Waking up in a Car Park and being grateful.
One day last month we woke up in a car park. It wasn't the most restful night in the van, but it certainly wasn't the worst. This particular Motorhome park wasn't our initial choice, but we were grateful for it.
Yesterday was one of those days that sometimes occurs. We took on more than the time allowed, and the day slipped away from us. Compounded by the road works and the intricacies of German bureaucracy, which can either benefit or infuriate, depending on the situation.
We normally adhere to a golden rule, as you know if you watch our video channel , those rules we all make based on wisdom and experience that should never be broken, right? Well, sometimes it doesn't work out that way.
Yesterday, we got greedy with time, attempting to squeeze out the last few minutes at Lake Bled. After all, we are seasoned travellers, having journeyed through 20 European countries in our van. But, as often cautioned against in stoic philosophy, ego can be the enemy.
We headed to Munich. Heavy traffic caused delays, and the Munich beer festival crowded the alternative spaces. However, we knew the Bayern Munich Stadium was available—a non-match day and a vast area to park which never fills. It should have been no problem. Wrong. The ticket machine was broken, unlike in Spain or France where they might have lifted the barrier. Here, no payment meant no entry. Despite friendly pleas, the response was a curt "Nein Geschlossen," delivered with an absence of courtesy that made it seem like the official was the chair of the International Motorhome Haters Club, (German Section).
In such situations, these considerations shape your reaction:
Are you on a defined route with little time to deviate?
Do you have any principles about where you will camp
Can you handle the worst that can happen?
Will you deviate from your route to find an alternative?
How many pitches are available?
Is the spot in a busy place?
What resources do you need—fuel, food, adblue, gas, etc.?
The first thing to acknowledge is that this can be stressful, but it will happen, and most experienced van travellers have a story to tell on this subject.
So, back to our Golden Rule—because we are retired and usually have time, we usually set off before 8 am on a travelling day and plan to arrive at the Aire, Stellplatz, or camping place by 3 pm, no later. This philosophy has worked through 20 European countries , over many years and remains our preferred approach.
However, on two occasions, we ignored it, resulting in hours of aimless travelling around looking for a place to stay, with seemingly no room at the inn. The first was in Northern Spain several years ago, and the second was last month in Germany.
If you find yourself in this situation, here's our revised approach that has worked for us:
1. Remain good-humoured; some of the best humour comes from adversity.
2. Even if you have to drive all night, it won't kill you.
3. You will find somewhere; you just have to be flexible.
4. Don't drive to spots with a low number of permitted spaces; aim for larger park-ups unless you're in a sparsely populated area.
5. Refuel as soon as it becomes apparent that extra driving is needed; you don't want to be searching for petrol stations and places to stay concurrently.
Back to yesterday, we wanted it all—one last morning photo session, one last run around Lake Bled, one last meal by the lake—although we had a vet appointment in Holland. Lake Bled had captivated us, and we didn't want to leave, but we had run out of time on the Schengen Clock.
So, we set off at 2 pm, both of us driving of course. Both us at some point having being advanced driver trained and one of us a trained service helicopter navigator. These experiences have given us personal confidence but can lead to a sense of invincibility. The roads were full of delays, traffic congestion, and broken-down vehicles. Hence, it was 7.30 pm when we were turned away by our Germanic innkeeper.
We filled up with fuel, determined to stay good-humoured and in control of our wits, willing to drive all night if needed. Options around Munich were limited during beer festival week. So we knew the cities Stellplaz’s would be full, and other available sites were low-occupancy, 3-9 places, which, at this time of year, would overflow from the main sites. So, we continued to Wurzburg, another three-hour drive, arriving at 11.15 pm. The normal places were full, but there was one giant outdoor car park with no signs preventing us from staying, and it was free overnight. Normally, we might not choose this, but were we glad to find it? Absolutely.
There was a bit of noisy music from a nearby club most of the night. One of us slept while the other pondered how the youth could dance all night to the same track—or at least, it all sounded the same.
Anyway, the next morning, the sun was shining, and it was a new day—onwards.
For a collection of lake Bled Photographs please click here https://www.behance.net/gallery/181020299/Lake-Bled-Slovenia-September-2023
