Catch Up....

So somewhere we lost Oslo - Kopenhagen...it is a push now to remember what we did...it feels like years ago!!

It goes something like this:

Our very kind neighbour in London had been collecting our post and it just happened that her very good friend in Oslo was visiting the weekend before we arrived and generously offered to collect our post and meet with us in Oslo...long and detailed but it meant spending at least a day there to catch up!  So on contact with Dominic- personal post man- he suggested a campsite which was a little out of town but "has a great view". Charlene navigated us there and on arrival it was indeed a large campsite...never did see the view though....

As Chris and I stepped into the reception area and proudly waved our Scandinavian Camping card - you have to have one! we were met by a resident of the campsite arguing with the reception lady....not a good start...even in Norwegian it was easy to see the guy was pissed off and the girl defensive...non the less she turned on the charm for us and told us to camp where ever!! So we drove into the vast park like site and tried to decide where to park....away from every one? No...not level enough.... Near the playground? -No....homeless guy lives there...Near the gate for quick escape? No...to close to the Gypsy's.....(can I say that? Not sure if it's PC??)

Lets go near the really really big motor homes that look really expensive....safety in numbers!!

So...Dotty parked and ready....not quite as cold as the mountains....dinner....and then bed....the loo's were miles away...and the homeless guys moved inside at night time to keep warm.....and wash their socks!! You get the picture!

Next day we took off into town...after locking up all valuables and closing all the curtains!

A short bus ride and then the metro line into town...very easy and user friendly.

We found our postman at the poshest hotel in town...and he very kindly brought us posh coffee on the roof terrace! The kids for some reason were impeccably behaved...prior to arrival they had been kicking each other in the head....something about old world charm and 5 star hotels made them behave....

Off to the docks to find a ferry which took us to the museum island area...beautiful boats and a little sunshine made us all happy....cute little passenger ferry across the harbour...actually it's a fjord....and then a short walk up the hill to the Viking Ship Museum. Flynn had been on about it since we read about it in the guide book....bless him, I think after watching Astrix and the Vikings he was expecting the pillages to jump out at him...he was so disappointed that it was just a couple of old boats and some trinkets....Chris and I were pretty impressed....there were 2 complete viking ships that had been perfectly preserved in the mud/clay of the harbour and were excavated in the 1890's? (don't quote me on the dates)....they were used as burial ships and similarly to the Egyptians the nobility was buried with all they would need in the afterlife....slaves included....so quite interesting anthropologically as well as just sheer wonder at the design and ability of ship builders to make such a craft and for them to be able to sail the distances they did...incredible.

Back on the ferry and into town...I was allowed to wander around the shops!! Very exciting....mostly because Flynn was freezing....he had managed to leave his jumpers as souvenirs in a number of campsites so far!

high priority was to find an Internet cafe to deal with important things....like the shipment of our stuff to Australia and the final bits of the house sale....Internet cafes are mostly in train stations!!

Then the eternal argument of what to have for dinner that everyone can agree on....after some false starts we all agreed on Chinese....why not! and it was delicious!!

Then...back to the campsite with the hope that Dotty is intact....

She was fine!! Everything accounted for!! 

Next day is the same story...pack up...make sure everything is back were it came from so nothing breaks or falls on any one's head while we are driving!!

On the road again......to Sweden....we know we can make it to Gottenburg....the next day we have a date to catch up with an old friend from New York who is on tour in Sweden...we have lunch plans in Malmo.....

So we drive and drive and decide we can go further than Gottenburg....but we should stop for something to eat....."Ikea" says Flynn from the back seat and with a smirk we all agree that is a great idea....and at least there is something there that everyone will eat!!! As we pootle around the ring road of Gottenburg and halt in the afternoon traffic, the very kind man from the car in front comes back to tell us Dotty has a flat.....I manage to look out of the window and sure enough....the front tyre is loosing air....not totally flat though....we could make it to Ikea.....

which we do...and there is a nice flat parking lot so we change the tyre and discuss where we can get a new one from....can we keep driving on the spare.........sure...until we find somewhere open!!

To Jane's delight Ikea is exactly the same in Sweden as it is in England....Flynn begged to go in the creche....we decided he might be better off with us!! The restaurant is of course at the end of all the displays but before the market hall /exit......the meatballs are also the same....however...no fish and chips.....shame...

As we have all been freezing in the arctic temperatures we thought we should also buy a new duvet for Dotty...and to keep us warm...so 1 Ikea duvet and duvet cover....and we are on the road again.....

It's getting dark now and we haven't found anywhere to stay yet....there are plenty of lovely campsites...some of them on the beach front with the spectacular sunset....all closed for the season.........if any one is actually reading this....is there any one out there.?? I really recommend you don't try and go camping after the end of August....nothing is open.....

