20 May 2024

Here we go then. We have some 4000 miles ahead of us in what is an ambitious plan. As always with these trips, no matter how much planning goes in, there will be the unexpected. That is what makes these things so interesting. Roger and Chris have spent a lot of time coming up with such an interesting route and I can’t wait to get going and meeting up with the others.

The car is back from Craig’s or M3W Services after a check over and interim service. I have to recommend Craig. I don’t take my cars anywhere else and he has a great set-up now. And of course Rosie is always around to help

I am packed and ready for our departure tomorrow. It is that time before a big trip when you are filled with anticipation, a little nervousness and some excitement. I am travelling with good friends so I am sure it will be fun.

Wish us luck!

21 May 2024

I set off from home at 4:00 pm in fine weather but it was clear I was heading into rain. I dressed accordingly and was soon glad that I had my waterproofs and bubble mask on. The rain wasn’t too bad with a couple of heavy pulses but mostly light rain and spray.

I had a steady run down with a quick coffee stop and a fuel stop near the port. I arrived in Harwich at about 20:15. Roger pulled up 4 cars behind and Peter was already checked in. At least the rain had stopped while we waited to board.

Boarding was quick once we started moving and I found my very comfortable cabin. Chris joined us after a short time. A quick beer and a bite and it was time for bed shortly after we sailed out of Harwich. It is an early alarm call in the morning before we disembark in Holland.

22 May 2024

We arrived at the hook of Holland as planned and disembarked quickly after a quick coffee and croissant. Today was going to be one of those necessary days on a trip like this where you just have to get to where you are going. A day of motorways got us to our hotel in Hanover with a coffee and sandwich stop along the way. A nice room, secured parking and in the centre of town…..what more do you need.

Not many photos today – not much to see but a successful day.

23 May 2024

We woke up to clear sunny skies this morning, much to our relief. We breakfasted at 8:00 as usual and packed the cars for the off. After a short sat-nav issue we were out of the town and headed for Wolfsburg and the VW museum. It was worth a stop with some interesting vehicles. I particularly liked the wicker Beatle and the electric single-seater.

The cars were attracting attention as usual and after a coffee at McDonalds opposite we headed made our way back heading East. There were a few short unexplained delays on the motorway and lunch was at another service station – the sandwich was pretty good. A brief shower amongst the sunshine surprised us and we made it to our destination in Colditz.

The Waldhaus Colditz turned out to be a slightly strange hotel with no one on site whatsoever. We let ourselves in with the door code provided and found our room keys. After a belt adjustment by Chris (and a beer while we watched) we decided to walk in to the town for something to eat. The only place we found open was a Thai restaurant which turned out to be a good choice and good value.

We walked back up the hill to our accommodation, helped ourselves to a drink and I checked the vignettes we were going to need for the next few days. I think all is in order – thanks Roger for the research. With very little else to do we said our good nights. Not sure what to expect for breakfast but we will find out in the morning.

24 May 2024

Well, breakfast did turn up at the hotel…..eventually. It turned out to be quite nice but we did have to wait a while. Not a problem today as we have planned a visit to Colditz Castle which doesn’t open until 10:00 a.m.

The Castle visit was really interesting and definitely worth a visit. There was a tour which used an interactive iPad type tablet that showed how many of the rooms used to be as well as details of many of the stories from the various escape attempts and the less well known history of the site. I had to admire the ingenuity of many of the escape attempts and the glider plan was just brilliantly bonkers!

We had a coffee in the town square before returning to the cars. We debated whether to put on the full waterproof gear as the forecast was showing rain even though it had been a lovely sunny morning. I chose to go with the “full wets’ as Chris calls it which turned out to be a very good decision.

We made our way out of the town and after negotiating a couple of closed roads hit the motorway heading east again. I thought we were in for some fun when I could see the lightning ahead. Then the rain came. It was torrential and the flow of traffic thankfully slowed considerably. Visibility was extremely poor and I lost sight of the other cars. The road became completely waterlogged and I feared aquaplaning. Just in time, I glimpsed peter turning into the services and was able to follow. Chris and Roger had continued on.

After a brief ‘comfort’ stop and some additional layers for Peter who was soaked through to his underpants we pressed on again. The rain cleared for a while before treating us to another deluge.

The motorway gave way to much nicer smaller roads and the rain eased again. I was messaged by Chris who has stopped for a break and heard us go past. We too stopped shortly after in Bad Schandau and found a roadside cafe for lunch – a very nice lunch. Chris and Roger passed us again as we finished.

