Jones

On Sunday we left Germany and crossed into Austria. This is fraught with danger, as we don’t have Jones’s V5C, and word is that Interpol is already on our trail to arrest us for being so lax, and stealing a motorhome. 

The more immediate consequence was that we couldn’t use the motorway, as Jones, being over 3.5T, needs a Go-Box rather than a vignette, and to get one of those we need… you guessed it… a V5C.

Luckily our first stop wasn’t that far into the country. We followed the Danube for a while, and then climbed into the hills above the river, leaving official roads for the first time! Jones is now truly an off-road vehicle – although, sorry to report, it was too dry for mud on the wheel arches.

Our stop for the night was at the fantastic Weisser Hof farm. I had to phone the farmer to let him know we were here.

“Do you speak English?”

“Nein.”

Despite the abrupt start, the farmer was actually very friendly, and by use of mime and Gerlish, we managed to establish that fresh water and dumping of black and grey water, were all on offer for the princely sum of €10.

Once we’d established where the sun would be later and parked Jones accordingly, it was time for a decent dog walk to reward Flynn for some rubbish days. Our path took us among sunny fields.

And then through cool woods to a couple of Danube viewpoints – sadly most of the latter was now obscured by junior members of the former.

After a game of Iliad…

I cooked a Spanish Fideuà with octopus from home, tomatoes and red pepper. Sadly the pasta was orzo, which might start an Italo-Hispanic war if we let on.

Rog got the drone airborne for the first time.

Today (Monday) was designated another driving day, to get some miles done and get to see Romania while it’s still warm. The journey was very slow-going and not much fun, but we did make progress on the V5C front – our friend Paula kindly popped into the Old Bakery, opened the envelope and sent us photos of all the relevant parts. This won’t help with the Austrians, who insist on seeing the original, but we should be able to get an e-toll in Hungary. I hope.

Just after 3pm, we made it to Römerstadt Carnuntum.

From the 1st to the 4th century AD, Carnuntum was a significant Roman metropolis on the border of the Roman Empire. Excavations started in the early 1930s, and there’s a traditional “how many amphorae do I really need to see in my lifetime” museum 7km away. But we were here because there is an amazing reconstruction of the Roman city quarter, presenting a much more vivid picture of Roman life than the usual ankle-height walls and occasional mosaic. Photos will tell the story best…

The reconstruction was done using all the materials, methods and (repro) tools of the time, based on the archaeological research of the area. It was fantastic – we highly recommend a visit. 

The Roman Quarter also provides an aire – no facilities but 4 parking spots helpfully placed in full shade. They get you a discount on the museum too.

We decided after a long driving day that we’d eat out in town. The restaurant sounded slightly up-market so I decided that my new skirt should get its first night out. Sadly the skirt was disappointed and so was I. I must admit that I do get a little bored with Germanic cooking. Also, the service was rubbish. We had to hang around for 10 minutes when we arrived, until I decided to ding on the hotel reception desk, call someone from the hotel’s nether regions, and tell them there were people in the bar.

It was good to get back to Jones and find that Flynn had eaten his pig’s ear treat – he’s starting to settle in.