Italy, Switzerland and France 5 to 15 November.

Italy, Switzerland and France.  5 - 15 November

The initial days of this trip were on the ‘sole, instep & calf’ which was the route that we followed along the Italian ‘boot’.  This part of the trip was more travelling and less sightseeing and we bypass some of the beautiful towns that we’d like to visit -  but, another time .  The weather is changing, our house is available, so we're heading home.

Sunday 5 November   very quiet drive from the sole along the instep to Le Castella.  Plenty of olive and citrus trees in this part of the world.   We go to a sosta, Camper Costa Splendente sul Mare, which is right on the coast and planted with pine and eucalyptus trees so it smells nice. And has plenty of cats albeit very shy.   It's not at all busy -  two or three German mo-hos, a couple of Italian and a French one, although the French van is driven by an Englishman, Brian, who calls on us and invites us for drinks later.

Use the afternoon to clean the inside of the mo-ho, although it never takes long for the dust to reappear.

To Brian’s at 6.00 pm for champagne, wine and some amaretto.   He worked in New York but is now retired and lives near Dieppe with his much younger French (third) wife.   As she still works he decided to take a road trip, along with Doofus his very elderly and Alzheimer-y dog.   Nice guy and very good company.   Doofus doesn’t really know if we’re there or not.

Monday 6 November   I’m up early as apparently I can start to use the laundry facilities from 8.30 am.   It's a small washing machine, in a locked cupboard, but I manage to get two loads done - when I ‘fess up about having put on a second load the reception chap gets very hot and bothered but I think I’m forgiven in the end.

After we’ve hung the washing out to dry we go down the hill to the beach which is a very narrow strip of sand with lots of rocks in the sea.  

The sea is still warm enough to go for a swim (John to the right in the picture above) or a paddle (me) which isn’t bad given the time of year;  the air temperature is still in the low 20s.

Later in the day I go for a walk to the town of Le Castella about 15 minutes away.   Very quiet, most of the restaurants and bars look closed for the winter.  I find an open supermarket, dress shop and three bars.   But, also came across a splendid castle built above the sea at the end of the main street.

Tuesday 7 November  we pack up, take the van to the water emptying point (no point carrying all that extra weight) and try to pay the bill.   The receptionist is not there so we have to wait 10 or 15 minutes for him to return from running errands, but it gets sorted.

Today we’re travelling along the ‘instep’ of the boot, with mountains in view,  and aiming to reach a stop that is described as new, with water and electricity in an area behind a restaurant.   Which it might be but the gates are shut and when we phone them are told that they are on holiday.

Execute a tricky three point turn and head to the next possible stop, an agriturismo in the middle of olive trees.  The roads are definitely narrow, with dry stone walls on either side and across the fields and small round huts or houses popping up from time to time.  

We squeeze our way onto the farm, Masseria Atipica,  and are met by the host and shown where to park - and where to leave by a different and slightly easier route.   

It is definitely cooler here at 1000 feet above sea level.   But, very peaceful apart from occasional motorbikes - and gunshots that we never got to the bottom of!

Wednesday 8 November  it's raining this morning and we agree to get on the road and start to head north, rather than go back on ourselves to visit the town of Alberobello.   In Alberobello  there are over 1500 ‘trulli’, the small round huts or houses that we've seen locally,  

but by the time we park in a mo-ho friendly car park, walk in and explore, the morning will be gone.

A long day, covering about 500 km as we travel back to sea level again, by-passing Bari and travelling up the coast (the calf) to Marina di Montenero and try to access a sosta on the edge of town;  can’t see any way to get in and anyway it looks a bit like a building site.   So go instead to the Costa Verde camp site in the same area;  we are let in and invited to pick any spot and assured that if we order pizza before 7.00 pm they will make it for us on site.

It is still (just) warm enough to sit outside and we are joined by a small but very affectionate cat who is looking for cuddles and strokes.   S/he doesn’t want to sit on a lap but enjoys hanging around with us.   Later joined by a friend and they have fun chasing up and down a tree.

About 6.00 pm we go looking for campsite staff to order pizza - no one to be seen at reception or at the beach bar.   We walk into the reception office and are immediately followed in by about four cats;  there are around seven cats hanging out near reception and I think they believe it’s feeding time.   We chase them out, and have to make our own arrangements for dinner!

