From Mantua to Stockholm

FRIDAY 05 AUGUST night 11°-9.00 a.m. sunny 18°-26° This morning, filled with good intentions, we grab the bikes and head for the park entrance, but… after about 1 km Luciano gets another flat, it can't be possible!!! We walk back again and ask a guy who rents out bikes to fix it for us, but to no avail – he can't come up with anything better than selling us a new inner tube, voia ad laurà saltam'ados!!! We don't lose heart and go to ask about the carriage tour… good move. We set off around 10.30 and the guy accompanying us explains the route partly in Italian and partly in English; first he takes us around a stretch of the village, then he heads into the woods, drops us off in front of the oak forest and waits outside while we walk around inside (about 20 minutes). The oaks are beautiful and majestic, I've never seen trees so big, and there's such peace – it's just us.

After another good ride through the forest, the guy leaves us at the bison reserve; he gives us time for the visit here too. It's not much – there are a few wild horses, a lynx, two elk, three deer, five bison – all in all a bit of a disappointment, good thing we only spent €3. We return to the starting point; the whole thing lasted 3 hours, for 180 zloty (€45) well spent. Back at the campsite, Luciano gets to work on the bike again – let's hope it goes better this time… Afternoon of rest and planning the next stage… Trakai and then Vilnius.

SATURDAY 06 AUGUST night 11° 6.30 a.m.-15° SUN 25°-30°

TRAKAI and VILNIUS 385 KM LITHUANIA

This morning at 7.00 we're already on the road, because doing 385 km in Poland means taking at least 6 hours, with the disastrous roads they have!!! At 11.30 we cross the Lithuanian border, at 13.30 we're in Trakai. Local time 14.30 (remember Lithuania is one hour ahead). From the car park we have a lovely view of the island castle connected to the mainland by a bridge (Traku salos pilis); it's an absolute marvel just to see it resting on the lake, which is full of boats, pedal boats and canoes. Plus, since it's Saturday, there are several newlywed couples taking loads of photos, which makes the atmosphere a bit magical. Inside there's some furniture, household items, armour, but also painting exhibitions – not much, but it's worth it, especially since we only paid €4.65 (16 litas).

We had thought of staying in Trakai, but since Vilnius is only 25 km away we decide to carry on to the Vilnius city campsite, which we find easily, also because it's well signposted. More than a campsite it seems like a rest area; it's a huge lawn behind the exhibition area with facilities inside containers, but nothing essential is missing, even a washing machine and dryer that we hurry to use… It's a nice cool evening, the temperature drops quickly from 30° to 18°, tomorrow the city visit awaits us.

SUNDAY 07 AUGUST 10.00 a.m. sunny 22°-27° night 18°

Comfortably, this morning we take a taxi to the centre; for €3.50 (12 litas) it drops us in front of the cathedral – beautiful, imposing, dazzling white with its bell tower ringing festively at noon after mass. A curiosity: between the tower and the cathedral there's a tile with STEBUKLAS written on it (miracle); it's customary to walk around it 360° while making a wish. It's the so-called tile of happiness and marks the point where the human chain (Tallinn-Vilnius) of 1989 against the Soviet occupation ended. Then we go into the park and climb up to Gediminas Tower; a nice walk burns off breakfast and from the top we enjoy a lovely view of Vilnius.

After lunch in the town hall square, at Restoranas Divino, we devote ourselves to visiting some of the many churches – we see St Casimir's, St Anne's, the Bernardine church and some Orthodox churches, then the Presidential Palace, the University, and while wandering around we stop to look curiously at a plaque (UZUPIO RES PUBLIKA). In front of it there's a group with a guide explaining, so we too try to understand what it's about… SEE ON THE INTERNET THE STORY: REPUBLIC OF UZUPIO We head back to the campsite a bit tired but satisfied with the day; a nice shower gets us back on our feet, and the rest of the evening is relaxation. Tomorrow an unplanned destination on the Curonian Spit…

