Gute Fahrt

-Carys-

Quite a short one today since we've been mostly driving, even though we've still had a nice time. The view was exquisite from the balcony, yet again. Another lovely morning. We got up between 8 and 9 again, feeling quite hungry and lacking food to eat.

I volunteered to go get some breakfast from he shop, not really wanting to walk up that steep hill again, but I was hungry, so I wasn't bothered. Bryn was asked to come as well, so when he was eventually ready, we went for a walk to the village in the heat of the morning sun.

get us some breakfast Bryn

I had an encounter with a territorial looking dog - it was some sort of alsatian/german shepherd. There was two of them actually, one chained up which growled at me when walking down the hill and back up again. Its friend joined it when we were walking back home, also growling, but this one wasn't tied up. I love dogs, but I actually felt a bit scared when this big wolf animal was prowling behind me, looking like it wanted to pounce. ''Clear off'', it said. I certainly did that.

Despite us buying things we though appropriate, mum and dad weren't exactly the happiest with our choices. I though croissants, juice (and breadsticks, a bit of a spontaneous choice) were fine though. It's only what we've been having for breakfast for the last few days! It filled us up at least, but when we were driving past the shop later on, mum and dad still picked up some breads and donuts.

We said goodbye to Yanko and his apartment and then started driving. It was only 20 minutes or so before we had our first pit stop, for a coffee, some traditional Slovenian cake - which mum had really wanted to try since we got here - and to get the vignette to get into Austria. 3 countries we've passed through today, in just one drive! 4-5 hours, and a few more stops later, we'd passed into Czech Republic and had reached our hotel.

one portion, 4 persons

need one for Czech too?

border beauty

It's nice, with a spacious room and a gym which the boys were happy to get use out of. Whilst they went there mum and I went for a drink in a bar. I tried some raspberry lemonade, which was really tasty and different. It came in a cute little jug as well.

The boys came back from the gym and had a drink too. We all had showers back in the room and even though it was a little later in the evening, we decided to go out for dinner. There was this pub/restaurant that looked quite like ones you get in the UK, and it had lots of things that looked interesting - especially for the meat eaters.

In the end, I had a starter and a side (the menu had some meat-less options but not the widest variety I'd seen). My fried camembert was different, and interesting to try, and I really liked the garlic bread - a simple choice.

vegi flexibility

We have a busy day tomorrow, so time to get some sleep so we can enjoy Mum's ''21st'' birthday fully.

(Lloyd)

Longest of our drives today, pretty much crossing the whole of Austria.  The rather unplanned and random nature of our trip evidenced by the fact our Austrian vignette ran out yesterday so another 10 Euros for the privilege of using their roads.  It was a a safe/good ride though, hence the name of today's blog, a road sign we saw with great regularity.



Woke up with a bit of a hangover today, we have had a drink or two or more every day of this trip but last night, in the heart of slovenian nowhere land we all let our hair down.  Music, singing and games until the early hours, not sure fully appreciated by a farmer just down the valley who was up at 4am with his strimmer.  Sound carries in the dead of night and first thing in the morning.  Please consider this location if ever in Slovenia and apologise to the neighbours for us  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13471760?source_impression_id=p3_1565237920_XoOXGkJmuNKtEjDc

Bought a stack of wine of our fabulous hosts, and sent kids to local shop for breakfast - they came back with crisps - pointless, so we stopped at the village shop ourselves for some bread, and then slightly later at a service station for that vignette I mentioned, plus wifi, coffee and traditional slovenian cake.  We failed to eat last night with our only available food boiled pasta and cheesecake hence perhaps the extra drinks.

how much wine can we fit in?

true air bnb

kids useless breakfast so got my own

so many options

On we went then through Austria, circumventing Graz and pretty much cutting through the heart of Vienna, crossing the Danube, always worth mentioning.  Quick bit of research unveiled the fact we would also need a Czech vignette, so pulled up just before the border at a petrol station to sort that out.

blue danube

so much more of the world to see

loving the EU

truckers cafe

The border crossing a bit of a slow and slumberous affair, and a noticeable greying of the buildings and perhaps just a tad less slickness of the infrastructure, our 5th country of the trip (didn't make it into Croatia by foot too far, or car, too uninsured). But we made good time, and then were on the outskirts of Brno.  Our hotel was on the other side so had probably the trickiest driving experience of the journey to date, avoiding trams, parked cars, pedestrians, roads merging, traffic joining, traffic lights, ambulances and much more, felt like a video game.  Luckily google maps and free roaming data kept us on track, as I might have mentioned previously, that is about to disappear post Brexit. Good work isolationists, keep finding ways to hit the pocket.  Things a bit cheaper here, the pound vs the euro at an all time low, again, good to see how things are so much better economically home and abroad.  There is a slightly sad tinge that this might be the last time on the continent as members of the EU, I live in hope someone sees sense somewhere, and realise its only the fat cats who will ultimately benefit from our departure, along with a few people gaining some sense of cultural superiority (or perhaps something else?)

Czech and EU so easy

pay your taxes

like a train station, a border never the nicest part of a country

Brno - which way?

Brno - which street?

Brno - what hazard next?

oh dear god trams

Our hotel the Bobycentrum is a slightly Soviet looking building, a reminder of the Hotel Cosmos I stayed in back in Moscow in the early 1980s.  It has good facilities, including a gym next door that Bryn and I used, was good to stretch the legs after so much driving and ensures I am still running every day this week.

gym bunnies

Got changed, didn't wander too far for food, a grill house next door. Food was superb both in price and quality. I had their signature burger the Boby Burger, eggs, bacon and the size of your head.  I needed that, washed down with some home made mango lemonade.  Yes, a teetotal day at last, much needed.

drunk on life

challenge accepted