The third FICC rally in sight. And the planning by the minute as usual, but with room for variations.

29/9 The lake Örlen is situated west of Karlsborg and here is a very nice camp site. Shoaling water. Not so far from Skara if one would want to visit Skara Sommarpark.

1/7 We couldn't find the camp site we had choose in Denmark. We had to ask a young Danish gentleman, and that didn't go at all well to understand what he said. That much we did understand that to find the camp site we had to take one of those narrow roads, where you can't meet anyone. And here you're coming with a caravan too! No thanks, we will try another camp site and ended up in Viborg. There is a nice camp site, windy but nice. But on the other hand, so have we never experience that it is not windy in Denmark, permanently from the left. The camp site had their own wine in the shop. A bottle with an label with the camp sites name on.

2/7From Viborg to Billund isn't it very far. Billund also has a nice camp site. Nice showers and toilets, restaurant and in walking distance the Museum Mobilium and the park Legoland of course. Have you never visited Legoland, do that! It is not only for the kids. It is fantastic what they have built with these pieces. For example Amalienborg (the Danish royal castle) with over 40.000 windows. How about that!

3/7 Now we went down the west coast to Germany, and then the co driver lost her head. We drove along and looked for a camp site until we were completely lost (almost!). We stopped in Heide and asked at a petrol station where the camp site were and they looked like question marks. Took off on a little road (yellow on the maps), the co driver needed to proof that there were a camp site in the neighbourhood. HA! After have driven round for about 1/2 hour, we see a sign: Jugendherberge. Oh well, the co driver had read indian tent when it was a small house. No camp site. But we went on. Any way, at the end of the line there's the motor way and after that you could always stay at a Tank u Rast. We came to a small village called Tellingstedt and there is a camp site. Beside the out door pools. What we remember of it is that it was nice. Walking distance to the "centre". The church was from 1726 and had bells that sounded as they were made of glass.

4/7 Then it was time to visit the Stadtcamping Kassel again. And this time we went on and on before we found the camp site. We stayed at a petrol station here as well and asked for advice and they showed us on a map. And we didn't find it. Eventually we did it.

6/7 After the stay in Kassel it was time to save money and stay the night at a Tank u Rast. When we had travelled about 400 km we came to T/R Bruchsal West. It was not crowded at all, so far and very few lorries. But at the end of the parking lot was a sign, saying "Don't stay here! Come to our camp site in the baroque city of Bruchsal!" And we went for it! The camp site is one road straight ahead. On both sides are the pitches for caravans, cars and tents. And a most annoying warden you've ever met. 1 inch wrong and you have to do it all over again. The shower room was outdoors, WITHOUT curtains! The only thing to say positive about the camp site was that there was a Gasthaus in the area. The next negative thing we discovered was at night, when the world's longest train passed not far from the camp site. Surely there must have been at least 30 carriages in each train set and about 5-6 sets that passed in the night. We might as well could have stayed at the T/R.

7/7 The last camp site before the rally we found outside Breisach, in Hochstetten. Small and nice in a rural environment you could say. The neighbours were two chicken runs, with hens and a couple of roosters that naturally couldn't stand each other. Their brains could not be developed properly, because while the hens walked between the runs, the rooster never found the way to each other. The only shop we found in the village is one that sells schnapps. And we wanted milk! Here we meet a German couple, on their way to the rally as well. The man had made a reconnoitring tour and found the best way to the rally site.

8/7 In the morning when we put all the things together to be ready to go, we found a tent just along the caravan, with a tent line and peg underneath our caravan. The owner discovers quite fast that it was not a good place to tent. The camp site were quickly emptied, there were more than two caravans that left that morning for the rally site.

The rally was held outside the Ecomuseum, which is outside of Pulversheim in Alsace, south of Colmar. Ecomusee d'Alsace is like an open-air museum, with houses from different periods, and working workshops like a sawmill. Not much animals if you compare with the Swedish Skansen in Stockholm, but there were a lot of storks. We did see turkeys, horses and goats as well. Our French is not the best, but we did understand that the signs beside the houses did not tell what the houses were made for or from what period. They showed who had sponsored the flowers!

16/7 On the way back to Sweden, we took a sightseeing tour in Saarbrücken, before we found the way out of the city. We stayed at T/R Hochwald for the night. We don't remember anything from that, except that the son managed to throw out 20-30 flies without killing one of them. How about that!

17/7 Moselstrasse, what a wonderful way to go by. You can't go fast but it is so beautiful. Here, we said, we must stay some time and stand for some nights. Parking for car with caravan was practically impossible to find. When there a place big enough there is nothing to see. We stayed at Campingplatz Kellerwald in Jesberg. We don't remember what we thought about it, except that the shower had precisely the right water temperature.

18/7 Now it is the end of the holiday, so we stay at T/R Hüttener Berge, probably the most popular T/R in all Germany (the last one before Denmark). Which means traffic all night. Not only on the motorway, but at the parking lot as well.

We found the way to the popular Citti Grosmarkt and almost shops 'til we drops, everything is so much cheaper here than at home (except coffee). Then we take a chance and goes all the way up to Frederikshavn to try to get onboard the ferry that leaves at 15.00. Not a chance. Open ticket, please wait until 03.30!!

It is extremely tough to wait for 12 hours before you're on you're way. And when you arrive in Sweden you just want to fall down and sleep. We go up to Trollhättan and checks in at Stenrösets camping at 8.00 in the morning. A very odd feeling.

We go thru Dalsland up to Karlstad. Dalsland is also very beautiful. Everything in one so to speak. We stay at the Caravan Club of Sweden's Camp site Skutberget. It was quite desolate when we arrived, but we were greeted and put in place. Eventually the camp site become more and more populated and they told that they had been in Karlstad to watch a TV programme live.

The whole holiday: 4900 km