Since I’ve been gone…

Have totally managed to wean myself of writing here! Have barely managed to update the Swedish version, how lame. Anyway, here’s the short and sweet version of our trip! More to come…

29 July: via friend B (coffee and cake) in Skåne to friend L in Copenhagen (dinner at typically Danish Hard Rock Café. What can I say…).

30 July: Morning jog with L by the artificial lakes in central Copenhagen. Very pretty! Then ferry Rödbyhavn/Puttgarden, past miles and miles of road works, to Amsterdam.

31 July: Morning jog in Vondelpark, Amsterdam. Then paid very good money for rental bikes - €15 for 24 hours was the minimum. And rubbish bikes too – no gears and could only sit back and hold myself upright by my abs. Saw typical tourist stuff including Anne Frank’s house (outside) and had coffee by one of the canals. Then into the car again to go to Le Havre – but no. Didn’t start. Called for assistance, they arrived after 2½ hours then started it and off we went. Ended up at Oostende instead, at a camp site with no shower – only felt the need to tell us once the tent was up. Yay.

1 Aug: I’d planned a run in each country but with no shower… Loaded the car, which didn’t start. Repeat call for assistance. Took 3 hours – so could’ve gone for a run and then washed in the only sink available with the whole site as audience. Oh well. Battery apparently dead, replaced it and car as good as new. First toll booth on French roads: front window didn’t go up. Car by now very cheap, and seemingly great material for skewers (especially to cook chicken kebabs on – why keep chickens next door to a camp site, eh?). Absolutely no French mechanics work weekends, and especially not in August. After the Omaha Beach landing site we stayed in 12th century castle Chateau de Villiers, Huppain. Previous lodgers: Robin Hood and Joan of Arc. Didn’t spot the resident ghost though.

2 Aug: In the car all day, heading for pals F & J in Pau. Bum by now car seat-shaped.

3 Aug: Monday. Thankfully our friends speak French so helped find a mechanic to repair the window, on Wednesday, Thursday at the very latest. Right. There go our surfing plans…

4 Aug: Beach - all day! Hossegor with F & J & kids, very painful to be near the waves and not actually on them. Mussels for lunch, first time had proper mussels not from a tin. Clothes shopping, left surf watch with Rip Curl for battery swap – closest place to home, strangely enough. Mussels apparently a bad idea to eat.

5 Aug: Morning jog in hilly Bosdarros (where we stayed). Very obviously above sea level! Quickie shopping at Decathlon – love that store! Then more hills – trek up to some stone age burial sites in the Pyrenees. Tummy still unhappy.

6 Aug: New parts for car window supposedly in the garage after lunch. While waiting we went to the Lindt factory shop in Oloron Sainte-Marie. Yum!!! Part arrived too late, but work will be done tomorrow. Dinner: curry, French style. Not quite Brick Lane…

7 Aug: At garage 8.25, job done 9.45. Bit pricey – renewed threat about skewers is one more breakdown. Next stop Carcassonne (Kate Mosse-readers will know why) where we caught some tournament games including birds of prey. Wow… Accidentally bought a case of wine at Castel-Nègre, Limoux, before setting up camp in adorable village Maury. Tent on one side of the fence, vineyard on the other! Closed when we arrived but no worries, found a spot and thought we’d pay in the morning. (mussels still causing trouble – must be something else)

8 Aug: Headed for Cannes. Only 45km today, ended up at Camping du Viaduc in Anthéor, 26km west of Cannes. Could just about see the Med from the tent.

9 Aug: Bins emptied at 6 am. Gaah! On with shoes – morning jog along a decidedly dangerous road with no curb and lots of curves. Two dips in the sea along the way. Can see why people want to live here. Then breakfast in Cannes, ice cream in Nice and lunch in Monaco. Also a little run round the block just to put Monaco on the map. On towards Lago di Garda (specifically Peschiera del Garda). Only stamp-sized camping spot left so picked cute Albergo Speranza instead. Even cuter old man running it – spoke no English whatsoever and my Italian is crap – especially the version he spoke! Still, we managed to get a room. Pizza, yum! (tum still unhappy)

10 Aug: Morning jog along the lake shore. Then quick walk through the town – very touristy indeed! Planned on driving north along the shore but so had everyone and their in-laws so we took the E45 to Innsbruck – via Europa Brücke. Coffee and huge cake, then onwards again, to friend S in Munich. She sorted out a B&B for us, then took us out for some typical Bavarian food. OMG, the serving sizes!

11 Aug: Morning jog again. Stupid TomTom sent us round in circles for an hour on the way to Marienplatz. More coffee, and another huge cake. Glad I don’t live here, ha ha. Then Dachau – took ages. Lots to see and a huge exhibition that would’ve taken all day to see. Hubby then had to pass by an enormous music store where he walked round like a kid in a toy store – I sat in the car with my book. For an interesting little town – try Bad Brückenau. Hotel Zur Muehle isn’t too bad – even had free internet! (first since Amsterdam)

12 Aug: Direction Puttgarden for the ferry back to Denmark. Detour to Bergen-Belsen. We knew nothing was left but the mass graves, but didn’t expect the huge exhibition. Much more interesting than Dachau. As we left the left headlight had stopped working. Bloody car! No bulbs to be found along the Autobahn… First service station on the Danish side had bulbs, but to replace it proved tricky. Brute force required, while not touching the actual bulb… Sights on a hostel, but no staff so instead ended up in a posh hotel. Tum still bad so had baby food for dinner.

13 Aug: Quickie visit to Kronborg Castle (Hamlet’s Elsinore) before finally heading home. Legs permanently bent in the shape of the car seats. Yay…

As usual way too many photos but I do have some from my morning runs on crackbook if anyone fancies having a look – just let me know (and I’ll tell you how to find me)!