The last time we came to “Slovenia” it was part of Yugoslavia and the “Eastern Bloc” ( remember that terminology ? Seems so passé these days. ). Apart from a little Cold War memorial we saw on the way in ( mentioned in the last blog ) there is almost no hint of those days any longer. Indeed, Slovenia ( and Croatia ) look so much like nearby Italy that you’d never know they were once ( however loosely ) under the Soviet embrace. Both now use the Euro, are in the EU and belong to the Schengen border program – as a result, travel within and between them is a breeze.
There were really just a couple of attractions that appealed to us in Slovenia – Lake Bled and then the massive underground caves of Postojna ( Europe’s largest ). Slovenia is small and getting across it from Austria to Croatia required only a couple of days and included both of these great sights. Lake Bled is postcard-like and the Postojna caves are as close as we’ve been to a “Journey to the centre of the earth” experience !
Pretty Slovenian village en route to Lake Bled
Even if you don’t recognizing the name, I’m sure most readers will have seen pictures of Lake Bled. It’s a stunningly beautiful little lake near the town of Bled with a small island at one end on which a beautiful cathedral sits. Overlooking the lake and cathedral is a very impressive castle. It’s a beautiful two hour walk/hike around the lake and at various points excellent photo opportunities emerge for both the cathedral on the island and the castle up above. It was a magnificent day so we had plenty of company, but it’s the kind of place you don’t really notice the crowds. Why we missed this place before I don’t know, but glad we made time to check it out on this occasion.
Lake BledCastle, Lake Bled
The other “biggie” in Slovenia is the huge Postojna cave network. In contrast to Lake Bled, the weather forecast for our Postojna visit was not good, but, given that it’s a cave and of course completely underground, it didn’t really matter at all. A German fellow that was camped with us the night before insisted we should check it out – this turned out to be excellent advice. Again, huge crowds, but well handled by the Slovenians who have been guiding tourists around this place for almost 150 years.
Postojna Caves Ditto
There was one other place the aforementioned German traveller told us about – the beautiful Venetian-era coastal town of Piran so we made sure to travel to that little bit of the Adriatic coast that belongs to Slovenia to check it out. The images looked stunning and he’d gotten us both quite excited to visit – sadly, like in Italy’s Dolomites, parking was literally impossible ( signs everywhere prohibiting campers/trucks and buses ). We would have happily walked in from the outskirts, however the parking out there also prohibited campers, giving us no other real options. This was a very new experience for us – we had faced no such restrictions anywhere else in Europe, though we had been warned that both Slovenia and Croatia ( seemingly alone among the 30 Schengen states ) make it literally impossible to get campervans anywhere near their “crown jewel” attractions. It did not take long to experience it, and not, I must add, a very welcoming experience ( one which stood in stark contrast to our experiences everywhere else on the continent ). Noses firmly out of joint, we moved on, crossing next into Croatia.
Piran – pretty, but was not to be !
While our time here was absolutely fantastic in terms of weather, scenery, nature, historic attractions and STUNNING coastline, the whole “anti-campervan” vibe in Croatia was simply next level. Won’t bore regular readers with the minutiae since it would be irrelevant to to the average tourist however for those travelling with their own wheels it’s something one absolutely needs to consider ( I’ve added a little addendum to next week’s blog to further illustrate what we experienced – you’ve been warned ! ).
First planned stop here was historic Pula on the ( formerly Italian controlled ) Istrian peninsula – a beautiful day made for some excellent sightseeing the highlight being their Roman-era arena ( like, 1st century ! ) – truly, you’d swear you were in Rome at the Coliseum ( not quite as big but much more of this one is preserved ). The whole town is beautiful, so much of it dating back to Roman times ( the Italians really did have a huge influence on this side of the Adriatic and their influence lingers to this day – every sign, and menu is in both Croatian and Italian).
Roman Arena, PulaDittoTemple of Augustus ( dating from 2 BC ), Pula.BackstreetRoman ruins, Pula
From Pula the route was to travel south along the coast checking out towns and islands of note – one is truly spoilt for choice, there being so many options. Circling around Rijeka, the island of Krk is first up. Conveniently connected to the mainland by bridge, we decided it was worth a look and spent a day sightseeing there. The old town Krk was definitely of interest, although the rest of the island didn’t stand out to us in any way.