We got going again following the route of the river Elbe. Shortly after we passed into the Czech Republic the route took an unexpected turn off the main road down to the river itself. There was a very small, very basic ferry. The ferry was powered by the fast flowing river and was operated by one young man who had to ask foot passengers to pull on ropes to vaguely position the ramp so we could tentatively board. Half way across we had to roll the cars back so that the front of the ferry could lift to contact the ramp on the other site. Altogether a fun experience.

The road on the other side was single-track with passing placed with some very steep sections weaving alongside the railway through small villages. It turns out that the ferry was, as Chris put it, “a red herring” and we should have continued along the main road! However I think they missed out on this occasion. Eventually the main road crossed the river and we were back on the planned route.

The weather continued to improve and we met up at the hotel after Peter and myself were separated again. It had been a very mixed day. Very variable weather and a very different morning and afternoon. The evening weather turned out to be perfect which hopefully will continue tomorrow.

25 May 2024

I was a sunny morning and after resolving a dispute between my iPhone and my Garmin and getting them to speak to each other again we set off from Liberec. Today was planned as our longest driving day of some 255 miles with the majority of it away from the motorways.

We encountered our usual difficulties with closed roads and sat-nav anomalies with us going round the same traffic island at least three times. We were though heading in the right direction (..ish) through towns and countryside towards our destination of Oswiecim in Poland. We stopped in Horrice for the best cup of coffee so far before carrying on towards much darker skies.

We thought we were going to be lucky as we skirted around some thunderstorms. Things were looking much brighter ahead when we stopped for a comfort break. Chris and Peter removed their waterproofs and Peter went for his cap and sunglasses before we pressed on for the final leg on the motorway towards the hotel. Of course, the heavens opened on the motorway as we drove into another storm. Poor peter had no choice but to stop under a motorway bridge as without a helmet he simply couldn’t see and was being simultaneously waterboarded by his neck tube!

I lost sight of Chris and Roger as traffic slowed again until things eased up. I was very glad I had kept on all of my waterproofs, helmet and visor (insert smug face here). The sat nav’s did their usual things and sent us different ways and after filling up with petrol I made it to the hotel without any further complications. It turned out that I was first to arrive with Chris and Roger rolling up about 10 minutes later. It was another 40 minutes before a very soggy Peter arrived having been through floods during his hunt for fuel. The most important thing was of course that we had all made it safely to the hotel

It is a short driving day tomorrow as we have plans for the morning close to where we are staying.

26 May 2024

Today we visited Auschwitz.

No more appropriate words.

No more appropriate photos.

We left Auschwitz after a hot and sunny morning and headed for very dark skies. We were dodging the thunderstorms again. Fortunately the rain didn’t really get going apart from a very short shower. We stopped for a break at Wegierska Gorka where we spent the last of our polish money before entering Slovakia. The coffee was good and the cakes better!

We entered Zilina as planned only to find the route to the hotel blocked. After a short argument with the sat-nav and a re-route around the blockage Chris, with a little help from Roger successfully guided us in to the hotel situated just within the pedestrianised part of the old town.

We had a lovely meal and a beer (or 2) in the town square before a short walk round part of the old town.

It has been a day that I will remember for a long time.

27 May 2024

This morning, unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Peter who has a long couple of days in front of him covering the 1100 miles to get back to Norfolk due to work commitments. It’s been great having him along and at least he enjoyed the trip this far.

We set off under sunny skies and it turned out to be our first day without rain. It got hotter throughout the day and we sheltered from the sun in a bus stop to eat our lunch.

The roads were lovely through the remainder of Slovakia, if not very fast with frequent changes in speed limit through many villages and small towns. There were some nice twisty bits and the scenery was very nice.

It was a steady run down towards the Danube and we arrived in a busy Budapest. After making quite a splash outside the hotel we checked in and parked the cars underground for a well-earned rest. We are now approximately half way to Istanbul.

Seven countries in seven days – not bad going.

I spent a couple of hours walking around Budapest to a couple of camera shops in search of a new GoPro. My aged camera finally died in the rain yesterday. I didn’t manage to find a new one but I may have a lead on a stop on our way out of the city on Wednesday.

Chris found a restaurant close by specialising in local food and it was very good. It was a lovely evening to slowly stroll back and enjoy a coffee before retiring.

28 May 2024

Just a lovely day exploring Budapest….

Oh, and it was great to hear that Peter had made it home safely. He had done over 1000km today!

29 May 2024

We left Budapest and made a slight diversion to 220Volt – a photography shop. They had been very helpful when I emailed them yesterday looking for a replacement GoPro. I didn’t want the full GoPro, I wanted the GoPro Hero 11 Black mini. I use the mini as it has a single button operation. Press once and it switches on and records. Press again and it stops recording and switches off. Simplicity is key when recording when driving.

