Tam &Toby do Europe ...Take two

[Fenman]

I'm with @Chris I have this bloody country

Just drove 3 miles to a Lidl and it's closed all day on a Wednesday....just cause

Feckin eedjits

It's a national holiday in France everything in the way of shops shut all day except bakers.

 

[Val 3 dogs]

And that's the same here Tam,it's May Day, they even have that in Scotland

 

[chaser]

Can't honestly see how shops being shut is any reason to dislike a country, you know about it so quite easy to organise your shopping needs as the locals do.

 

[Fenman]

Can't honestly see how shops being shut is any reason to dislike a country, you know about it so quite easy to organise your shopping needs as the locals do.

It seems Tam is suffering with depression quite badly these days. Nowhere he goes has much to be happy about.
Trouble is it's difficult to know what the answer is.
Hope he soon finds somewhere in Europe that suits him.

 

[Lenny HB]

I'm with @Chris I have this bloody country

Just drove 3 miles to a Lidl and it's closed all day on a Wednesday....just cause

Feckin eedjits

What do you expect on May 1st.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

How to refresh old French bread?
Put it in a bowl of water till it’s a little bit soggy........just a few minutes should do the trick,then drain off the excess water and put into a hot oven for a few minutes..............comes out like newly baked loaf.... deeeelicious!

Nope, just have a proper French breakfast.
Cut into thick chunks, spread jam on them & dunk in a bowl of milky coffee.

 

[Northernraider]

Can't honestly see how shops being shut is any reason to dislike a country, you know about it so quite easy to organise your shopping needs as the locals do.

It's not just the shops

The roads
The drivers
The arrogance
The speed limits
The lack of road signs
Etc etc etc

Ye can keep it

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

It's not just the shops

The roads
The drivers
The arrogance
The speed limits
The lack of road signs
Etc etc etc

Ye can keep it

and it's full of French people!!!

 

[Janine]

Head South - you know it makes sense!

 

[Northernraider]

Sitting at a services at the minute where what can only be described as a drag queen has just emptied her cassette over the top of the grid so it's now covered in shit and toilet paper while she is busy washing the outside of her cassette with domestos and a toilet brush .....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Northernraider]

and it's full of French people!!!

Yes

Head South - you know it makes sense!

I'm working on it ...didn't plan to do it in 2 days though lol

 

[Janine]

Not every place suits everyone - which is probably good otherwise we would all end up on the same beach!

Go somewhere which you know will make your heart sing

 

[tacr2man]

On the other hand some say never go back as its never the same !

 

[Lenny HB]

It's not just the shops

The roads
The drivers
The arrogance
The speed limits
The lack of road signs
Etc etc etc

Ye can keep it

Oh dear, you have got it in for the French.

Roads are far better than the UK.

The drivers - I'll give you that one but nowhere near as bad as the Portugese.

The arrogance - that's how you appear to them as well, you need to start the conversation in French then ask if they speak English.

Speed limits are higher on motorways & a lot of dual carraigeways than Spain other roads only 6mph less than Spain & you don't have all those 40kph limits as you approach roundabouts with the satnav screaming at you.

Never noticed any problem with road signs, must be you.

Etc., etc, etc,. Motorhome heaven, what more could you want.

 

[hilldweller]

It's not just the shops

The roads
The drivers
The arrogance
The speed limits
The lack of road signs
Etc etc etc

Ye can keep it

You have definitely qualified for the Christmas card from @Chris and he may even include a 10% voucher if you need his sevices.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[hilldweller]

It seems Tam is suffering with depression quite badly these days..

Yes. First time round it was the honeymoon. Everything exciting and new.

This time round the novelty has worn off.

To be honest I could not take anything like that time in a tin tent.

 

[TM59]

Not a lot of sympathy from Funsters for not liking France. It’s a big country and Motorhome friendly. More research required.

By the way good to see you moaning again.

Enjoy

 

[Northernraider]

Oh dear, you have got it in for the French.