Walls of the Old Town, KrkA typical roadside bay on the Adriatic coast. We stopped for a swim in this one.
Further down the coast, though, lay one of Croatia’s crown jewels – Plitvice Lakes National Park, and it lived up to its hype in every way – just an amazingly impressive area of lakes and waterfalls, made unique by the way in which the lakes are tiered and flow into one another. A picture perfect day just made an already great natural sight even more impressive. The fact that we managed to get a 12km hike done in the process of seeing it all – bonus !
Plitvice National ParkDittoLine up for ferry on the lake…!….and the “African Queen” era ferry 😳More lakes in Plitvice DittoDitto
From the higher ( and definitely cooler ) elevations inland at Plitvice, our route meandered down to the coast and the historic port city of Zadar. Somewhat like Pula in terms of its historic old town which was vibrant on a very sunny Sunday ( a cruise ship in port ensured the crowds were big ). No problems accessing the town and finding parking ( thankfully ) and enjoyed our time exploring there. As we were sitting on the waterfront promenade there was an unexpected bonus – the Croatian Air Force put on a very impressive aerobatic display ( see attached video ) a delightful way to close out our time in Zadar !
Zadar, 11th century Benedictine Monastery of St. Maria Waterfront promenade, Zadar. Great place for an airbase !Not quite Hvar, or Dubrovnik, but Zadar also attracts a lot of very high end cruising boats.Busy old town, Zadar
In the coming week we’ll continue down the Adriatic ( or “Dalmatian” ) coast- lots to see and the weather forecast looks awesome 😎 !
Till next week…
PS: Last week I was lamenting the volume of traffic on the Paso de Stelvio and thinking we were perhaps a few weeks too early. It would appear not ! Check this out:
Q: How do you insure your van for international travel ?
A: For Canadian registered vehicles, provincial insurance only covers Canada and the US. Beyond that you need to get coverage in the countries or regions you are travelling in. In all our travels, only in Mexico, Japan and Australia were we able to get comprehensive insurance – everywhere else we have been limited to third party coverage, typically sold as “border insurance” when you enter a country. It’s mostly fairly cheap but covers only the minimum that is legally required ( which is often quite low ! ). In Europe, one buys “Green Card” insurance by the month, the first month being more expensive but subsequent months being €108/m. We have used Tourinsure ( from Germany ) and found them very efficient. It’s liability only but has more reasonable limits and covers all countries in the EU ( and thus is quite convenient ). One can get comprehensive cover in Europe but it is VERY expensive. Best insurance is to drive very carefully and hope that any accident is deemed the fault of someone else ( assuming THEY are insured ! ).
Starting high atop the Stelvio Pass, our plan for the coming week was simply to continue east and explore Italy’s world renowned Dolomite mountain range ( “Dolomiti”, to the Italians ), briefly cross southern Austria and then head south down the Adriatic coast with a brief stop as we crossed Slovenia. If that sounds like a lot, it’s actually all very close together ( the beauty of Europe ! ).
The run down the Stelvio Pass was just as exciting as the climb up to it and again we saw plenty of folks out walking, riding, but mostly driving this iconic road. Scenery was at all times breathtaking as was the variety of exotic cars we saw testing out its famous curves. Highlight was a classic Aston Martin DB5, closely followed by an E-type Jag of the same vintage. I was drooling. More Lamborghini’s and Ferrari’s than we could even count !
Very grainy shot as it was enlarged but the classic lines of the DB5 are clear. And look what is coming behind it !….another classic. The unmistakable, incomparable, E – type Jaguar. And, being driven on the Stelvio, no less .
After a little bit of rural northern Italy we approached the famous Dolomite mountain range. If we did not underestimate the stunning beauty of the Dolomites ( their reputation is very well deserved ) we most certainly did underestimate how popular they were. The roads were intensely busy, parking ( anything, even small cars ) was a real challenge, and getting access to its more famous hikes ( Seceda, Tre Cime, for example ) proved nigh on impossible. The fact that it was a Saturday again ( did we not learn anything from last Saturday in Chamonix ? ), one of the last weekends of summer, and probably the most perfect day of the year meant that it was a gong show of people and vehicles. Loved the couple of days, total scenic overload, but could have done without the crowds.
