(G) Panda winter holiday + pictures

So last December's adventure started as a skiing holiday in the Italian Alps and ended up in a road trip through SE Europe from Milano to Athens via Ljubliana, Karlovac, Zagreb, Budapest, Belgrade and Thessaloniki when two mates meet me in Milano! The Panda fully loaded (3 of us + luggage) took great care of us for about 3500 km. In the beggining in the Alps driving was a pleasure in the snow where the Panda was in its natural environment and among several other members of the Panda fammily (distant relatives),though from the cold, the sound of the engine and gearbox changed a bit but everything came back to normal when lower and the temperature a few degries over 0, exept that the CD player refused to play any disk for 2-3 days after I've left the mountains (no more entertainment for him nor for us)
It all went well with no major incidents exept some delays when crossing borders (which made us change the plan a litle). First when exiting Croatia going to Hungary the Croatian custom officers shearched our luggage and car in a time consumming way and this plus the heavy rain and trafic jam when entering budapest made us arrive no earlyer that 9pm so we decided to spend another day in that city for sightseeing and rest. Then the day after we started early to reach Belgrade in the afternoon and meet with the Panda guys there but with a huge queue formed in the Hungaro-Serbian took us more that 4 hrs to cross and a late arrival was again ahead and with no more spare days (sorry Aca, next time we'll make it) . So next day early start to Thessaloniki, Greece, an aprox 700 km drive passing through FYROM (or Macedonia). And this is the highlight of the trip, when about 45 km before the Greek border we stopped for leg streching, a fag, and a piss in a roadside parking when a police highway patrol car appeared and... the guy comes out, checks the plates (hmm, Greeks...), asks for the passports and holds them and says something half german half slavish, but we understood that pissing the fields outside the parking was illegal so a fine of 50 euro each has to be paid. In the begining we though that they wanted some cash to let us go (a comon practice in these countries) so we resisted and threatened them that what they are doing is illegal, prevented them from leaving the spot with our passports (one stood infront the other in the back of their car) and called the Greek consultant in Skopje to see who's right. The answer from the consultant took a while to come and the man how answered the phone in the beggining said us that there is no such law so our morale was raised and the voices got louder as they started writing some papers and tried to hand them over to us and leave for the station as they were going off duty soon. Then we got the answer that they were right and we have to pay as long as they had writen the paper. It's a new law they told us, but it is applied ONLY to Greek drivers!!! Oh, well... ok we'll pay. But not so easy! They tell us that we cannot pay them directly and that we have to drive to the border (45 km) pay to the bank (the only one open at that time) drive back to the station (70 km) give the reciept and take the passports back and we are free. Then another patrol car apears ( their replacments) and after explaining what's going on they offered to take the passports with them to a spot only 10km back from the boarder to make things easier but our guy refused to give them and make us the favor to save some kms (revenge is it called?) So,after that extra trip back and forth, and 50 eur less in ou pockets, but relieved form the presure for pissing we carried on with another late arrival in front of us. Next day without any more incidents we arrived in Athens all safe and in one piece.

Here are some pictures:

The route


Waiting for the ferry to Venice


in Padova


Corvara. (we slept in the car)


Alpine camping


Where the hell is the Panda?




Digging out


The last of the Moicans


Change crew in Milano


Traffic in the Hungarian border


Driver's view, crossing Serbia


last toll post before Athens

The whole trip was great and my mates were surprized how well the Panda did. I'm looking forward to the next and this time I hope to find some more Pandas to join.

Oh cool. I do love a good road trip

Panda looks cool in those pics

Jon.

Cool, Pandaki, cool, but you have to perform your natural needs on Parking before leave Serbia to FYROM, normally, in accordance with natural Law, and by - fire at free will.......))

I hope we will meet in Belgrade next time......

Wow...A great post!!!...

kev

Good mission!!

I love the snow photos.

Luke.

Random question Pandaki, is your 4x4 Petrol or Diesel And what year is it?

Jon.

1997, petrol

... but you never know when nature is gonna hit!
and I'll make sure that I'll have the heavy stuff ready to go. For 50 I think it worths the effort

+ prosperity of FYROM....

Moving away from all those bodily functions thats a great trip but it was a lot easier for us in September than you seem to of had...

We did Thessaloniki to Buda in a day and then from Buda to Birmingham in 22 hours in the panda. Was fun but having to buy insurance at all the borders was a pain as our euro cover wasn't valid is the former Yugoslavia

I think I've still cover in Serbia

Jim

Well, that's a good reason to get downhere. It'll be nice and worm after the arctic

photos look awsome man! must have been some adventure..... have you got any others you can post

Good pictures, I applaude you for the "alpine camping"

I love adventures, great shots!!