Culture. They’re at home. They’re probably right. When the German driver doesn’t acknowledge your death defying manoeuvre that gives them easy passage. When the French waitress is utterly unmoved by your tip. When the Eastern European doesn’t smile back when you grin your very best. Or when the Greek lights up a cigarette beside you […]
Author: Kelvin Collins
Leaving Austria. Heading east.

Portugal. Portugal? Yes. Portugal. I spent last week on a job with a film production company driving and sorting stuff behind the scenes. It’s something I used to do a few times a year, but generally in and around Manchester. This time it was on the Algarve. The beaches are beautiful. The temperature was about […]
Austria – give me mountains.

Austria. Entering Austria from Lichtenstein you could be forgiven for thinking that you’ve entered a very large architectural competition. Each house is bigger, more interesting, and has better views than the last. And most are built on slopes that any sane British builder would shy away from. Just over the border the fuel price immediately […]
Basel. Border crossing.

I left Minty in Basel for a week. Not because she’d been bad. And because she hadn’t been bad she got to stay at the lovely Camping Le Petit Port at Huningue, just the French side of Basel. Surrounded by trees, Polly and Minty had a near constant chorus of bird song. From there a […]
VanLife – a new reality.

The 12 month report. Numbers. Countries. Miles. Money. From way north in Norway, to the southern tip of Greece, this is a review of the highlights. It’s gathering of things we’ve learned, and thoughts to help anyone considering a similar life. 12 months on the road. Is that all? What most would consider to be […]
Loaded down with fine wine!

Alsace. After Ribeauville and Riquewhir it would be hard to believe that there could be more prettiness, but then comes Colmar. Near Germany. Near Switzerland. With 67,000 inhabitants it’s a big town, in fact the retail area is huge, yet it retains a small town feel. It’s Gothic. It’s medieval. It’s heaving with tourists, and […]