Views coming off the Stelvio PassHo hum…..just another Italian exotic car on the Stelvio Pass ( lol ! ).The Italians all love to travel to “Le Dolomiti” !Dolomites in the distance.Beautiful lighting when we camped the first night.Dolomites – in places reminiscent of Torres del Paine in Chile.Dolomites, near St. Christina.One of the days was picture perfect – the bluest skies, the greenest mountainsides.One of those places where you just had to get out and soak it all in ( when you could find a place to stop !!).Paso de Falzarego, the pass we went through. Coming down into Cortina d’Ampezzo ( site of the 1956 Winter Olympics.Pretty Lago do Ghedina, just outside the ski village of Cortina d’Ampezzo.This is typical of what one faces on a beautiful summer’s day in the Italian Dolomites -Tre Cime ( and Seceda ) are a couple of the more spectacular ridges/formations and attract huge traffic. We could not even get parking, much less make our way to the gondola where the line ups were brutal. Fortunately still many other stunning views elsewhere in the area.Tried twice to access Tre Cime but they turned us back both times 😟.People parked miles away, then lined up for buses. Crazy popular place.Still lots of beauty here beyond just the well known ones.
At this stage we’d had our fill of beautiful mountains, our necks now kinked from constantly twisting 180 degrees to take it all in. Leaving Italy through southern Austria we ended up spending a couple of days in and around a pretty town called Villach. The front brake job we had skipped in Amsterdam ( due to a parts delay ) still needed doing ( if not before, then certainly after the workout they got coming down those high passes in Switzerland and Italy ! ). The local Mercedes dealer was able to get them in and install them in 2 days so we decided to wait it out and have the work done there. The folks at MB in Villach were super helpful and once the parts arrived it was all done in just a couple of hours – we should now be good for many more mountain passes !
Extremely helpful service from Mercedes Benz in Villach, Austria. Thank you, Mary and Michael.
From Austria we will finally start heading south again – in the coming blog we’ll share an update on Slovenia and our first days in Croatia.
Museum of the Cold War era on the Austria/Slovenian border.
Till next week…😉
In Case You Wondered
Q: What do you do for medical insurance being away for so long and isn’t it expensive ?
A: We’ve used several different medical providers over the years but most recently have been using IMG Global, a US company. They have a good reputation, offer a variety of tailored options, and make extensions easy ( a feature we often use ). We returned to Canada in late May, 3 weeks before our policy expired, and they even provided a pro-rated premium refund. In our experience, few companies do this. Most importantly they allow us to select a higher deductible ( excess ) in order to keep premiums more affordable. We “self insure” up to $2,500 USD and so far ( fingers crossed ! ) that’s worked well for us.
From our first visit here in 1985, and through a couple of others since, this has always been one of our favourite countries – and one of the countries in the world that we admire most.
Had not thought of castles in Switzerland but passed this one near Martigny on the way in from France.We were also surprised by what looked like terraced vineyards in the area – wine, from Switzerland ?
This visit we had a few specific goals – drive some of Switzerland’s great mountain passes, explore regions we had missed before ( in the south and south east ), revisit a couple of our favourite places, and finally, visit some old friends we had last seen a few years back at an Overlander camp in Buenos Aires.
First, the road trip. From the very beginning of our retirement travels ( back in 2019 when we created the OneEndlessRoad website ), our primary goal was simply to drive some of the worlds great roads. In the years since we’ve been working our way through many of them ( the full Pan Am, the “full lap” of Australia, to name but a few, and of course, countless legendary national road trips within these long national and international routes – Chile’s Carretera Austral, Argentina’s Route 40, Australia’s Gibb River Rd and Cape York Track being among the more memorable). Switzerland, while not offering any such lengthy road trips of note, does offer some world-renowned high mountain passes (one of which was even featured in a classic James Bond movie). While sadly not doing it in an iconic Aston Martin DB5, we still managed to drive the famous Furka Pass ( featured in Goldfinger ), and nearby Grimsel Pass, the even more stunning “Paso de Stelvio” ( Stelvio Pass ) connecting Switzerland with Italy , and the Fluela Pass ( connecting Davos to the Stelvio Pass road ). These, in addition to the impressive back roads we took across Crans Montana and the Appenzell region made for an incredibly memorable driving week in Switzerland – it’s just that kind of postcard-like country in which every direction you look, you see something of stunning beauty. Equally impressive was to see the range of truly exotic and iconic European sports cars traversing these routes, along with a couple of old British classic cars as well. Seems we were not the only car ( or, in our case, ‘van’ ) buffs on the road in Switzerland that week.
