Accidentally in Italy

Today is Saturday, and is very cold and very wet, so after a morning of playing games, and telling Casper he could not ride his bike in the rain, we decided to have an outing. Equipped with a leaflet we thought outlet shopping sounded like a good option. So we set the satnav for the general direction we were headed, had a quick look at the map and set of on the assumption it was just down the A road. It was a slow realisation that our destination may be in Italy, and the leaflet was not very clear especially as it was in Italian and German.

Anyhow we found it, and it was nice and warm there, and although we did not cross a border point the Italian flag was pretty evident, we had great pizza and the diesel was cheaper. In a very British way despite freezing cold and sightings of snow covered mountains very nearby we bought two sun loungers, (very glass half full). We treated the boys to a large tub of lego, which was not met with the excitement we had hoped for, as the boys wanted character toys, however come bedtime both the boys were desperate to build lego! What was great about the shopping centre was the crèche, the boys were very happy to go and allow us 1 whole hour of shopping, I returned to collect the boys to be informed that Casper had “I am not sure of the English, how would you say, Sh*t his pants”. I thought her English was fine, luckily I was prepared and Casper was in a nappy. The upheaval of moving, totally negated the progress that we had made with potty training, we are now bribing every wee with a piece of chocolate and pooh with 2 pieces, firmly enforcing the concept of number ones and number two’s.

The weather will be better tomorrow as we now have loungers!

We are currently planning our route to Slovenia, which is no easy task, we are also hoping to get a campsite in Croatia (I am crossing my fingers!) I really want to have some sun and beach as part of my holiday, even if I have to forgo sand. I am ill equipped for cold temperatures and rain, I do not have any filled in footwear, even my trainers are made for warm weather and ventilate (or leak depending on the climate).

Interlaken to Innsbruck - hot brakes and wet roads

This morning was a great day to be leaving a place as the heavens had opened and it was cold and wet, Paul said lets blow this joint, (actually we had a site in Austria pre-booked through the caravan club, but that is a far less punchy statement).

We waved good-bye and set our sat nav for Innsbruck, she has been relegated to co-navigator and together we are quite a good team, I listen to her opinion and if I strongly disagree I mute her.

So we were all in agreement the way ahead was clearly the A8, a big road on the map going in the right direction, even the sign posts agreed. The A8 is a beautiful road (not unlike Chapmans peak), if one were a mountain goat it would without doubt be a favourite road, clinging to the hillside climbing steeply and almost plunging straight downwards, two goats could happily cross paths comment on the weather and then romp to their respective green pastures. However, we did not meet too many mountain goats and the airstream on the edge of the cliff, coaches and lorries on the inside was really scary. Just to ease the tension I closed my eyes, breathed in and sucked in my elbows. After our second close encounter, Paul pulled off to the side of the road in need of a wee, as he opened the car door the odour of brakes hit us, apparently the trailer brakes were smoking. Scary stuff!

The roads got better and the tunnels were fantastic, our trip topside of the mountain earlier gave us a whole new appreciation for these marvels of engineering.

Austria was another country with space for us
We were looking forward to parking up on our pre-booked super pitch at Netterer See, they knew we were coming and had assigned us a spot so this should be easy.
Our initial plan had been park up upon arrival then check out the pitch prior to getting the beast stuck somewhere, however as with the best of plans we lost cool under fire and took the pitch given to us, then drove to it and subsequently found that whilst its dimensions were fine, good even, a tree was growing about 5m into the middle of the pitch and making quite a large part of the pitch unusable. The site was packed but the guys in the office worked really hard to find us an alternative pitch, and whilst at first glance the entrance was impossible some good driving by Paul, helpful neighbours and good direction from a man on a bike got us in.

