that was very interesting David, I've never been to Germany so learnt alot from your blog. Your pics are great as usual. Thanks for posting it, obviously you've put alot of time and effort into it!!
------------- Thistledown Easter
Nantcol June
Domaine du Verdon Castellane and Etoile d'Argens Frejus Aug
Well, that's the morning gone! Very interesting reading. How important was it to have some knowledge of German on this trip? I feel that with no German skill it might be difficult to cope but perhaps I'm wrong.
Is that your van, about 3 pics in? Looks superb - never seen anything like that...what is it?
No, thats not Davids van, think hes got a Swift. Have to agree with you Nelmo, that van is an absolute beauty isnt it. I spent a few minutes drooling over it. Wonder what make it is.
------------- Thistledown Easter
Nantcol June
Domaine du Verdon Castellane and Etoile d'Argens Frejus Aug
Is that your van, about 3 pics in? Looks superb - never seen anything like that...what is it?
Is that the grey and white one. If so that is not mine. It's a Fendt, and the model is the Brillant. Fendt's are an upmarket version of a Hobby. I agree it looks very nice and also looks like a new model. Depending on size they can be pretty heavy. I used the photo to illustrate how they completely cover the grass and destroy it for when mugs like me come along and have to pitch on a muddy patch. They just don't get the concept of hardstanding or grass friendly groundsheets!
David
Post last edited on 19/07/2011 15:18:59
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Quote: Originally posted by jaymac on 19/7/2011
Well, that's the morning gone! Very interesting reading. How important was it to have some knowledge of German on this trip? I feel that with no German skill it might be difficult to cope but perhaps I'm wrong.
Yes, that was one thing I found strange about the blog - I always thought the Germans were very good at (and very proud of) their ability to speak English.
My wife speaks German and spent a year living there - she says the most annoying thing was trying to practice your German but the locals would immediately break out into excellent English as soon as they knew you were English
------------- 'In later life, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than with the things you did.' - Mark Twain
Well, that's the morning gone! Very interesting reading. How important was it to have some knowledge of German on this trip? I feel that with no German skill it might be difficult to cope but perhaps I'm wrong.
June and Nelmo
In the old West Germany I have falways found English quite widely spoken, especially on campsites, however on this trip we were well into the old DDR where traditionally Russian was the second language. I can get by with fairly simple requests like asking if they have room at a site and general facilities however its sometimes difficult when they start to rattle off instructions in German which are not straightforward. If I have time to prepare I do better! Sometimes you would wait until the person who did speak English was around but on one site near Berlin neither on the couple running the site had much English. I suppose in a way thats what makes a trip more challenging.
Excellent blog, it brought back memories of when we visited Lubeck and the Baltic Coast 3 years ago. Even though we went in August, we never found the campsites crowded, except for Berlin. As someone else says, we all assume that most Germans speak English, but in fact lots of them don't. We found we could get by with a bit of pidgin German, a few gestures and a smile. Like you, we came across very few fellow Brits, which is the way we prefer it, to be honest!
------------- Il vaut mieux vivre ses reves que rever sa vie
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Baltic Byways Blog