Roads are far better than the UK.

The drivers - I'll give you that one but nowhere near as bad as the Portugese.

The arrogance - that's how you appear to them as well, you need to start the conversation in French then ask if they speak English.

Speed limits are higher on motorways & a lot of dual carraigeways than Spain other roads only 6mph less than Spain & you don't have all those 40kph limits as you approach roundabouts with the satnav screaming at you.

Never noticed any problem with road signs, must be you.

Etc., etc, etc,. Motorhome heaven, what more could you want.

Ach you said that about the Spanish roads too ...I have to say I'm not sure about in England etc but our roads in Scotland are in better condition than I've found both in Spain and in France...I can't speak for the toll roads as I don't use them.

The drivers are horrendous and it's them I'm talking about as being arrogant they barge in front , they tailgate when I'm doing the speed limit , they cut in and overtake at the stupidest points , their motorway slip roads have give way signs for merging but they dint give way they just barge out regardless of how close you are or what speed you are doing.

I'm not fussed for the speed limits on motorways etc as I dint go above 60mph anyway which of course annoys them as they see the speed as a goal and not a limit.

4 or 5 times now I've been caught out in France due to no signs or the wrong signs
A weight limit is pointless if the road is 2 metres wide or it has a bridge at 2.5 metres etc ...wrong sign for the job

It might be a bank holiday but I've never encountered a complete shut down on a Wednesday in the UK

A Monday perhaps but as I don't read papers and not got sat tv I was completely unaware it was a holiday here today.

The bakers etc are also closed the only thing I see open is self serve petrol stations and the odd cafe/bar


I guess I'm just not a fan of France so I only see the stuff I dislike ....I can't help that other than to get out of it as quick as I can lol

I'll go back to Spain and see how I get on , if I'm still not enjoying this trip it might well be I've tried to do too much at once who knows and if that's the case I'll head home


I can't force myself to like the country .....there's some nice bits I know that but overall I just don't like it.

I think I'll be trying to get the Santander to Portsmouth ferry back when I'm heading home too.

 

[Northernraider]

Yes. First time round it was the honeymoon. Everything exciting and new.

This time round the novelty has worn off.

To be honest I could not take anything like that time in a tin tent.

Quite possibly

Although I still liked Spain when I was there a few months back .....the north I wasn't so keen on but south of Barcelona I enjoyed most of it.


But it could well be too long doing the same thing I agree.

I'm missing friends back home etc

 

[Northernraider]

Not a lot of sympathy from Funsters for not liking France. It’s a big country and Motorhome friendly. More research required.

By the way good to see you moaning again.

Enjoy

It's no more motor home friendly than Scotland.....

England maybe

And I still find spain and even Portugal better

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

It might be a bank holiday but I've never encountered a complete shut down on a Wednesday in the UK

A Monday perhaps but as I don't read papers and not got sat tv I was completely unaware it was a holiday here today.

1st of May is a public holiday in all European countries apart from the UK who move it to Monday, it will be the same in Spain.

I guess I'm just not a fan of France so I only see the stuff I dislike .

You have certainly show that.

4 or 5 times now I've been caught out in France due to no signs or the wrong signs

If one town falls out with the next town not uncommon for them to take the road signs to it down.

IMO France is the best country in Europe for Motorhoming, beautiful contryside, lovely villages, Motorhomes welcome everywhere, loads of free overnight parking, it has just got a bit expensive in the last few years.

 

[hilldweller]

arrogant they barge in front ,.

You'll like this then, as will @Chris.......

Told many time before, but if @old-mo can get away with it.

Queue for ferry out of Morocco. Long line of MHs slowly shuffling forwards. Then this Frog in a big new A-class steams down the outside and aims to push in front of me for the single exit lane.

MH in front moves a bit. I move. Frog moves. Close now.

MH in front moves a bit. I move. Frog moves. Very close now.

He is on my left, so wife to wife wetting themselves.

