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To be in mood for departure

The far way to Alicante...

A day, we will never forget: Thursday, the 09.09.2004. On one sight the birthday of our good friend and helper Roland, who was not very pleased, that we had selected ourselves straight this day. But it did not go a other way, because our truck driver Uwe had only the chance for a free Friday in this week and we had procured therefor his flight ticket back to Germany on Sunday on this weekend. A few days earlier we had already procured the number plates for our truck and my wife managed our documents for the ride in our city hall. At noon we said good bye to my granny and as then our truck drivers, Franz, for memory: the brother of my wife, and Uwe had arrived, we gave them the money for the way and the documents for the frontier. Practical my wife Christina had worked before in a logistics company in Karlsruhe and had dispatched deliveries to foreign places. Then we had locked our truck and off went the travel. We ourselves with our car had us still some time left, because we were sure, to catch up the two on the way again without problems. After we had loaded our zoo and still another little luggage into our car, we, after we had said good-bye to my mother, finally also drove off. It was already an amusing feeling to leave Germany forever. What expected us in Spain? Does everything go well? How does the travel with the dog, five cats and the parrot go? How do we cross the borders? But, as already said, we had our approach place, where we were already expected anxiously, particularly, one month before a very sad event took place in our family: the Spanish granny of my wife had deceased after long illness and from today's view I say, that I am glad having had seen her a last time in May 2004, when I brought the bigger parts of our furniture with our truck to Alicante. But now back to the travel. We drove this distance already often and for us vacation starts each time if we were curved around the first street corner and the travel is really an experience. In addition I still have to notice, that we always crossed the french border in Lauterbourg and used the french motorway, which is tax free as far as Mulhouse (Muelhausen), what however seems not to be noticed by the majority of the truck drivers and Dutch tourists and is therefore always relatively empty. At the beginning Christina drove. We made that always in such way, because she do not like driving at night on motorways and I had myself rested so long or took a snack. Briefly after Mulhouse then the first problem came. Practicaly we, our truck drivers, Christina and I, had our mobile phones. Franz called and said, that something with the truck not is right, it makes a unnormal sound and driving is no more possible. That was very mad and should not happen even 50 km behind the German border. We already feared for the whole enterprise "removal", but first I wanted to see what was the matter and after a short time we found our truck with switched on warning flashers standing at the edge of the motorway. Thus Franz went to Chris in the car and I with Uwe on the truck. Only still constituted, that we then meet again at the next rest yard, we drove off and there were no problems. Okay, the truck was already so 20 years old and sounded already sometimes a little bit strange, but, up to a problem with upward going roads, where it already needed more time, there were no problems, that means at the meeting point we calmed Franz down, changed the cars again and drove on. We started first with the car, because we had planned to have a little sleep break on the way and we were sure to meet the other two again. Thus I love the way from Germany to Spain. Lyon, the valley of the Rhone with its fascinating river, the south of France, in my opinion ever worth seeing and for me, there is nothing better than driving to the music of Enyas Orinocco flow the first time through the Rhone valley. We had come lucky to the south of France, had had our litte sleeping break, had phoned with our truck team and heared, that they already crossed the Spanish border without any problems. That let us hope also for us and our rolling zoo, that the travel for us is without problems, too.And really when we came to the Spanish border, everything was calmly and saw no customs officer. The documents of us and our animals were all correct, but one does not want to be disturbed with long border controls. We were now in our new homeland, only about 700 km from our destiny and full of hope for mastering the remaining way still problem-free and really, many breaks for our dog and for giving water to the cats we finally arrived at San Vicente del Raspeig by Alicante a short time later. Now was only missing our truck, which we had again passed on the way. And we waited and waited and waited. In the meantime we telephoned some times for seeing the remaining travel distance of the truck. Then this call came: "hello, we are here on the motorway Alicante Alcoi and our tank is empty." And that 10 km before the destiny! Yes, we trusted the tank announcement of the truck not so quite, said to the two, they should always in time refuel and now THAT, Friday in the evening after ten o'clock. Who knows our area here, knows there are in San Vicente only three gas stations and from those also only one is opened normally at night, but which? We took a can and drove off. Fortunly we got the correct gas station at the first attempt, got 10 litres of Diesel and went on the motorway, whereby I had fear, because I had heard, with a run dry tank one can have problems starting the engine. But we had luck, filled in the Diesel, started the engine at and drove to our new home. Saturday we made a litte bit of sightseeing with Uwe, were a short time at the San Juan beach, too and hade a relaxing day. At Sunday Franz and I drove Uwe to Valencia to the airport, so that he could had his first flight experience. Franz remained a little time more with us. The truck stood unloaded still for weeks, we only took the things out, which we needed urgently, until we finally emtied the whole truck.