From Motovun Croatia to Massa via Conegliano Italy and onto France via Genova.

From Motovun Croatia to Massa via Conegliano Italy and onto France via Genova.

Deciding to leave Motovun relatively early as the weather had been stormy for most of the night we headed from Croatia back to Italy via Slovenia for another one nIght stopover In ConeglIano on our way to Massa. What we encountered along the way was terrifying!!!!

We should have realised something was amiss as not long after leaving the sheltered haven of our stellplatz and slowly winding our way down the hill, we came across this lorry resting against the crash barrier on a gentle bend with what looked like his entire load of bottled beer smashed on the road behind him the contents of which was slowly running down the hill.

We had felt a few wind gusts as we started our descent but expected them to ease as we got to the bottom but no way. Rounding the next bend we were hit by huge wind gusts seemingly coming from all directions buffetIng Molly every which way all over the road. Trees and branches were being torn down, road sIgns were flattened, debris was everywhere and this went on for miles and miles and hours and hours.  Each time we rounded a bend or got Into open space we were swiped by contInuous blasts and gusts and Gary was in 3rd gear most of the time trying to make any headway. The greatest concern was that a tree mIght get blown over eIther blockIng our way or onto us, after that beIng blown Into the crash barrIers or even toppled was a huge possIbIlIty. At one stage we stopped to wait it out in a carpark in a little village but the wind was sooo strong we were literally rocking and rolling as we sat there, stuff was blowIng past us, whIch was even more frIghtenIng than battlIng through It, so we contInued on. 5 minutes down the road there were parts of a garden shed or roofing iron in the road, a whole market installation with canopies etc was bent, torn and flattened and rubbish was strewn everywhere and flying like flags in the trees. Even big rubbish skips had been blown over so you can realise I am not exaggerating. We had heard that the wind patterns in Croatia at this time of year could often be quite bad so crossing the border into Slovenia, like an idiot, I thought it might magically change and I have to say for a few minutes it did....we hit a lull. Shortly after it was full on again and I can honestly say that I was fearful that we were not going to make it unscathed. It was only when we were almost to Conegliano on the motorway that it finally ceased........spitting Molly, Gary and me out seemIngly from the eye of the storm and all In one pIece thankfully.

Sitting here tonight in Conegliano, beside a Lidls store, no-one would know how horrific our day has been. Except perhaps the driver of the beer truck!!

We have since met another English couple in Italy who arrived in Pula just after we left for Motovun. They were advised to leave because of this impending storm. Just wished someone had told us that too!!!!

Anyway, so to Conegliano which was just a transit stop and as I said beside a Lidls supermarket. Bad move on our part for who would have expected sooooo much noise????? Everyone else bar us I suppose but once again we survived and moved on next morning to a place with it's own beach in a beautiful woodland setting in Massa. 6 hours we drove on motorways to get there with Gary saying "ooh I can't wait to get there, get set up and sit on the beach with a beer". The sun was shining and things were definitely looking better than the night before.......yeh right!!!!! We arrived exhausted to be met by a grumpy old Italian man who directed us right to the back of this huge campsite full of permanent hovels and cabins and instructed us to drive into this "gap" (because that is all It was) between a rusty, flat tyred truck and a mouldy awning. Within seconds we were bitten to death by mosquitoes and on examining the sanitary block - it definitely did not live up to it's name!! Right at this moment, as we were trying to find an alternative, Kate the GPS decided to have a "fatal error"!!!!!!!!!!

This was the first time through this whole journey that I was ready to throw in the towel but MacguIver to the rescue - finding a small space running parallel to the roadway and facing into the sun we moved, plugged in the electricity and tried to make the best of a bad deal. A few hours later, but unfortunately having to forgo all our travelling history on the GPS, Gary had Kate working again. As for the beach we still have no idea where it was or whether it even existed but our question is.......who on earth would wish to spend their holidays in those conditions and they obviously do, year after year, as these were all permanent, privately owned caravans with wooden, added extensions. If there was one foot between each site they would have been lucky!!!!! Horrid, absolutely horrid. Sounding our displeasure the next morning we were charged only 10 euro for the pleasure of overnighting there. We had no shower and only used the toilet once, for you know what, and saw no other lIvIng soul there except the staff!!!!!