MH in front moves a bit. I move. Frog moves. This it it, one has to back down or we hit. I get to within a couple of inches of him and he brakes.

England 1 : Frogland 0.

Buy me a beer and I retell how I got the better of 3 German 911 Porsches in similar circumstances.

 

[hilldweller]

It's no more motor home friendly than Scotland.....

Overlooking the fact France is 7 times bigger and must have 7000 times as many places a MH can park up.

Having said that, in our MH life we have never set out to holiday in France, it's always en route. But we have had some grand stops. You can't beat overtaking a Ferrari on a push bike going into St Tropez. Chamonix and the Aiguile du Midi is a must see.

Oops - I lie, we bought first MH and I said "we need to see how this thing works on a ferry ( after an initial test run round Scotland )" so had a quick run to Paris, Bois de Boulogne and back. That was a great little trip.

 

[Northernraider]

You'll like this then, as will @Chris.......

Told many time before, but if @old-mo can get away with it.

Queue for ferry out of Morocco. Long line of MHs slowly shuffling forwards. Then this Frog in a big new A-class steams down the outside and aims to push in front of me for the single exit lane.

MH in front moves a bit. I move. Frog moves. Close now.

MH in front moves a bit. I move. Frog moves. Very close now.

He is on my left, so wife to wife wetting themselves.

MH in front moves a bit. I move. Frog moves. This it it, one has to back down or we hit. I get to within a couple of inches of him and he brakes.

England 1 : Frogland 0.

Buy me a beer and I retell how I got the better of 3 German 911 Porsches in similar circumstances.

Yep I feel I'm doing that at practically every junction lol

Even that service aire I was at an hour ago ...I'm sat behind the drag couple waiting patiently while they wash their cassette etc
I was aware of another motorhome driving in and going to the fuel pumps etc ...the drag couple move I go to drive on to the grate and there's the other French van trying to drive on from the other side ....he waved his arms about at me etc and ranted in his cab but he promptly got ignored.

That said I felt like I was doing the shit kickers waltz draining my grey water as the drag act left poo and paper all over it.
I dint think it's meant for toilet waste so I left my cassette and I'll empty it at the next one o pass. I just filled up with water and emptied the grey and left.

 

[Northernraider]

Overlooking the fact France is 7 times bigger and must have 7000 times as many places a MH can park up.

Having said that, in our MH life we have never set out to holiday in France, it's always en route. But we have had some grand stops. You can't beat overtaking a Ferrari on a push bike going into St Tropez. Chamonix and the Aiguile du Midi is a must see.

Oops - I lie, we bought first MH and I said "we need to see how this thing works on a ferry ( after an initial test run round Scotland )" so had a quick run to Paris, Bois de Boulogne and back. That was a great little trip.

Granted but it also has 7000 times more motorhomes as everyone drives through it to get to the good places lol

Even the French are in Spain

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[hilldweller]

I dint think it's meant for toilet waste .

If it has a grate over it there is no way it's for poo.

 

[hilldweller]

Granted but it also has 7000 times more motorhomes

touché

 

[Northernraider]

If it has a grate over it there is no way it's for poo.

That's what I think too. Some the grate is hinged so it can be lifted which I think is normal but this one was fixed.

It's in a right mess and embarrassing as you don't want the person behind thinking it was you.

 

[gus-lopez]

Was very disappointed first time I went in a ferreteria. No ferrets to be seen anywhere.

Aah yes, It isn't for ferrets , as in the animal ,but ferret as in to poke around.

 

[Val 3 dogs]

Tam, I'm not sure which Scottish roads you have in mind as being better than French and Spanish roads.
For years I have found the roads in Lanarkshire absolutely diabolical with pot holes that would wreck your springs or bury you if on a bike of any sort. Also the roads around Inverness-shire and Ross-shire are far from perfect.
As for Drivers - try earning your living and keeping appointments while working from a van around the Highlands in the summer time. Believe me thoughtless and stupid drivers come in all nationalities !

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}