MONDAY 08 AUGUST 8.00 a.m. raining 20°- 16°

KLAIPEDA sunny 22° km 310 LITHUANIA

Today it's motorway all the way – a breeze – and in fact we allowed ourselves to stop at a huge shopping centre to do some shopping: well stocked, cheap, we bought some meat to grill in the evening, really excellent. At 12.30 we arrived without any trouble at the Pajuryjen campsite, in Klaipeda (Giruliai), Slaito 3 – nice, in the pine forest. The sun is there, but you can barely see it because the trees are so dense. In the afternoon we go out on the bikes for a nice ride around the area and down to the sea, which is very rough but not too cold. Of course we don't dream of swimming, but the Lithuanians do. The scenery is stunning, it reminds us of our sea out of season. We go back to the campsite, just enough time to grill dinner and down comes the rain for about an hour. Tomorrow the forecast says rain – let's hope they're wrong, we'd like to go to the dunes, we'll see…

TUESDAY 09 AUGUST 10.00 a.m. cloudy 18° rain

This morning it's quite chilly and doesn't promise anything good, so we call a taxi and have it take us to the port; from there we take the ferry which in 5 minutes takes us to the opposite shore. On the Curonian Spit a real storm breaks out while we visit the Maritime Museum (nothing special, unfortunately the dolphinarium is closed for renovation). We come back on a Far West-style cart, and then we go to an inn where we refuel for €34!!! After lunch we go to the beach along a lovely little road through the pines.

Past the dunes, a beautiful sight presents itself: rough sea, almost deserted beach, the sun has come back out and we let ourselves be warmed a bit – truly relaxing, we wouldn't move from here, but we have to go back, the ferry is waiting… We return to the campsite; for the rest of the afternoon the sun comes and goes, the temperature is 18°, who knows if we'll manage to eat outside before the holidays end, hmm.

WEDNESDAY 10 AUGUST 8.00 a.m. rain 15°

SIAULIAI km 198 LITHUANIA RIGA km 180 LATVIA From home km 2,854

After a night of rain the morning doesn't promise anything good, the sky is completely black and it's quite cold. We set off for Siauliai a bit perplexed because Mister Tom can't find the exact address for either the campsite or the Hill of Crosses. We go somewhat by guesswork and luckily after Siauliai we find the sign for Kriziu Kalnas; there aren't many people and we enjoy this moment of absolute peace. The weather seems to have made peace with us and the sun comes out, even though a very strong wind is blowing. So many crosses, so many people like us have come here out of curiosity, but above all to give thanks and ask… Thank you, God, for granting us the chance to pray even in this place!!! Naturally we too left our cross.

We leave reluctantly, I keep turning around to imprint this marvel forever in my memory!!! At the stalls we buy the classic souvenir magnet, a crucifix to hang in the camper and an amber necklace for my mum, spending just a few euros. We get back on the road, but Luciano suggests carrying on to Riga, since it's only 180 km away and he's not tired. All right. At 13.45 we enter Latvia; the road is terrible, we've never found one worse than this; it keeps raining, so we crawl along at 60 km/h, and then luckily towards Riga it improves and we arrive at 17.00 at the Riga city campsite. Meanwhile the sun comes out and the rest of the afternoon is decent, even if it's a bit chilly.

THURSDAY 11 AUGUST 10.00 a.m. cloudy 14° sunny

This morning we sleep in and then take the bus to the centre (No. 25); actually a good 25-minute walk would be enough, but rain is threatening so we prefer the bus, which drops us a stone's throw from the centre. We start our visit at the castle (Riga Pils), which is also the presidential palace, then we go into the old town (Vecriga), that is the Cathedral square dominated by the Cathedral – under renovation, it really needs it – followed by St Peter's, the House of the Blackheads in the Town Hall square, a very picturesque Gothic example, and further on the only Synagogue spared by the Nazis. At lunchtime we're drawn to a medieval restaurant and we let ourselves be tempted; the atmosphere is just right, the setting perfect, the food's good too, though it's a bit pricey – but it's worth it. Living in Latvia costs as much as in Italy.

