We have an update from the feature which commenced in the last edition letting you know about friends of ours who have embarked on a journey of a lifetime in thier motorhome. Phil, Sharon, Jemma and Ben are travelling on a World Tour in aid of Devon Air Ambulance who they have been needed themselves in recent years.
29th July - 1 week in Poland, then onto Germany.
Left Germany on Tuesday 19th August bound for Switzerland.
The Border Control saga..... as we now had paid about 32.50 Francs for a motorway pass, we duly showed the officials our bit of paper and got glared at. Through a series of hand signals and gestures we arrived on a weigh bridge and were told to sit still. The bloke was gone ages with our vehicle documents too and we sat and waited.......
The Border Control official came back looking even more solemn than before and was greeted with a cheerful “OK?” from Phil ! “NO, IT IS NOT OK” came the reply......... “Pardon?..........” The weigh bridge results were then thrust at us and we were told that Nessie was TOO HEAVY for Switzerland. We assumed that we had filled in the wrong part of the form and would just have to pay more but when this was suggested he said “NO” again! (on later reflection Phil thought that perhaps he thought we were trying to bribe him!)
So we were told that we must LEAVE and there was no way we could travel through Switzerland. We had to turn back from the weigh bridge area and go back to the Border bridge. The official with zero sense of humour even kept our documents until we were safely back on the other side of the bridge again! As Phil returned to collect his documents his blood was already at boiling point and he was up for a fight. We KNEW that Nessie was NOT over weight and when Phil knows that he is right the McKenzie temper cuts right in....... The legal laden weight limit for Nessie is 4.6 Tons and she was weighed in at 4.5 Tons ?? The official (in all his worldly wisdom) was taking the gross weight (UNLADEN) of 3.8 Tons on the documents as our weight limit.....
Hang on a minute.......with a twin wheeled truck of this size that would mean that if Nessie was completely empty – no water and only a dribble of fuel, with no passengers and only Ben to drive across the border – Nessie would STILL be overweight !!! How does that work exactly......We even had to pay a fine of 30 Francs to get back out of the country again!!
We tried to think of ways to PROVE our legal weight limit and Phil even telephoned Western Truck Rental (Mercedes dealership) in Barnstaple for confirmation as he had begun to doubt himself. We are now concerned that this might happen again at other borders and are looking into a way to get written proof about our limits.
So, as the chance of a Swiss Cuckoo Clock bit the dust we stayed in Germany for another night. We cheered ourselves up a bit by eventually finding a Thai Curry House and treating ourselves (it was lovely - but Phil still prefers the Bay of Bengal in Holsworthy!)
We decided to get where we are going by travelling through one of our favourite countries of previous travels - Austria - and as soon as we crossed this border we remembered why we love it so much.......The Alpine mountain scenery and flowery balconies are simply breathtaking........
We found the Wolfkskamm signs and from the leaflet this looked like a lovely waterfall along a river. That it was - but nobody told us of the steep incline for about 3 kms (and back again!), along winding tracks and a network of wooden bridges at the river’s edge! It was a most breathtaking walk and our energy supplies were spent by the end of the journey back down to base again!
There was a church (St. Georgenburg) at the very top of this Sacred Mountain (with the altar being at the highest point of the rock) and we later discovered the significance of this journey. This mountain has great historical significance which dates back to 12thCentury and is in the Karwendel mountain range).
The Church was built after White Doves are said to have sent a sign from Heaven, as to where to build a new church. This became a monastery, but was not without its setbacks as the site was burned to the ground and had to be re-built, a total of four times following forest fires. In 1310 there is said to have been a blood miracle during a church service. As the Priest was reciting the words of transubstantiation, he began to doubt God’s presence. Almost immediately the wine in his cup turned to the colour and flavour of human blood. The news of this miracle spread quickly and to this day St Georgenburg is a place of pilgrimage to the Mother of Sorrows – Unter der Linde (under the Lime tree), St George and to the Sacred Blood.
We moved from Austria and travelled to Slovenia. We had a pleasant surprise at these borders when we found that heavy vehicles (over 3.5 tons) do not need a standard motorway sticker and that toll and diesel prices are very kind to the ‘lorry’ driver! One in our favour for a change!
Slovenian countryside has become much greener and similar to the landscape of ‘home’! We explored a woodland and were surprised to find very similar trees to the ones that we are familiar with – Beech, Oak, Birch, Ash, and Sycamore.....
Before we bade Slovenia goodbye we just had to visit the Postojnska Jama (Caves). This journey took us on a fast train ride (similar to a roller coaster!) through the first parts of the caves and then to a guided tour (in English too!) where we walked a further 1 km through the biggest limestone cave in Slovenia, and the most visited ‘show’ cave in Europe. The caves most beautiful passages were discovered by locals in 1818 and are 20kms in total with only 5kms open to the public. This underground world of stalactites and stalagmites has a constant temperature of 8-10 degrees C. At the lowest point we were 250 metres below ground level. There is magical beauty around every corner with no two views the same. We thoroughly enjoyed this natural wonder which is 3 million years old (and 1 day!) We were warm enough even in our T shirts and shorts while everyone else was wrapped up in coats!
Wildlife hit:
Plenty of Lizards in Slovenia !!
We arrived in Croatia (27thAugust) and travelled, until we found a camp site (Auto camp – Korana) on the edge of a National Park - Plitvicka Jezera. The next day we visited the National Park and trekked about 4kms along a series of lakes and waterfalls cascading all around us.....
The crystal clear turquoise water was the most beautiful we have ever seen - and was the home to vast amounts of fish including Chubb and Trout – but no fishing was permitted – much to Phil’s displeasure (his previous 6 years as bailiff at Clawford Fisheries did not come in handy on this occasion!) The journey included a boat trip to the other side of one lake and with it a welcome rest! Luckily we found a road train that took us almost all the way back to the main entrance! The eight National Parks seem to be a pride of Croatia and luckily they have very strict rules to help preserve and protect their natural beauty.
Camp Seget is situated on the outskirts of Seget, a small fishing village, just 2kms from the interesting old harbour town of Trogir. We pitched up right at the edge of the Adriatic Sea and snorkelling was another great hit. Many colourful stripy fish were seen as the children loved using their new snorkelling sets.
We took a water taxi to Trogir – which is often referred to as a “Little Venice” and we could see why. Phil much preferred this to our real Venice experience a few years ago as we came away not feeling completely ripped off. The town was very intriguing with its maze of very narrow cobbled streets, restaurants, cafes and oldie -world shops etc. It was a Saturday night and very busy so we eventually found a place to eat and had a great evening.
We seem to be managing quite well with our very pigeon Polish – as the Polish, Croatian and Slovenian languages all seem to have many similar words! We looked around this small village of Seget and saw that even this is a miniature, miniature Venice, with a maze of tiny cobbled streets.
This is our 10th country on Macswayround, but we all feel that Croatia has gained a special place in our hearts ........
FACT-0ID
- Sunglasses appear to be a more important fashion accessory than crash helmets, whilst riding a motor cycle in Trogir!
- Croatia still appears to have an untouched natural beauty surrounding it....
- Local wine can be purchased in bottles of any shape or form- that’s got to be the best 2 litres of Red Fanta we’ve ever drunk!
- We have seen lime trees, kiwi trees, olive trees and pomegranate trees all bearing fruits.
- Property is becoming more and more expensive to buy in Croatia.
- Cravats originate from Croatia.
WILDLIFE HITS
- Lots of unrecognisable fish in the sea
Dinner plate size crabs in the sea!
Until next time ...........
Phil, Sharon, Jemma & Ben
Updated to 5th September 2008
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