Wake up to a beautiful sunny day feeling a lot fresher than I did yesterday morning.
The breakfast was up to the normal German standard and enjoyed by everybody. This Ramada at Bruhl really is the ideal overnight hotel - good spacious rooms, choice of evening meal (buffet), decent bar and dedicated coach parking on site. I look forward to returning next Monday.
We are away by eight with the sun putting a smile on lots of faces.
It is all motorway today to our next overnight hotel in Kufstein, Austria.
The traffic is not as heavy as in the summer months (although going the other way we witness 3 horrendous jams) and we have a good run through to our coffee stop at a service area just before the Hockenheim Grand Prix circuit, where I think some of the Germans want to be judging by the speeds they drive at! But I suppose if you are allowed to go fast you go fast.
We stop for lunch at Grubingan service area, which is superb, before having one last stop at Holzkirchen services in the afternoon.
I fuel the coach up here and look for a tap to top the drinks water up - there are plenty of taps but none with a handle on!
I also need to buy a Go-Box which is a toll system for Austria. To buy a Go-Box you need to show the vehicle log book and licence number and a box is then issued to that coach and is not valid on any other vehicle. Once you have the box you top it up much like a pay as you go phone card. It is possible to pay monthly but we do not come to Austria enough to warrant that.
The man at the tills is happy to take £300 for his diesel but very curtly tells me that his machine for issuing the Go-Box is "Kapput" meaning I can't buy one. I ask about the water only to be met with a firmshake of the head and a "no". I wish I had waited and filled up later on as I still had half a tank of fuel. Won't stop there again!
The Go-Box is stuck to the inside of the windscreen above the wipers and can be easily seen by a passing police car. No box big fine!
As we reach the Austrian border I make another stop just behind a coach load of Italians and go in to purchase my Go-Box. It is rather noisy and hectic in the shop of the garage! The Italians are obviously on their way home and buying the presents they never bought while they were away!
I present my details to the nicer man on the till and he proceeds to sort my box out.
"You have old box?" he asks
"No" I reply "We bought the coach from another company and they kept the old box" Which is quite understanable if their company details are in the box's memory.
"Then I must fine you 60 Euro's because I need old box back!"
"That can't be right"
"Sorry but I must have old box to exchange with this new one"
"Ok whatever" I've had enough by now. The queue of Italians eager to spend their money behind me is becoming longer and louder.
I the end I pay 100 Euro for the Go-Box and credit and 60 Euro fine! But at least I now have my own box!
I proudly stick it on the windscreen and within ten minutes we are at our next hotel, the Andreas Hofer in Kufstein.
It doesn't take long to check in and then I go away and park the coach about ten minutes walk away.
Not the buffet of last night but very acceptable and dinner included tea and coffee after.
The hotel is situated in the centre of Kufstein and ideal for a walk after dinner. I have a wash and change and walk back to the coach for the adaptor I forgot to take earlier and then to bed.
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