This site has recently been updated, and has the most fantastic reception block, it is beautiful. I love modern architecture and this building is superb, not at all carry on camping as so many are. It will be difficult for me to explain how what is essentially a large square building, clad in timber and artificial turf can be magical and clever and lovely but I will try. The ground floor is a reception, shop and bar, very nice but the 1st floor is amazing. A sloping floor takes you to the 1st floor, where you arrive to a huge open patio area with funky furniture, a fire pit and a superb mountain view, which is simply framed. To one side are showers and facilities and to the other side is a TV room with a huge flatscreen projector, high ceiling and nice flooring, just very cool.

I have now used the shower in the new building, it was amazing, bearing in mind the external temperature has been 11 degrees, and it has drizzled all day. Imagine arriving at the block cold and wet, opening a shower cubicle door to a huge shower, with a large private changing area, and a turf door, I thought this was pretty great until I took my shoes off and found the floor was heated.

The thing is though that a lot of aspects of camping are not cool, proven by the live old time Austrian folk songs that night, followed by some bad Elvis. The entertainment was free, courtesy of our close proximity to the bar. It was not too bad, as they started early and seem to be finished early.

Casper and Sebastian have already found the park, and fortunately our pitch is just above the park, so I can see and hear them without having to actually be with them. The caravan site is on quite a steep slope, so Casper has already been told he must not ride down the hills, even though he fixes his big green eyes on me and says in his most serious voice “but I will be careful and I will use my brakes mummy, and I will be sensible”.

We have begun an accident book, all just minor things but Sebastian was looking pretty bashed up as a combination of numerous small incidents. He currently has a black eye from walking into a post at Mystery Park, his side is quite yellow from tripping up the airstream step, he bloodied his nose in a football crash with Casper and his ability to fall over thin air has left his knees very scuffed. I got a swollen eyelid from one of the window blinds on the airstream, I was a bit distracted and the tag slipped from my fingers and whacked me, it made me weep it really hurt, but it was worthwhile because it happened in full view of Casper who is now very wary of the blinds.

Airstream Stuff I Love
It is always the small things that can just delight, I am so pleased with the outdoor shower, I fill a plastic trug with bubble bath and the boys happily sit in a warm bath outside, and I can wash their hair with the shower attachment, it is fab.

I like our awning, I am not too keen on the solid room, but with just the sides up and sometimes, one tropic side and one solid you can make it quite private.

I really like that we brought our Nespresso coffee machine and the aerochino (milk frother), having good cappuccino, is the difference between roughing it and holidaying.

The wet central heating system is utterly fantastic, we are cosy and can even measure our level of cosiness on the display which reveals internal and external temperature, currently 11 external and 22.5 internal, lovely.

The seating is really comfy, Paul proved that just about 30 minutes ago when he nodded off, whilst I sat typing.

The satellite is great, when it works but trees and mountains mean we sometimes use the DVD. Last night we watched one of my all time favourite films Rambo First Blood, I just think it is a brilliant film, which has stood the test of time. Paul was ready to mock I am sure and I felt uncomfortable about subjecting a favourite film to ridicule, but Rambo stood his ground, and proved himself to be truly worthy of his Congressional Medal of honour. We have a box set and I do not think I have watched any of the sequels before, I’m unsure I want to tarnish what is a great movie, by watching the others.

Airstream stuff I like less
The trauma of our size, she is beautiful, and I would not want a smaller one, but every time we try to park up it is hard. Although this feeling soon passes once we are set up, I just wish pitches and access roads were bigger.

The Sun shines and Switzerland becomes a much better place

Okay Switzerland did get better, we took the funicular railway to the top of a small mountain and the views of Interlaken were fantastic, the boys enjoyed spotting the Mystery Park. A bizarre concept, like a poor mans Epcot, where we had spent the previous day playing and riding camels that had travelled all the way from Mongolia.

Interlaken has a lovely vibe, and free wifi at McDonalds, the food is not so great for a vegetarian, and the boys have ended up with quit a lot of the Ice Age giveaways, but free wi-fi, clean toilets and okay coffee, are real attractions.