Swiss countryside in the way to Furka Pass.First view of Furka’s famous switchbacks.The view down over Furka from above.A tedious, slow climb but made it to the top. Here the elevation is 2,429 metres.You might recognize this famous ( but now closed ) hotel from the car chase scene in the James Bond classic movie “Goldfinger”. It was built into the inside of a very tight hairpin bend. Still attracting tourists over 50 years after the movie made it famous.Hotel Belvedere, Furka Pass.Tacky tourist shot !From the Furka Pass to the almost equally challenging Grimsel Pass.Traditional Swiss scene at the bottom of the Grimsel Pass.
In between all these particular mountain pass roads, time was made time for revisits to Interlaken and Lucerne, two of Switzerlands prettier attractions which fell conveniently within our path across the south of the country. Both offered exceptionally clear and sunny days making for memorable return visits.
Brienz, near Interlaken.Downtown in beautiful Interlaken.View from Interlaken.A street scene, Interlaken. Not sure which city started this “inverted umbrella the” thing, but we have now seen it in at least half a dozen other places.Mountain road en route to Lucerne.Our prettiest camp spot in Switzerland- just across the lake from Lungern. We woke up to this view.Lucerne city – one of Switzerland prettiest.Selfie time.
Great road trips and scenic cities are always highlights when you are on the road but so too is the opportunity to catch up with old friends. We had kept in contact with Peter and Nicole over the past 3 years since last meeting them at a campground in Buenos Aires as we wrapped up the PanAm. We enjoyed a few wonderful days together there and went out for dinner in the city on a couple of occasions. They’ve spent many years traveling South America in their 4 x 4 VW and we have enjoyed following their overlanding adventures since we left them. Fortunately, this summer found them back in Switzerland for a few months R&R so it provided a great opportunity to stop by and see them in the picturesque community of Gonten where they live. It’s a stunningly beautiful place and close by is the city of Appenzell where we joined them to watch one of Switzerland’s seasonal “cow descent“ ( or Alpabfahrt ). A visit to the nearby Laderach chocolate plant gave us the opportunity to get involved in making some chocolate and to learn about just exactly what goes into making this legendary Swiss product. Sharing the time with them and their good friends Bruno and Regula ( just back from an overland trip to Georgia themselves ) and enjoying a traditional Raclette dinner with them was a real highlight of the trip so far – I don’t think we have had such an intense culinary and sensory experience in some time ! Thank you, Peter and Nicole !
Visited Laderach chocolate factory – hand a hand in making some for ourselves and enjoyed learning how the Swiss kits make it so well.The “blonde” chocolate fountain. I took a few extra tastes at this one – divine !Our creations on the conveyer for cooling.Lois’s finished map of Switzerland.…and mine.In the almost 4 month long hunt for Europe’s best hot chocolate, the search ended with this one from Laderach. No surprise then that one of the best chocolatiers should make the best hot chocolate !Wonderful reconnection with our dear Swiss friends, Peter and Nicole – we’d last seen each other in Buenos AiresHappened to stop by as Bruno and Regula were visiting while n route home to a Switzerland from Georgia – great tips gleaned about a possible trip through there.Nicole treated us to a traditional Swiss Rackette dinner. The BEST cheese !Shout out to Peter, whose impressive array of tools helped me with some maintenance on the van. High light of our stay in Gonten – the traditional Swiss “cow descent”, or Alpabfahrt.If we were not listening to church bells, then it was cow bells. Such a peaceful rural sound- the bells can be huge !