Thursday 9 November  to the beach bar to collect croissants (which are really good) and get two €0.50 coins for the showers.   I read a review, written by a German, of the Costa Verde camp site on ‘Park4night’ that says, amongst other things “Toilets have no toilet seats and no paper.  We wouldn’t come back”.   Well, in the places we've visited in Italy, almost none of the campsite loos have seats or loo roll, so, whoever you are, you're going to have a miserable time camping in Italy!

Get on the road along the coast carrying on 360 kms up the ‘calf’;  lovely day and nice to be following the coast.   

Reach our destination, between Rimini and Ravenna, a sosta at Viale dei Mille, 152, Cesenatico which has EHU and a place to take on and dump water, but no other facilities.    We go for a walk down to and along the beach - the sand on the beach has been bulldozed up to the back of the beach for the winter so that it doesn’t get swept away by winter storms.   The beach is backed by hotels which aren’t very attractive.

There's a pizzeria next to the sosta but there's a kids’ party going on there when we go along at 6.00 pm, and when we go back at 7.00 pm it's closed completely.   So we walk along the road for five minutes to another restaurant where we are warmly welcomed - we try our Italian, they try their English, money changes hands, we get delicious hot pizzas ten minutes later and walk fast back to the sosta.

Friday 10 November  pack up and get on the road.  Today it's about 310 wet kilometres travelling north west to Milan over a long plain;  plenty of agriculture but it's very different to further south.   Still many olives trees but almost no citrus trees, wide fields of vegetables, more deciduous trees which are definitely beginning to change colour.

We reach Milan and stop at a motor accessory/ tyre shop to buy snow chains which, by law,  we have to carry after 1 November when driving in the mountains in France . Then to the sosta/ car park at 128 Via Rogordo in the south of the city where we have booked to stay overnight.   The reason for booking here is that it is near the cafe/ bar where we are meeting this evening with a long time friend.  The car park is probably the seediest place we've stayed;  it has 24 hour security …. and that’s about it.   There is a loo but I don't even dare look inside.

We go to a trattoria across the road at about 2.00 pm to see if we can get any lunch but are firmly told they are closed.   So, McDonalds it is.  Which has nice clean loos with seats and loo paper.  

Back to the mo-ho for a bit then head out to Caffè Minerva ten minutes down the road.   Meet with Giuseppe at 5.30 pm and spend two and a half hours catching up on the years since we saw one another (probably 12 years?   Maybe more?). 

It is a lovely evening, supported by Aperol Spritzes and wine,  and so good to share all our stories.   Giuseppe kindly walks us to the nearest supermarket so we can get some supplies, we say our au revoirs, shop, then head back to the sosta/ car park.

Saturday 11 November on the road and follow a route around Milan to the east and north.   Definitely off the  Italian “sole, instep & calf “ now as we head 220 kms north to Altdorf in Switzerland.

One stop and at the Swiss /French border where there is no-one to check passports etc but we pause to buy an ‘e-vignette’.   In Italy and France users pay tolls on many motorways, depending on the distance that travelled, but in Switzerland you pay 40 Swiss Francs (£36)  each year for a pass, the e-vignette, to allow you to use the motorways as much as you like.  But, as it's for a calendar year, ours will last only to 31 December.

Beautiful day and there is an icing sugar sprinkling of snow on the mountains as we drive past lakes and along mountain roads.  And through a lot of tunnels.   

We get to Remo Camping, where we're booked to stay, at about 1.30 pm and there’s a barrier down that says reception is shut from 12 noon to 2.00 pm, so we drive along the road to an Aldi and do some grocery shopping and look around.   I buy a pot of hummus which is exciting as I haven’t had hummus since we left the UK two months ago.

Back to the campsite and we park the mo-ho and wander in to have a look for signs of life.   Eventually find an envelope with John’s name on it and instructions for how to open the gate, which pitch is ours, the wifi code and two Swiss francs for the showers.    Park up, level up and make ourselves at home.   The loos are super clean, have seats and loo paper and have central heating, which is just as well as the weather is defo on the chilly side.   Sorry, no more toilet talk.

Snow is forecast! 

