Tony Jones Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 Well, to be honest, we got back on Thursday morning off the Harwich overnight. This is just the first chance I've had to write. We've had the most amazing 5 weeks, and got to all the places we wanted to plus a few more. The route went like this: Amsterdam (that Baptist bash we told you about, plus a few more days in the city. A week all told); Berlin; Warsaw; Kracow (inc Auschwitz, and a visit to the Wielitzka Salt Mine); Budapest; Vienna; Prague; Colditz Castle (yes, the actual site of the POW prison); Wittenberg (where Martin Luther kicked off the Reformation); then back to Hoek via Osnabruck and Dordrecht (where we'd made some friends on the way out). But we also discovered so many beautiful little places in between, and met some great people of all nationalities. We've stayed on everything from posh campsites to free Stellplatze. We took the Caravan Club Europe2, and both volumes of the BordAtlas. Found the BordAtlas far more useful. Sites in the CC book tended to be expensive (or in one case closed down!). The BordAtlas lists reasonably-priced campsites as well as free or nearly-free Stellplatze, with lots of info about them. It's in German, but the bit I remembered from O-level in 1968, and a dictionary, enabled us to make sense of it. You can also download the locations as TT PoIs, so we usually got the TT to find us a possible place, then looked it up in the book to see if it would do for us. Highly recommended. In Prague, we found an area to the north of the city where all along one road people have turned their back gardens into small but fully-equipped campsites - about 7 in all. Very cheap, but tightly packed. No 6-metre rule here! Good value though, friendly people, and handy for trams into the city. Liz has been suffering with a bit of arthritis on one leg, which has limited our walking in cities, but we found public transport excellent everywhere. We'd usually hop on a tram or bus into town, buy a 24-hr runabout ticket, then use the busses, trams or metros to get from one "sight" to another. Poland charges traditional-style tolls on its motorways, which is a bit of a cheek given that they're dreadful - and some not finished yet! Slovakia, Czech Rep, Hungary and Austria use "vignettes" that you buy at the border. Don't be caught out by the colours of signs in CZ and Slovakia - they use blue for main roads and green for motorways! We kept a daily diary, which I'll put bits of on here when I have time over the next few days (or weeks!), and our son is going to set up a website for the pictures we took, so I'll post a link to that when it's ready. Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers and good wishes - it was great. And now, back to work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 Welcome home ! :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 Hi Tony' Welcome home, great to see you had a great trip, Don't forget some photo's Regards to all, Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 Tony Jones - 2009-08-29 12:06 PM Well, to be honest, we got back on Thursday morning off the Harwich overnight. Didn't see you wave when we went to Frinton thursday morning ;-) Looks like you might be able to give mikethebike on his poland thread some info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 With guidance from above no doubt !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild rover Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Sounds like a wonderful holiday. Hope the weather was good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffchef Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 welcombe back safe and sound- Prague-only 1 laundreete in the city- rihgt in the centre- we stayed at the prague yacht club caravan site- in total the time we where there only 15 others used the site- basic- but clan and very friendly and great for the water taxi to the centre- most of our time was however spent up in the nnw of the city watchiing lacrosse- so drove the van daily to the games-will have to go back- so much to see in the surrounds and down to the austrian border Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapido-lass Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Welcome home - sounds like a fantastic trip - can't wait to hear more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkc Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 He was lost and is found." (Luke 15:11-32) Welcome back Tony. Regards PKC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Like to see the piccys Tony . Glad all went well :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROON Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Second Michel's post, Tony. Looking forward to photos and glad you are home safe and well. I would follow pkc and say shall we kill the fatted calf to welcome you home but I am vegan so don't bank on it. :-D Joy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Loads of pics, so I've asked my IT-aware son to set up a website for them. I'll post a link as soon as it's ready. Meanwhile: 1) I've got a 4-page Word doc, edited down from our daily diary, of all the sites and Stellplatze we used, with comments. If anyone wants it, PM me with an e-mail address and it's yours. 2) Just a couple of pics from Germany. Free Stellplatz - BordAtlas vol1 p.425, GPS 50o44’6”N, 12o46’3”E. In a country park at Niederwurschnitz, where there used to be a brickworks. Beautiful, peaceful setting. Except …. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Loads of pics, so I've asked my IT-aware son to set up a website for them. I'll post a link as soon as it's ready. Meanwhile, I've got a 4-page Word doc, edited down from our daily diary, of all the sites and Stellplatze we used, with comments. If anyone wants it, PM me with an e-mail address and it's yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Loads of pics, so I've asked my IT-aware son to set up a website for them. I'll post a link as soon as it's ready. Meanwhile, I've got a 4-page Word doc, edited down from our daily diary, of all the sites and Stellplatze we used, with comments. If anyone wants it, PM me with an e-mail address and it's yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyAndy Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Bllimey there should be plenty to see, in triplicate :-D :-D :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Had three attempts to add a couple of picks as a "taster," but by the time it said I couldn't ("server error") the post was already live! given up on wating for no.1 son and had a go myself. Here are the first dozen (someone tell me if the link works!) https://www.flickr.com/photos/42189510@N05/ I've also got a daily diary of the trip, an 11-page Word doc 68.5KB. Again, if anyone wants to read it PM me weith an e-mail address. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Tony, The link works fine. I'll have a closer look at the photos later. I've also sent you a pm regarding the diary. I've no where near sorted our photos from only 2 weeks in Germany this year! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Sounds fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butty Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Just looked at the photo's everything looks ok, me and my wife was just saying how clean all the streets are and also the building looks so nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Just uploading another 18 pics - same link should get them all. Once they're all up (I've selected 59 altogether) I'll start going through and adding some notes to them all. Gee, ain't I clever!! :D Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 More pics up on site now - just a few more to add next time I've a minute, then I'll start making sesne of the order and adding comments etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted September 11, 2009 Author Share Posted September 11, 2009 There! All 59 selected photos are now on the site. Next job is to start grouping them in sets and writing bits on them. Probably not tonight though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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