A bientôt EU

[Amarillo]

Hi Tom
Just a heads up received new Acsi books today, so fingers crossed your get yours in time.

Brilliant. All I want is the camping card for off season prices. The app is brilliant for locating sites, so I don't need the books.


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[The Merle]

Brilliant. All I want is the camping card for off season prices. The app is brilliant for locating sites, so I don't need the books.


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The card is attached inside one of the books so make sure they bring them out too.

 

[Bellcrew]

Brilliant. All I want is the camping card for off season prices. The app is brilliant for locating sites, so I don't need the books.


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Tom, have you ever been asked for the ID card, some of the French sites kept the ASCI camping card but none was interested in the ID. The app is an absolute winner, we never bothered with the book.

 

[Amarillo]

The card is attached inside one of the books so make sure they bring them out too.

They're flying Ryanair - I wonder how much the supplement is for an ACSI book? Still, dad's on a 2/3 final salary pension, increasing 5% per annum since 1995, so I guess he can afford the supplement.


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[Amarillo]

Tom, have you ever been asked for the ID card, some of the French sites kept the ASCI camping card but none was interested in the ID. The app is an absolute winner, we never bothered with the book.

Several have retained the ID card, none the CC card. I have the two cards facing each other in my credit card wallet and present it like that.

The app is very well thought out. The filters, especially the date filter makes things dead easy. The only thing missing is the cost supplement for children.


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[Amarillo]

Day 159 - Manfredonia

A dry practice at fitting our newly acquired snow chains was easier than expected. I'm sure it won't be so easy on the edge of a precipice in a blizzard, but at least I now have some stowed safely under the driver's seat should I be required to show them to some over zealous poliziotto.

That job out of the way we went to the beach. Daytime temperature is about 14, nighttime about 10 degrees cooler. Apparently this is fairly typical for winter. In still air and sunshine, 14 degrees is just enough for me to sit in t-shirt and shorts without feeling a chill. The slightest puff of wind or cloud cover, and the fleece comes off the back of my chair.

Our boys kept their sweaters on and had fun building sand castles.

Later their trousers and pants/nappy came off and they went paddling. Inevitably their sweaters got soaked.

To honour the Immaculate Conception the campsite owner opened his restaurant and with another couple we feasted on pizza.


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[Amarillo]

Day 160 - Manfredonia

We drove away from our driveaway awning today and went into town. It was a festival day, and all the locals were out and about in their "Sunday" best. We eventually found a parking spot sufficiently large for our van loaded with bikes, and just as I was unloading the bikes a police car pulled up in front. I rather hoped he'd ask to see my snow chains, but that was always going to be unlikely as the road alongside the promenade in Manfredonia is not one on which it is required to carry snow chains.

We cycled back into town along the promenade and found a nice restaurant for lunch. We then explored a little more ang found a statue of the town's founder riding a grand looking horse that Jack called a donkey. How insulting is that? A bit like mistaking a golden eagle for a crow.

We then drove to the town above, Monte Sant Angelo where there is a church built in a cave which God himself consecrated. It turned out that the ascent was rather more than I'd expected - the church is at 2500 feet, and it was considerably colder. To make matters worse, there were about eight thuggish looking guys collecting parking fees at the free car park. We parked, without ceding to the thugs' demands, took a photo of the view below town, and then drove back down the mountain without seeing the cave church.

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[Amarillo]

Day 161 - Manfredonia

A forecast of a dry morning and wet afternoon brought us onto the beach early to exercise both boys and dog. The boys seemed to pay no heed to the idea of a dry morning, and were soon splashing in the sandy puddles left by the retreating tide.

The tidal range here appears to be about 6 inches, but I really don't understand how tides work here in the Mediterranean or Adriatic Seas. One thing I'm sure about- the water doesn't all come and go from the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar. It either oscillates up and down the Adriatic or across it, or perhaps goes around it. I haven't even worked out if there are one or two tides per day.

Just as we left the beach the rain started, it continued steadily all afternoon. The temperature dropped. An English man staying here over the winter has lent us a fan heater - and what a difference it makes to our tent. We are limited on hookup to 6 amps, so we use the heater on the 1000 watt setting, but even on that low setting it heats the awning nicely while we are having lunch.

News of the Brexit deal has filtered through to us. It seems that we will be paying about €50 billion to have the same regulations as the single market and custom union without having a say in what those regulations might be. I wonder what institution will rule on whether or not Britain has "regulatory alignment" with the EU? Perhaps we'll be able to revert to buying apples by the pound and petrol by the imperial gallon, but it's difficult to imagine many other benefits. Still, the pound has strengthened, and that is a good thing for us.

After lunch in our heated tent we sheltered for the rest of the afternoon in the upper deck of our van, all, except Meg, huddled together watching a repeat performance of Mary Poppins.


