London-Dover-Calais-St Quentin-Epernay-Saarbrucken-Guntersblum-Koln-Brussels-Calais-Dover-London....1,098.2 miles
1. It is ridiculously easy to transport yourself and car to Europe from the UK. Drive 90 minutes to Dover and board the Euro Tunnel train with your car. 35 minutes later you are in Europe with the theoretical potential of driving all the way to the far eastern seaboard of Russia and within sight of Japan.
2. French roads are infinitely better than those in the UK. In France (and Germany and Belgium for that matter) you notice a bad patch of road because it is not the norm. In the UK you notice a good patch of road because it is not the norm.
3. The French do food well.
4. The Germans like their meat and hams. Breakfast , lunch or dinner
5. The French do Champagne and Chateau's well.
6. There is no marked border line between France and Germany. The road signs simply switch from French to German. You can be trundling along the motorway in France at 10 am and being passed by a man in a van doing 200 kph at 10.01 in Germany.
7. On long road trips in Germany you don't need caffeine to stay awake when driving. Drive your car above 200 kph (125mph) and you will have plenty of naturally produced adrenalin to keep you awake.
8. At 256 kph (160 mph) you can actually see your fuel gauge move steadily from F to E
9. No matter how quickly you are driving on the autobahn there will always be a black BMW or Mercedes going faster.
10. The French do bread well. And coffee.
11. Am I the only one who thinks it a bit strange to pull into a roadside petrol station restaurant and be surprised to see people quaffing glasses of wine and beer with their meals ? Drink and Drive. What a great idea. Or b.
12. Northern French countryside is rolling hills of cultivated fields.
13. South Western German countryside is rolling hills of forests
14. You pay for the good roads in France. It was 25 EUR in road tolls to cross the northern part of the country. In Germany the roads are free. Well free if you are a visitor. I am guessing that the tax system in Germany tolls you where the French don't.
15. Most Germans and French under the age of 60 speak some English. No one in either country over the age of 60 does.
16. Germany outlaws opening shops on Sunday and bans outdoor domestic chores. There's a journey to a bygone era and one I miss. Sunday equalling a 'rest' day.
17. The Germans can merge at speed. The English can't.
18. Every German man owns a tool belt, chainsaw, and can probably build you a house inside a day.
19. Driving a right hand drive car in Europe makes for interesting times when overtaking. Especially for the passenger in the front seat.
20. Driving a car on the ring road around Brussels makes for interesting times. Right or left hand drive
21. There were plenty killed in both world wars in northern France. The countless war cemeteries in Belgium and France are testament to that.
22. Arriving back on English soil you realise how much more picturesque the countryside is.
23. The M25 motorway is not a place for the faint hearted nor impatient driver on a Sunday evening.
24. No bed sleeps as well as your own.
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