14-18 October, rain mainly at night, cloudy earlier in week, sunny last 2 days, air temperature low especially at night and mornings, feels lovely in the sunshine.
31 miles on 14th, 288 on 15th, 89 on 16th, stayed put 17th, about 10 miles on Kymi on 18th…
Monday we had a meeting near the Bodensee campsite and in the afternoon finally secured a crucial meeting I wanted to do last week near Munich. Right next door to the meeting I did last week in fact! Good news I got it, shame it wasn’t last week. Only other drawback being it was at lunchtime the next day. We left at 9am and promptly took the wrong turning onto the motorway, thus adding a 24 Km diversion to an already long drive! Still, with a pitstop at Mucky Ds – the first time we have had to use it this year – we got there on time. Actually we got to the airport on time and took about 20 minutes to work out how to get through security and find the right building, so in fact I was late, but there you go. Then I waited another 10 minutes in reception. It happens.
But it was worth it, even though we had had to drive all the way back again as the alternative would have been a whole new trip by plane and hire car and taking at least 2 nights in hotels. Horatio wins again!
As we headed back to the Bodensee, I called another client on the Swiss side of the lake and they said yes, sure, please come in tomorrow morning! B coaxed Horatio up a few more km per hour and at 6pm we arrived at a site on the Swiss side of the lake, having driven through another bit of Austria again having to avoid the motorway as we were now determined not to give in and buy the vignette!
Yes, the man said, there is a restaurant. Thank goodness. The burgers seemed such a long time ago and we were way too tired to cook. The heavens then opened. We sloshed our way over to the restaurant. Not exactly a campsite restaurant – the local top hostelry more like, based on the prices. Actually they were pretty typical of Switzerland – sky high! In order to get a bottle of wine for less than £35 we had to order a 50cl one. Our main courses were about £35 each as well – they were fabulous quality – B had filet steak and I had melty lamb with handmade ravioli. Just about worth what we paid, allowing for the rubbish exchange rate we have with the Swiss Franc.
We sloshed our way back to the van and then endured the high levels of stress always created when the England football team plays a crucial game. Well any game actually. But this one was our chance to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil without having to play another series of life-shortening matches (for the fans anyway). Thank heavens they won – its months now till we have to go through that again!
Next day I met the client nearby, then we retraced our route back round the lake, through Austria again, and into Germany to go to the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen. There is also a Zeppelin one there, but it turned out there is a lot of crossover so B decided one museum was enough.
Then he spotted adverts for a Caravan/motorhome show in the area this coming weekend and said we should go to it. We zig zagged around checking out some campsites – one was closed and 2 were rather expensive (on the lake, so I guess they can be). So we decided to head back to Hobbitsville, especially as B said the show was near there anyway. Turns out its in Stockach, 3 miles down the road and Ludwigshafen, another 3 miles on from there – result!
So we will stay here – Hobbitsville – otherwise called Orsingen, go to the show tomorrow and head for the Basel area and my last meetings on Monday. Countdown to going home…..
Meanwhile I feel a bit of an anorak!
This is actually a vertical take off and landing prototype featuring a total of 10 Rolls Royce engines, 8 for the take off bit!