Hallo from Germany! After a smooth and successful crossing on the Eurotunnel, we decided to transit through France and head further afield.
We’ve said all along that this trip had no solid plan and that rang true until we got off the train in Calais.
At that moment, we drove to a rest stop about 25 minutes away and decided there and then to carry on, opting for a park up just inside Belgium.
Peaceful park up in Belgium
As if it couldn’t get more stereotypical, the stopover was next to a mill. Beautifully restored, the Sint-Karelsmolen (St Charles Mill) is open to the public and is the only remaining screw mill in Belgium that jacks up water with an Archimedes screw!
Sadly, it is currently temporarily closed so we were unable to go and visit. The stopover was lovely though, so peaceful, the perfect first stop! Until the tractors starting ploughing the fields opposite and sent clouds of dust over our clean Motorhome – at least it was clean for a few days.
Being honest about travel
In the interest of being completely transparent, the first full day of our travels didn’t feel that great.
Possibly because it was our first time touring abroad in the Motorhome?
We are so well versed in travelling the UK, perhaps we took it for granted that we always find places to go and things to do.
Maybe it’s because we haven’t toured long term for quite a while? And we’ve fallen in to the trappings of knowing where we’ll be every few days.
Or maybe it was simply a combination of us having to remember to slow down and one of those days where nothing seems to go right.
Bye Belgium, Germany is calling
After unsuccessful attempts to buy milk in Belgium, we decided to head on to Germany. Since I went on a work trip in June, I had a bit of a hankering for it.
Not being able to buy milk seems trivial, I know, but you know when its just the icing on the cake!
Prior to that, we had planned to meet friends who were on their way back to the UK. They were stopping at a campsite in Belgium so it looked like it would work out.
We couldn’t get a spot on their campsite though which was a shame. And then we couldn’t find any where with services near where we were. A few other little things happened and by that point, milk gate tipped us over.
Anyway, we both agreed we fancied Germany so headed for a Stellplatz we found on Park4Night.
It was in a place called Duren and once we got there, we felt like a weight had been lifted for sure.
Our first Stellplatz!
We pulled up and nabbed one of 2 remaining spots at the park up. Quite lucky at 7pm from what we had gathered reading the reviews.
It was only 8 Euros but we realised we didn’t have any cash. We had forgotten to get some out earlier on in the day.
Then I remembered our friends Sam and Claire had given us a bag of leftover change from their trip earlier in the year.
Sure enough there was €8 euros in there (plus a little more). Fantastic, it was all coming together! The owner was so lovely as well, welcoming us in.
We had a peaceful nights stay and walked to lidl the next morning to grab some breakfast, perfect.
Our Adria Sonic Motorhome has everything we need on board, we are fully sufficient! All we need is fresh water, waste and toilet emptying facilities so this Aire was the perfect stop. A bargain at €8.
Showered, fed and feeling refreshed, we were ready for the next leg of our journey.