From Switzerland, the plan is to tour through Italy’s legendary Dolomites for a few days before heading to Slovenia through eastern Austria. Lots to see. I’ll close this week with a few shots of our last “drive” in Switzerland – from Gonten, south east to Davos and on through the Fluela Pass to Zernez and then to the Stelvio Pass on the Swiss / Italian border ( exhilarating, to say the least !).
Left Gonten for the Stelvio Pass – almost missed the fact that it cut through the bottom of Liechtenstein and this beautiful castle in Balzers.Scenery en route to Fluela and Stelvio passes.A couple of Lotus’s and a Porsche Boxster overtaking us on the way to Stelvio. We were overtaken…..a lot !Memorial at Stelvio pass marking a military battle in WW1.Camped for the night, atop the stunning Stelvio pass.Signs marking the options to go down. Stelvio sign in the middle.View down from the top is Stelvio. A spectacular drive with incredibly tight hairpins, some requiring 2 point turns in our 7m long rig.
Till next week…..
In Case You Wondered:
Q: How do you determine where to stay each night ?
A: We have been asked this one a lot. I have periodically been adding pics of camping/parking places ( to show what’s typical ) but it seems people are especially curious about this. While campgrounds are certainly available if one needs to use them, we are fully self-contained and hence generally avoid them. There is just no need, and in Europe they can sometimes be congested as well. They can also be expensive, especially in high season, and the popular ones require booking in advance – and we always avoid that !
In cities it’s very common to use 24hr parking stations ( these allow you to get right downtown, but you are “parking” and not “camping” in the strict sense of the word ). The term “camping” is probably used somewhat generously in some cases. In these situations, one does not put chairs or awnings out – but we are still very thankful and appreciative of the flexibility to stay so close to downtown areas ( we are very respectful and certainly “don’t bite the hand that feeds us” ! ). So far anyway it just seems much easier to do this in Europe. Park4Night ( an app ) is the “bible” of European van/RV travellers in this regard. The iOverlander app is good all over the world though not quite so strong in Europe. Both these apps show both free and payable locations where one can park/camp overnight. The options are numerous – we’ve never worried about finding a place, ever.
Personally when deciding where to stay ( though some would prioritize differently ) we focus on security first, convenience of location second, flat( or “flat’ish” at least !) third, with reasonable quietness next. Any other benefits are a complete bonus. We don’t hesitate to drive right downtown and have done so everywhere we have been, the advantage of having a rig that, while spacious, is still quite easy to manoeuvre.
During our summer break back in Canada ( but also at other points in our van travels ) we’ve been asked lots of questions about our somewhat extended “life on the road”, ranging from the technical, to the personal, to the financial, to the operational and various other aspects of it. Over time I’ve made a bit of a mental list of them and recently collated some of the more common ones – in the coming weeks I thought I’d add an addendum to the blog as a short “Q and A”. If some were asking it, we figured, likely others were thinking it ! We’ll kick it off at the bottom of this week’s edition ( feel free to send us any others that you would like answered ) 😊.
One of the toughest things about travelling in Europe is the simple fact that you are so spoilt for choice. We’re finding ourselves a little bit tormented in a way, and by moving on in the direction we are going we always seem to be passing up something else that we feel we really should be checking out – a nice problem to have though, I suppose. Seems each time we make a detour there is something else equally appealing if we could “just drive a little further on” ! So that’s kind of how we got where we are now ( south eastern France, exploring some of their historic villages and cities ) and we have absolutely no regrets. Why go straight south when there are so many great detours to distract us !
What could be more French – classic Citroen 2CV !
This past week the route took us further south in France, through the stunning castle village of Chateau Chateauneuf, the foodie haven of Dijon ( yes, home of the eponymous mustard ), a few other smaller villages and ultimately to Annecy ( sometimes known as the “Venice of the North” ) – one of France’s prettiest small cities where we spent a couple of days. The week wrapped up with a foray into the Alps at Chamonix, and while not quite the outcome we hoped for it was probably one we should have expected 🧐.
If Flavigny was impressive, Chateau Chateauneuf took it a notch higher. The same historic, original French stone buildings and cobblestone streets, but Chateauneuf also had the most imposing castle perched high atop a knoll with the most expansive views. Taking the self guided tour of it was well worthwhile – interesting to see how the nobility lived back in the day.
