Caravan to Turkey: San Marino

San Marino

Arrive at campsite around 1pm after uneventful drive with a coffee and shopping stop. End up following a Turkey-bound motorhome in. Final Autostrada toll a complete nightmare because of roadworks...cars crossing to get to the right exit...only way was to surge across, blocking half of it with the outfit. People very understanding actually.

Met on arrival by the tour leaders who seem a great couple...Manage to reverse the caravan into difficult small pitch to establish my credentials..whew! could have gone either way that...

Meet fellow adventurers and swap adventuring stories..the one other caravan is the same length as ours and has done Morocco and Iceland..mmm!

Meet for meal in the evening..good company...good wine and wheat free especially for me. Lurch back to the caravan and rain starts as we shut the door...perfecto!

San Marino by ourselves tomorrow.

NB. McLaren still looks crap in practice 2 at Barcelona...hell.

Day 2

Into The Republic of San Marino by bus from the campsite...a revelation! Own armed forces, guards, gendarmarie, policia....seem to have a bit of a thing about guns, crossbows and knives but, hey...

Lunch with a couple of fellow travellers then return to base.

Sit out thunderstorm then evening briefing plus wine & nibbles.

All set!!  Overnight to Greece....

NB
JB qualifies outside top 10.. ouch..

Caravan to Turkey: Bologna, Italy

Wednesday, 8 May 2013 at 18:51

Bologna...

City famous for the work of the travelling English teacher and prosecco connoissuer Georgina Arnott...explains why so many people speak good English here now I guess...

Get up earlier than usual and head off on the A2 to Bologna. Once we reach Italy, the roads get noticably busier. Frustrating 80km/hr caravan limit slower than HGV's so feel like a moving road block but decide not to push it too much; the police are quite active...

A couple of stops, one for a coffee and one for lunch, which is clearly a pretty serious event here, even in a motorway ristorante. It's salad or risotto for me..everything else is WHEAT pasta. Sue has espresso and enjoys...

Highlight of an uneventful, if taxing drive....being overtaken by around 30 Lamborginis travelling in groups...to some Lamborgini fest I guess....reminding us that this is Italia.

Something else out of the ordinary..not sure if it's a highlight...but, on negotiating the double roundabout to the campsite road, observe that it is decorated by six or seven young women in inteteresting dress and poses. I just can't think what they were waiting for......was a little distracting to be honest...

Just manage to get the caravan around a campsite turn with help from a Dutch couple. Meet English Majorcan expat ex- sailors turned caravanners. Nice friendly site.

Into Bologna by bus tomorrow.

Day 2

Take the bus into Bologna....and surprised at this Italian town full of history and classic Italian architecture.....and the oldest (with Paris) european university.
Coffee, walk, lunch outside..wonderful. Find we can just about understand the waitress through the Spanish simililarity, even if it doesn't work the other way around. Sit next to silver world travellers from Norfolk and have chat.
Visit various churches and buildings, the highlight being the Basilica di S. Petronio in the central Piazza Maggiore. As this is undergoing external restoration, the enterprising council charge us €3 to climb up stairs on the scaffolding to get a view from the top.....have to sign to say we accept the risk though...but well worth it.

'Home', chat with new arrivals then bed.

Meet the Turkey Travellers tomorrow at San Marino.

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