Tuesday 21st, July
And so to ay four, the final sprint down to Split, well not actually to Split but to the village of Omis about 20kms south of Split where the Villa Dvor will be home for the next week and yes Satnav didn’t work once we left Italy but we largely survived.
The big cat performed faultlessly and purred the final 300 miles cruising easily at over 80mph and returning a healthy 27mpg. I love my cars and I love Jaguars in particular and it has been sad to see so few of the X300 and X308 style XJ saloons as we drove through Europe. On a positive note there are lots of new XFs and a smattering of the new XJs so at least the future is looking bright.
We checked out of the Hotel San Rocco just after 8am. It was a sad hotel clearly once there were high hopes for its future but it offers little and there was not ever a complimentary bottle of water in the room. It can’t even claim faded glory because there was never a glory in the first place
So we are here and the big cat can rest and put her paws up for the next seven days. In that time we’ll be watching some of the best dogs in Europe competing at five separate shows, kicking of with the Interra Terrier specialty tomorrow night.
Andrew Brace has raved about the Villa Dvor for the last few years and says elsewhere that this is his favourite week of the year – and I plan to find out more about why that’s the case direct from the man himself. I often find that when someone gives something a hard sell when you experience it for yourself your level of expectation has been raised to such a level that you can end up feeling a little disappointed. That’s not the case with the Villa Dvor, however it’s living up to everything Andrew has had to say about it.
So four days, seven countries and one principality. We have travelled just over 1,300 enjoyed the clinical approach afforded by motorways or autobahns and enjoyed some more scenic roads through the countryside. What has amazed me is the amount of money that has been spent on roads. In Slovenia and Croatia those roads are new and for the most part very clear. British road designers have it easy, they do not need to go tunnelling or bridge building to the same extent as their european brethren. The longest tunnel we were through on our journey was almost 6kms and some of the bridge-like structures that carry the roads appear to be clinging to the mountainside almost by magic.
Watch our for more pictures, more from this blog but most importantly watch out for the daily updates online of the winners photographs and details, you can find that from Thursday by clicking this link
http://www.dogworld.co.uk/product.php/140547/
And if you want to find out more about what Split is all about then read Andrew Brace’s great piece, “Splitting The Difference” here
http://www.dogworld.co.uk/product.php/140273/
Monday 20th, July
We were sad to leave the Alter Hof this morning it was a lovely hotel with, in general, some lovely staff but by just after 9am we were on the road. Oh if you didn’t believe me about the leiderhosen then here’s a picture to prove my honesty.
It’s Monday so that meant completing our run through Germany before dropping down through Austria and then on in to Italy. Our original plan had been an overnight stop in Trieste but good ol’ Booking.com came up with the Hotel San Roco in Muggia, a little further south than Trieste. The pictures looked stunning, so we booked from the iPad while having coffee in Udine.
Well folks, we had two great hotels so your luck has to run out sometime. This waterfront complex looks like it was built when the European economy was in times of plenty. It was clearly intended to be funky and upmarket with hotels, luxury apartments, retail units and nightclubs. Well we all know what happened to the European economy and Muggia looks like it got well and truly stiffed in the fall out. Retail units are empty, apartments are up for sale and there is a lot of empty property looking dirty and uncared for and those eateries that are open smell like they rely heavily on the deep fat frier for their cuisine. Our hotel is adequate but from its design it clearly had aspirations of grandeur. But hell for £63 a night for the two of us who can complain.
Back to today’s journey and the scenery was quite outstanding, breathtaking even. We climbed up in to the mountains then descended almost to sea level before heading up again. We came off the motorways and took a scenic route up to the pretty town of Udine – just a shame it was largely closed.
The drive away from the motorway was a salutary one as we passed several abandoned factories and retail complexes which must, just a few short years ago, have provided work for thousands of people but are now just abandoned and decaying.
From Udine we opted to stay off the motorways for the final leg of our journey so programmed Satnav Sandra to avoid tolls and tapped in the names of some small towns we found on the map between Udine and Muggia. The result was a leisurely drive through stunning countryside and several quaint and traditional northern Italian towns.