Entryway, Chateauneuf.The chateau.Chateau ChateauneufSuit of armour, inside the chateau.The village of Chateauneuf.
World-renowned Dijon was only 40 minutes away and with more to offer than just its famous mustard we enjoyed wandering its historic streets and parks. Sadly, it’s famous market was not open the day we visited but we had no problem finding other sights to enjoy and an excellent lunch to savour- a foodie haven so thought it a good spot to sample the local fare.
Cathedral, Dijon.The walking tour of Dijon is easy – follow the Owl’s route !Building from the 1400’s in Dijon. Made partially with wood and still in amazing shape.One is, unsurprisingly, spoilt for choice with varieties of Dijon’s eponymous mustard.
Close to Dijon was the smaller city of Besançon and, while we would not have made a special trip to see it, there was a very worthwhile reason for the detour there that we made. While the Mercedes dealer in Troyes couldn’t help us with the EGR part we needed, the Service Associate very thoughtfully arranged for it to be delivered to the nearby Besancon dealership – most conveniently they could also fit us in for the installation. With service appointments often needing to be booked weeks in advance, we were incredibly appreciative of the cooperation between the two dealers that made it possible for us to continue travelling with what ultimately amounted to a very minor interruption. Thank you, again Saber and Cédric !
Thank you to Cédric and team at Besancon Mercedes. Not only did they get the new EGR valve it was installed quickly and with out fuss.While waiting for parts to arrive the service guys were checking our route.Street scene, village of Poligny. Originally visited because there was a great spot to camp and then realized it was also a great little village to explore. Famous for Compte cheese ( we loved it ).We’ve become somewhat addicted to visiting cheese stores – here at a market in Poligny. The local specialty is Compte…delicious.
Annecy, a beautiful small city on Lake Annecy, and just a few hours further south, was effectively our last stop in France. We had read much about this place and seen quite a few pictures so were keen to get there and explore it for ourselves. It did not disappoint. With our van parked up right on the waterfront and just on the edge of downtown, it was one of the most convenient locations imaginable and gave us lots of opportunity to explore Annecy’s beautiful attractions. It’s popular, being just an hour or so south of Geneva in Switzerland, and being a weekend it was extra busy, however the crowd of visitors from all over the world simply added to the ambiance.
Annecy.Pizza lunch.Selfie in front of Palais de I’lle, Annecy.Annecy.Coffee time, Annecy.Annecy.Thiou River, Annecy.Pont de Amours, Annecy.Annecy, waterfront. Long waterfront walks were necessary to burn off the calories consumed here !
At this stage, we planned to finally start heading east with our first stop being to visit some old friends in the east of Switzerland. East was also the logical direction we should’ve been heading ! Rather than scoot across the top of the industrial region of Italy as originally planned, we opted to cross the Alps and go straight up to Switzerland, but planned a route which would be all virgin territory to us. This gave us the opportunity to sneak in a visit to Chamonix, ( a skiing mecca and home to Mt Blanc ) just before leaving France. It was probably optimistic to think we could park anywhere near the place ( but thought we’d roll the dice ) – even a nice view of Mt Blanc alone would make a visit worthwhile and it lay right on our path to Switzerland anyway. See below – let’s just say it was fortunate we did not go too far out of our way !
Chamonix- bumper to bumper traffic, packed with tourists and impossible to park. It was the last Saturday of summer holidays on a gorgeous summer day – what were we thinking !!!Too cloudy to see Mt Blanc from Chamonix but got a good view of the glacier. A consolation prize of sorts 😊.
Q: Do you guys argue from time to time and isn’t it difficult living for extended periods in a ( relatively ) small space ?
A: A surprisingly common question ! Yes, we do, mostly about driving directions but sometimes about destinations, and routes as well. Made worse when one of us is sick, or something goes wrong with the vehicle ( the severed ABS brake cable issue in remote northern Norway in sub zero temperatures would be a good example ), or when the weather is bad ( “Jeff, remind me, again, why are we here in March ?” ) ! We actually don’t find the space “small” and we see MANY travellers in vehicles smaller and less well equipped than ours. We are very thankful for all the facilities and features our van has – helps minimize those arguments !
