The run out to Kerkyra

We have managed to get our Internet widget working a bit better so here is another episode.

We left home on the 21st October just after 0900hrs heading for Winchelsea in east Sussex to stay with Marian who is a cycling friend for a couple of nights before the ferry to Dunquerke. I have to say we were very lucky with the weather all the way as it was fine dry and sunny right up 'til we arrived in Cortina in the Italian Dolomites.

We had a run out on the bikes on Wednesday with Marian which was good as she lives in a lovely part of the country (click on the picture and check the road name, it's been stolen a few times strangely enough.) We were introduced to Marians new canine companion Keisha who is full of beans and quite a lively little guy. We tried to sneak out of Marians at 0600hrs on the Thursday morning to get the 0800 ferry but Keisha was not letting us have a sneaky exit!!

The ferry to Dunquerke was good and fairly uneventful in the eyes of the non seafarers - Lynn, she managed to hang onto her last full English for a while.

We then found our way down to Chalons en Champagne to a camp site where we have stayed before. We used the toll roads for speed and were there around 5ish. It did however take us another hour of driving and a lot of frustrated swearing by me around Chalons to find the campsite. At the site reception said they had a space left yet there was no-one else on the site!! She put us on exactly the same pitch we had past time. First camp went OK, albeit a little damp in the morning.

Up early brewed up and off towards Strasbourg. More motorways and we stopped along the way for another brew and some breakfast. Why is it that the French insist on building new toilets with those awful "stand and deliver" footplates in them??

We were having trouble with the stove as it appeared to be boiling all the water away. We finally worked out that the pan had a leak which got worse when it was heated thus leaking away not boiling!! What a pair of muppets.

Well we arrived in Strasbourg late afternoon and again struggled to find the site which was fairly central to the city. We were only having one night here but we decided to have two and have a day in the city as the weather was so good and we had the time to do it. What a place, beautiful cathedral, lovely old city within the rivers. We walked up to have a look at the buildings of the European Council, Parliament and Human Rights or Droights de Homme as it is know locally - the places that have given me so much grief over the past years at work with jobs worth legislation.!!

An enjoyable day was here then we moved on the following day towards Innsbruck.

Today we were driving through Germany into Austria. It was a lovely drive and got better as we get nearer to the Alps and the Tyrolean region. More vile toilets were experienced on the route through Germany - why is this??

We found the campsite in Innsbruck easiest yet - super site with a backdrop to die for.

We walked out in the evening for a beer - loosely speaking of course as there is only England where you can get proper beer. We found a bar and they still smoke in bars here, it was OK and we went again the following night. We had a day in the city which was fun with our Innsbruck K-Day bus ticket. The old part is lovely and the surroundings are wonderful. The campsite was on a hill but we managed for a couple of nights. Super place and we will go there again.

The next day we were heading for Cortina in the Italian Dolomites to have a look on the way to to Venice. It was a super drive over the Brena Pass and through the Alps. Sadly as we hit Cortina the rain started and it was too high, cold and wet to camp there so it was executive decision time and straight onto Venice!

Reasonable journey down to Venice in the rain until we actually hit Venice at rush hour - what a BIG mistake. More swearing and obscenities as we moved slowly alongside giant trucks with small Italians them in the wrong direction because we missed the turn - signs were crap and we're sticking by that excuse. We eventually turned round and found the camp site we were looking for 8kms out of Venice. It was however trashing it down and the tent was still wet from the previous night and was not looking like a good option.

We enquired about a pitch or the tent - no problem, Lynn then asked do you have any other accommodation, yes we have cabins (a mini caravan) never has one looked so good we were in like a shot. Heat on big shower now time for a drink, another problem we were told at the bar we had to charge a site token to buy anything as they did not deal in cash. When we eventually did this and got back to the bar we had almost lost the will to live and any appetite for a beer (loose term as you can only get real beer in England!!) Good nights kip ahead of the ferry - which Lynn was dreading with her none sea legs.

We got a few supplies before we headed for the ferry again no or limited crap signage. We arrived at the port of Venice which next to Dover was disorganised, untidy and a bit of a free for all. Anyway the ship was on time and we drove on board and found our cabin which was cozy. It was trashing it down and we didn't realise that the ship actually went through the city to get out to sea!!! What a super way to see Venice.

The crossing apart from being long was fairly uneventful apart from going past Corfu to Igoummenitsa first then back up to Corfu. As we neared Corfu we contacted the agent Steve to get our instructions for getting into our new home in Kopsochilades. We docked around 1345 on on Thursday 30th October and just had a short 30 minute drive up to the village. It was weird actually driving our car up through Corfu. We arrived at the house and Steve and his wife Josie were there to meet us. We had a chat, wander around and got the gen on what was where and how we did things with the place. They then left us to unload with plans to see them again the following day.

All was not what it should have been, there was a problem Houston . . . . . . more later.