Problems. . . finally caught up with us. And just like that. . . camping was over. We’re still on the road though, with over a thousand kilometers to home.
The original plan for this family road trip number 4, from Bolonia to Polonia, was to go through the Swiss and Italian Alps and visit friends on the way. . .
But at this time of Covid uncertainties, Switzerland was not letting people in and if they did, like Italy, there were so many must-haves and must dos that travelling through the country was simply impractical.
Can’t blame ’em though. C-19 and all its ugly cousins are nasty.
So, for this road trip during coronavirus’ second season finale (at least we hoped so), we faced 4 country-border, land crossings and, with that, 8 potential hurdles related to Covid 19 (2 every time we crossed a border).
Problem 1: “Will we be able to cross the border and get into a country without having to show a negative Covid test results or proofs of vaccination.”
Only one of us was vaccinated against C and these tests are expensive and time-consuming.
Problem 2: “Will we need to show proofs of anti-Covid vaccination and negative test results at the camping site or any other accomodation?”
As we mentioned in previous posts, even though it’s the second summer of Covid, the entry regulations of countries in Europe’s Schengen zone are quite unclear and uncoordinated. They were pretty much based on individual countries.
Problems 1 and 2 were non-issues with Andorra and France. Yay! So far so good. We’ll worry about Germany and Poland later.
For now we’re about to leave our lakeside Camping Vailhes in the Mediterranean south of France with about 800 kilometers and 8 hours to go to the German border near Freiburg, and another 1,000 kilometers and 10 hours to home.
Unlike previous slow-go, no-toll-road-trips, we’re taking the route with tolls this time. Paid a total of €42.10 for 3 tolls during this leg of the road trip. Ouch!
We’re hauling as*es and we’re feeling kinda lucky.
We’re NOT gonna make it to Deutschland today. Need to find municipal camping sites near Dole, 3 hours something away.
Target acquired: Camping municipal de Pagny-la-ville (still in France), 533 kilometers, 5 hours and 19 minutes on the road already, not including a break.
We LOVE municipal campings in France. They are cheap. They are clean. And sometimes you can get really lucky with amenities like our Camping Municipal in Condom that had FREE access to a huge swimming pool. Yes, you read it right. A town called Condom, France.
Again, we’re hauling as*es and we’re feeling kinda lucky.
And then BOOM. Problem. It was closed. The camping was closed.
Ok, ok. That’s not necessarily a problem. It has happened a few times before. That’s understandable, even expected, with our way of not pre-planning or pre-booking campsites or accomodations.
So, we move on to the back-up site: Camping de la Plage de Seurre in Pouilly-sur-Saône.
Again, its closed! The receptionist was kind enough to call a couple of other camping sites to see if they were open. There were at least 8 in the immediate area. They were ALL CLOSED! Hhhhhmmmmmm. . .
What’s the problem?
This beautiful area of Seurre, France, is along the Saône River. . . and just like that, it hit us!
We forgot it’s the summer of floods across Europe–severe, even fatal, floods in these parts of France and Germany where we had planned to have stopover camping!
Uo-Oh. Ouch! Dum dum daddy strikes again!
So, we drove and drove and drove until the sun came down and had to find a cheap accomodation on the fly to land this gypsy caravan.
We were calling potential motels and bed-and-breakfast joints this time.
NO LUCK. NO ENGLISH speakers, it seems. Therefore, NO AVAILABILITY.
Then, we chanced it and stopped by at the cheapest next motel on the road.
Hotel F1 in Choisey, France, came to the rescue with one room left and the reception was kind enough to let all 4 of us stay in one room, given our younger son was young enough.
Whew! That was close.
At 39 euros, this micro hotel is “like camping” (at least that’s what our boys said). The room was twice the size of our tent and the children “loved it here”. It’s like a vacation for them–a vacation from camping! In fact, they wanted to stay another night. If I have a little hotel I’d call it “2nite”.
