Sadly we say goodbye to the Savoy Palace Hotel this
morning with lots of people saying they wish we could stay another couple of
days. I would be happy with that as I like this hotel and its friendly, helpful
staff.
Our breakfast is at 06:30 this morning with a departure
time of 07:30.
I load the remaining cases before breakfast and we are on
our way on time. There is a nasty smell on the coach as we are driving and it
is down to one of two things – somebody has left cheese on the coach or the
toilet needs dropping. It is the toilet but there are not that many places with
the suitable drains to drop the loo and its chemicals.
Luckily one of the Italian service areas we pass has a
toilet drop so I pull in and ten minutes later drive out with a fresher
smelling bus!
We climb the motorway to the Austrian border at Brenner
and then descend the Brenner Pass motorway where the evidence of recent snow is
all around us.
I stop for coffee at the service area by the Europa Bridge
and it seems everyone else has the same idea! It is very busy here.
From here we drive towards Innsbruck and then I have a
choice to make, do I drive back through Germany or go through Austria,
Switzerland and France to our overnight hotel in Saarbrucken.
The Germany route is slightly shorter but has lots of
roadworks and we’ll definitely lose time with queues at said roadworks.
The other way should be traffic jam free or at least the
traffic should run a lot more freely although the distance is a little longer.
I decide to go via Switzerland and we have a good drive
through to our lunch stop at the last service area in Austria. Another of the
Rosenburger chain and an excellent place to stop.
I also have to put some more credit on the Go Box before
we leave Austria because if I don’t I will be fined by post! I know it happened
earlier this year!
After leaving here it is about two minutes to the Swiss
border where I have to pay their tax to drive through the country! I can pay
just for today and it costs me €28.00 (they let you pay in Euro’s but give me
change in Swiss Francs).
Everything is going well and we are on time when we near
Zurich and hit a long queue on the city’s ring road. What a pain, we must lose
at least half an hour here.
Once clear of this jam it is a good run through to the
French border at Basle. Half an hour later we have a 45 minute stop on the
motorway.
Once in France the journey to and beyond Strasbourg is
usually trouble free but not today! We lose time at some roadworks south of
Strasbourg and then approaching Strasbourg there has been an accident which
further holds us up and until we are clear of Strasbourg the traffic is heavy.
This is unusual and frustrating because it is unusual!
I have called the hotel, Victor’s, and said we shall be
there at about 20:00 and could we have dinner at 20:30.
I am going to be a little bit late but only by about 10
minutes.
We leave France, enter Germany and immediately come off
the motorway at Saarbrucken. Little did I know this hotel is miles the other
side and it takes us twenty minutes to drive through the city to reach the
hotel. We arrive at 20:25! Straight into dinner.
Dinner is a buffet and very good it is too. Makes
everything must faster and relaxing and those that want to watch the Champions
League final will be able to. There is a big screen in the bar as the final is
between two German sides, Bayern Munich and Borrusia Dortmund, and is being
played at Wembley.
I am too tired to watch football so go straight to bed
after dinner.
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