A typical “micro-camper” the likes of which we saw regularly during our time in Japan. As can be seen (compared to the standard Japanese sedan parked beside it), some of their campers are really small ! Very happy with the size and comforts of our van ( and having lived in Japan for 3 years we are used to small spaces ! ).
Memo to self – when you think it might be a good idea to break up an otherwise long flight from Kelowna to Amsterdam with a few stops en route, think again ! What could’ve been done in 12 hours stretched out to almost 20, meaning we arrived in Amsterdam absolutely exhausted. Lounge passes, we thought, would make things easier, but that of course assumes you can get into the airport lounge….not when they are full, you can’t ! We just should have known better – chalk that one up to a case of “seemed like a good idea at the time” 🙄.
While the return flight did not go so well, things did get better on arrival – initially. The good news was that when our van was collected it was as sparkling clean as we had left it, very well cared for, and started up immediately. May seem rather obvious but one does worry about that when the vehicle has been stored for over three months. Very happy with that. We then drove straight to the same campground we had stayed in just before leaving Holland, checked in and had a pretty good night’s sleep. So far, so good.
The van looked sparkling clean when we picked it up and started right away after 3 months of no use ( phew ! ).The Swallows Nest campground, Ter Aar, near Amsterdam.
The next day we had a previously scheduled appointment with Mercedes Benz Amsterdam to replace the front brake pads ( routine ) and to ( very likely ) replace the EGR – an emission component, under warranty, that has plagued us ( and thousands of other Sprinter owners around the world ) before and was acting up again. We’d planned all this before leaving Amsterdam in May and had asked that they ensure the parts would be available when we got back. Let’s just say it did not go as planned ( no parts on hand ) and cost us two unnecessarily wasted days. Worse, they found an unexpected ( and serious ) issue with the rear passenger side shock absorber – I’ll spare casual readers the blow by blow of what happened but for those more curious about mechanical malfunctions I’ve added relevant detail at the end of the blog; not what you want happening on your first days back in Europe !
One must make the best of a bad situation ( always ) so we used the unexpected time in Amsterdam to further explore the city. Having hit the major tourist sites on two previous visits, this time we split our days between wandering the canals and sampling all the cheese and pancakes on offer ( when in Holland…..) as well as taking in the amazing sights of “Sail 2025” a 4 day expo of famous tall ships and other assorted marine vessels which happened to be on right when we were there. Made for a couple of extremely busy days ( the city was packed ) but certainly helped us take our mind off the delays with the vehicle. The entertainment was amazing !
The 2025 “Amsterdam Sail” event was in full swing while we visited – we went over two days. Have never seen so many tall ships in one place !“Sail 2025”The line for a public toilet in Amsterdam during Sail, 2025 !Amsterdam Central Station.Cheese stores everywhere in Amsterdam. It was fun to do the samples – some delicious cheeses !…..and bikes. Bikes everywhere!On a hugely busy day the Amsterdam canals were jam packed with tourists.Famous canal houses near Amsterdam station.
With only one of three vehicle tasks completed while in Amsterdam ( the shock absorber problem fortunately, as it was the most urgent) we pushed on from Amsterdam on our intended route south, first destination being the historic and beautifully maintained town of Troyes, in France. This took us through Belgium, via Antwerp but skirting Brussels, and on through the areas of France known as The Marne and Ardennes ( famous battle areas from WW1 and WW2 respectively – I can recall my grandfather, who fought in WW1, speaking about the Marne). As the day went on we passed monuments to those battles and many others, along with the very sad sight of thousands of white crosses marking the graves of young soldiers who died in the conflicts. Heartbreaking to see so many of them – their lives tragically cut so short.
Driving out of Mercedes Benz, Amsterdam. While the staff there were delightful we were quite sick of the place after visits which spanned three consecutive days due to a delay in getting parts and an unexpected power outage.
This time we passed through Belgium – no sightseeing but we did buy, what else, some chocolate !