Sunday 12 November     Today is overcast and wet.   We have our showers - I have ‘a moment’ when, after three or four minutes, the one Swiss franc hot shower runs out.   The water keeps flowing, but suddenly stops being hot and becomes very cold!

Today it is snowing which is fun when it is just a light dusting, but gets a bit hairy when it gets heavier and the road hasn't been ploughed.   But, all very picturesque and the roads, generally, are fine.   

Stop for a coffee at a service area and hear people speaking English, German, Italian and French, a reminder that Switzerland is a multi lingual country.

We travel 280 kms, initially through mountains and then on to lower and flatter ground.

North west France is very flat to begin with then gets hillier with attractive small villages.  We get to La Bourgonce, a small village that has created a campervan stop in the centre next to the church.  We park and plug in.  Definitely chilly this evening but  it gets very stuffy if we leave the warm air heating on at night, so its time to dig out the much travelled but not yet used extra duvet.

The church bells ring the quarter and half hours and the hour, which one reviewer of the aire had grumbled about.  The bells stop at 10.00 pm and start again at 7.00 am.

No restaurant or bar in the village so it's another night in so that the chauffeur can relax.

Monday 13 November   Wake to the sound of kids being dropped off at school.   I go to the nearby village shop to buy fruit juice, bread and croissants;  the shop is also a café and there is a party of five or six in there.

On the road, travelling to Arras.  The wind is strong today which is not good with a high sided mo-ho, and John has to keep both hands on the wheel and stay alert.  It's also very wet.   A long drive today of around 450 kms but we have decided to head home on Wednesday.  Huge difference in the price of the Shuttle (train through the Chunnel) and a ferry, so we have booked a ferry from Calais to Dover.

Reach Arras in the afternoon and check in to Vallée de la Scarpe aire which has EHU, a loo and shower.  It's cold and wet when I jump out to buy a ticket at the entry gate - and it's only when we're parked that we realise that I've only booked us in for only 5 hours instead of 24 🥴.

Set up, and are very impressed with the aire’s super fast broadband .  Go for a 10 minute walk to a nearby supermarket for supplies and settle in.

Tuesday 14 November. No rain this morning and we stroll the 15 minutes or so into central Arras, spotting little Noddy buses which are free to use.   

There are two large squares in the centre of Arras and a Christmas market is being set up with huts, a ferris wheel, a carousel, Christmas trees & decorations and a giant bear.   

We mooch about admiring the city and a British phone box being used as a DVD and book exchange (the second time we've seen one in France).    Stop for a coffee and then go for lunch to the ‘French House’, that describes itself as “Pub in tradition and So British decoration….”.   It doesn't look like any British pub I've been to.   Lovely service, I have a smoked salmon/ poached egg/ cauliflower puree dish and John a Flemish stew.  Both delicious.

And funky shaped beer glasses for those drinking beer.  Make you feel sozzled even if sober 

Walk back to the mo-ho and get on the road to Calais about 70 miles/110 Kms away.  It was dry this morning but it's very raining now and the fields are very soggy.

To the Calais Wine Superstore to buy 48 bottles of wine, as we're each allowed to bring 18 litres/ 24 bottles of wine (each) to the UK.   To a small aire in the village of Marck, but it's busy and we don't fancy parking by the bins.   Drive a few miles north west to Camping Brasserie les Argousiers and are able to find a place there - I think we're the only customers.  Go to the Brasserie in the evening for a drink (John is happy to get a pastis), tokens for the shower and to pay so we can be up and off tomorrow when we want.

Wednesday 15 November we are booked on the 12 noon sailing but decide to get to the ferry terminal early to see if we can get onto the 10.30 am crossing.   My shower token doesn't give me any water (John's does) so I have a mo-ho shower and then we get going.  It's only 7 miles to the ferry terminal and we're in luck as are able to be put on the earlier P&O sailing.   Bit of a rigmarole as we have to go through 

• P&O check in

• French passport control 

• French customs, which involves a chap boarding the mo-ho and looking through some of the cupboards 

• British passport control where John has to produce his passport and Home Office/ right to remain letter

But then we roll on board and are on the last leg of the trip, after 65 days of our 90 days of permitted Europe travel.  The ship is not at all busy, and the journey is disturbed only by some over excited French school children and John muttering ‘drive on the left, drive on the left’ to himself.