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[Amarillo]

Day 162 - Manfredonia

The day started with good news followed by a Brexit argument with a Luxembourger.

This campsite is cheaper than expected. 13 Euros per night with 7 nights for the price of 6. ~€11 per night - no extras. Chatting at the washing machines with a Luxembourger, I was told that Brexit was due to the greed of the British people. I really do not believe this to be the case: £350m a week for the NHS was widely debunked at the time, and I expect few people believe, few complain at the UK government meeting the NATO target of 2% of GDP going on defence, and we are all proud that Britain is one of only six countries meeting the UN's target of 0.7% of GDP being spent on foreign aid. We might moan about some of the projects that money is spent on, but few begrudge helping to lift billions of people out of absolute poverty. I think he was unconvinced by my arguments - he has his pet theory that the British people are greedy, and that is that.

The sun was shining and we retired to the beach. Snow had fallen on Monte Sant Angelo across the bay.

It looks like the snow line is at about 2000 feet (600 metres). We've been told that the Adriatic drops from a high of 30 degrees in summer to 12 degrees in winter. That should be enough to make snow on the beach itself a rare occurrence.

Later on the beach a couple from Emilia-Romagna turned up with three border collies. Meg was beside herself with joy at meeting them and played like they were long lost friends. Border collies seem to be the Nazis of the dog world, considering themselves to be superior to other dogs. But when another border collie appears they play like they are puppies again.

After lunch we packed away our tent, ready for a move tomorrow. We have stored the child seats and some luggage in the back of the sanitary block, so tomorrow all we need do is pack the van. We need to buy gas on our way to Naples - our third refill in six months. One bottle of 907 Campingaz lasts us 3-4 weeks. Longer in Scandinavia where many campsites have camping kitchens with free to use electric hobs.

I wonder if our new snow chains will see some use as we cross the Italian spinal mountains once more.


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[Bellcrew]

Day 161 - Manfredonia

A forecast of a dry morning and wet afternoon brought us onto the beach early to exercise both boys and dog. The boys seemed to pay no heed to the idea of a dry morning, and were soon splashing in the sandy puddles left by the retreating tide.

The tidal range here appears to be about 6 inches, but I really don't understand how tides work here in the Mediterranean or Adriatic Seas. One thing I'm sure about- the water doesn't all come and go from the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar. It either oscillates up and down the Adriatic or across it, or perhaps goes around it. I haven't even worked out if there are one or two tides per day.

Just as we left the beach the rain started, it continued steadily all afternoon. The temperature dropped. An English man staying here over the winter has lent us a fan heater - and what a difference it makes to our tent. We are limited on hookup to 6 amps, so we use the heater on the 1000 watt setting, but even on that low setting it heats the awning nicely while we are having lunch.

News of the Brexit deal has filtered through to us. It seems that we will be paying about €50 billion to have the same regulations as the single market and custom union without having a say in what those regulations might be. I wonder what institution will rule on whether or not Britain has "regulatory alignment" with the EU? Perhaps we'll be able to revert to buying apples by the pound and petrol by the imperial gallon, but it's difficult to imagine many other benefits. Still, the pound has strengthened, and that is a good thing for us.

After lunch in our heated tent we sheltered for the rest of the afternoon in the upper deck of our van, all, except Meg, huddled together watching a repeat performance of Mary Poppins.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

As all your ASCI sites include free electric hook up you could also buy an Aldi single induction hob, safe for the children and save your gas.

 

[Keith Smith]

I'm just watching Jess, my bc, play a complicated game of penalty shoot out that she has devised and feeling that, whereas the Nazis were deluded in thinking they were superior, bc's know they are and generally look on other breeds with benign disdain.

Really loving your blog, would have loved to do something similar myself but unfortunately have rubbish health so living the dream vicariously is the next best thing!

 

[Amarillo]

I'm just watching Jess, my bc, play a complicated game of penalty shoot out that she has devised and feeling that, whereas the Nazis were deluded in thinking they were superior, bc's know they are

Meg genuinely passes when playing football, and includes both boys in her game. But it is at frisbee where she excels, anticipating where the disc will go. She does, however, still get confused when it is thrown by someone left handed, and curls the opposite way towards the end of its flight.


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[SimonK]

Later on the beach a couple from Emilia-Romagna turned up with three border collies. Meg was beside herself with joy at meeting them and played like they were long lost friends. Border collies seem to be the Nazis of the dog world, considering themselves to be superior to other dogs. But when another border collie appears they play like they are puppies again.

All my Border Collies have been like this too!

 

[Bellcrew]

Day 162 - Manfredonia

The day started with good news followed by a Brexit argument with a Luxembourger.