After lunch, wandering through the various streets we come across several buildings of different styles and colours, everywhere stalls with typical Lithuanian objects; it's a lovely sight. I let myself be tempted by a pair of amber earrings with silver clasps, for the tidy sum of €18. Riga is definitely very beautiful, but tomorrow we'll see another part of it calmly, since we've rushed some stages and we're ahead of schedule – the stay will be a bit longer, we have to wait for the ferry on the 16th. It starts to rain so we quickly grab the first free taxi and go back to the campsite.

FRIDAY 12 AUGUST 10.00 a.m. pouring rain 13°

Since 7.00 this morning it's been pouring, but we don't get discouraged and go out anyway in search of the train station, because if tomorrow is sunny… we'd like to go to Jurmala, Riga's most beautiful beach, to see the sea. To get to the train station we wander around quite a bit, we can't find it, and going round and round we pass three enormous shopping centres, we go past the Freedom Monument, we find ourselves in front of the central market without even looking for it (the former zeppelin airship hangars), but we don't go in because it's already closed, and finally we see it. We ask about the times; the train to Jurmala leaves every twenty minutes. After having lunch at the Ribs & Rock restaurant, where we eat excellent grilled meat cooked in front of us – good and plentiful – fed up with getting soaked, we head back to the campsite to dry off. Quiet evening.

SATURDAY 13 AUGUST 10.00 A.M. very cloudy 18° sunny 22°

This morning the sky is quite dark, but we've decided to go to the beach. We take the train, which goes very slowly – it covers all of 25 km in half an hour. We arrive at Majori station, then we make our way through the streets of the centre, which resembles many coastal villages you find in Italy too. We slip down a little alley that leads to the sea; this time the Baltic is barely rippling, the sun is shining and warming us, and naturally there are people swimming… After lunch and another little stroll through the residential area, where we see some really nice little houses, we go back to Riga. Meanwhile here too the clouds have cleared, giving way to lovely sunshine. The sunset is fiery red and we're already thinking it'll rain tomorrow, because here the saying "red sky at night, shepherd's delight" doesn't hold like it does at home…

SUNDAY 14 AUGUST 10.00 A.M. pouring rain since 7.00 20° then sunny 20°

Around 10.30 it stops raining, so we go out exploring again. For 4 days I've been seeing a beautiful building from afar (behind the central station), a miniature Empire State Building style. Diego says it surely isn't important, because it's not in any tourist guidebook, but I'm curious and this time I want to go and see. Wouldn't you know it, there's an entrance fee, but from the top of its 17 floors (15 by lift and 2 on foot) it opens up a beautiful panorama over the whole city – it's really worth it! Coming down from the tower we go to the market, the largest in Europe (I'd read that on Sundays it's closed, but no...). Around the Zeppelin hangars: shoes, clothing, various accessories, vegetables, fruit of all kinds… strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants that make your mouth water – a proper market.

Then we go into the covered market, in the hangars, and there we see stalls of every kind of food, nicely laid out: baked goods, dairy, meat, fish and more. It's colourful and cheerful. Be careful not to linger too long in front of a stall if you don't intend to buy – they immediately take advantage to tell you who knows what in their language, but they're surely asking you to buy, quite insistently. Coming out of the market it starts pouring, we dive into the first McDonald's to eat a burger, hoping it will stop in the meantime. It slows down a bit until it stops, and so we calmly head back to the campsite. The sun comes out, it's 20°, not cold, but the damp air is a bit annoying.

We stop at the Olimpia supermarket near the campsite to buy bread and the little umbrellas, because all three have broken – who knows how long these will last!!! Sun again and a red sunset… Shower and dinner and relaxation

MONDAY 15 AUGUST 9.00 a.m. sunny 22°-28°

Finally a lovely sunny morning; we hurry to do the laundry so it'll all dry by evening. Then we head to the port – we want to see where we have to board tomorrow – and then we take a walk in the centre and revisit the most beautiful places. A deserved relaxing afternoon; this morning we must have walked 10 km, our legs can feel it.

