Some years ago, I planned an overseas trip where I would be in Western Europe for 52 days. The single reason for my travel was to find out about my grandfather’s action on the Western Front in the Somme, but I also took the opportunity to catch up with some family in southern Spain and visit a teaching colleague of mine in southern Italy.
I wanted to drive myself, but while in Australia I investigated the cost of renting a car and found the conditions to restrictive. I then looked at leasing a car and found the cost was less and the conditions were not restrictive at all, so I arranged a lease for a Renault Clio. I was able to select some of my specifications — 1.5-litre diesel, manual, five-door with air-conditioning but the only thing I couldn’t specify was the colour. I was to pick up and drop off at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
I arrived in Paris at the Gard du Nord (on the Eurostar from London) and took the Metro out to the airport. I quickly found the lease depot and completed the paperwork. I had to show my passport and my driving licence, both Australian, to verify my identity and prove I was competent to drive.
I drove my black Clio out of the airport and to the nearest fuel station. I filled up with diesel and then set off to Amiens, but travelling well saw me reach Doullens, roughly an hour away in the north of France. I parked, looked for and found somewhere to stay. However, when I came back to the car I found it was now somewhere in a row of black Renault Clios! Only the remote allowed me to find mine (in fact, the car had ‘tourist’ plates, different colour and sequence to normal plates).
To avoid such confusion in the future, I would visit the tourist information centre, select and book a bed and breakfast for the required time. It meant that if the owner and I couldn’t communicate, it didn’t matter.
After visiting the B&B and paying for my accommodation, I was free to tour the local area (often with priming notes from mine host). This served me well in each of the countries I went into (France, Andorra, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium).
The B&Bs averaged around €25-30 (AU$40-$50) while hotels were €35-40 (AU$56-$64) but without breakfast.
I stayed in professionally-run establishments (located mainly in cities) to what one might consider “the spare room” in farmhouses. All were clean and comfortable, with showers either in en suites or communal bathrooms.
The hotels I stayed at were all normal commercial establishments, and were only used if I had spent too much time sightseeing or travelling. The only disappointments I had with any of the hotels were one located by the autoroute in the Netherlands, which I found to be expensive, loud and had no breakfast available; and a Formule1 in Orleans that had combinations for the room and the bathroom and tiny towels supplied.
Mine hosts gave great travel advice. One, in Belgium, pointed out I could visit Ghent and Brugges in daylight and use the laundromat on the way back after dark (it closed late). Sometimes other guests gave valuable information — such as being very ambitious to drive 200km in a day! (In Australia I may drive up to 1,600km in a day.)
There was an occasion where I had the whole top floor of a B&B to myself, just over the road from the Mediterranean so I could relax on the balcony watching the waves lap. In another I had the run of the fridge, filled with local wines and beers. When I spoke in some of the destinations I was greeted with ‘Skippy’, ‘Neighbours’ or ‘Flying Doctors’.
I had two accidents in the car. The first was involved striking and killing a deer in France. I got a police report, so was all clear. The second was when I got hit by an elderly Mercedes-Benz driver in Germany (no damage once I recovered the hub cap) – so I just reported these with the paperwork when I returned the car.
I had been travelling on my own, but it is worth noting that had I been accompanied on the trip, the B&B stays would have only been marginally more expensive, about €5-10 (AU$8-$16). The only other point worth mentioning is that I brought my own SatNav from Australia, loaded with the relevant maps, to use. It had an Australian accent and reminded me to drive on the right side of the road. I also programmed it to take back roads between places I wanted to visit unless I wanted to cover long distances quickly (like Turin to Reggio de Calabria in a day).
I had the most pleasant and enjoyable experience driving and staying in B&Bs through Western Europe.
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