The rooms are small with 2 beds, a bunk bed on top, a sink and table. The shared bathroom was like space capsules in the hallway. Quite clean. In fact, they self-clean after each and every use. The first we’d seen of such a kind.
That’s all we really need for an overnight stopover when plans and back up plans didn’t quite work out.
In a way it’s an adventure. A pleasant surprise, the kind that brings a family closer together. As tired as we were, the wife and I went with the flow even when plans didn’t quite work out. No fights! WoW! That’s a plus+++!
There’s nothing else around here. So we mingled with people of our color, helped out a Polish truck driver who was trying to check in after hours, and other late arrivals in camping caravans who looked like they shared similar fate with us.
A little NOTE on any establishments or items mentioned in any of our posts. In case you’re wondering. . . NO, we have not received (nor expect to receive) any form of compensation or freebies or anything at all for reviewing or mentioning this or any others on our blog. In short: we don’t get paid for mentioning them. We do it because it is what it is and it may be helpful to you and others. And it’s fun too!
After a family GAP YEAR. . . that turned into over four years, living in Jerez de la Frontera, it’s finally time for our semi-nomadic family to move again, from one camping site to the next. . . all the way to Poland. For how long? We don’t exactly know.
UNFILTERED Road Trip NOTES on the road in Southern France
574+ kilometers; 10 hours on the road (almost 6 hours of driving) and 1.25 hours stop over.
Objective met; left early.
Pic: toll take ticket on A709 between and west of Saint-Bres and Baillargues.
On paid road A9/A7, the longest road so far at 200 km.
52-minute stop for gas and McD at Aire de Montelimar that has everything a family with kids needs… at a cost (money and time). €15 meals or standard McD prices (signature meals cost about €12)… huge playground with spider rope climbing and a rockclimbing structure that was closed, shaded picnic area, gas at 1.69 eu/liter of Pb95… This place is busy. We waited only 20 min to get our order from the staff that was alredy highly organized, friendly and helpful.
Not gonna make it to Deutschland today. find municipal camping sites near Dole, 3 hours something away.
Paid €27.40 on A7 south of the city called Vienne, before veering right, before hitting the river.
Through the city of Lyon, along the strange buildings and the dirty river, full and fat. Snaking thru Lyon to connect to A6.
Take toll ticket at Aire de Limas-est. The stink of wetlands of Macon.
Pay toll exit in Macon. 5.30. Paid a total of €42.10 for 3 tolls (5.30, 27.40 and 9.40 at third toll)
Crayfish. Got lost in village street 1 way of Les Crayes.
1h 8′ stop to shop and gas in Macon. Intermarche gas cheapest so far… in France 1.516 sp95 e10.
A6 to A36 Mulhouse. Toll c/la justice on D976.
HotelF1 @ 39 euros, it’s luke camping. the rooms are small with 2 beds and abunk bed o n top and a sink and table..with shared bathroom… and that’s all you need for a s tyopover when the plans and the back up plan didn’t quite work out. and it’s twice the size of our tent and the children “loved i t here” they wanted to sty another night. it’s an adventure. a pleasan t surprise, the kind tyjag brings your fam i ly cliser togwther. as tires as we were. Ania nd I went with the dliw when are plans disn’t quite work out. and then the kids…
Bathrooms at hotel, like space capsules. If I have a little hotel I’d call it “2nite”.
Polish truck drive, east and south Asians. Other campers and latecomers.
RT4-D20: 22.7 JUE across France for a hippyty hop; started at 1,356 mileage @10:16; 1 hour 8′ stopover; arrived: ~20kl.
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Next Stop: Don’t Exactly Know
Onwards, upwards. . . . to Polonia! 1,617-something kilometers from Jerez de la Frontera, detour to Bolonia, then Setenil de las Bodegas, the white villages of the Alpujarras, the caves of Guadix, Baeza, Ubeda, Ossa de Montiel, the hanging houses of Cuenca, Lake Caspe and finally the little country of Andorra. . . at least for the first 19 days of this family camping road trip. . . number FOUR!
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