enough of this mumbo jumbo, you lads have a good time in your shops while I am away enjoying myself.

John

 

[stragenmitsuko]

Have a great holliday John . :thumbup:

 

[Shelton]

Have a great holiday and safe travels on that long drive.

 

[Blogwitch]

Thanks Pat and Angie for the well wishes. I really do hope I will enjoy things to the full.
I love driving, even by myself, it is one thing I don't need any help doing, everything is fully automatic, including adaptive cruise control and auto parking. In fact one of my previous jobs involved me driving on the continent for two months of the year.

Still trying to help members, just to make aware to anyone driving on the continent by yourself, get one of these, especially if driving in some ex communist countries where there still aren't many motorways, Romania is one, it will allow you to overtake those juggernauts on B class roads without having to go into the centre of the road to see if it is safe to overtake, they work just great.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KRUGOZOR-...ND-LHD-CARS-/182563114486?hash=item2a819c0df6

It would also help anyone driving a LHD car in the UK.


John

 

[goldstar31]

Very interesting information although I've had to sell my Spanish car and sell the last of my other 'homes' here and abroad.
Of course, I'm too old to hire cars and have had to get rid of 'our' cars apart from a little shopping trolley.
What is important- and I would thank you, is that my son still has his 'farmhouse' in the Dordogne and I'm going to buy him a suggested mirror.

Safe journey and I look forward to reading your future 'epistles'

Regards

Norm

 

[Blogwitch]

I don't think he will be disappointed Norm.

I leave mine fitted and it is nice to be able to 'see' around both sides of any vehicle in front of you, especially when coming up to junctions or when going past schools or other unsafe areas.

John

 

[Cogsy]

Have a good trip John. Sounds like a lot of fun. If all goes well I'm hoping to be sent off to Exeter for a lab internship around the end of the year, and I'm hoping to see a bit of central Europe while I'm in the general region. Probably more hitch-hiking and bus trips than driving though.

 

[Blogwitch]

Al, for the last 15 years, I haven't seen a single genuine hitch hiker, sign around neck, backpack and thumb in the air on any European roads or rest stops I have been going down.
I think it is because of the unrest caused by illegals trying to get across the channel. You do see a few of them in bands walking along the side of the roads, but no one will ever stop or get near to them.

Personally, I wouldn't take the chance as there are so many illegal immigrants about in Europe, mainly from Syria and Afghanistan, a lot of them living rough, you might be subject to unforeseen unwelcome advances, like 'give me all your money' or worse when they jump out from behind a bush with a big stick in their hand. Nasty sorts of things like that were happening around Calais port up to about 6 months ago when the police and army moved in and sorted them out, destroying their shanty town and putting up very high fences.

My car doors automatically lock within within a couple of seconds of driving away, and they don't become unlocked until I get to where I want to go.

Best of luck on your jaunts to southern UK.

John

 

[Cogsy]

Thanks for the advice John. Looks like buses and trains then. Pity, as I was hoping to see a bit of countryside along the way, stopping in small towns, etc. I'm sure it'll still be fun though.

 

[Blogwitch]

Al,

Coach operators like Shearings in the UK

http://www.shearings.com/sub-coach-holidays

For short breaks

http://www.shearings.com/our-holidays/europe-and-worldwide/european-short-breaks/by-coach

all in, for not a lot of money. Usually 4 or 5 days with some meals and accommodation included. They pick up from most large towns in the UK and shuttle you to their depot in the south for your tunnel or ferry crossing onto the continent, then carry you to your final destination.
A couple of my friends do it every few months for the wine and duty free ciggies. I normally drive them to the local pickup point and pick them up when they return.

There are other cheaper operators with almost the same tours but Shearings is the best organised, you don't touch your bags or cases from the time you first get on the coach until you arrive at your destination hotel on the continent. They also have some really nice tours around the UK if you fancy seeing red headed Celtic men wearing skirts and playing some sort of dead screeching animal.

John

 

[goldstar31]

Of course, the classic lark is to go to a car auction and buy a cheap MOT'd car and on your return down under 'flog it back' at an auction.

 

[Blogwitch]

Well, I got there and back safe and sound. 2200 miles there in 2.5 days with one hotel stop, 40 hours back, door to door covering just over 1900 miles, with just a small car park sleep early in the morning and a 1.5 hour ferry crossing from France.

The better trip back was due to me letting the satnav choose the route, sticking mainly to A class roads and motorways, and it managed to miss out almost all of the mountain passes in Romania and slid me up against Serbia, but not entering it, it managed to cut out half of Hungary and Austria as well. Once set up, it was just a matter of setting up the interactive cruise control on the max speed I wanted it to go (usually 130KPH), then I just let the car control the top speed and braking by itself and I just had to steer it, it really did gobble up the miles.

One major thing I have noticed is how badly the Belgians drive. When overtaking something, they just won't go over the speed limit by 1 KPH, so they sit there in queues like sheep, waiting to to overtake on a totally clear motorway in front.

Mind you, I also noticed the same thing happening in the UK as well with all the new speed laws being introduced, cars jumping in and out of lanes, again never going 1% over the speed limit. It really does slow things down when doing long distances, but there still doesn't seem a reduction in the number of accidents I came across.
Germany has the right idea, no speed limits in certain stretches of the motorways and no overtaking lorries allowed, again, they have to travel in convoy on certain stretches, you can get through Germany in no time. I set my max speed at 160 KPH (100 MPH), and at times, I felt as though I was standing still with other motorists overtaking me.

