The Journey back to Grimsby.

Day 93 - Tuesday 01.7.14        Leaving day continued !

We drove to Corfu Port and checked in for our ferry across to Igoumenitsa, We sat in the shade and had a cold drink watching the world go by. Our friends Loretta and Terry turned up to wish us bon voyage, that was so kind of them. They  are leaving Corfu on Thursday to go back to Kent. We met them in Bari, Italy on the way down and they are going back home for 2 months because Terry has some work planned and they are due to have a new granddaughter. (Dolly was actually born, about 4 hours after they arrived - she must have been waiting for Nana and Grandad before she put in an appearance). We are getting the ferry to Bari as we had booked a return ticket. Terry was telling us that they will be going to Ancona this time as it saves a drive of 288 miles = a days driving. We will certainly be looking at this next time as he said for them it was only 40 euros difference in price.

Our ferry, Eleni.

Sailing away from Corfu!

When we arrived in Igoumenitsa we crossed to the other side of the port and checked in for our ferry to Bari, due to leave at half past midnight.

We had plenty of time to kill, so we decided to drive along the coast and find somewhere to have a meal. We found Plataria - a sleepy little harbour town. 

We had a walk round and then had a Meze in a taverna overlooking the Marina

We drove back to catch our ferry to Bari, it was late arriving and was almost 2am by the time we got on board. This 'camping on board' is excellent. We got a mains hook up as soon as we were in position. Poppy jumped up on our bed and settled down. We nipped up to the bar for a quick cold drink and then to bed. It was very hot in the van as there was not much air about, We decided that we need to invest in a 12v Fan for future trips. 

Day 94 - Wednesday 02.7.14  

We arrived in Bari at 11.30am - it took ages to unload the vehicles. We finally disembarked at 1.30pm. We stopped off for lunch just 22 miles away from Bari. We are amazed how many campervans were on the road, there were hardly any in April. We stopped for the night just north of Rimini at Autogrill Rubicone Ouest. I have never enjoyed a shower so much as I did tonight, it was very hot and sticky in the van with no AC. We had a light meal and settled down for the night, there was a breeze  so we kept the side windows open and had a good nights sleep. 

Day 95 - Thursday 03.7.14

We drove north and stopped off for lunch not far from Lake Garda 

We sat at a picnic table and spoke to a German couple who were on their way home in their campervan after spending two weeks at Lake Garda.

We drove on a bit further towards the Brenner Pass and saw some spectacular scenery on the way, with a little snow on top of the mountains.

We stopped off at the Brenner Museum  for a cold drink and to buy the Vignette which we need for passing through Austria.

'At the Brenner Pass, where once stood customs between Italy and Austria – a place of exchanges and encounters, but also of divisions – rises Plessi Museum, that hosts inside it a permanent exposition space dedicated to Fabrizio Plessi (born in 1940), an artist from Emilia but raised in Venice who is famous for his video-installations.

The building, designed by engineer Carlo Costa (director of the Brenner motorway), is the first museum space on a highway in Italy and wants to be a symbol (in its architecture and the works on display), connecting the Latin world with the Germanic one.

Inside it, what immediately stands out is a sculpture made by Plessi in 2000 for the Expo in Hannover, joining 3 compositions representing the provinces of Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck, the historic heart of Tirol. Other than the installations, the paintings and the sculptures of the artist, there are also other exposition spaces and a conference room conceived to host events. And for all those car travelers who need more than a cultural stop, the museum also contains an eating and service area.

Without wanting to reduce the concept, Plessi Museum is a kind of rest stop that becomes an occasion for cultural discovery, in which travelers can explore its over 15,500 square yards in the form of a crystal shrine, with looming above it an impressive covering able to communicate with the main architecture and the alpine landscape, and to reflect its historically charged location'

We spent the night just south of Ulm in Germany at Rasthof Illertal.

Day 96 - Friday 04.7.14

We slept very well last night as the further north we go the cooler it gets. We stopped for lunch at Rasthof Bruchsal, not far from Hockenheim. 

Parked up for the last night!

Tonight we stayed at Raststatte Aachener Land Nord, Germany. Another nice, peaceful spot,  we slept well in the cooler air. 

We are really pleased with how 'Mercy' the motorhome has performed. She has behaved well, coping with all the steep hills and mountains and only using just under 1 litre of oil for the whole 2.892 mile round trip. We have estimated that we have got approximately 29 miles per gallon on the trip. 

Day 97 - Saturday 05.7.14

We packed the beds away and had a general tidy up this morning. We stopped for lunch near Antwerp. It rained most of the day,  as we arrived at the ferry port in Zeebrugge it was cloudy but not raining. We took Poppy to have her microchip scanned and get her DEFRA notification which we will need in Hull. Then we checked in and drove onto the 'Pride of Brugge' Poppy was put into her kennel - she seems happy to do this, she just settled down on her bed. We are so proud of her she has been such a good girl - she takes everything in her stride, calmly and without a fuss. We went to our cabin and had showers, then went to visit Poppy in the kennel to take her a drink and feed her. We went for a meal - Cornish Pasty washed down with Zinfandel, before retiring to our cabin.

Day 98 - Sunday 06.7.14            Back in England!

We docked at 9am, collected Poppy from her kennel. She was so pleased to see us and disembarked by 9.30am. We went straight through customs - they didn't even look at Poppy - just her documents. Drove back to Grimsby in the rain - welcome home! Our son Gary was at our house with the gates open and kettle on. 

We have had an amazing 3 months and look forward to doing it all again in 2015, with a different route next time. Thank you all for reading our blog and for all the positive comments and good wishes. Now back to reality - clean Mercy, put some laundry in the machine, sell our house and plan our next outing.