Here is where things start to get heated....Chris calls a campsite that is on the SatNav....they say in very broken English that they will let us stay but will have to let us in and to call when we are at the gate......so off we go down the motor way.....it's totally dark now....we follow Charlene's directions....we are in an isolated area off the motor way now....there are a few houses, farms, a single track road...and then a VERY large tractor coming towards us....aaahhhhh....thank god Dotty  is small and nibble.....we all breathe out....and then we have apparently |"Reached our destination"....mmmmm nothing around....lots of corn and fences....

Maybe we went to far....there was a building back there...? No....there is no campsite....call them again....a man this time...slightly better English....very very bad directions....it appears we are no where near the actual campsite....ok....we are lost...we have no where to stay....at least we had Ikea dinner!! 

Back to Charlene...input another campsite....looking better....there are signs this time.....road gets narrower....turn left....really?? Ok.....in 500 meters you have reached your destination....and Beth has reached the end of her tether! Wait....oh my...it is an actual caravan park....there are lights on....there is someone in the shop....

Hello....no...sorry we are closed for the................

I am not sure if it was the look of horror on my face....for some reason he took pity on us and allowed us to stay.....thank god!!! The 24 hour plane ride was beginning to sound like a good idea!!

So a night in the fields of Sweden.....then a drive to Malmo for lunch with Uncle Tony!

Malmo...not such an inviting place...lots of development....a Pride march through the centre of town...we thought about joining in but Dotty may have out done the 1 float surrounded by feather bowers!! Bless!

A quick trip to the tourist information office revealed...guess what....all the campsites are closed....mmmm what to do....Decision is made to go to Kopenhagen and see if we have better luck....so over the bridge we go....

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

The Øresund or Öresund Bridge (Danish: Øresundsbroen, Swedish: Öresundsbron, joint hybrid name: Øresundsbron) is a combined twin-track railway and dual carriageway bridge-tunnel across the Øresund strait.

The bridge connects Sweden and Denmark, and it is the longest road and rail bridge inEurope. 

Pretty cool bridge....

We again failed at attempts to locate campsites....with the help of the Danish camping guide we managed to find a high tech campsite/hostel on the outskirts of town....there is a laundry and a very nice kitchen/dining area...we cook inside and watch tv....the only thing in English is Friends....it is strangely reassuring!!!

Another morning of packing up....with all of our clothes clean again....we head to yet another ferry crossing, off the island of Zealand and back to the fair shores of Germany.....It's a huge ferry....bigger even than the one to Bergen....half of it is closed off and there are whole area's void of people....we found a huge dining area with tables and chairs right at the bow of the boat and with only a handful of people....we took our placed to play our new favourite card game - Monopoly Deal...it is like Monopoly but it's a card game....the kids are obsessed....Chris and I are getting a bit sick of it...!

We dock at the port town of Rostock.....and turn towards Berlin......

Berlin-Prague

Berlin was grey and hard to get to grips with. We cycled everyday except for one, clocking over 10km at a minimum everyday. We had an entire campsite to ourselves again which was nice but a bit lonely.

The Holocaust memorial by the Brandenburg gate and the Fernsehturm  (east german tv tower) were the highlights for me. The Fernsehturm is a tall imposing structure with a clear message to those on the west german side of the wall. The head tilting height and reflective skin against a cobalt blue sky had the awe inspiring effect I am sure the designers desired.

The memorial is an amazing work of modern art that even without it's purpose in mind managed to move me. It is a vast set of regular sized dark concrete blocks laid out on a gentle slope on a square. A grid of paths between the blocks crossing at each corner of each block seems simple and childlike at first. But as you descend the slope into the heart of the memorial the blocks grow taller cutting you off from your fellow visitors. You can hear but not see them and a slight fear of collision at every corner slows your pace. The effect of being alone in a huge crowd is inspired and haunting.

We left Berlin with a new radio and new front tires on Dotty and hit the autobahn. Dotty was built for these roads. With her new shoes she was zooming along at 115 kph. The Audi's though were doing at least 140 kph. The road eastward to Prague was off the end of our satnav but it was just one road to follow and the challenge of finding our campsite with just a map might be fun for a change. A quick fuel and coffee stop an hour out of Berlin and we cranked the tunes of the new stereo.

Next stop.........Poland. Oppps. So much for our navigational skills. We'd missed the turn southwards and were now hard up against the German/Polish border. A quick bit of map reading and we turned south on a cold war GDR road towards Gorlitz knowing we'd not get to Prague tonight. 

What a fortunate accident of fate. Gorlitz is one of the best preserved pre-war towns in Germany. The Baroque architecture is beautiful in this small walled town that was left untouched in both wars and was subject to a "heritage" order by the GDR. It is a great combination of both restored beauty and beautiful ruin.