TUESDAY 16 AUGUST cloudy, rain 13°

This morning it's as black as black can be; never mind, it just means we'll leave Riga the way we found it – in the rain!!! We leave the campsite and stop to do our last Latvian shopping, then head to the port, wait until 14.00, check in and board the Tallink bound for Stockholm. The ship is very nice, big, equipped with every comfort; the cabin is small but nothing's missing and it's clean. We go to dinner at the buffet; you pay at the entrance (oh, my, what an expensive dinner, €109), but then you eat as much as you want for as long as you can!!! After dinner we go up on deck to admire the view; there's lovely sunshine and it's not even very cold, but a jacket doesn't hurt. The sun sets around 22.00. We decide to go and see if there's any entertainment, but they're not doing anything interesting, so we decide to retire to the cabin, hoping for a good night…

WEDNESDAY 17 AUGUST SUNNY 15°-20°

STOCKHOLM SWEDEN The night passes fairly peacefully, the sea is calm, the beds are quite comfortable. We're above the engines so there's a bit of noise, but we still manage to doze (much better than when we went to Sicily). We wake up very early though, at 5.30, and decide to go and watch the sun, which is already up; the view is truly documentary-worthy – maybe because I'd been dreaming of it for a long time, but it's a real marvel. We go to the buffet for breakfast, which costs us €10 each, but it's worth it; here too you can eat as much as you like, there's everything, except croissants and assorted jams. Meanwhile, from the window we don't miss a single moment of what passes before our eyes. We go back up on deck to enjoy the spectacle and don't move until they call us, because we've arrived… welcome to Stockholm, right on time.

After leaving the port they give Luciano a breathalyser test and off we go to the Bredang campsite, which we find very easily. After lunch and a well-deserved rest we go to catch the metro, which takes us into the centre at Gamla Stan in 10 minutes. We wander through the busiest streets appreciating everything we see: the old town hall, the new one, the royal palace with the changing of the guard (at 18.30), the cathedral. We browse the shops – wow, what prices… it's really true that Sweden is expensive!!! Among the many restaurants we opt for Rodolfino, a true-blue Italian from Orvieto, with a sister in Bozzolo, who has lived in Stockholm for 41 years. We ate well, chatted a lot and paid a lot!!! We go back to the campsite by metro. I wonder what immense works they must have had to tackle to build it in a city on the water

THURSDAY 18 AUGUST sunny 20°

Today's programme is packed. First the Vasa Museum, very well reconstructed, truly spectacular. Who knows how a vessel of those dimensions managed to sink in the harbour!!! Next we go to Tivoli, the city's amusement park; there are queues everywhere, Gardaland is always better. We stop for lunch at a buffet to refuel, and then we go to stretch our legs at Skansen, the open-air museum. We've seen several, but this one surpasses them all in size and faithfulness of reconstruction, with houses, gardens, a church, shops; only the zoo is a bit disappointing – there aren't many animals and they don't show themselves. The walk will fill the whole afternoon without us almost noticing. Towards 18.00 we feel a bit tired; better head back to the campsite.

FRIDAY 19 AUGUST sunny 20° rain 14°

This morning too breakfast outdoors – could it be we're getting used to the climate… We leave late and go straight to the Katarinahissen tower – well, we mean to go straight there, but we take the wrong exit at Slussen station and end up going round in circles (meanwhile we see St Catherine's church), but finally we get there. Well, we could have skipped the trip – nothing special; from up there you don't see much of a panorama!!! We decide to go for a boat trip; we choose the historical canal tour, but we have to book and wait until 16.30. Let's hope the sun holds. While we wait we go for lunch in an Irish pub and then visit the Royal Palace (Kungliga slottet) with its splendid interiors, the Tre Kronor museum, the Treasury and the Royal Armoury – all beautiful and interesting. Meanwhile it's started pouring.

We get on the boat, but you can't see much – the windows are fogged up, in some places the vegetation is dense and covers what's behind, in short not very interesting. Maybe with the sun we'd have appreciated it more? It's quite chilly and we hurry back to the camper for a nice hot shower. Tonight the heater's on to get rid of a bit of damp.

