We did 12 European countries in two weeks, about 5,500 kms. We didn't plan it that way to begin with, the focus being 4 days in Prague, Czech Republic. It just evolved.
This map covers much of where we have been. It's a view of the Alps taken from Germany with the Mediterranean at the top. We came from the direction of France, on the right, along the centre of most of the white part, up to Prague where the picture is taken from and around the left side of the Alps to return along the Southern fringes.
We got back in four hours from Tours where we stayed last night. The journey in the opposite direction took nine (Check post on Bourges)!
Peanuts
We arrived late at Tours so couldn't do it justice. It will be remembered for what must have been one of the largest supermarkets I have ever been in and an incident with a peanut vending machine. This large vessel of peanuts had what appeared to be a fancy doseing gadget attached. They were cheap so I decided to have a go, put this biggish plastic bag round the nozzel and pulled the lever. It didn't dose and in a split second the bag was full. Had I not been alert there would have been a mountain of peanuts in the aisle!! So - peanut anyone?
We had an ideal trip in fine weather and very little traffic. The French certainly know how to make highways, smooth surface and all details concerned with safety taken into account.
Musing
Looking back I spent some time wondering how highway travel will change in the future. The Sat-Nav has been incredible. Apart from a few glitches where two roads lead off from the motorway in quick succession or as in the case of Monte Carlo where the road Zig-Zags up the hills and Beryl didn't know if we were Zigging or Zagging!
The Sat Nav seems to know uncannily where we are and has just about every speed limit on record within metres, bonging away merrily if we exceed it. It also knows where the speed cameras are and goes beserck for a kilometre before them even if you are going slower than the limit.
We have Cruise Control, Sat Nav and Proximity Sensors to warn when too close to something so what else is needed for us to take our hands off the wheel, feet off the pedals, to sit back and enjoy the view? Can't be too many technical advances for this to happen.
The motorways in the Eastern limits of our trip were all pretty good although a lot are still under construction. Whats going to happen in the future though? coming across Italy there is a constant stream of trucks from places like Bosnia, Montenegro etc as well as every other country. I can't see how the roads will handle them within a few years. I guess where there's a will there's a way. Rules now are pretty strict and trucks are only allowed in one lane except to pass and truckies obey them. In the entire trip we only saw three minor traffic incidents. Pretty remarkable really.
The people
It was difficult to tell the difference between inhabitants of one country to the next. There were a lot of tourists so the mix was much the same wherever we went. It must be the languages which glue the various peoples together. Europe is a big place but with modern motorways 3 or 4 hours can put you in an entirely different environment. Motorways bi-pass small towns, of course, so there seems to be a lot of open space and the cities are busy. Despite the relatively short distances they are big enough to keep nationalities apart and it is going to take many years to weld Europe into a common unit like the USA. The badges on the cars are overwhelmingly local.People in the Eastern countries, which were formally under Communist control, we found to be a bit disinterested when dealing with customers. Almost to the point of stifling a yawn! Smiling didn't come easy but they lit up when they did.
Most drivers were considerate but we did have a lot of cars overtake and then dive in front of us without indicating and then not necessarily getting a move on. Presumably they have been intimidated by the high speed missiles coming up behind them in the fast lane. It seems to me that Europeans generally are accustomed to bullying. When they try it on with me they get good old Anglo-Saxon stubbornness. The more they try to hustle the more leisurely I overtake and return to the slower lane, making sure I indicate and give plenty of room to the car I'm moving in front of. Small pleasures!!
GUEMENE-SUR-SCORFF
They have snakes in France as well although this is probably a Sloe Worm - I wasn't going argue with it!. I took this photo in our back garden.
ROHAN FAMILY
We read in the Central Brittany Journal CBJ, that the Rohan family which dominated a huge area of Brittany centred around Guemene and were Protestant moved to Prague to escape the French Revolution in 1788. That must have been an enormous journey in those days.
SUE, HILARY, PAT AND SALLY VISIT