To cheer ourselves up and finding another nice looking campsite to head for just outside of Genova (can't possIbly be two as bad as the last one) we opted for the coastal route rather than motorway. This site too was on the beach. The drive was fantastic but tough and as we travelled through Tuscany, looking down on the Cinque TIerra it was exquisite. The vineyards, the awesome colours of autumn, the little villages - absolute magic. Then we hit Genova city! kate the gps took us rIght through the center of thIs huge cIty rIght on rush hour! Wow, the Italian drivers are manic, but we survIved and made It in one piece to our next campsite........just like the last one!!!!!!! How can anyone enjoy a holiday in this skungy environment!

I say no more on the subject but that night we resolved to get out of Italy and back into France where at least some standards exist on the camping scene. If our next campsite had been like the last we probably would have started the journey towards home early but as we came down the hill having crossed the border in to France we high fived and just knew it would be different........and It is.

Mind you, the last few kilometers were edge of the seat stuff.... Molly's tank was below the empty mark and we had 9km to go for cheaper diesel. Had her in maori overdrive on the downhill bits!

Istria, Croatia

Istria.

If we thought getting into the environs of Venice was difficult then getting out was even harder. For some reason Kate had it in her mind we should go in the opposite direction so finding the autoban to Riejke became time consuming and frustrating. Twice passing underneath it, its access was not apparent so we appeared to go in ever increasing circles until finally, and totally out of the blue, there appeared this on-ramp. The town of Maestra whIch Is the feed town for VenIce Is a total shambles wIth road works absolutely everywhere, confusIng GPS and confoundIng drIvers (even locals). Combined with torrential rain this is a heady mix. Anyway we are now on our way to the east coast of the Istrian peninsula as we make our way to our overnight stop in a restaurant carpark In Ruper. We are having issues with most campsites being closed so "stellplatz" are now, all of a sudden, very important to us.

Surviving that stop, which was in the middle of nowhere, we headed South wanting to stick to the eastern coastal road. Once again Kate threw a wobbly and constantly tried to turn us back. Now, at the beginning of this journey, we would have done as she instructed knowing no better but now........oh no, we are wiley now! We ploughed forward accompanied by a constant barrage from Kate.......and made it!!!!! Through roadworks, through uncharted roundabouts, through a few kilometres in Slovenia, through all the obstacles Kate threw at us and the beauty of the scenery was breathtaking. The sun was shining, the Adriatic so blue, the roads so quiet and Molly and we were happy happy. We all felt we had come home. The drIve along thIs part of the IstrIan penInsula was quIte possIbly the most scenIc drIve of the whole trIp so far. The wIndIng road followed the coast through beautIful seasIde vIllages and then wound up the hIlls to gIve a panoramIc vIew of the whole coast back to RejeIka. We pulled over often to let followIng traffIc pass and on one such occasIon we decIded to stop for a brew and some lunch. What a great spot It was. To add to our elation we were driving through this really small town called LabIn and saw an LPG sign and gas bottles stacked In cages. Now, if you have read our previous blogs, you will be aware that gas bottle refilling is a nightmare in Europe and our lovely friend Cal (the ex  cop from the UK) had thankfully helped us out of trouble in Dubrovnik. Doubling back we were amazed to be able to get both bottles filled (something technical here to do with threads) wIth no problems and at a mere charge of 50kuna/7euro/14NZ$ each!!!!!! Now we can heat water, gas up the fridge and heat Molly with no worries. It's true! When you stop looking... you find.

So to Pula -to an "open all year round" campsite which, when we pulled up at the gate, looked horribly closed. In fact it was open but only the staff would have known that - extremely strange - but we were fortunate to meet up with someone just leaving who, very generously, turned around and walked us into the bowels of this huge campsite where absolutely everything was closed and locked up ( even permanent caravans were all wrapped in gladwrap) to a 2 stored house where all the staff were.....and there were plenty. We were allowed to park anywhere at all but only a small sanitation block was open and then onlythe female side, so this was a limitation, but eventually we settled Molly down, adjacent to the beach, with a view to die for over the Adriatic sea. To our knowledge there were only 3 other couples there.