As it turned out we never got to Troyes that day – between stop offs in Gouda and Breda ( Holland – for the cheese, of course ! ) and requisite stops at some French battlefields we only got as far as Vouziers where we stumbled on a great municipal camp site, and, purely by happenstance, the gravesite of Roland Garros – tennis fans will know him for his name adorning the stadium which hosts the French Open. Sadly, Garros, a fighter pilot, was shot down just one month before the Armistice was signed in November, 1918. He was famed for a revolutionary invention – the “through the propeller” machine gun which made him a legend at the time.
The grave of famous WW1 French airman, Roland Garros. His name lives on at the French Open tennis stadium.Sadly shot down just a month prior to the war’s end.Travel rural France and you will see lots of WW1 and WW2 cemeteries. It’s said that “Old men start wars, young men fight them”. Sadly, so very true – some of these still in their teens.A monument to a great battle fought in WW1 in Suippes. Over 10,000 soldiers are buried here.
Just a few hours further south is the small city of Troyes. While there was much damage in the surrounding area, Troyes escaped it during the two wars and as such its old town retains some of the best classical urban French architecture in the country. The cobbled streets, narrow alleys and colorful facades made for an enchanting visit. Not a place either of us knew about before but want to extend a big thanks to reader,Tjalle, for the tip – well worth the stopover !
Old town, Troyes.Old town, Troyes.Narrow alleys and buildings that are leaning. In some places they touch at the top.On the day we visited it was the 81st anniversary of a World War II battle near Troyes involving mostly US serviceman. Lots of American flags and a classic Willy’s Jeep.Troyes cathedral.Another beautiful Troyes church.So classically European. Troyes is a very beautiful town.
From Troyes we continued exploring some of the classic small, traditional French towns in the region. After the predominantly wood style buildings in Troyes, it was interesting to see the contrast with the almost exclusively stone buildings in historic Flavigny sur Ozerain. Flavigny sits up on a mountaintop with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Typically French and very picturesque, we look forward to exploring more places like it in the coming week.
A picturesque riverside setting in Mussy sur Seine where we stopped for lunch.Traditional French street scene in Flavigny Sur Ozerain Another. They do such an amazing job keeping/restoring old buildings in France. Flavigny is one of the more famous towns in the region.
Till next week…….
Appendix 1: The Dealership Visit Fiasco:
The brake pad check and EGR inspection revealed exactly what we had expected ( no surprise there ), but then things went totally pear shaped – not only were the parts NOT on hand, they could not give a firm date for when they would be available. Incredibly frustrating, but it got worse. While doing a quick visual inspection of the van they noticed that the passenger side rear shock absorber had sheered off from its top mount and was ( literally ) dangling loose from the other end in the wheel well. This was bad enough news but on closer inspection the bolt had not just come loose and fallen off, it had actually snapped inside the chassis rail and could be ( we were advised ) very difficult to remove. Yes, this is when you hear yourself saying, “For the love of god, why my van !”.
The intended one day dealership visit ( “and it should all be done” ) notion turned into three consecutive days of visits ( a power outage in the area causing additional delays ) with the only positive outcome being that the bolt was successfully drilled out from the chassis rail and the new bolts were ordered and installed ( as a preventative measure I asked that the other side bolt also be replaced figuring it may soon succumb to the same metal fatigue that did its partner in ). Bolts, of course, are cheap – Mercedes hourly rates in Holland, are not; $710 ( CAD ) later, we had the van back and the rear shocks, at least, were now all good. Brake pad replacement and EGR install would need to be done elsewhere due to parts availability ( or should I say, lack of ). Apparently, according to my Canadian installer/supplier, the shock bolt snapping is not uncommon ( yes, I was assured, it can and does happen even though one has upgraded suspension to handle the extra weight ). At this point, after three days in and out of the dealer, we decided to move on. Never a dull moment on the road. I will provide an update on both the brakes and EGR matter when they are dealt with.
The bolt, visible on the top of the driver side shock absorber, sheered off completely on the passenger side. It left half the bolt stuck inside the chassis requiring a special tool and much expense ( and stress ! ) to remove…😟.The passenger side shock absorber. While in the dealer for routine brake pad replacement they noticed the passenger side shock absorber had broken free of the chassis mount. The sheered off remains of the mounting bolt are visible in the green circle. Result of simple metal fatigue after thousands of kms of severely corrugated roads in Australia and just eventually collapsed they suspected.
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
