Breaking the Record
So far the record for a single trip in Europe has been a distance of 3470 kms and a day count of 16 (2017)... this one is just short of 7500kms lasting 28 days.
The road from Bulgaria to Belgium is pretty much the same done in September 2017 on our way back... see that blog for details. Its easier to just record some of the differences.
> Due to an early morning start from our base in Bulgaria, as well as having been to Belgrade before... we did a overnight stop just before the Serbian border with the intention to cross the whole length of Serbia the next day.
Dragoman northern Bulgaria.
Overnight spot before going across the border into Serbia
> Some mechanical problems ended that idea, forcing us to stay over, one third of the way into Serbia. A village called Jagodina. Although this was supposedly a bad" happening, it showed us another side to Serbian life which will cause us to make more time for Serbian villages in the future.
A relaxing Sunday waiting for the workshop to open on Monday.
> After the repair, with enough daylight to spare we managed to just cross the threshold of Serbia into Hungary ... discovering a gem by the name of Szeged.
Zseged an evening to remember
> Going to Budapest would have consumed another night. Having spent enough time there in 2017 we decided to just stay on the highway towards Austria.
> In 2017 we discovered a good camper van supply shop in Austria, needing a good fridge we went all the way there to get one.
> Having had an awesome experience of Austrian lakes in 2017 (Gnumden) we thought Mondsee would be similar, unfortunately it was crowded and over run by tourists... needless to say we did not bother to stay the night, immediately tackling the long road to Munich. ....
We have this totally amazing spot in the center of Munich, deciding on doing a free walking tour the next day, giving reason for the haste in one leap. Good decision, totally worth it.
Interesting snapshots in Munich
> In 2017 we parked along the Rhine river next to a ferry boat terminal that takes cars across for 5 euros. After our awesome day in Munich we decided that the of opposite side of the river would be a good destination. Parking along these massive rivers with huge barges and cruise boats meandering past, makes for a really peaceful and interesting place to stay for a day.
Rest Therapy
We're not the only ones who find this awesome.
Barges meandering past, tending to resonate their slow progressive over to us giving us the feeling of going somewhere with any effort.
> Luxembourg, next destination we were due the next
In the forest just north of
Luxembourg
> After one night visiting family we decided that taking a bit more time in the town of Huy, would be the next port of call.
At this stage our trip departs from the tracks of the previous trip.
After a failed attempt into Maarsdright (Holland) reasons too long to explain.
Back in Huy for another night, followed by a change of tact towards Brugge the next day.
Brugge is to be recommended,
well worth a few days.
Lovely canals visited by many tourist everyday.
Unfortunately visiting the Grande Place of Brussels, Rita had been relieved of her cell phone.
.
With a new phone in hand we were back on the road.
One night with another cousin a little further south, and three nights back with my Uncle.
With access to tools we fitted a diesel parking heater into the van and helped with some hedge trimming.
Discussions relating to the installation of the new diesel heater, its fairly important seeing that the instructions came only in Chinese.
Good food, chats and memories.
An over night stop in Luxembourg
Now the really exciting part of the trip was about to start...
Totally new territory, central Austria, Slovania, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania were all waiting for us.
We have so many things to share for this part of the trip that pictures will do the best justice to the awesome experience that each of these countries bring to the table.
