During our European travels, we noticed and noted that there were many RV's and towable campers on the road.
Most of of the RV's we saw are European-sized, which means compact, like the size of our Sprinter B & C-Class RVs.
The towables are compact too, like our small camper variety. In the US, the range of RV's is large by comparison. You see anything from the smallest I-POD to enormous 5th- wheels.
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| campground along the Vltava River in Prague |
Among the more typical RV's there was also a much larger RV. It wasn't as large as our 36-ft Alpine, but it was larger than typical.
While in Krakow, during a morning run in the forest Michael took a wrong turn down a street which led him to a lot with RV's for rent, literally around the corner from our daughter's home. It must have been karma!
RV-ing is certainly alive and well in Europe. There may be more limited choices in types and sizes of RVs but they appear to be a popular means of recreation and are easily rentable. I also concluded that if large luxury buses can negotiate the small winding roads in little towns in Europe, then our Alpine would probably do very well here too. The trick of course is to transport it across the ocean.
The concept of selling one's house and living and traveling full-time in an RV is, however, likely unknown in Europe. Several folks asked us how we like living in our RV and whether we do not regret letting go of our house. Our son-in-law mentioned our current vagabonding life-style to his co-workers who were apparently quite astoundeded at the very idea and concluded that it sounds like a marvelous plan but that they can't imagine anyone in Europe actually doing this. As another family friend also pointed out, perhaps purchasing a home in the US is a lot easier and simpler. Home ownership in Europe is something most folks may strive for yet never attain, that the thought of relinquishing one's home for a gypsy lifestyle is in many ways incomprehensible.
How very fortunate we are in the US where these many choices are possible!
Another source of interest was the European trucks. Firstly, I noticed that they followed the rules by staying in the right-hand lane, without weaving in and out, remaining in their lane and driving the speed limit in convoy. That is important because there is no speed limit for cars, and we regularly cruised at speeds between 140 - 185 kph (about 90 - 115 mph). The trucks certainly feel less threatening traveling at 50 MPH than some of the trucks on the road in the US. In several US states, despite signs posting a 55 MPH speed limit for vehicles with more than one axle, truck drivers seem to follow their own rules regarding passing cars or other trucks and definitely exceed the posted limit.
Michael's source of interest was the tires on the trucks. Rather than having two axles of dual wheels at the rear, most had 3 axles of single wider tires. When we were stopped at a highway gas and fast food station, he went over to a truck to check out the size of the tires. They were 385/65/22.5 compared with typical 295/75/22.5 tires here.
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| 3 axles of single wider tires |
En route to Krakow from Prague, about a 6-hour drive, we stopped at a couple rest stops. One had a McDonald's, sad but true! However, this McDonald's was rather fancy in that you ordered your food at a touch screen kiosk upon entering the restaurant then picked up your order at the counter. The restaurant also had a play corner for kids. The restrooms had showers. There was also a huge area set aside for trucks to pull in and rest or spend the night, which I noticed was packed.
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| a typical truck rest stop along the highway |
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| gas stations with just the right size roofs for trucks! |
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| Klara in the play corner |
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| fast-food Polish style |
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| well-equipped rest-rooms |
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| my fancy tea bag with excellent tasting tea |
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| one of our luxury double decker tour buses |