We camped in a carpark just outside the old wall with a few others and dined at "Zum Flyn", a local restaurant with a painting of a very nasty looking Flyn outside. Ordering dinner in our german was hard enough. Getting an explanation of the restaurants name, beyond us.

The next day we couldn't resist adding another country to our list and crossed the river into Poland, At once the roads were horrific with signs few are far between. Charlene, our faithful satnav, was out of range and the map we had covered the entire country on one page. The post soviet stereotypes held true. We passed a massive hole in the ground and the ugliest power station your could imagine belching smoke and pollution.

After crisscrossing the German/ Czech/Polish border for a few hours we finally found the road to Prague.

I think I have lost a posting...I am sure I added from Oslo - Kopenhagen but it isn't there...will have to try and remember what we did!! In the meantime........

Berlin.....

We arrived in Berlin on a Sunday afternoon. It had been a long drive from the outskirts of Kopenhagen 

along with a ferry crossing from Zealand, (DK) to Rostock (D)...another chance for Duty free shopping!!

So the first long drive on the Auto Bahn....Dotty did us proud but there was no way she could keep up 

with the Audi's and believe it or not...the Skoda's!!

So...Berlin...my brother is living there at the moment so we lobbed up at his place...once we found it! 

He is subletting a lovely little place in the Schoenburg area of Berlin, it is really central and reminded me of Sydney.

We wandered out for dinner nearby and found a Turkish Restaurant! The menu was the same as our favourite at home! 

So no problems ordering! Although my Brother's German is impressive...

After a couple of beers and a long drive we were all a bit sleepy so we set off to find out campsite - "Tent Station"

www.tentstation.de

Technically they closed on the day we arrived so we had called in advance and in the typical cool Berlin way they had said we could stay anyway and there would probably be a few other campers...

After a couple of wrong turns into what seemed to be an abandoned sports arena...we found the Tent Station...an abandoned municipal swimming pool.

Sure enough we found a few stragglers...a bus load of Aussie's...I am pretty sure I counted 6...god knows where they were sleeping or even sitting....the mother in me was activated!

A few other tents dotted here and there...

We were staying for a week we decided to set Dotty's awning up and really settle in...

Sure enough, as the week progressed the tents slowly dissapeared until there was just Dotty! 

All in all as a campsite goes I would say this is one of the most unique I have stayed in...it was a public swimming pool until 2002 when privatisation forced it's closure. 4 years ago a group of enterprising Berliners took it over and with very minimal changes turned it into a campsite. The toilets/showers are pretty much as they were for swimming, vast amounts of lockers still there, some with washing lines strung up and others used for dishes and laundry. 

The main swimming pool has been adapted with bleachers and during the summer months plays host to local DJ's and bands staged on the diving boards...there is also a basketball hoop in the deep end! 

The smaller pool has been filled with sand and while it is an awesome place for castles...it also makes a great volleyball court....Aparently there is also a bar and cafe during the peak season...wish so much we could have been there to see all the fun but in a strange way it is also nice to be there totally alone...we are in the middle of Berlin and have 2 acres of land all around us...if we didn't leave we wouldn't have seen another person for days!

But we did leave...eventually!! 

Berlin is a great place for cycling...mostly because there are no hills...but also because, similarly to Amsterdam there are cycle paths everywhere, separate to the roads in most cases...and bikes get right of way!! London really needs to get it's shit together and sort out some Cycle rights!

So we spent the whole week cycling around and checking out the sights....Tiergarten, beautiful park with many aspects and many paths for which to get lost!! 

Brandenburg gate, spectacular arch with hoards of tourists, Berlin Zoo...so so so wrong on so many levels, Elephants, tigers, lions and bears....including Polar Bears...the very famous Polar Bear Konook....Many of the enclosures are being improved and modernised...many of them are still very old fashioned and in some cases heart breaking....but I guess you can't have it all huh...if we want to see wild animals someone has to make a sacrifice....I can only hope that there are fantastic breading programs...to quell my guilt!

We made the crossing into what was East Berlin and ascended the fabulous tower which hovers over the city...(see Chris' pictures on Facebook...he must have taken hundreds!)

It was a clear day and we gained a really good perspective of how the city is laid out. It is really clear to see where the division lay...the architure between East and West has many obvious differences, yet with so much modernisation and improvement it is easy to forget that it has only been 20 years since the wall fell.

Other days we just pootled around and took in the sights and sounds of the city...we spent our evenings with my bro, mostly cooking and eating and just hanging out! 

Come Saturday after a stroll around the market we left Berlin behind and headed towards Prague..........