This campsite is cheaper than expected. 13 Euros per night with 7 nights for the price of 6. ~€11 per night - no extras. Chatting at the washing machines with a Luxembourger, I was told that Brexit was due to the greed of the British people. I really do not believe this to be the case: £350m a week for the NHS was widely debunked at the time, and I expect few people believe, few complain at the UK government meeting the NATO target of 2% of GDP going on defence, and we are all proud that Britain is one of only six countries meeting the UN's target of 0.7% of GDP being spent on foreign aid. We might moan about some of the projects that money is spent on, but few begrudge helping to lift billions of people out of absolute poverty. I think he was unconvinced by my arguments - he has his pet theory that the British people are greedy, and that is that.

The sun was shining and we retired to the beach. Snow had fallen on Monte Sant Angelo across the bay.

It looks like the snow line is at about 2000 feet (600 metres). We've been told that the Adriatic drops from a high of 30 degrees in summer to 12 degrees in winter. That should be enough to make snow on the beach itself a rare occurrence.

Later on the beach a couple from Emilia-Romagna turned up with three border collies. Meg was beside herself with joy at meeting them and played like they were long lost friends. Border collies seem to be the Nazis of the dog world, considering themselves to be superior to other dogs. But when another border collie appears they play like they are puppies again.

After lunch we packed away our tent, ready for a move tomorrow. We have stored the child seats and some luggage in the back of the sanitary block, so tomorrow all we need do is pack the van. We need to buy gas on our way to Naples - our third refill in six months. One bottle of 907 Campingaz lasts us 3-4 weeks. Longer in Scandinavia where many campsites have camping kitchens with free to use electric hobs.

I wonder if our new snow chains will see some use as we cross the Italian spinal mountains once more.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

Tom, I just received the note from my local surgery, I presume your children are protected.

"Please be aware that there have been reported Measles cases in England linked to Measles outbreaks in Europe. We are offering the MMR vaccine to patients who are not vaccinated against Measles. Those travelling to Romania, Italy and Germany are at particular risk of acquiring measles infection and should make sure they are vaccinated."

 

[kave]

Fantastic journey. I cant understand the patience yiu and your wife must have.
In Sweden all peope are vaccinatd against measles since the -70s, not the same in UK?

 

[Bellcrew]

Fantastic journey. I cant understand the patience yiu and your wife must have.
In Sweden all peope are vaccinatd against measles since the -70s, not the same in UK?

Probably 80%

Fantastic journey. I cant understand the patience yiu and your wife must have.
In Sweden all peope are vaccinatd against measles since the -70s, not the same in UK?

It used to be almost 100 % until a doctor implied that the MMR vaccine was linked with autism in children, vaccination rates declined substantially, the rate has recovered following refutation of the link but some parents are still reluctant to submit their children to the vaccine.

 

[Amarillo]

Probably 80%

It used to be almost 100 % until a doctor implied that the MMR vaccine was linked with autism in children, vaccination rates declined substantially, the rate has recovered following refutation of the link but some parents are still reluctant to submit their children to the vaccine.

Vaccines now have little benefit to the individual, but big whole population benefits. The reason is that because most people are vaccinated, there is little risk of an individual catching the disease. If vaccination levels drop sufficiently, the risk to the few unvaccinated increases.

Both our boys are vaccinated.


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[Amarillo]

Day 163 - Manfredonia to Puzzuoli

Buying gas wasn't supposed to be this difficult. I thought I researched the topic thoroughly before deciding how to manage it - and Campingaz refillable cylinders I thought were the answer. Once empty, they could be exchanged for full ones at hundreds of locations across Europe.

Our first problem was that Scandinavia and the Baltic States don't do Butane, and now, in Italy, dealers have either run out of it for the winter, don't exist or are remote.

Using Campingaz's interactive map, I soon discovered that there were no official dealers of refill bottles around Foggia, and I wouldn't know how to go about finding an unofficial dealer. There are however three dealers in the Naples area, and that is where we were headed. One dealer was on our direct route - just 2 minutes off the autostrada. As we approached, Clare took the prudent step of phoning: yes, they were open; yes, they did stock it; no, they had none in stock for the winter.

Stockist no 2 had no phone number, so we drove there. We found a butane supplier, but not the right one. They sort of took us under their wing and helped us. Apparently the stockist we were after doesn't exist - the address on the website just doesn't make sense. However, they phoned ahead to stocked no3 in some remote corner of the region, and yes, they did have the gas.

We went there - to a chandlers at the very tip of a peninsula to the east of Naples. 19 Euros for a refill, and 71 Euros for a whole new bottle. We bought one of each, so we now have 2 full bottles and 1 nearly empty one. Each bottle lasts us 3-4 weeks, so we could be carrying as much as three months gas at a time - ridiculous, but at least we are less likely to panic again when low. It wasn't meant to be like this.