As for the big cat, she purred nicely. Putting the outbox into sports mode made light work of the hills and steep climbs. I haven’t mentioned of course that she’s fully loaded with newspapers and annuals to give away over the four days of the Split shows.
So tomorrow its a final canter down to Split. Kay’s map reading will be put to the test and our Satnav runs out of maps once we cross the Italian border but it all looks pretty straightforward, he says tempting fate.
Sunday 19th, July
Through choice where would YOU spend your 29th wedding anniversary? I suspect the beautifully handcrafted interior of a classic Jaguar saloon would not rate highly on too many people’s lists of anniversary celebration locations but it has been ours, and lovely it was too and I’m so glad I had the air con re gassed before we set off!
Day two saw us travel from Luxembourg down through Germany to the village of Vaterstetten on the outskirts of Munich. The big cat purred beautifully over the 365 miles that we covered today.
Before I go any further three cheers and a huge round of applause, so far, for the booking.com website. Tonight’s accommodation, the Alter Hof is as different as could be from last night’s accommodation but is stunning in so many ways, including mine host attired in his lederhosen.
Today we journeyed past Trier, Kaiserslautern, Mannheim, Stuttgart and Augsburg. Kay had the odd issue with the route that our Satnav, we call her Sandra, wanted to take us and when one of the motorways clogged up Kay’s map reading skills were pressed in to use to find an alternative route – Sandra was not best pleased. thankfully though, harmony was restored on the final leg of the journey when both Kay and Sandra agreed that taking a route north of Munich was our best option.
Without wanting to cause a diplomatic incident I have to register a moan about German motorway service stations, they are dirty and the staff lack even a basic understanding of manners. And it may just be that we are travelling in an unlucky season but the number of road works phew! Even the M6 on a bank holiday weekend has fewer road works.
But the scenery was stunning and our overnight stop is comfortable and the staff welcoming and friendly.
On the dog side of things I haven’t had a chance yet to catch up on social media with all that has been happening in Split today but for our part we said hello to a beautiful Bassett Puppy in our hotel this morning and as I write this in the beer garden of the Alter Hof there is lovely Flat Coat playing and an older toy-sized cross breed desperate to make our acquaintance. At least they are better behaved than the children of a family staying here – they have clearly never heard of the word discipline.
See I told you – Andrew Brace in the sea!
If you don’t know what ‘I told you’, scan down and have a little look at Saturday’s blog.
Saturday 18th, July
It’s day one of our road trip to Split to enjoy this year’s four night summer show extravaganza. Actually this year it’s five nights with the inclusion of the terrier specialty on Wednesday.
We (as in my wife Kay and I) are covering the 1,200 or so miles in my pride and joy, my 1998 Jaguar XJ8, soaking up the miles and enjoying the scenery as we go and that is, of course, where the title for this blog comes from.
Today started just before 4am to get to Folkestone for the shuttle at 6.30, arriving in France at 8am (their time) and the first leg of the journey was a cruise through France and Belgium for an overnight stop in Luxembourg. It was a rather pleasant 29 degrees as we sat on the terrace of the Alvisse Parc Hotel, booked yesterday through booking.com for just £63, for a late lunch. For the price we’re rather impressed so far, I suspect their normal rate are far higher – I must check.
So Split! It has been interesting watching the social media chatter from those either already travelling there, already there or planning to head off in the next few days.
Our consultant editor Andrew Brace flew down today and there is a photograph on Facebook that I thought I’d never see; Andrew in his trunks, swimming in the sea – go and have a look if you don’t believe me.
Anyway it’s only day one, tomorrow – our 29th wedding anniversary – we’re planning to stop near Munich before heading down to Zagreb on Monday with the final leg to Split on Tuesday
If you want to know more about the history behind these unique shows, which are growing in popularity every year, the aforementioned Mr Brace wrote an excellent feature in Dog World this week which you can read here
