Germany/Austria August/September information sharing.

[suavecarve]

I ve been doing even more research tonight and come across a chap i have never heard of and probably should have done.

He is a proper tourism journalist (American but the accent isn't one of those annoying ones) and his name is Rick Steves.

He has his own youtube channel but he is not an amateur. Has his own production company and he has done the whole of Europe for a number of years.
I watched his video which got boring after 40 minutes because it wasn't where I am likely to be going but the first half hour was interesting ish (after 5 minutes of intro rubbish) but during that 5 minutes he mentioned his FREE app which gives tours of cities and regions and river cruises in audio. I downloaded the app and listened to his Provence tour (an area i know well) and he is pretty much spot on for my liking. There are only a couple on there for me this time around but worthy of a look.
His video on Germany is here if you want to waste an hour.

Germany has the following categories
Berlin City walk 88 minutes
Best of the Rhine 37 minutes
Rothenberg town walk
Salzburg town walk
Berlin memorials
Ever evolving Berlin
Footsteps of Martin Luther
German Christmas markets and about 20 more

 

[Scotch mist]

Todays figures
Germany 17.9 Higher by 1.6
Austria 27.1 Higher by 0.3
UK 21 Higher by 0.6
France 43.2 Higher by 1.8
Croatia 37.7 Higher by 4.3

Germanys figures are very important to me & I have been watching them closely
although Germany is up 1.6 today , it is Still only up 1.6 over the last 4 days
so hopefully will still be ok for our tunnel crossing on the 28th At 21.20
what time are you crossing ?

anybody else crossing at a similar time on the 28th ( I might get across a bit earlier)

 

[jongood]

Trying to remain positive I've just received and printed off my Green Card from NFU, to cover France/Belgium/Luxembourg/Germany, and checked with our breakdown/recovery insurers, that they will also cover us in those countries, considering the current FCO's advice.

Cheers,

Jock.

Hi Jock

I'm wondering why you need a green card?
I ve just changed to NFU to accommodate having 2 motorhomes at present and its supposed to be full european cover?

Cheers
Jon

 

[SOS]

Germanys figures are very important to me & I have been watching them closely
although Germany is up 1.6 today , it is Still only up 1.6 over the last 4 days
so hopefully will still be ok for our tunnel crossing on the 28th At 21.20
what time are you crossing ?

anybody else crossing at a similar time on the 28th ( I might get across a bit earlier)

We are on the tunnel at about 10.40pm on the 28th. Hoping to get an earlier train if we can. Are you staying in France for the night or driving straight to Germany? I think dependent on what time we get into France me may well stay a night with an early start the next day.

 

[suavecarve]

Germanys figures are very important to me & I have been watching them closely
although Germany is up 1.6 today , it is Still only up 1.6 over the last 4 days
so hopefully will still be ok for our tunnel crossing on the 28th At 21.20
what time are you crossing ?

anybody else crossing at a similar time on the 28th ( I might get across a bit earlier)

I was less concerned about everybodys figures for yesterday (Wednesday) as in all likelihood they are Mondays tests. Get the result Tuesday and figures updated at 1100 hrs CET Wednesday. So we are comparing them to Sundays figures.
Croatia is gone on Saturday i heard on the radio. But I have just been using that as a tester. I ll monitor Austria now as that has possibilities. Germany still quite a way away in my view and atm we are still going and i m up to 85 per cent positive.
Currently booked on 1150 hrs on 28th. Would prefer earlier as finish 12 hour night shift at 0630 hrs so can be at tunnel for 0830 hrs then have a kip over there (in my van in france or belgium but not getting out)

Added a few more things to the map overnight

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[sueandjohn]

RAC and red pennant, NFU have also stated we’re insured

I asked LV and they too said we would be ok

 

[JockandRita]

Hi Jock

I'm wondering why you need a green card?
I ve just changed to NFU to accommodate having 2 motorhomes at present and its supposed to be full european cover?

Cheers
Jon

We had one for our winter trip to Spain Jon, as we should have been leaving the EU on 29th March, before we were due back. Their office advised that it was better to have one should we be asked for documentation, so I've just continued in that vane. I'll be doing the same in January again, if we can still head for the sun, (fingers crossed).