The day after taking the funicular we spent around camp, and Paul took the boys for a round of mini golf (almost all the 37 holes were played), the game miraculously ended in a draw! In the afternoon, we took the plunge and did some lake swimming, I really enjoyed it, however the Armstrong boys were a tad more sensitive to the cold, Paul was very quick to volunteer to look after Casper when he climbed out.

I can barely remember how many days we totalled in Switzerland but the lake provided lots of fun, we took out a pedalo, which Sebastian could just about pedal, and Casper decided to eat more breakfast the next day, so we could return and he would have grown enough to reach the pedals (funny how they do take in the sales pitch I deliver every morning, whilst seemingly ignoring me).

The fishing was plentiful, once we gave up the mission of finding a rod and opted for a couple of nets. Sebastian spent hours collecting tiddlers in a large jar, and then releasing them. Casper occasionally spilling them onto the floor resulting in a few minutes of frantic collection and release.

I can see why people love the site we were on its proximity to Interlaken and the vast array of sporty stuff to do, my friend Siobhan and her family would have a great time, marathon in the morning, mountain bike in the afternoon, a bit of sailing then a spot of fishing, followed by a late night paraglide. Actually I underestimate that families stamina I am sure they would also fit in a lake swim, and mini golf.

Switzerland is hard to get excited about!

For me a holiday is about a general relaxing of rules, a no worries, if not today sometime this week maybe. So perhaps a place that is most famous for its efficiency and timepieces unsurprisingly has little appeal to me.

A holiday wardrobe consists of various swim suits, a couple of long sleeved tops for the evenings, and a waterproof in case of showers, definitely not boots and duvet style jackets as are currently being worn by our neighbours children.

We arrived at Camping Manor Farm after what was a long but beautiful drive, the lakes and mountains are breathtaking. But we were so disappointed with the way the pitches were arranged on our site at Interlaken. Stress levels escalated as we tried to navigate onto various pitches under the watchful eyes of other campers. Eventually we were so hungry and exhausted, that I went to the on site restaurant hoping for take away pizza. I obviously succeeded in offending the owner hugely. Why would I not want real Swiss food anyway, and as he highlighted I could have a lovely view of the lake (its loveliness surely only enhanced, by the last of the suns rays glinting off the plastic and canvas of the packed in tents and caravans obstructing all but a tiny piece of lake) by sitting and dining on his veranda. I relented and we had pizza with a ‘view’, the Swiss specialities having no appeal to my vegetarian palate, and I must confess it was the first time I have had a cauliflower, carrot and broccoli pizza (Sebastian was highly amused by this, and ate some cauliflower as part of his drive to eat vegetables in return for soccer cards).

We knew we had to re-site the airstream as were crossing imaginary boundaries defended like lines of battle. We felt sure we could improve upon the view of the toilets and bin area. So the next morning we went scouting for available large pitches and actually found a lovely one. We overlook the lake and the view is superb, the large notice-board of rules sited in the centre of this fabulous vista, simply adds a touch of Swiss.

We also have great views of the paragliders who leap from a nearby Mountain. I have had moments when I understood their motivation, Paul asked if we should do a tandem jump, I said I was worried we would make the boys orphans, he gave me the look which coveys the words dumb blonde so eloquently!

Quite a lot of Irish people are here, I think it is because of their pale skin they don’t need to apply so much sun block in Switzerland, also I think one bunch is a school/college trip and you don’t get to choose where you go for those.

We had a nice day today, we used our free bus tickets into Interlaken, which is really pretty and reminds me of Heidi. We were looking for a fishing rod for Sebastian who is keen to catch a fish and have “fresh fish straight on the Braai”, South Africa really got to him. Anyhow we could not find a shop with a rod and he was so disappointed, as was I really, because fishing would definitely be a with Daddy activity. However Interlaken was lovely (clearly SAGA agree judging by the coach loads of grey haired tourists) and we relaxed whilst the boys wrestled for a while without injury on the large grassy square.