SATURDAY 20 AUGUST rain 14°-16°

Night of rain, morning of rain, last walk around Stockholm. Today we visit the biological museum – not very interesting. Even though it's raining, we take the ferry to Drottningholm, the Royal Family's private residence – very beautiful, even though not many rooms are open to visitors. We go back to the centre and visit the Nobel Museum – interesting, we look for and find all the Nobel laureates we know of. Despite it being a terrible day weather-wise, we don't really want to leave this beautiful city, so we wander a bit more through the streets of the centre, mingling with all the races of the world, then we go to dinner and that's how we end the day. Back at the campsite the sky is still black and threatening rain; we hurry off to the shower, just in case… Goodbye Stockholm, who knows if we'll see you again!!

SUNDAY 21 AUGUST 7.00 a.m. sunny 18° km 618 8.00 A.M. PASSED THE 3000 KM MARK FROM HOME

MALMO km 618 SWEDEN

This morning we woke up early; we'd planned to stop at Lake Vattern to break up the journey, but since it's all motorway we prefer to do the whole stretch in one go to Malmo. It's 600 km of pine, fir and birch forests, dotted with small red farmhouses, cows and horses grazing – a marvel. The road flows fast and at 14.00 we arrive at the Malmo campsite. After a quick snack and a nap, we grab the bikes. Since it's nice and sunny we go for a little ride to the port to see the famous Calatrava skyscraper, the Turning Torso, which is really impressive, it's so tall and twisted on itself. But you can't go up, so we have to give up on the view. We head into the centre; this weekend there's a music festival and the place is full of stages and food stalls with every kind of speciality.

We prefer to sit in a pub and eat some excellent meat while watching the people go by, and then… oh well, it rains… so off we race on our bikes, soaked to the bone, arriving at the campsite for a nice hot shower. Shame, it was such a nice evening!!!

MONDAY 22 AUGUST cloudy 18°- sunny 25°

It rained for much of the night; when we get up the sky is quite dark. Luciano tries to suggest the bikes, but Diego and I don't hear of it – we want to go by bus, just in case… so armed with an umbrella we go looking for the bus stop, which is nowhere to be seen. After a good walk we find bus no. 34, and the driver, without a ticket, takes us to the stop for bus no. 4 and to the shop where they sell tickets – kind. Careful: here tickets are only sold in certain shops and at the post office, not on the bus. They last one hour from when you buy them. We have a nice tour of the centre, which is very crowded; we go to see St Peter's Church, pass by the presidential palace and then go into Lilla Torg, one of the main squares – not very big, but really pretty, surrounded by low, colourful historic stone buildings, restaurants and outdoor cafés.

A CURIOSITY: practically since we entered Lithuania we've always found restaurants that, besides indoor seating, offer outdoor tables, and to keep warm there are those mushroom-shaped heaters, which we now find at home too. What's more, they put a fleece blanket on the back of the chairs – if you're cold you cover up. Kind and thoughtful!!! Maybe they're warmer than us, but they suffer the cold a bit too; around you see locals either outrageously underdressed or very bundled up – go figure. We stop for lunch at a steak house on Lilla Torg square; the meat is exquisite and we don't spend much – €43. Meanwhile a lovely warm sun has come out, so we wander among the crowd for a while, then, on the advice of a bus driver (who takes us right to the post office, because he explains it's easier to take us there than to explain), we buy our tickets and go back to the campsite.

Since Luciano was right… we could have used the bikes, and so, since we're not tired, we hop on them and go to enjoy the view of the bridge, then we go into the residential neighbourhood – there are some really nice little houses… Quiet evening, we enjoy the sun until 21.00. Tonight no rain, but stars. We'll see what tomorrow brings!!! Tomorrow Germany awaits us…

TUESDAY 23 AUGUST sunny 18° - 25°

ALT SCHWERIN km 318 GERMANY

At 8.00 we set off; we take a strange route and at 8.30 we cross the famous bridge, leaving Sweden and arriving in Denmark (€80.03). It's truly unique, especially the last 4 km which are underwater – an engineering marvel. We skirt Copenhagen, drive through a stretch of Denmark to Gedser, where we take the ferry (€128) which in about 2 hours takes us to Rostock in Germany. The German motorway on this stretch is all wavy – how come the Germans are usually so perfectionist… At 14.30 we arrive at Alt Schwerin, a typical German village with a lovely lake, around which the campsite winds, plus a nice cycle path – quiet, peaceful, lots of swans, a shame about the mosquitoes! Today the weather has been kind; apart from on the ferry, it hasn't dropped a single drop of rain. It's even warm. We enjoy the evening.