They answered my email very quickly and put one to one side for me to collect. They were super helpful and I went away with the camera I wanted. I wasn’t expecting the stretched Lada in the showroom though……

We made our way around the ring road before joining the motorway. Most of the drive today was across very flat, very featureless landscapes along very straight roads. The drive was made more interesting as we passed a large military convoy with motorcycle outriders clearing the way. We got a big grin and thumbs-up from them as we passed.

After the inevitable coffee stop we made it to the border. The queue was not very long but moved extremely slowly. They checked our passports and eventually waved us in. Welcome to Romania. We spend longer in Romania than any other country on this trip.

Arad was today’s destination. I have to admit that the drive in through the outskirts of the town was pretty grim. There were deserted factories, patchy roads, poor houses and big, austere apartment blocks. It definitely had an Eastern Europe feel to it and I felt quite a long way from home.

The centre was much nicer and quite grand in places. We found our Best Western Hotel and luckily, for once, the rain started as we arrived. Thunderstorms followed with some torrential rain. The morning forecast is good but I think we will be getting wet again before long.

30 May 2024

It was a slow steady climb all of today. Some nice winding roads throughout the morning though there were many, many trucks passing us in the opposite direction. The road wound its way mostly in the valleys following the river and railway line.

Our coffee stop was just as we joined the motorway. The cars attracted plenty more admirers.

We checked the weather again and there was quite a lot of red on the radar so we put the rain gear on before heading back onto the motorway. The motorway continued to weave upwards towards our destination but as predicted, the rain came. On this trip it hasn’t rained for all that long but when it has rained, it has rained hard. Very hard. At least I had taken the trouble to get the waterproofs on properly and I stayed nice and dry.

The rain eased off as we found our hotel on the outskirts of Sebes. We eventually found someone at the hotel who let us in to our rooms early. We headed into town on foot and enjoyed a coffee and cake as well as a walk around the town. We had a beer at the motel opposite and ate at our hotel – the only people there which was fine and very cheap.

More interesting roads and better weather await us tomorrow – hopefully.

31 May 2024

We had been hoping for good weather today as we headed for the Transalpina road – the highest road in Romania at over 7000 feet. Our only problem was that it has not yet officially opened following the winter. Roger had spoken to some locals and feedback from posts on forums suggested that most, if not all of the route was open.

We set off hopefully and were soon rewarded with a nice twisty ascent into the heavily wooded hills. It went on and on passing dams before we stopped for some photos. A local stall holder suggested we could get through so we continued and ignored the road closed sign.

We had planned to turn off before the highest part of the road as we thought it was closed but it looked open so we went for it. It was a great road with some very tight, steep and sharp corners. After another foto/video stop we put our waterproofs on and headed into the clouds.

The cloud became very thick at times and visibility was only a few feet. It didn’t last long I am glad to say and there were spectacular views as the cloud broke.

The road down was just as spectacular and we made our way round to our hotel in Ramnicu Valcea. We parked up and I found that I had driven through a huge pile cow ‘s#1t’ which was splattered all up the passenger side of my car. I had to break ‘Road Trip’ rules – I couldn’t leave that on for the next two weeks! I found a jet wash not far away and got the worst of it off. I didn’t polish it, honest!

We ate at the hotel tonight which was very nice indeed.

01 June 2024

Today was going to be a big driving day so we met an hour early for breakfast. We set off and headed for the Transfagarasen road. We know it is not open all the way so we will see how far we get.

It was clear in places how poor some of the places are that we travelled through. There were regular horses and carts and outside many houses or simply just at the side of the road, people set up small stalls selling local produce. This could be just a few apples to well stocked roadside stalls.

It was a steady climb up to the dam. The road was clearly visible way above us on the other side of the gorge. There was little traffic as it was early and we made good progress.

We continued round the lake on very twisty roads before we headed up towards the big climb. Again, we ignored the road closed signs and headed up towards the steeper section.

The steeper switchback road was a great ascent up to the snow line. There were amazing views and beautiful waterfalls. We reached the Balea tunnel but unfortunately this was closed – properly closed! This was as expected and we turned back the way we came.

On the way down we were treated to a number of bear encounters. Some bears just stood at the side of the road and we could see some of them begging for food from stationary vehicles. They were not scared of the traffic and it was amazing to see these creatures in the wild.

We stopped at the treehouse village for lunch. They had a huge barbecue on the go and we had sausages with fries for a delicious lunch. It was an excellent lunch in an amazing setting.

After lunch we continued on and had several more bear sightings. The road surface was pretty appalling and we bounced our way along before heading on towards Bran – our destination for tonight. The scenery remained beautiful and very twisty on terribly surfaced roads consisting or more patch than road.We eventually pulled in at Mausoleul Mathias,a monument dedicated to the heroes of the war of 1916-1918 considered by Romanians as the war for national integration.

