{"id":326,"date":"2019-06-16T18:31:45","date_gmt":"2019-06-16T15:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fred-hart.gr\/greece2019\/?p=326"},"modified":"2019-06-16T18:32:07","modified_gmt":"2019-06-16T15:32:07","slug":"back-home-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.fred-hart.gr\/greece2019\/back-home-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Back Home Again :: \u0393\u03cd\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03b1 \u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u0391\u03b3\u03b3\u03bb\u03af\u03b1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Departure from Calais<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It has been a long week, but the good news is I’ve arrived back in the UK and have spent the weekend recovering from my adventure with the Belgian breakdown service<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the VW garage in Belgium opened on Tuesday they quoted a very large sum to repair the car, at which point I asked my breakdown company just to get me + car back home – It took 48 hours to organise but eventually they towed me back from Belgium; I was able to drive the car on to and off the ferry which made things much easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As a result of Brexit, P&O Ferries ships are now registered in \u039b\u03b5\u03bc\u03b5\u03c3\u03cc\u03c2 (Limassol) and fly the Cypriot flag…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I arrived in Dover at 22:45 on Thursday night and was then towed back to Gloucestershire, arriving in Fairford some time between 04:00 and 04:30, and getting back home at 05:00 on Friday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following all this I’ve since spoken to my garage who couldn’t find the fault the Belgians said they found – other than perhaps the timing chain is a little noisier than it should be but just keep an eye on it for now…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I trust my own garage’s judgement more than a VW main dealer in another country who have never worked on the car before – although I have my car back now, it does mean that whatever the underlying fault, whatever it may be, hasn’t been fixed – but if\/when it does resurface, at least I’m not too far away from home this time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from the breakdown spoiling the end of my holiday, it was otherwise a great 3 weeks and I would definitely drive to Greece again – Not every year, the cost is comparable to a 2 week holiday for a family of 4 who are flying over; but maybe in 2-3 years time I’ll consider it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as driving to Greece for the first time, I also went in to some countries I’ve never been to before – my thoughts on those as follows…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy: <\/strong>I wasn’t too sure what to make of Italy. I didn’t feel as welcomed in Italy as I do in Greece, Cyprus or the German speaking world – perhaps not speaking Italian was a contributing factor – and I found their motorways (Autostrade) a little crazy, not like the German Autobahns where I feel quite comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Austria:<\/strong> I only drove through Austria in the pouring rain on the way to<\/em> Greece and called in briefly at Bregenz (near the Swiss and German borders) on the way back – but it seemed nice enough. I speak German and can understand TV and radio in Austria – one to explore more of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bregenz from Above<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Switzerland:<\/strong> I liked Switzerland a lot, despite only really driving through it in a single day. If I could have stopped in every Alpine village I liked the look of, I’d still be there today! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scenery in Switzerland as I drove over the top of the Alps was brilliant, and the roads there are good too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Swiss Alps in June<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After crossing in to Switzerland from Italy, I tuned in to the national German-speaking radio station (SRF 1). It was the first time in a number of weeks I’d listened to a proper news bulletin on the radio so it was almost like coming home, re-entering the German-speaking world and catching up with everything I’d missed since being away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was through listening to the news on SRF 1 I learned that Theresa May had formally stepped down as Conservative leader, signalling the start of the leadership election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liechtenstein:<\/strong> A bit like Switzerland in that it also uses Swiss Francs as the currency (and therefore the prices that come with that) – Definitely one to visit again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vaduz, Liechtenstein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That is it for my Greece Road Trip 2019 and my blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to work on Monday – I’ve bought a shed load of Belgian chocolate to make up for the week I wasted while sitting on the phone in Belgium for most of it; to compliment the bag full of biscuits I bought back from Greece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think I need another holiday to recover from my holiday. Can that be arranged?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thurday’s Mileage:<\/strong> 307
Total Mileage for my Greek Road Trip:<\/strong> 3813<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journey Map<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Completed Map<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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