Catching a bus the next day to Pula from the local village, albeIt after a very uphill bike ride to get there, we firstly espied an open post office to dispatch all the little baby clothes we have been collecting for Adrian, Eleni and little bleep. This, however, was not an easy process - having to return numerous times to the counter until we got it right (shades of the amazing race again) and queuing each time as well. Three quarters of an hour later it was all done (communist style) and I am pretty sure the parcel will make it??? Next stop just down the road a pharmacy - eyedrops for Gary and Panadol for our fIrst aId kIt. All is looking really good and we set off for Pula's hIstorIc, old town.

Pula holds many really great memories for me and I wanted to bring Gary here but..... it is a tourist town which hums in the season but not out of season. Everywhere was closed and the old historic town, devoid of life and colour, looked extremely sad. It's saving grace though, for us at this time of year,was the amphitheatre standing proud and tall and in amazingly good condition. The azure blue adriatic ocean can be seen through the arches around it's perimeter and as we walked around the outside taking photos we were drawn to the sound of lively, happy music and voices coming from a small bar on the corner. Deciding to explore further, or being just plain nosey, we were informed that in the bar was a very famous musician and singer promoting his new song. "Would you like your photo taken with him" in broken English "Er, no no, that is ok" but it happened anyway and the embarrassed Stefano was dragged out for a photoshoot and video footage with us. What happened next was really weird for we were approached by a lady, a journalist, who had heard that we came from NZ and wanted to interview and photograph us for a story in her magazine. So we oblIged and now we will wait and see.....she says she will send us the story by email.

Stopping to have a beer in the square/forum, where I celebrated my bIrthday wIth Foo and NeIl nearly two and a half years ago, we watched two weddings happen at the "town hall" and after buying some fresh bread and a Croatian savoury pastry we decided to head home by bus and bike.

Having our customary wine prior to the sun setting and sitting outside Molly in the balmy afternoon/evening we saw a kayaker paddle around the headland and into the bay. We both remarked what a fantastic evening it was to be on the water as the kayaker changed course and headed towards us. lIttle dId we dream we would be meetIng the most brave and InspIratIonal man we have ever met In our lIfetImes. Beaching his kayak in front of us he got out looked around and decided he could stay close to the shore at the campsite and endeavoured to pull his kayak up the steep stoney beach. He was exhausted and having difficulties so .......MacgIver to the rescue. Next thing I hear them laughing, shaking hands, checking over the kayak and an invitation has been given to come and share a wine when be has settled himself in and put up his little tent.

This is when we discover who he is, what he is doing, what he has done and what an amazing adventurer he is. Sharing food, wine and stories we spend the whole evening chatting and eating. He is Romanian, he is married with a 13 year old daughter Katrina, he is almost 50 and he has paddled 3, 600kms so far and walked, pulling his kayak behind him, for 150kms over 2 sets of mountains. He has faced high seas, huge waves, hunger, thirst, loneliness, heat, cold, winds, storms, fear and is now a very different person to the man who started this epic journey to paddle to Venice from Romania. He is almost there but now faces the most dangerous part of the journey because of the Croatian wind patterns. We helped him as much as we could. We shared our food, Gary gave him some new Khatmandu dry bags, coffee, bread and probably better than anything - companionship. He is an inspiration and will go home to write a book. Travel safely Lucian, return safely to your family in Romania and we will be thinking of you. We hope when you finally arrive in Venice there will be a fanfare awaiting you.

So after an emotional farewell with Lucian we headed on to Rovinj where we parked outside of the township and walked into the historic city. Once again everything touristy was closed but somehow Rovinj shouldered this well. It is beautiful with not one but two harbours and a maze of narrow streets with battlements surrounding it. We could not spend too much time here, the bad weather was rolling in agaIn fast as was the time, but that was ok. We will come back in the summertime and revel in it's vibrant beauty then. We still had a way to go to Motovun so after a brisk uphill walk to Molly, lunch in the van in a no campervan zone, we were off and the heavens opened!

And here we are in Motovun, in a Stelplatz owned by the hotel at the top of the hill in front of us. We have hot, hot showers; clean clean toilets with paper and handsoap; electricity and rubbish and campervan dump. To be honest better than a lot of campsites. The only problem is the weather.... but alas it is winter!

