Week 3 of our travels sees us continue southwards, travelling from Slovakia to Greece, passing through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on the way.
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The Detail:
Distance Covered: 993 miles
Financial: Fuel £144; Lpg £15; Groceries £93; Misc £9; Personal £5; Vehicle £17; Total £283
Stopovers: Zlatna na Ostrove (Slovakia); Tat (Hungary); Bekesszentandras (Hungary); Caransebes (Romania); Cetate (Romania); Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria); Asprovalta (Greece)
Another slight change in plan. We were thinking of slowing things down once we got to Romania and spending some time exploring there.
However, we realised that due to the extremely cold weather at the moment, we would be limited as to where we could go. Many of the mountain roads would be impassable, and much of what we want to see would therefore be inaccessible.
Greece is the word. A more temperate climate means we will be able to move around more easily. So that’s where we are headed. We will explore mainland Greece for a few weeks, and when things start to warm up again in the spring we will return to Bulgaria and Romania to explore there.
Horn (Austria) to Zlatna na Ostrove (Slovakia)
Up and about reasonably early. Nice walk, but very cold. The stream running behind the parking area had frozen up.
We set off, looking for a garage to sort the HT lead, but the two we tried locally were both shut. Had another fiddle before hitting the road and it seemed to run fine for a while.
Eventually started playing up again just outside a town called Stockerau. Pulled into one garage, but they couldn’t help. They did, however, direct us to another – Autohaus Knoth. They were very helpful and looked at the van straight away. They insisted on plugging in the diagnostic computer, which eventually confirmed the problem. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the parts to do a proper repair. They did what they could, removed the cap and cleaned up all the contacts. Charged €30 (cash). Touch wood, it seems to be running fine at the moment.
Setting off again we stopped briefly at Leopoldsdorf for a lunch break, before heading into Slovakia.
We were half thinking of stopping in Bratislava for a wander around. We parked up on the outskirts, but we both said it didn’t look like our kind of place. Maybe we are doing it a misjustice?
So we carried on. Finished at Zlatna na Ostrove in Slovakia. Parked out of town, right on the banks of the Danube.
To Tat (Hungary)
Kind of a mooching day today.
It was quite windy last night so there was a bit of rocking. Consequently a disturbed night’s sleep.
Took Zeus for a walk along the banks of the Danube. Nice to have a lazy morning and not rush off.
Moved on to do a bit of shopping on the local Lidl. Wasn’t too dissimilar to what we have at home really. Not too much there that I couldn’t have got in the local store.
Next, we headed for Komarno. We were hoping to have a look around the old fortress there and the old town. In the event, the fortress was closed so we ended up just having a wander around the town. What a lovely town centre it is too. Many original buildings are beautifully restored. Statues, sculptures, and fountains. We loved the European Square where different buildings have been built in the style of the country it represents. The idea is that it shows the unity of the various European countries.
After some discussion about whether to stay in the area for a while or continue south, we decided that we would prefer to explore this area when the weather is a bit better and we can get to more places. The ice and snow on the minor roads and in the mountains put us off trying to drive around there for now.
So into Hungary we went. Didn’t travel too far as time was getting on. Finished up at Tat, once again parked up very close to the Danube.
To Bekesszentandras (Hungary)
Opened the kitchen blind this morning to a beautiful sunrise over the Danube. I don’t think we appreciated in the dark last night just how close we had parked to the waters edge.
Took Zeus for a lovely long walk along the shoreline of the river. It was like walking on a shingle beach. Totally unspoiled and no one else around. Some evidence of wild boar activity in the woods along the banks, but no sign of the critters themselves.
Still heading for Greece, but it’s a long way and the roads aren’t brilliant.
Stopped at a place called Cegledi Gyogyfurdo es Szabadidok for a lunch break. It’s a water park of some sort, with various pools, slides, and many outdoor sporting activities. There is a lake with a jogging path around it, which is where we walked Zeus. All very well-kept and nice.
After lunch we continued on, heading for the border with Romania. Because of the condition of the roads, we didn’t get as far as we would have liked. Still about an hour to the border.
We ended up parking in a field near Bekesszentandras, right on the bank of the Koros river. Camping near water seems to be a bit of a theme this trip.
At 6.30pm a police car pulled up next to the motorhome. I went out to speak to them. I don’t speak Hungarian and they spoke little English. I think the gist of it was that we shouldn’t be parked here. I offered to move on, but one of the officers was on the phone, probably to the owner of the land. After a short conversation they said that I could stay, but I suspect it would be a different story in the season.