WEDNESDAY 24 AUGUST 7.30 a.m. cloudy 16° - 29°

BAD STEBEN km 430 GERMANY

Today's stage was supposed to be Erfurt, but the forecast says rain, so we decide to carry on until we find something that interests us, preferably in the sun. Near Issingen, in Bavaria, we see a sign for SPA, Bad Steben – it appeals to us… (Badstrasse 31 – 95138 Bad Steben). At Issigau we see there's a campsite, but first we want to see where the spa is and whether there's perhaps a camper stop closer by. Lucky choice: right next to the spa there's a camper stop with electricity, water fill and drain. You just go to the spa information office, pay for the stay (€19 for 24 hours and a 15% discount on entry to the spa) and then get 50-cent coins for electricity and water. We spend the afternoon at the spa. They're really nice, with hot water pools, fresh or salt, whirlpools, Kneipp courses, counter-current, sauna, Turkish bath, salt grotto, inhalations………. a truly relaxing environment.

The sun is shining, the day is wonderful. In the evening, dinner in a classic stube. The village is enchanting, so peaceful… and of course at 22.00 there are 2 drops of rain. Just what we needed.

THURSDAY 25 AUGUST 7.30 a.m. sunny 18° - 28°

GUNZBURG km 333 GERMANY

11.00 arrival at Legoland. A lovely hot day dedicated to Legoland, a nice amusement park suitable for young and old. The campsite is right nearby and has a secondary entrance.

FRIDAY 26 AUGUST 7.30 a.m. sunny 20° - 35°

ASCHAU IM ZILLERTAL km 263 AUSTRIA

At 11.30 we arrive at the Camping Auschau Im Zillertal, a nice campsite equipped with every comfort, quiet even though it's packed, surrounded by mountains – but it's so hot…, we're no longer used to it. It's 35° and a hot wind is blowing, so we hide away to rest in the camper with the air conditioning on. This is the last stage of our trip; we'll stay here for 4 days of idleness, walks, bike rides on the lovely cycle path that runs around the valley, a trip to Innsbruck by train – so we can recover a bit before heading home, and Diego can get on with his studies, because September is coming and so are his exams!!!

MONDAY 29 AUGUST sunny 25°

Today our month of holiday ends; tomorrow we go home. So much desire to get back, so much nostalgia for the beautiful places we've visited. Among them all, Stockholm remains the city that struck our hearts the most, where we'd definitely like to return – who knows, we'll see……… until next time.

CAMPSITES

1CAMPER STOP TARVISIO

VIA ARMANDO DIAZ 33018 TARVISIO ITALY EXCELLENT CAMPER STOP, CLOSE TO THE SKI LIFTS, WELL LIT, THE TOILETS WERE CLOSED 2) CAMPINGPLATZ CENTRAL MARTINHOFSTRASSE 3- 8054 GRAZ/STRASSGANG (STEIERMARK) AUSTRIA BEAUTIFUL, LARGE POOL, EXCELLENT FACILITIES, BUS TO THE CENTRE EVERY 10 MINUTES €38 PER NIGHT 3) CAMPING OBEC PASOHLAVKI ATC MERKUR PASOHLAVKI 1- 69120 PASOHLAVKI (JIHOMORAVSKY KRAJ) CZECH REPUBLIC ON THE LAKE VERY SIMILAR TO A TRAVELLER CAMP; BRING CZECH COINS FOR THE SHOWERS €19 4) CAMPING CLEPARDIA ULICA PACHONSKIEGO 28A – 31-223 KRAKOW (MALOPOLSKIE) POLAND EXCELLENT, CONVENIENT FOR THE BUS, THE SHOWERS ARE A BIT COLD €18 5) CAMPINGPLATZ GRAF MARINA N.65 ULICA KREZNICKA 6-20-518 LUBLIN (LUBELSKIE) POLAND PITCHES IMPRACTICAL IF IT'S RAINED; TOILETS OLD AND RUN-DOWN CLOSE TO THE LAKE €14 6) CAMPING BIALOWIEZA U MICHALA N.124 ULICA KRYZE 11 BIALOWIEZA 17-230 PODLAQUIA (POLAND) GARDEN OF