We did, the next morning, wake to a relatively sunny day so decided to make the 1km treck up the hill to the hotel to pay our camp fee, have a walk around and have some lunch. Well, what an interesting place with wonderful autumn views of the surrounding countryside. This is Croatian wine country, as well as truffle and olive oil, and the changing season has put on an awesome display for us. It is a very old village surrounded by a wall which you can walk around the top of giving you extensive, ever changing, panoramic views of the valley below. Truffle tasting, truffle oil tasting, cheese and salami tasting was on the menu and for those of you, like us, who have never tasted truffle oil....it has a very gentle garlIcky flavour to Its natural truffle flavour. Very hard to explaIn but absolutely wonderful. We bought a small bottle of black truffle oil to use with pasta or cheese - you do not cook with it.

A 2hour lunch was enjoyed at the hotel right at the top of the hill where we had a special menu with special discounts because we were in their stellplatz below and when we returned to the outsIde world It was spIttIng wIth raIn. As we made our quIck descent back to Molly, the thunder roaring around us, the skys grew darker and darker and once inside Molly the rain became torrential. (Home in the nick of time agaIn).

And that is how it stayed all night so next morning we were up and off early but neither of us was prepared for what this particular day was going to bring!!!!!!

But that Is for our next blog - see you xx

 

Venice

Venice. And wind down the hill/mountaIn we did and up and down numerous others till we finally came to the entrance of the motorway via a petrol station so, as we were there, Gary decided to top up the tank with diesel. We are keeping a log of where and when we fill up - how much, cost etc. So whilst Gary fills up I normally furiously do my duty - speedo, litres, euros, date, place etc. This time though the specs were wiped off the bowser before I had time to complete my data entry???? but not before I had written down the Euro amount. Gary climbs back in - "wow" he says, "87 euro for that top up, pretty expensive diesel". "No" I say, "I wrote down 71 euro in the book because that was what the finished amount was".To be honest we were both shell shocked because not half an hour earlier the sweet little old lady who ran the campsite we stayed at in Tuscany had tried to overcharge us a night's stay but we had put it down to a genuine mistake. Now we were being overcharged again. So we park up and walk into the station expecting a fight to get our money back and well, it was totally the opposite! We showed him what I had written in the log, he opened his wallet and gave us the 16 euro difference straight away in cash wIthout any argument. Mind you there were 2 policemen sitting in their car on his site so whether that made a difference? Trouble was, twice in 1 hour with the second one being such an obvious scam, my rose coloured glasses were shattered! So on the motorway and Molly once again performs really well - we love Molly - and we arrive in Venice, unfortunately still in the pouring rain, to a mass of roadworks. LIterally 2 hours later we are stIll tryIng to access the campsIte set In the GPS and Kate (the GPS) Is throwIng a hIssy fIt. We have done U turn after U turn, done our shopping at Lidls during one of the circular events, and have not been able to penetrate the roadblocks to get to the side of the river that the campsite is on and, believe me, we have tried everything. It is now getting gloomier and gloomier and night time is fast approaching. Abandoning our aIm to get to that campsite we head for Fusina where there is another site, a little more expensive according to our book, and where I stayed 2 years ago wIth Foo and NeIl. We arrive there within 15mins with much relief. This site however is now 34 Euro a night and it is winter here, low season!!!! The supermarket has closed up, as has the restaurant, the pizzeria, the bar, in fact all the facilities except the sanitary block - what a rip off. We do manage to get the price reduced to 30 euro a night but it is still double what we have been paying of late. Hey- that's Venice for you! We choose a site right by the water and watch the big trading ships toddle past Molly's window, sIlhouetted by the light of the moon. Tomorrow we hope for better weather so we can spend Gary's birthday in Venice The rain got increasingly heavier throughout the night but the next morning we woke up to fog and the rain had stopped and.........could that be a little flicker of sunshine on Gary's birthday? Feeling happier we caught the Fusina ferry to Venice and by the time we arrived, quite early to try to beat the crowds for a while, the sun was shining. First stop St. Peters square. Traipsing along we started to see a few people wearing knee hIgh, bright orange disposable boots over their shoes and noticed raIsed board walks springing up........yep, believe it or not, Venice, of all places, was flooded! There were places we could not get to but all in all we spent most of the day walking, seeIng a lot of VenIce, getting lost, finding little maIzes of back streets away from the tourist areas, had a great lunch, hooked into free wifI and caught up with things, bought Gary's birthday present, sat and ate cream croissants and drank limoncello in the sun while we waited for our return boat and had an amazing day. It was warm and bright and just....Venice! We scuttled back to Molly as the sun set and it grew cold and cooked Gary's birthday dinner request - sausages, wedges, tomato/garlic salad and fresh vegetable stir fry.....yum. Oh forgot....with lashing of red wine. Tomorrow we head for the Istrian peninsula - down the East coast to OpatIja and then on to Pula looking for warmer climes again.

