Thursday 09/06/2011 Antwerp to Lubeck 165243-165727 = 484 miles

Morning Session

I have the last sandwich and a drink of water before I set off, looking for the E17. There is a bit of traffic but it's not too bad. I find the E40/E17 junction and get onto the E17 no problem. I decide to fill up with diesel for the drive into Germany. A smartly dressed Asian man approaches me, claiming he's from Manchester and that he's run out of money, He shows me his wallet and all he has is $30US. He wants me to lend him EUR100 and offers his rings as security. The rings look like they are chunky gold but to me they don't seem weigh enough to be gold and his story is very difficult to believe. I offer to buy the 30 dollars for 20 Euros but he declines the offer. I'm pretty sure he is a con man.

I fill up with diesel and use the EUR200 note that I got via John from the Algerian navy. No problem. You'd think that such a high denomination note would cause some sort of a fuss but the girl behind the counter didn't bat an eyelid.

Back on the road the traffic is pretty bad. I decide to pull in for an hour and have a cup of coffee. So I drive into a small town called Zwindrecht, park up and go into the local café. I can't believe it; everyone is smoking. I thought the smoking ban was a European thing. So either the Belgian government has stood up to the Eurocrats or the Belgian people have stood up to their government! It makes me sad to be British. We don't seem able to fight against anything anymore.

I find the E17/E34 junction and I'm on my way to Eindhoven after only 1 minor detour.

I hit major traffic trying to get round Eindhoven. I also get over confident and don't bother to stop and look at my route before hitting the ring road. So I miss the turning for the A67 to Venlo and continue on the E34. So I turn round at the next exit and head back. I manage to get onto the A67 this time but IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!! I have to go to the next exit and back again along the A67. I am so disoriented at this point that I pull over at the next lay-by and ask a German motorist if I'm on the right road for Germany. He looks at me as if I am a simpleton. Maybe he has a point. I'm going to check my route before every major junction from now on. Good plan but I still get lost trying to negotiate the A3 to A2 junction further along the road. This time I'm going to blame the instructions because they didn't make it plain that you didn't have to turn off the A3 to get onto the A2. It's one of those roads that just magically changes its designation apparently with no reason. Anyway I'm on the A2. There's only 1 more major change of direction to make, so I stop for lunch at the next lay-by and have a tin of tuna with some cheese biscuits and a cup of coffee (I cook it all myself).

Afternoon Session

No problems with the next session. The A2 to A1 transfer is a piece of cake and then it's just a straight drive all the way to Bremen (and Hamburg and Lubeck). I stop about 18:00 just past Bremen and have baked beans and cheese biscuits and coffee for tea. I look at the route and realise that within about an hour in the next session I'll be trying to navigate Hamburg. So I decide to do another session and get past Hamburg this evening rather than tomorrow morning (possibly in the Monday morning rush hour).

Evening Session

Good job I went for it tonight. The road from Bremen to Hamburg is practically a continuous set of contra-flow. I get through with no problems and find a lay-by to kip in, about halfway between Hamburg and Lubeck.

Lubeck is the centre of the recent E.coli outbreak, so I'm not eating anything locally produced tonight!

I'm getting worried about the cost of the ferry from Puttgarden(GER) to Rodby(DEN). I thought I'd just drive round if it was too expensive, but I'm starting to realise it's a bloody long way round. I'll just have to see how it goes in the morning.

I adjust the passenger seat forward to allow a bit more room in the back for sleeping. I have to make sure I don't compress the kitchen area too much.

I boil the kettle and have a cup-a-soup and play on computer 'til midnight, before bed, very nice.