All this came with a reading of 55MPG from a 1.6 litre diesel and with fuel on the Eastern EU states being about 2/3rds of UK costs, it turned out to be a very cheap driving holiday, and even cheaper hotel stay once we got there.


John

 

[goldstar31]

John
Glad to hear that you are back safe and sound. My own driving in Europe ( excluding the Balearics) was never as cheap as this.
Probably 40 mpg and \adding French motorway tolls and Austrian Vignettes made it a lot more- and then there was the obligatory Euro for a German 'pee'.

Just had the lad home from the Dordogne and he's turning round for a business visit to Kosovo. About the same distance as you but the air flights have worked out at about £1750 return.

Apparently he's packing his granddad's old tin hat and a flak jacket!

Regards

N

 

[Lance]

I also had to check my emergency puncture set is still in date and nothing is missing from everything that needs to be carried, I could fill the boot just with the bits that are required by law, and the French are terrible for those sorts of things, I have even had to buy new breathalysers as the others were a month out of date, but at least the old ones have nice glass tubes that can be used for something in the shop.

John

Glad you had a nice vacation, but now you have my curiosity up. What is required by law that you have to carry on a trip? Also you have to supply your own breathalyzers? I don't indulge personally, but talk about adding insult to injury, making you supply something they are going to bust you with.

Here in the USA, the younger generation cannot change a flat, let alone jump a battery!! If they can't fix it with a cell phone, forget it.

Lance

 

[goldstar31]

Here in the USA, the younger generation cannot change a flat, let alone jump a battery!! If they can't fix it with a cell phone, forget it.

Lance

I can understand this although I passed my driving test on a 1935 Morris 8 car and a Silent LE Velocette bike. City and Guilds Motor Vehicle Restoration-- and All that Jazz!
Today's car is built to such quality standards that it is unlikely to break down- until it is out of its guarantee/warrantee period. If it does break down it is a 'computer analysis' which precludes the ordinary driver to Do It Yourself. If part of an engine management unit fails it is no longer a situation where one spends a couple of coins at the local store for points , a condenser and a set of plugs.

As for tyres/tires, the chances of a blow out are much less than when they had separate inner tubes. My three year old car came with no spare and all it had was a sticky goo aerosol and an electric pump. I bought a spare wheel, jack and whatever- because I'm an old fashioned obsolete dodo.

That was for the Skoda, part of VW Group.

However, the Merc came with full size spare wheel,tools, inflator, a first aid kit, warning triangle and spare light bulbs and a pair of fluorescent safety jackets. One of the previous ones came - without a radio!

Today, my son reported that his French hire car had every conceivable gadget including a sat nav which used to be crushed if found.

One doesn't need to be able to do hand signals, double de-clutch and get someone to walk in front -waving a red flag. Apart from the use of a red flag, that is where I started- but things have changed.

 

[Blogwitch]

Lance,
I keep away from France as much as possible, just a mad dash from Belgium to the channel port of Calais. That is because they will make any excuse to stop you and check. I found this out many years ago when having to go with my job through France late at night, and it is France which seems to always bring out new rules and regs that you have to follow, and soon most other EU countries follow along.

Because I could be really stuck in the ex communist blocks, Hungary, Serbia, if I take a wrong turn, Romania and Bulgaria if anything goes wrong with the car, I had to make sure that I have enough in an emergency to get me going again. A full sized spare wheel (this is needed if you want to make headway as any other method will only allow you to travel no more than 50MPH). These include the sticky goo and reinflator kit and as a very last resort, rubber reamer with stick in plugs to repair fairly small leaks.

Most Euro countries make it a legal requirement to carry such things as a florescent jacket, first aid kit, breathalysers, warning triangle, headlight beam deflectors, a full set of replacement bulbs and also some require that you carry spare fuel and water.
Because I am covered for breakdown in any EU country because of my disabilities, getting that help could take hours so I kitted myself out with such items as electric car jack and nut wrench to at least try to help myself, plus also a starter pack to get me going if I end up with a dead battery.
I have only ever had to call rescue out just the once, and that was last year when I left my coolbox plugged in overnight and I ended up with a flat battery. It took over two hours to get me started up and on my way from lower Austria.

So basically, I carry everything I might need to get me quickly out of trouble, whether that is on a German Autobahn or a 50 mile long goat track in the lower half of Romania.

Also been mentioned that any roads after Germany going east require 'vignettes' to travel. These can sometimes be daily ones but most go from 5 or 6 days up to a month for the country you are traveling in, not usually too expensive, just a few Euro for say a six day one in Hungary to about the same for a one month one in Bulgaria. Well worth buying as if the police catch you without one, you will end up with a hefty fine. There are usually kiosks selling them just inside the border of each country. For Hungary, they recommend you keep the out of date vignette for at least a year, I don't know why, but it has been stated that they do check up on this. I just keep the old ones in my car, just in case I get a ticket for speeding or something like that after I get home.

I also carry a good selection of small coins as there are usually charges for going to the toilet on the motorways. Don't have any coins? then there is an attendant who can usually let you in if you are desperate.

John