The grassy square was the destination for a large number of the paragliders, and was framed by Mountains with a very snowy one taking centre stage. They have an amazing looking ski station at the top, which looks very James Bond, but the cost for us to get there is about £250 and a 5 hour round trip, with no unbiased view of how good it is that seems like a pot of money.

Here reminds me of Canada, where we visited the mountains of Banff in BC, however it lacks the friendly Canadians, and the great value offered by the pound to Canadian Dollar, and the funnily enthusiastic Japanese tourists, who took photos of everything.

I will find something nice to say about Switzerland soon, because I am bored of my whinging, I thought for a moment we could thank them for Abba but no that was Sweden. I think maybe they make Nespresso, if so I can congratulate them on great coffee, and the road tunnels were pretty impressive. The airstream just catches the lights inside and looks very glamorous.

The Cigar, Moon Vehicle, Space Ship, Perfect

Our Airstream gets a lot of attention wherever we are, lots of people just stop and stare, a few say hi and have a chat, even have a peek inside. We sometimes feel like animals in the zoo as many stop to take a pic, so Sebastian is planning to make a sign ‘€1 for a photo’, maybe Alan Sugar will snap him up for the Apprentice. The nice French architect who pursued us with his camcorder as we left the camp-site was probably a once off, but who knows?

Whenever we pitch at a camp, we are always the centre of attention, which after a long days drive adds to the stress levels. Especially on a packed campsite in Interlaken where we tried twice to get onto a tiny pitch by the lake that just wasn’t to be – the owner tried to sell us a caravan mover! But really the pitches were tiny and the access road wouldn’t even fit the land rover down without hitting the kerbs. Every pitch was crammed to the edges with tents, windsurfers and cars. After 1 night on a pitch that was just too small, we found a lovely spot right by the Lake for the rest of the week.

The Swiss seem to excel at rules and we had broken several on the first night; trying to get onto a pitch before reporting back to reception, overhanging the imaginary line between two pitches and making noise after 11pm – ‘absolute silence required’. They are also good at relieving you of money; hiring special connectors for electricity hook ups, and handles for the ‘taps’. The site manager rides around on a bike all day, puffing upon his pipe, looking for rule breakers and whist always pleasant, is never warm, he is more like a policeman than a customer services type.

And the title? Well, they are all names our Tin Pangolin has been called on our trip so far.

Upgrades I would like
OK, now I am going to be greedy, our Airstream came pretty fully loaded from the start, but after a month on the road, there are a few things that I would already like to add;
1. The South African safari trailer tents we saw had amazing storage solutions for every knife, plate, cup, bowl and spatula, integrated into the drawers and cupboards. I am going to look to buy or make something that will serve the same purpose.
2. An outdoor speaker would be nice and rather than turning the volume up to hear the radio or even the TV, which you can watch through the door whilst sipping beer outside.
3. An extra plug socket in the kitchen, seems odd that there is only one as we also have a coffee machine and toaster to attach, neither is necessary but both make life so much easier.

What Peak really means

This is the first time Paul and I have holidayed during peak season and so I think we were blissfully ignorant of how crazy things get when the children break up from school and everyone heads South, it must be a spectacle that viewed from the air would rival the mass migrations across Africa.

Due to a combination of our size and the French school holidays just starting, we could not get a site in the South of France, but took a site midway near to Vienne, just South of Lyon. We have been delighted with this lovely woodland site and were still optimistic that we could continue with our general head South, across through Italy into Croatia. Sites on the continent seem to have quite small pitches along with some very tight approaches. Paul managed to squeeze The Tin Pangolin into our pitch in front of a crowd of onlookers - 'perfect' commented the warden.

Our trip now has to take a different turn as apparently Italy is even worse than the South of France for being full and not allowing long trailers, so despite several days of trying, unfortunately there is no availability for a big rig like ours during peak season.

