Two Days, 4 Races and 1600km

24th of September and it is time to drive home from Skarbimierz - the GPS says 1600km - but there are TWO ARDF races right on my my route:

The first was on Saturday at Flugplatz Von Bronkow near Cottbus - the map (above) was just a printout from some GPS software but the forest (below) was almost 100% runnable.

The extra challenge was having to do the geometry mostly in your head - as there were pretty much no way of being sure where you were on the map (except when close to fields) - "#3 was North, I ran about 500m North East to #5 so #3 is going to come up West?"

I came in second place on both 2m and 80m!  Charge for this race: Nil - and there were even hot showers provided at the local flying club "clubhouse"

A long evening drive up to Hamburg - the weather go steadily wetter and wetter

Sunday morning - and we are Radio Orienteering on the Bismark family estate

No danger of going hungry - this was described as a "soup"...

The map was basic and a bit dated - but as (due to Wild Boar) it was forbidden to go more than a few meters off the paths - sufficient

Last competitor to finish - but got all the checkpoints - he and his family left home at 05:00 in order to travel to this race - dedication

First place on both 2m and 80m this time

I still don't know if we had to stay out of the terrain in the interests of not disturbing the boar - or in the interests of us not being 'disturbed' by irate piggies.

The curse of the Vignette

There is a "block" of central European countries - those with a lot of transit traffic that have a vistor tax in the form of a vignette. If you want to drive on motorways and the like - you need the sticker.

Can't complain about Czech or Austria - you can buy a 10 day sticker for €10 and there are excellent, brand new Austrian motorways between Czech and Slovenia

However Slovenia is different - they do year, month or 7 days - and this last is not enough for a week's holiday in Croatia.  So for a quick blast across Slovenia and back you need to spend €30!  The Croats have built a lovely motorway all the way to the border - but on the Slovenian side - a twisty B-road through towns and villages is all you get.

So everyone who wants to drive to Croatia for a holiday has to pay the Slovenian Transit Tax.

That said the Czechs, Slovenes, Croats and Slovaks have invested in some very decent motorways and improved "A" roads - must make a real difference to the economy - by contrast Poland has not.  Short sighted, very short sighted indeed.

Austrian Motorway (so new not in my 2010 model GPS)

Welcome to Slovenia - please pay €30

Welcome to Poland

This is marked as a B road on the map - new factories built so lots of wear from lorries - but no maintenance from the local authority which is typical for Poland - a few 100m further on I met a fellow traveler who pantomimed "give up and turn round"

Team RSGB @ The ARDF World Champs

Training Day: All the buses back to base were full - so we had an unexpected afternoon relaxing outside a local pub - excellent

More relaxing before the opening cermony

Official Photo Time

Bemused Onlookers

Photos by Sylke

A bit of a drive #2

And so from Opole to Opatia...

That is Czech up ahead

On the border

Time to buy my vignette

Nice Czech Road

Refuel - sorry - it is McDonalds

At my hotel - typical Polish Audi

All that was in the "mini-bar" -  Beefeater Gin

Above and Below = Hotel Thermal, Musov

Time for another vignette

Ahhh - Austria

Vienna and the Blue Danube

Pitstop - starting to flag - and still 500 miles to go

 

Welcome to Croatia 

The Adriatic - with Opatia on the right

The faded glory of Grand Hotel Kvarner

The oldest hotel - much history but in need of investment - every few year it seems they "knock a star" off the signs.  I think 300 radio orienteers came as a bit of a shock - lowering the average guest age by 40 or so years

Busman's Holiday

I arrived in Opatia - and went to the event centre hotel to register our team - and what was parked outside?:

So our Bob could have saved all the fuss and complication of two Ryan Air flights and an expensive taxi from Pula and traveled direct with the family firm...

Horrid Houses

On the edge of every Polish village it seems someone decides to build a "I have considerably more money than you" house - over large, often in the most awful shades of mustard yellow or goose turd green and always with a big iron railing fence and automatic gate and a "Groźny pies"

Suspect Package at WRO

My flight to FRA was cancelled - so I was having a nice cup of mint tea...

when we all got evacuated...

 I assume the "suspect bag" is inside the APC:

What with cancelled flight, late departure of replacement because of the bomb scare and then a further delay and Munich it took me 13 hours to get home (I can drive it in about 17)