UPDATE: had a second knock on the door at about 7.30pm. More police officers. Not sure who the first ones were, maybe private security officers from the nearby hotel? The second lot spoke some English so we were able to communicate. They checked our ID and asked a few questions. It turns out someone locally had seen us come down here, noticed the UK on the back of the motorhome and thought we were from the Ukraine. Hence why they came here to double check. I asked if it was alright for us to be here and apparently it’s fine, maybe because the landowner had agreed earlier???
It is necessary to buy a vignette to use the Romanian roads. We therefore need to know how long we will be in Romania for as you can get them for different lengths of time.
To Caransebes (Romania)
Really lovely, peaceful night’s sleep.
Woke to a beautiful sunny morning. Lovely views out of the window. Usual morning bimble with Zeus before setting off.
Drove for about an hour to the border with Romania. Finally found a decent road in Hungary, the M44. Newly built so in excellent condition and has very little traffic.
Took about 15 minutes to get through the border at Gyula Not sure why really, there weren’t any complications. I’ll just put it down to being so quiet. We were the only ones going through the car lanes, everything else was freight.
In order to use the Romanian roads it is necessary to purchase a Vignette. It can be purchased online but is more expensive that way. Alternatively, the fuel stations near the border sell them. We paid RON 14.71 (£2.66) for a week whereas online it is €16.00 (£14.09).
Also moved into a new time zone. We are now +2 hours.
Drove on to Arad. Stopped at a nature reserve at Celea for lunch and to give Zeus a walk.
The roads in Romania have been excellent so far. However, they do like to drive fast and make some very risky manoeuvres. It is also very noticeable the number of lorries on the road.
We could have stopped overnight in the visitor centre car park had we wanted to. However, as it was still quite early we decided to continue onwards.
Had a slightly worrisome few minutes driving along the motorway. We had less than 1/4 of a tank of fuel with about 40 km to go. Thought I should fill up, but the next two services were still under construction. With about 30 km to the next fuel station, the petrol light came on. We made it but must have been running on air as it took over 70 litres to fill up.
We headed for Tapia for a parking spot close to the river again. When we got there, however, it was extremely muddy and I didn’t fancy my chances of getting back out. So we decided to move on.
We ended up parking in a piece of waste ground almost in the centre of Caransebes. Very muddy, with many huge puddles, and not at all glamorous. Even a dead dog very close to the van (which I removed).
We haven’t been in Romania long, but already the amount of stray dogs and cats is very evident.
Quick walk with Zeus before bedtime. Went round the block and then up to the town. We really are very close. Will have a mooch round in the morning. Hopefully, I’ll be able to sleep, but I suspect that I might have a disturbed night’s rest.
To Cetate (Romania)
Definitely was not the best night’s sleep I have ever had. Woken at 3 am by some boy racer roaring around the streets. Then again at 6 am by the local bin men. And the view, well I guess we have been a bit spoiled recently. Muddy ground with huge puddles. Run down buildings all around. It’s not all Glitz and Glamour.
Went for a walk around town and it redeemed itself somewhat. The town centre was pedestrianised with some green areas and statues. There were some lovely buildings too. Got a bit of cash (Romanian Ron) out.
There seemed to be a lot of bakeries too. All doing a brisk trade. People buying their daily bread, but also pastries for breakfast. Nice to see.
A quick stop at Lidl for groceries and LPG at the station just up the road. Good job I got the cash as I had to pay in cash there.
The forecast for tonight and tomorrow is for a lot of snow (and down to -12 degrees) in the area, so we decided to move on fairly quickly.
Stopped at Manastirea Vodita near Ilovita for lunch. Took Zeus for a walk after, but there were quite a few strays around and one in particular latched onto Zeus. It was OK for a while, Zeus played for a bit, but eventually, he had enough and pinned the other dog to the ground. I thought that would be the end of it but he kept pestering us. In the end, we had enough and decided to move on.
I am aware that there is a problem with stray dogs here. I just hadn’t realised just how many there are. They are everywhere, and often in groups. So far they haven’t been nasty, but I really am not sure what would happen should Zeus meet an Alpha male.
Settled near Cetate for the night. Found another spot close to the Danube. This time overlooking Bulgaria.
Couple of things from today’s drive.
Firstly, the wooden structures in fields covered in hay or straw – are they a means of drying it?