A HOUSE, WELL KEPT, QUIET, SPOTLESSLY CLEAN TOILETS, CONVENIENT FOR TRIPS INTO THE FOREST €18 7) VILNIUS CITY CAMPING LAISVES PR.5 – 04215 VILNIUS LITHUANIA MORE LIKE A CAMPER STOP THAN A CAMPSITE, BEHIND THE EXHIBITION AREA. THE TOILETS, ALTHOUGH IN CONTAINERS, ARE CLEAN AND THE SHOWERS NICE AND HOT. BUS STOP VERY FAR AWAY €26 PER NIGHT 8) PAJURIO CAMPINGAS SLAITO 3 GIRULIAI KLAIPEDA LITHUANIA NICE, SET IN THE PINE FOREST, LITTLE SUN, NEW AND CLEAN TOILETS, TOO CLOSE TO THE RAILWAY (AND LOADS OF TRAINS GO BY, EVEN AT NIGHT) €22 PER NIGHT

9RIGA CITY CAMPING

KIPSALA IELA 8 – 1048 RIGA LATVIA SEEMS LIKE A CAMPER STOP, BEHIND THE EXHIBITION AREA, WELL KEPT AND CLEAN TOILETS, THE CENTRE IS A 25-MIN WALK AWAY, BUS STOP A BIT FAR €24 PER NIGHT 10) BREDANGS CAMPING STOCKHOLM STORA SALLSKAPETS VAG 51 – 12731 SKARHOLMEN/STOCKHOLM SWEDEN GOOD CAMPSITE, TIDY, CLEAN TOILETS, SHORT WALK TO THE METRO STOP €33 PER NIGHT 11) MALMO CAMPING AND FERIECENTER STRANDGATAN 101 – 21611 MALMO/LINHAMN (SKANE LAN) SWEDEN VERY NICE, TOILETS NOT SPOTLESS BUT ACCEPTABLE VIEW OF THE BRIDGE, FAR FROM THE CENTRE, BUS No. 4 €35 PER NIGHT 12) CAMPING AM SEE AN DEN SCHAFTANNEN 1 IT'S A STRIP OF LAND BORDERING A LOVELY LAKE, QUIET, PITCHES A BIT CRAMPED, THE WALK AROUND THE LAKE WINDS THROUGH PRETTY HOLIDAY HOUSES, TOILETS A BIT OLD BUT EFFICIENT AND CLEAN.

THEY OUGHT TO PUT A LIGHT WHERE YOU WASH THE DISHES, BECAUSE IT'S DARK IN THE EVENING €29.50 PER NIGHT 13) CAMPER STOP BAYERISCHES STAATSBAD BADSTRASSE 31 – 95138 BAD STEBEN EXCELLENT CAMPER STOP A STONE'S THROW FROM THE SPA; STOCK UP ON 50-CENT COINS FOR WATER AND ELECTRICITY €29.50 PER NIGHT 14) CAMPING LEGOLAND FERIENDORF LEGOLAND ALLEE 89312 GUNZBURG (BAYERN) GERMANY IT'S ACTUALLY A CAMPER STOP WITH EVERYTHING YOU NEED, CLEAN TOILETS, A SHORT WALK INSIDE TO REACH THE PARK THROUGH A SECONDARY ENTRANCE. AT RECEPTION YOU PAY FOR THE STAY AND ENTRY TO LEGOLAND €19 15) CAMPINGPLATZ AUFENFELD AUFENFELDWEG 10 – 6274 ASCHAU IM ZILLERTAL (TIROL) AUSTRIA BEAUTIFUL CAMPSITE, SUPER CROWDED, SPOTLESSLY CLEAN AND HOT TOILETS, LOVELY CYCLE PATH FOR TRIPS IN THE SURROUNDINGS