Italy.

Italy Feeling quite stressed with this forage into new territory - driving Molly for the first time in darkness, filling up with diesel (not petrol Cal) in a large city and finally finding the port and the correct area to wait etc.- we finally set off but not before we learned from Wendy that we had to also find the company office to collect embarkation documents even though we had booked our passage on line. Surprisingly enough it all worked really well, even though we hit the evening rush hour, and we arrived at the correct place with a full tank and time to spare. Looking and feeling like campervan professionals we threw open the camper door to let in the balmy evening and set to making "a nice cup of tea". Within seconds, and with a whoop and a roar, up pulled Mark and Wendy behind us. They are savvy travellers, we are just learning still, and had done a  full reconoitre and document collection in daylight so were very relaxed about the whole deal. Sharing a lovely cuppa we waited and then we were boarding. Through passport control, finger biting stuff, onto the boat to our booked reclining seat.......this was our second mistake for, although the crossing to Bari was good, we were frozen all night and could not get back down to Molly to get more layers or blankets. Seeing W & M next morning bright and fresh after their "cabin sleep" our lesson was learned.....again. 8am we were allowed downstairs to Molly. We were last in the queue again! Now this is where we learnt another lesson, don't trust the GPS! Kate the gps was instructing us to exit to a main road.... The guard at the gate waved us away energetically - twice!!!! The second time round the block he had to assist us to back out into traffic and we were told the exit from the port was 3km up the bumpy road.  But we survived and headed north off the boat to Manfredonia to a lovely, quIet campsite on the beach on the East coast of Italy where no one spoke a scrap of English!!!!????!!!! It was here though that Gary managed to fix the upper light on the back of Molly, where we went for swims in the ocean, long walks along the beach and met a lovely, hard workIng couple from the Netherlands who owned a business with everything to do with sailing - from teaching sailIng to brokering sail boats. They had the most wonderful 6month old puppy with them called Yesee and although she was not a pure bred she was 80%  Pharoah. Sooooo intelligent, so obedient, so happy to entertain herself - I could have taken her with me. Her owner was surprised at how easy she was and how eager she always was to please......beautiful. So we stayed for a few days and then decided to cross Italy to Pompei near Naples and, as Is our norm, not via motorways. Taking the lesser roads we always see the country in depth; the beauty of the surrounding countryside; the pretty, narrow villages and basically the heart of each country. Just not this time!!!! Poor Molly! This journey took several, bone shaking hours on roads that defy explanation and don't deserve an entry in this blog. A disgrace and a huge disappointment with rubbish everywhere. We have seen bad but this was worse. Arriving in Pompei was no better either and we had by now developed a "clonk" underneath Molly which was making us nervous. But hey! We were in Pompei!!!!!! A place we never expected to see in our lifetime and what a place. Firstly though came our trip to the crater of Mount Vesuvius. Absorbing all the wonders as we snaked our way up the mountaIn, once again we were hit by the sight of decaying rubbish in truckloads on the roadsides. This was a fantastic place with beautiful views over Naples where, once we reached the actual summit, we indulged in a glass of "blessed vino roso", kicked back, people watched and took In the enormIty of what Mount VesuvIus had achIeved In her lIfetIme. And so It was that next day, In the quIet early mornIng, we walked Into Pompei and, as we entered, I was completely overwhelmed by the abject misery it exhuded. The feeling was surreal, It rushed at me and hIt me In the chest. It took a long while to dissipate and for me to feel myself again. I have never experienced anything like it before but maybe Pompei does that to many? Pompei itself is incredible as I hope our Facebook photos show. We spent a whole hot day here and it was mind blowing. Stopped in time, preserved and then unearthed again it is clear that, to be honest, we have not progressed that much - except perhaps in IT and travel. Clearly they had takeaways, beautiful houses, fresh and pure water, raised pedestrian crossings, plenty of shops, laundries, brothels, good roads, entertainment. To have died such horrible deaths at the base of Vesuvious leaves us wondering why Naples, also at the base of Vesuvius, is the most densely populated city in Europe? Always having longed to venture around the Amalfi coastline but not recommended to do so in a campervan we took public transport as the easy option the following