We pressed on but unfortunately got held up behind a couple of coaches which delayed us by about half an hour. There was no suitable save opportunity to overtake so we followed patiently though the same can not be said for a number of locals.

We reached a very bust Bran in early evening and parked at our hotel. That was quite a drive and we drank and ate at the bar adjacent to our hotel. Roger and myself both had the cabbage rolls as recommended by Peter and they were really good. We walked round the town to take a photo of the castle which has tenuous Dracula and Vlad the Impaler links.

It had certainly been a day to remember. One more drive tomorrow before our next day off.

ADD PHOTOS / VIDEOS

02 June 2024

We started the day with ‘Dracula’s Hot Eyes’ for breakfast at the hotel before walking the short distance to the castle itself. There really is no substantial evidence for any Dracula connection to the castle but the castle and town are certainly making the most of the vague possibility that it may look like a castle that may have been the inspiration for the Dracula castle. Even so it was a very nice castle in its own right and an enjoyable visit.

We walked back to the cars and headed back on to the road under sunny skies. A quick fill-up and we were heading south. Before long we hit the first real traffic jam of the trip. For an hour we crawled along getting hot and frustrated. The only explanation at the end of the hike queue was a single policeman allowing vehicles out from a side road.

We took a detour onto the Transbucegi road. It was a very pretty twisty route up to the lake where we were ready for a cool drink. Apparently this is the 3rd highest road in Romania. The cars were attracting much attention again with people posing with them and at one point someone was posing with their foot on Chris’s exhaust. They were soon told to stop! I have no objection to people taking photographs of the cars or us, especially when they ask first but touching the cars is definitely off limits.

We wound our way back down and rejoined the main road towards Bucharest. At first it was nice to get a bit of speed up and count down some km whilst cooling off a bit. The road was fast and got increasingly busy as we got nearer the capital City. I have to say, the road turned in to probably one of the most dangerous roads I have ever driven. It was fast with no barriers at the side, with frequent driveways, stalls selling produce, traffic crossing from the other direction, exits to the right and left hand side, pedestrians close to the road and a few good bumps thrown in. At one point I was wanting to move to the LH lane to pass a slower vehicle when it suddenly slowed almost to a stop and pulled off to a small fruit stall at the side of the road – all from motorway speeds moments before. It is a road you need 100% concentration on for sure. It’s like putting the M6 through a town with no barriers, slip-roads pavements or any other separation between oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

We stopped on the City outskirts to visit the Tiriac Collection – a ming-boggling collection of cars. Tiriac was a sportsman turned businessman who also founded the first the first private bank in post-Communist Romania. Between that and several other enterprises his fortune was estimated at over US$900 million in 2005.

It is a spectacular collection of immaculate vehicles across a huge spectrum of vehicles. You even have to put covers on your shoes before you are allowed to enter the exhibition.

It was only a few km to our hotel but it was quite a drive. The City has some huge multi-lanes roads going in to the centre. Chris did a great job of negotiating the confusing lanes and roundabouts to within a short distance of the hotel. Unfortunately, we then came across the road closures. We tried and tried to work around the blockage but it turned out that our hotel was almost completely blocked off by the closures. At one point Roger took the lead and we both followed even though we thought he was going the wrong way. It turned out that roger was trying to get to the wrong hotel! You couldn’t make it up. We were hot and frustrated and eventually found our way to within 100m of the hotel. Chris abandoned his car in the road and walked to the hotel for advice. The parking at the hotel was limited and unsuitable but we were at the entrance to the hotel opposite that included an underground car park. We went for it and parked up at last. What a journey!

With the cars tucked up safely we were able to finally relax.

No driving tomorrow, a day to explore on foot…..

Relive Video

03 June 2024

A welcome day off driving today. After breakfast we walked to the Parliament building. What an astonishing building. We took a tour lasting over an hour and covered about 7% of what is boasted to be the heaviest and most expensive building in the world.

A few statistics:

1,000,000 cubic meters of marble, 550,000 tons of cement, 700,000 tons of steel, 2,000,000 tons of sand, 1,000 tons of basalt, 900,000 cubic meters of rich wood, 3,500 tons of crystal, 200,000 cubic meters of glass, 2,800 chandeliers, 220,000 sqm carpets, 3,500 sqm leather. The materials were sourced within Romania.

We walked around the old town and had a nice lunch before escaping the growing heat for a cool down at the hotel before we venture out again later.

We took a short walk to the old town for our evening meal having spotted a place earlier. We ate well (again) but had to walk back to the hotel in the rain as a thunderstorm passed through. I’m sure it will be short-lived as the forecast for tomorrow is looking good as we leave Romania in the morning.