Ozzie

Ozzie

Wednesday 22 October 2014

Days 165 -170: Around Raab, then home to Oz via Passau, Munich, Dubai and Brisbane - Fri 17 to Wed 22 Oct, 2014

Days 165 -170: Around Raab, then home to Oz via Passau, Munich, Dubai and Brisbane - Fri 17 to Wed 22 Oct, 2014
Friday to Sunday: Spent three days, cleaning, repairing, sorting, storing, packaging, and packing in readiness for Ozzie’s winter hibernation, and our flights back to Australia. Quite a bit of stuff to go back to Australia as it has never or rarely been used. Stayed in hotel in Arndorf whilst everything out of camper for complete spring clean and repack.


Funeral guard of honour in traditional dress
Music features heavily in Austrian funerals

















Next year this will be a wine rack









Mon to Wednesday: Travelling home – Our faithful Ozzie minders Erich and Gina dropped us at Passau where we caught the train to Munich, then flights home to Brisbane via Dubai. It was satisfactory to fill in the last points of interest on our map of 2014 travels.


Home again, home again, jiggety-jig..... 



Thursday 16 October 2014

Day 164: Regensberg Germany to Scharding, then Andorf, Austria - Thurs 16 Oct, 2014

Day 164: Regensberg Germany to Scharding, then Andorf, Austria - Thurs 16 Oct, 2014
Grey, drizzling, foggy morning. Nice caravan park, rabbits hopping amongst autumn leaves, pretty pair of Great Tits darting around eaves of building. Heated amenity block, generous sized showers, continuous hot water - washed hair, bliss! Stripped bed, stacked dirty washing into laundry bag in readiness for wash/dry/winter pack away.













On highway towards Scharding - aim to organise replacement tyres fitted for whilst we are away. Crossed impossibly high bridges over valleys, pines shrouded in rising mist. Crossed Donau/Danube near Passau, water almost blue as sun struggled to out from the clouds. Hello Osterlich! Crossed Inn River into Scharding, and pulled up to talk to Reifen Tyre Centre about new tyres in readiness for GlobalTrek 2015. Felt like home arriving in Arndorf. 

Wednesday 15 October 2014

Day 163: Kaiserlautern to Regensberg - Wed 15 Oct, 2014

Day 163: Kaiserlautern to Regensberg - Wed 15 Oct, 2014
Cold and misty over lake, slow (reluctant??) readying to leave this morning. Photos of beautiful colours and reflections on lake before departure. 










Giving up complex international driving rules soon












Highways alive with trucks, bypassed Mannheim, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Nuremberg. Lunch of smoky chutney burger at roadside cafe, with Pommes Frittes and mayonnaise dipping sauce. Sunny cool weather. Germany so industrialised, heavy industry and power stations. Vineyards with leaves going into autumn tones. Ran into heavy storm at Altdorf bei Nurnberg, yellow leaves blowing from the trees thick and fast, sky getting darker and darker. Both jumped in our seats when thunder went off in forest beside us, lightening hitting trees. Traffic crawling on highway with 130kph speed limit. Fortunately all over in half hour, emerging into bright sunlight (....for 10 minutes….) 












Crossed Naab River (tributary of Danube), pulled into Azur Camping at Regensberg, only got discount from camping card when asked for it specifically. Owner admired our route to date on the map on side of Ozzie, which gave him "goosebumps on my arm"!! Got part way through preparing dinner before next storm, then completed cooking half hour later - delicious tender pork in mushroom gravy with home-made fried potatoes. Pretty good seeing we are trying to run down fridge contents. GirlRob finished last pieces of baby knitting for Mini. Phew - now that's one item each baby, but need another "boyish" item for a 6 months old baby just in case (why do girl wools and patterns appeal more??)




Tuesday 14 October 2014

Day 162: Zonnebeke Belgium via Luxembourg to Kaiserslautern Germany - Tues 14 Oct, 2014

Day 162: Zonnebeke Belgium via Luxembourg to Kaiserslautern Germany - Tues 14 Oct, 2014
Happy Birthday BoyRob - today turning for the three day run to Austria and home. (BoyRob says he has had enough daily driving for one year....) Goodbye Boomers, faithful travelling companions throughout 2014! Set off in fine misty rain, brief stop at Ypres to film Ozzie going through Menin Gate. 





We're going through there? Really??














Took highways south east away from the lure of Brussells (another year perhaps...) and towards Mons then Charleroi, then Arlon. Roads full of trucks in "slow lane", surface bumpy and well worn. Fields boggy from recent rain, crossing quite a few canals with lochs. Not enjoying taste of Belgium milk in our tea - it's a throw away!! Spotted a bird like a curlew beside low bushy area.

Euro Space Centre



No more land to build on eh??










Just when we thought there'd be no more sunny days, blue skies and sunshine appeared at noon! Nice phone call from Boomers who both sang Happy Birthday to BoyRob. Lunched on salad breadstick at roadside park, then (briefly!) crossed through Luxembourg. Sadly not much to see from highway, and out again other side into Germany.

 

Nice to have Truphone data back again, and all BoyRob’s birthday e-wishes came in all at once. Getting to end of a long day’s drive. Arrived damp campground outside Kaiserslautern, on a small lake, pleasant in late arvo sunlight. Spied a robin in bushes. It made a satisfactory day one of the final Run to Austria 400+kms. Dinner of delicious reindeer steak with gravy, potatoes, carrots and brussel sprouts. Spoke to son Justin and Jo in Vancouver - less than three weeks until baby Mini is due now...















and a Happy Birthday to you too!