A long trip always starts with the preparation. Finding routes to follow, places to see, hotels to stay.
That's part of the fun.
Also a reason, a motif: to take my younger daughter and a lot of stuff to her new life in Berlin, Germany.
We had just a week to go and return so it was going to be lot of driving and a little sight seeing.
No problem, a road trip is allways a pleasure.
DAY 1
Porto, Portugal to Bordeaux, France -- 1000km
Early rise, put things in the trunk of the Honda CR-V and off we go.
1000km after we arrived in Bordeaux, France. No history in crossing Portugal and Spain, when we arrived it was raining and night so we went straight to the hotel.
Next day it also was raining so we drove around the city, nice streets with old buildings and no time for more. Perhaps next time we go by the seaside so we can see and walk over the biggest dune in europe.
In the photo it's possible to see the rails for an electric tram, without aerial cables because it has batteries that are charged in each stop.
DAY 2
Bordeaux, France to Reims, France -- 720km
This part of France is sooooooo boring! The highway crosses la campagne, agricultural fields in a plane without end and without a thing of interest. Then Paris but only the outskirts and then Reims. Check-in at the hotel in the center of the city, and find a place to leave the car for the night -- the park by the hotel was closed. Hoping for the best off we went to see the famous cathedral, where all the kings in France were crowned. It's stone work is beautiful.
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| Reims, France |
After dinner in a nice brasserie (beer house) we were lucky because there was a special light show there. Pretty amazing with projections of colored and animated images over the façade of the cathedral and music well integrated.
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| Reims, France |
Reims, France to Köln, Germany -- 370km
As always with help of gps sat-nav system we left Reims and following the directions we went to the highway... but wait! Only a few kms after driving there I remembered I wanted to go another route, a secondary route that should be much more nice through the vineyards. Oh well, some other time.
Arriving in Köln was easy and after checking in and parking the car in the hotel garage we went see one more famous cathedral. I think is bigger and even more impressive than Reims' cathedral. Lots of people there!
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| Köln, Germany |
We had time so we went around and saw the main monuments and went to the river side, a very pleasant area.
And the river Rhein
DAY 4
Köln, Germany to Berlin, Germany -- 580km
One day driving all the time in highway. It´s the only country in europe where there is no speed limit. That's not good for a CR-V. Three lanes, I was driving the middle one around 140-150km/h with lots of trucks to my right and lots of fast cars to my left! Way too much traffic, couldn't rest at all. Very tiring for me and my CR-V.
With no problem we arrived and could visit my daughters' apartment there and carry upstairs all her stuff.
Berlin
It's not difficult to drive in Berlin, just have to pay attention to the amazing lots of bikes and people all around. It's a city with large avenues and feels alive with all people just enjoying living.
One full day to see everything -- just is not enough.
Some wonderful museums.
By the wall, the 1km wall left there to remind us of the recent past.
It was difficult to take good clean photos, with so many people around.
I have to come back!
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