Secondly, people selling produce on the side of the road. Apples, honey, and two liquids, one amber colored, possibly apple juice, and the other blackcurrant colour, Tuica? an alcoholic drink distilled from plums. Whatever they were, they were selling it in whatever bottles they could lay their hands on, used pop bottles, etc.
Typically by the time I had decided to stop and ask, we didn’t see any more.
To Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria)
Fairly decent night’s rest. A few cars driving through was all. The stray dogs didn’t bother us either.
I was woken relatively early by some fishermen. Went and spoke to them after I had taken Zeus for his walk. Nice chaps. Apparently, the fish are the same species as we have in the UK. The difference is that in Romania they keep them for the table.
There were two strays outside the motorhome first thing. Not sure if they had been there all night or if they had pitched up during the morning. Either way, they were using the motorhome to shelter from the wind, and they were both very hungry. Carol gave them a little something as we left.
We drove a short way and came across an older chap collecting firewood. He was using a donkey and cart to haul it. We took some pictures and he spotted us, noticing that we were eating some apples. He tried to tell us something, but we know zero Romanian. We thought he was asking for an apple so we gave him one. There was a lady selling apples at a stall in the village so maybe that’s what he was trying to say??? Very jolly chap nevertheless.
Crossed over the border into Bulgaria today. The queue of lorries was several km long. After a quick Google search, we realised we didn’t have to sit in the line so gingerly overtook. Passed through customs with no problems. Paid the toll for the bridge and purchased the vignette (€5 for 1 day).
The queue of lorries on the other side of the border waiting to enter Romania was even longer. It must have been over 10km.
Briefly stopped at Lidl for some bits and bobs. Had a spot of lunch. The “little girl” bread was a highlight. As we will have to be out of Bulgaria by the end of play tomorrow we decided to press on.
The drive across the mountains to Sofia was challenging to say the least. Everything was fine to start with. The roads weren’t too bad, but as we climbed the conditions became worse. More and more slush on them and the last few kilometres before the summit were pretty much sheet ice. We had wondered why there were no lorries when there had been so many up until we got on this road – they clearly know to avoid this road in Winter.
Pretty scary when you’re climbing a steep incline, with hairpin bends and barely any traction. And to top it off the cars were still overtaking – suicidal. At the peak there were two snow ploughs doing their thing but on the way down we passed a four car crunch – no one hurt other than their pride…and their cars. Carol thought two looked like some of the suicidal ones that overtook us earlier.
We got over safely and continued to our chosen stopover. A place called Staro Selo. A small village just off the motorway. We got to the road down to the parking area and whilst it was clear it was steep and narrow. The forecast for that area was for 10-15 cm of snow overnight, Given that tomorrow is Sunday I felt getting back up the road might be a bit tricky.
So we moved on again, after filling up the fresh water at the village faucet. Ended up at Blagoevgrad. Not glamorous, but close to the Greek border.
To Asprovalta (Greece)
Despite being in the middle of a moderately large town and bang next door to a University Campus we actually had a pretty quiet night, probably because of the cold weather. I can, however, see the potential for it to be quite noisy there on a different night. Not our usual type of stopover, but definitely served its purpose.
Glad we decided to move on last night. There were a couple of cm snow in the morning. Would have been much more in the first place we stopped last night.
Moved on through the border into Greece without too much trouble. Pretty quiet, probably because it was a Sunday.
Stopped briefly on the Greek side to decide where to go for lunch.
Not sure if it was possible to avoid or not, but found ourselves on a toll road immediately after leaving the border and got stung for €5. Guess it is possible to avoid it as we were pretty much the only ones on there, but despite both satnav being set to avoid tolls we still ended up on it.
Drove to Struma, where we parked up next to the football field. Had some lunch, walked Zeus (dodging two loose dogs) and then tried to find somewhere to stop for a few days. That turned out easier said than done. Many campsites are closed for the winter, and as we need a launderette, we were struggling to find anywhere nearby.
We ended up driving to Asprovalta. A parking area right on the beach on the Aegean sea. The area itself is somewhat rundown and dirty, but the location was lovely.
Probably quite busy in the season, but to be honest there really isn’t much to see or do in the area.
And that brings week 3 to a close. We are finally in Greece, having covered many miles and passed through ten countries. Now we can slow it all down and spend some time exploring our surroundings instead of constantly travelling.
As before, There is so much more we saw and did that I haven’t included here – you’ll just have to go see it for yourself!
I haven’t gone into great detail about anything in particular in this post, so if you would like me to expand on anything please leave a comment and I will endeavor to write another separate post on the topic.
Happy Motorhoming.
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