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Scotch mist]

We are on the tunnel at about 10.40pm on the 28th. Hoping to get an earlier train if we can. Are you staying in France for the night or driving straight to Germany? I think dependent on what time we get into France me may well stay a night with an early start the next day.

i‘m still trying to find out if you need to Q going from France to Germany ???

we were hoping to do 2 weeks in France then 2 weeks in Germany so no need to Q when we come Home ( non stop through France) BUT this depends on Whether we have to Q in Germany Coming from France

if not then it will be straight to Germany

Our crossing is similar so might see SOS at the tunnel Crossing

 

[Landy Andy]

I can’t see that you would have to Q going from France to Germany. Yesterday there were hundreds, if not thousands of cars crossing the boarder, french German Belgium lux Netherlands. All just crossing boarders.

 

[Neilh]

i‘m still trying to find out if you need to Q going from France to Germany ???

Hi I don't beleive that there's any restrictions entering Germany from France, or Benelux at the moment, I use the web below for info.

Re-open EU

reopen.europa.eu

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[philann]

BBC reporting this morning that Germany has had its greatest number of cases since April and Italy’s are rising fast.

 

[suavecarve]

i‘m still trying to find out if you need to Q going from France to Germany ???

we were hoping to do 2 weeks in France then 2 weeks in Germany so no need to Q when we come Home ( non stop through France) BUT this depends on Whether we have to Q in Germany Coming from France

if not then it will be straight to Germany

Our crossing is similar so might see SOS at the tunnel Crossing

At time of writing, if you were to go to France for a fortnight, then to Germany for a fortnight, you would not mention France on the return track and trace form.
Your travel insurance is likely negated for the first part but comes back into play when crossing border to Germany.
Dependant upon where you are thinking of going, Italy is also a safe country and you can currently go through Switzerland and Austria (Wouldnt hold on out on Austria and havent been watching Swtizerland)

The risk you are taking is the Travel insurance for first fortnight which is possible to negate for some things by border hopping, or if Germany/France border were to close (highly unlikely at this stage), or if Germany went on to naughty list after 3 weeks and you had to make a rush to calais to avoid Q14 then you would have to do Q7 to make up the 14 days of safe country residence.

If it helps, I ve been thinking about exactly that and would be 50/50 doing it, but i have a wife and we arent even contemplating it so i am told!

 

[suavecarve]

BBC reporting this morning that Germany has had its greatest number of cases since April and Italy’s are rising fast.

This is factual reporting, however far too early to come to any conclusions, Italy had a 50 per cent rise overnight the day before and Germany had 100 cases more than the day before.
It has no bearing at all on my decision making at time of writing.
It will be more interesting to see another 3 or 4 days figures before listening to the BBC imho

 

[Landy Andy]

Rurberg stellplatz.

Easy to get too, small and tight (not terrible though), expensive (was 8€ now 15€). Flat ish (would have normally used ramps, but didn’t due to early depart). Extra cost for services. Loads of ehu points at 1€ per kw, very nice setting, plenty to do around area. Many cafe‘s, few restaurants, snack bar, swimming cycling, sunbathing etc.
BUT
Busy, very busy especially at weekends I would think. We got there at 11.30am and there were three spots. Some people left, and other turned up, and that was pretty much all day. Some Germans staying until 9pm before heading off, and this was on a Tuesday, rainy, not particularly hot day.
There are fuel stations 10mins, and 15mins away. Enroute to motorway we passed 4 or so bakers and probably 4 fuel stations.

We headed out of site at 6.45 am and went via satnav on to motorway route. We stopped at German baker and bought supplies for the day. I was amazed how busy the road system was, probably the busiest we had experienced but all flowed well. German rush hour is obviously earlier than the uk one with loads of school kids about. We then joined motorway and went via the south of the satnav routes and went via Lille. Its 15 mins longer, according to nav, but no big cities (Brussels, Antwerp, Gent) to navigate. It was a really really easy drive. We stopped in German motorway aire for breakfast, Belgium aire for pee stop, obviously not needing to leave Moho, and another pee stop France again staying inside. Took us 4hours 20 mins, and no problems.

Another IMPORTANT issue with the stellplatz is that it would not except any of the cards my wife, or I had. So we had to find some change. 15€ in change. Great.

pics of Stell

Things around area

 

[MichaelT]

Germanys figures are very important to me & I have been watching them closely
although Germany is up 1.6 today , it is Still only up 1.6 over the last 4 days
so hopefully will still be ok for our tunnel crossing on the 28th At 21.20
what time are you crossing ?

anybody else crossing at a similar time on the 28th ( I might get across a bit earlier)

16:20 for us

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[Landy Andy]

There is another Stellplatz though. No services, better views though.