After much head scratching and peering at the map book we have a new plan, we are still heading East but on a different route. We have even managed to book sites for the next 17 days. We will travel to Switzerland then Austria and onto Slovenia. I am desperate for a beach with sand and salt in my hair, and a bit disappointed that Italy could not find room for us, but an adventure is supposed to be full of the unexpected and our route is certainly providing that.

We did have some good news recently, I have a school place for Sebastian for September at Moulton, yippee!

Disneyland and Paris

After our traumas on the periphery of Paris the rides of Euro Disney were really quite tame. They saved the Warning signs, not suitable for those with heart conditions, or pregnant women, for the menus (even my expensive cappuccino was bad!).
The boys had a great time, poor Casper was just 1 cm short for the star wars type ride, which meant Sebastian got to go on it twice (and so gloated for quite a while). We met a few of the characters, Casper was thrilled when he saw Woody from Toy Story.

A Day in Paris
We are taking our travels at quite a leisurely pace so Euro Disney was followed by a day of rest, and then a day in Paris. We took the train into Paris from the outskirts which was probably as exciting to Casper as the rides at Disney, he sat very quietly, just commenting on the speed.

The Eiffel Tower as seen from Trocadero was fantastic, it was a glorious day and the 3 Eiffel Tower keychains for 1 Euro is the kind of bargain that helps make a good day that little bit better. Masses of people were stood in line to go up the tower, so we decided to give the climb up a miss, especially as the boys enthusiasm for climbing stairs has quite a limited shelf life.

From the tower we walked through a lovely park and the boys had a great time in pedal power go karts. Then we decided to go to see the gardens of the Musee Rodin, which had been recommended in our travelling with kids guide book. The Thinker, The Gates of Hell, and The Burghers of Calais, are all on display in the restful gardens. The good thing about exposing the boys to classical artworks that stand about 10 feet high and are made of stone is that I do not feel they can do much harm.

I can tell I am missing Jozi, because at Disneyland I felt I would rather be at Gold Reef City, and looking at the impressive art works of Rodin both Paul and I were thinking of the Zim guys working at the market at the junction of Main.

The day in Paris was exhausting even though we left at about 5pm, Casper had hit the wall and he just sat on the pavement then lay down and could go no further, the sighting of an ice -cream van, got a few more yards from him.


Lunch Time
France has been the cure to the boys waking up between 5.30 and 6am, however whilst I wholeheartedly embrace lie ins until 8am, it means we struggle to leave the site before 11.30 unless a significant effort is made. This means that we arrive at Le Supermarche just as they close shutters for 2 ½ hours.

Un petit problem dans Le Periphique/A86

The sat nav lady is officially on her final warning, having taken us on a rather extreme and terrifying journey through Paris. I had been given the role of chief navigator for our journey from Dieppe to Paris, and instead of having faith in my own abilities I delegated to Sat Nav Lady (she sounds so confident, I feel she has taken the route many times before).
I had my doubts as I compared her instructions to the map, and those doubts escalated when we paid a 15 Euro toll for what seemed like a short stretch of highway, (alarm bells rang as I had a vague memory of a congestion charge). It was 5pm and the congestion charge was clearly no deterrent to the caffeine charges adrenaline junkies we encountered on our slow and frankly terrifying journey.
We do not travel unnoticed especially during rush hour and fellow motorists were driving slowly alongside, and eyeing her up, I am sure I heard wolf whistles. Confirmation of her traffic stopping good lucks came by way of a three bike pile up, fortunately no one was hurt. The motor bikers weave through the traffic, at such speed and grace that it is as though they are not mere mortals with bones that can be broken, that is until a car does an unexpected manuever, and the motor bikes have to stop.This particular biker did not notice the need to apply his brakes as he was gazing at the airstream so he hit the bike in front (causing it to hit the bike in front) and then fell to the side into my car door. As he got up and I wound down the window, he simply said" I was looking at your airstream"

(I wish could work spell check on this!)
I must go now as we have preparations to make for Disney tomorrow.