day. Our campsite was perfectly placed beside both the entrance to Pompei and the Pompei train station so a short traIn rIde to Sorrento and a very long and very haIry coach rIde all along the coast through PosItano to AmalfIe got us there just in time to miss the last and only boat to Capri! Never mind next time? Once again Amalfie is a very cute and quaint, quite small township geared for tourists and settled on the edge of the Adriatic. It was a very warm day so a paddle, something to eat on the beach and a walk through the tourists shopping area where we bought home-made Limoncello and cheap Parmesan cheese - oh and another stretchy growy thing for "little bleep" who incidentally is due in 2 weeks time - and we were once again into our even more reckless journey back along the narrow roads and haIrpIn bends to Pompei. . So now the inevitable was looming - driving Molly, with the "clunk", out of Pompei along cobbled and potholed roads till we either found a mechanic or at least got on to a better road surface on the motorway. Gary had gIven Molly a complete look over but could fInd nothIng amIss at all. We decided to leave at 7am the next morning to beat the traffic and maybe take a shorter 1 minute route the wrong way down the one way system straight onto the motorway - it was after all just at the bottom of the road! Neither of us slept much that night wondering what the problem might be so we were up bright and early for the off. Sadly even pre 7am does not beat the set up process for a tourist day in Pompei so we were forced to follow a circuitous route around the one way system which actually was not too bad. Once on the motorway Molly was her happy self with no more "clunks" to be heard and we happily headed for Rome albeit completely via the motorway system which in Italy is very expensive as are most things! Rome. Finding open campsites at this time of year is proving difficult but Gary always seems to come up with a good one and this one at PrIma Porta had a free shuttle to and from the train station which would take us directly to Rome in about 20mins. We arrived at this campsite on Halloween, big in Italy, and they were having a special dinner and live music in the restaurant that evening. We seem lucky to come across these special things from time to time which can change your whole perception of a campsite so we decIded to joIn In. The wIne was plentIful, the food good but the lIve musIc was overruled by the soccer match on TV so left early ready to face Rome the next morning. We had planned to visit Rome over a few days but found one day sufficient for us as we really are not big city fans. Once again we set off early to beat the crowds and we managed that initially. Buying a hop on/hop off bus ticket and walkIng we saw most of what we both really wanted to see, and some sights we really wished we hadn't seen, but were happy to leave the throbbing crowds behind as we battled our way back up to the station In the darkness. St. Peters square and the VatIcan was nothIng as I had ImagIned It to be and I stIll wonder whether we were at the correct place really - although I Know we were. The Colluseum was Gary's want so he was happy too and yes it is a fantastic place to visit but oh the crowds!!! Once on a bus there is NO WAY you would contemplate getting off to see a specific site because getting on another bus is almost impossible even though you pay double figures for the priviledge. Once at a specific site queuing for hours is mandatory and for us just not worth it. So we hopped on, stayed on, went round and round and got off only when we knew we could walk the rest of the way to what we wished to see. Doing just that we stumbled across a really quirky cafe in a back street where nothing was built square, everything was topsy turvy and embellished with wonky half columns and love seats and Roman figurines. It was dark, nothing matched but the food was awesome. You could choose from dozens of different, fresh dishes exactly what you wanted and all for 6Euro??? Plates piled high we discovered they had free wifi too which was an added bonus. So we enjoyed our day in Rome and left the campsite the next morning heading for Tuscany which is where we are now In BarberIno Di Mugello. High up in the mountains, in the fog and pouring rain but this campsite is immaculate and seems to be run by 2 old ladies, who make a mean cappucIno, with a little help in the evening in the Pizzeria. We think we are the only people staying here though but we also presume people come from the village to eat and drink in the evening as they always seem busy and have a vast array of goodies for sale in the very well stocked deli and shop. We were met with a handshake and a tour of the place, it is only small and stuck on the side of a hill. If the weather were better it would be gorgeous but it is definitely Autumn here. Tomorrow we wind down off the hill to Venice where we plan to celebrate Gary's birthday on 5th November. X