 

[JockandRita]

Our final decision whether to go for it or not, will be made on 1st/2nd September at the latest.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Scotch mist]

16:20 for us

we are booked in for a hab check & canopy recall fix at Pullingers In halstead first thing in the morning So not sure when we will get finished there , so I booked a later crossing in case we are held up , I’m hoping to get to the tunnel earlier & get an earlier crossing

 

[Neilh]

05.40 22nd for us.

 

[Landy Andy]

Euro tunnel was empty of our journey and they gave us a much earlier crossing (over an hour earlier) but we still should have waited an hour, but was just waved straight through to train. Only turned engine off for 5 mins.

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[suavecarve]

I ve updated map with Andys info by just putting in the comments "See post 104"
Also added the other aire which says on S4S 8 euros so that has a question mark as well attached to it. Interestingly one review gave that one a 10/10.

 

[Scotch mist]

Landy Andy , the pictures look like autumn With the leaves on the ground !
we were in the Mosel valley early sept 2019 BUT the wife said it was too cold so we went south into france
The wife says italy is looking better all the time

 

[suavecarve]

Todays figures
Germany 17.9 Higher by 1.6
Austria 27.1 Higher by 0.3
UK 21 Higher by 0.6
France 43.2 Higher by 1.8
Croatia 37.7 Higher by 4.3

Todays figures
Germany 17.9 Static
Austria 30.8 Higher by 3.7
UK 20.9 Lower by 0.1
France 46.3 Higher by 3.1
Croatia 41.7 Higher by 3.4 and likely to be the last time I update it.

For info, I dont know if i wrote this or not but on Monday, if i were in Croatia I would have changed my booking to return on Thursday (today). That decision was based upon what happened timewise to France after Spain's non notice. That was what i have been looking at to try to work out HMGs thinking as i really dont want to Q14 after a fortnight of a 4 week holiday (but i want to be away for as long as poss)

 

[Landy Andy]

When we were down in the Alsace area the weather was HOT. Too hot for us as was 36c, the grass was missing and the trees were dropping their leafs. Higher up in the Mosel was still in the high 20’s or low 30’s but chilly at night, which is preferred by us as helps with sleep, and also means we can sit out in the sun rather than avoiding it, and constantly be building shade. The trees dropping is more to do with how dry it’s been rather than autumn. The wind grows are crying out for rain currently.

 

[Koppersbeat]

BBC news online says a decision will be be made later today on any more countries to be removed from the safe list.Croatia is expected to be one of them.

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[MichaelT]

I guess the big question is what happens if the UK rate goes over 20/100,000 would Germany not allow us in? Looks like Croatia is next on the naughty step.

 

[Landy Andy]

Forgot to add the details of second stell at Rurberg

Coordinates
N 50.6181, E 6.38877
Still listed at 8€ which is what main stell was before being upped, so this maybe 8 or my have upped to 15€

 

[suavecarve]

I guess the big question is what happens if the UK rate goes over 20/100,000 would Germany not allow us in? Looks like Croatia is next on the naughty step.

We can look to who they are currently banning and the figures for that country and we are basically safe from that thought

 

[missmollie]

I was worried about crashing on my journey through France and Belgium but have now found I can get 1 day insurance from Battleface (not covering pre existing conditions) for £4.96. I do worry about things!

The Battleface policy will not cover you for your transit through France. I emailed them to ask about cover and their response was. The insurance cover would need to start and end in your home country therefore unless you are returning home in between France and Germany, the policy will need to cover both destinations.

 

[suavecarve]

The Battleface policy will not cover you for your transit through France. I emailed them to ask about cover and their response was. The insurance cover would need to start and end in your home country therefore unless you are returning home in between France and Germany, the policy will need to cover both destinations.

If this is for Travel Insurance, I would go through all the threads on here and making notes on the companies that will cover you for transit to a country deemed safe to travel in (germany) by HMG.
Then I would be recontacting Battleface asking them to reconsider their decision or a full refund as they have sold a policy that is not fit for the purpose of a holiday in a safe country because they are not prepared to allow cover for a 4 and a half hour journey twice.
I would point out that i was a member of a forum of motorhomers with an audience of over 60,000 (of their target customers) and we have a section for "poor service" and an insurance section.
I would name the companies and their contact details.
Then I would ask them how they would like to me to proceed with the cancellation or whether they could contact the CEO for a corporate decision.

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