The road trip commences. Destination only roughly mapped out, via Germany and Switzerland to Italy then not quite sure... but the car must be returned to The Netherlands in 6 weeks.
Having never driven in Europe before, I thought it best to keep the first leg relatively short and to stop at a known area. So it was a re-visit to tiny Bad Bertrich in Germany.
Car: Renault Clio, manual, 5-door (a concerning size for Italy but wanted something slightly robust). Driving is a great way to explore the areas off the main tourist route and difficult to access by public transport. It's not without challenges though: the myriad of road signs that differ in each country, the expense (at least €1.60 / $AUD 2.60 per litre and large tolls in some countries), and the greatest joy, parking. Ah, parking... %#$(@.
For the road trip I've set a challenge to drive as economically / environmentally as possible, will see how that pans out. The car gives you an Eco Score so by the end of the trip I hope for 5 stars. It didn't start well, briefly at 176km/h on the German Autobahn (yet being overtaken) but that was a one-off.
So a return to Bad Bertrich (and free accommodation), you might think boring, however the beauty of distinct seasons is how different the same place looks throughout the year. Autumn was in full swing and the landscape took on dramatic tones of green through yellow and red. Not only the trees change colour, but all vineyards too, add to this regular fog and it's really quite special to see.
Didn't take a huge number of photos but click below for the gallery.