Of course, it was now late, and we hadn't yet got to our campsite. I was really looking forward to this one, in the crater of a long extinct volcano, but with sulphurous springs. It has excellent reviews, and comes with personal recommendations. We rang at the bell, and a man came to tell us they were closed for maintenance.

We found another campsite - a grubby place with filthy washrooms, but, to the delight of Ben and Jack, mandarin trees laden with ripe fruit, and, to the delight of Clare, an open outdoor pool heated to 40 degrees. This is not an ACSI registered site, and it is not cheap - 30 Euros.

Tomorrow we move again.

Breakfast under the oranges


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[Romke]

We've been in a similar situation in the North of Spain. In the end a camping owner took our empty Campingaz bottle to a local fuel supply dealer in the village and had it refilled with propane. No safety control on the bottle, no red seal, but better than nothing. Rather than carrying 2 or 3 CG bottles you could consider a little bistro cooker. Cylinders for those are widely available in all seasons. Since you have a 3-seater Beach you can store the cooker (together with one spare cylinder) in one of the 3 drawer slots under the bench.

 

[Amarillo]

We've been in a similar situation in the North of Spain. In the end a camping owner took our empty Campingaz bottle to a local fuel supply dealer in the village and had it refilled with propane. No safety control on the bottle, no red seal, but better than nothing. Rather than carrying 2 or 3 CG bottles you could consider a little bistro cooker. Cylinders for those are widely available in all seasons. Since you have a 3-seater Beach you can store the cooker (together with one spare cylinder) in one of the 3 drawer slots under the bench.

Everything is open for consideration - even a little electric hob.

Apparently Campingaz is hard to find in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. In Greece they exchange for a Campingaz lookalike then you're stuffed when you next want to exchange.

But 3 bottles should last 9 - 12 weeks, so perhaps we have sufficient to last to Austria or Czech Rep. if we cross to Greece fully stocked.

I expect we will eat out more in the Balkans where food and service is cheap. We hardly ever ate out in Scandinavia, but are eating out more now.


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[andyinluton]

You ever thought of using a 12v Kettle to save gas?

 

[Amarillo]

You ever thought of using a 12v Kettle to save gas?

We did yesterday - not to save gas but because we'd already packed the stove, and we were on hookup...

We have a uk plug, we plan to buy an Italian kettle, Italian fan heater and 10m Italian extension lead. Chop off the Italian extension lead plug, fit the b/s plug and hey presto! we have a gas saving 240v kettle and awning heater too.


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[Amarillo]

Day 164 - Pozzuoli to Pompei

After being turned away from one campsite, because they had chosen to close without informing ACSI, we managed to get thrown off another because Clare had the temerity to complain about the disgusting washing up area and lack of hot water. Before we left, Clare and Jack scrumped as many mandarins as they dared and we fled to Pompei.

This is a small well-ordered rectangular plot with 27 pitches surrounded on two sides by 20 self-catering rooms.. It is directly opposite one of the entrances to Roman Pompei. Vesuvius looms large and dominates the landscape with its head in the clouds.

Although we arrived early, we decided to wait until tomorrow before visiting the preserved city.

Ben and I went off to look for a kettle at Carrefour, it didn't have one but it did have a 1000 watt electric hob for 15 Euros. Perfect - we already have two kettles. I also bought two 5m extension leads. Back at the site I swapped the plug on one extension lead for a UK plug. So far so good. The UK three square pin socket in the van is just behind the front passenger seat, so I ran the extension lead out of the passenger door, over the top of the van, along the top of the wind out awning, and into the tent awning. So far so good. I unpacked the hob, which is delightfully compact and ran into my first problem. The hob has a 2 round pin round plug. The extension socket takes three round pins all in a line.

Back to Carrefour for an adaptor.

Problem number two. Italian three round pin plugs and sockets come in two sizes, large and small rated 10A and 16A. My extension lead was 10A and I bought a 16A adapter. Hook-up is only 6A and the hob 4 or 5 amps, so current shouldn't be a problem.

Back to Carrefour.

I found a 10/16A extension socket

So, I now have a continental plug into a 16A Italian adaptor into a 10/16A Italian socket wired onto a 10A Italian 5m extension lead, connected to another 10A Italian 5m extension lead with a 13A British plug.

The hob works. Our 12 volt kettle is now redundant.


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[Romke]

Problem number two. Italian three round pin plugs and sockets come in two sizes, large and small rated 10A and 16A.

You're going to have fun in Greece where they are all different again!

 

[Amarillo]

You're going to have fun in Greece where they are all different again!

As long as we can hook up, and don't buy any Greek appliances, we should be fine.

What I am struggling with is why Italy has three different sockets for the ring main.

A useful purpose for the EU would have been to adopt the British Standard socket and plug for all its member nations.


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