That'll be us at the end of August for 2 weeks staying in Saint-Paul-de-Serre

Was down your neck of the woods back in May, stayed in a wee place called Bibury for our 10th wedding anniversary  ______________________
2011 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8
2012 FL2 SD4 Auto HSE
2013 Kawasaki Versys 650

So you went and fed the trout, good number they have going there, you buy there food, feed there fish, they get bigger and then you buy the fish that you've paid for the upkeep on.

No, drove past it but didn't stop, although we were staying in the Catherine Wheel just up the road

Had a day out in Oxford and a day out to Bletchley Park  ______________________
2011 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8
2012 FL2 SD4 Auto HSE
2013 Kawasaki Versys 650

Nice round Bibury, we often have a weekend out that way, Burford, Bourton on the Water, Broadway or Morton in the Marsh all good

I have enjoyed touring Europe in the past and the roads are better

Furthest trip was 3 days - France, Switzerland and ended up in tuscany

Done south of France 3 times, northern France 3 times and Paris twice but that was a nightmare in car - much better by train

Fancy driving to the algarve if I get the vogue

Towing on wrong side of road with the language barrier if things go wrong just freaks me out though  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

Don't worry about being on the wrong side of the road, every one else is driving on the wrong side with you, language doesn't seem to be a problem in France, most of the French seem to speak more English than the British speak French. Honestly it is easier towing in France than it is in the UK

I think there's a higher proportion of French that speak English than there is Brit's that speak English in many parts... Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

Definatly agree more Europeans speak English than vice versa but my experience is that if you are buying something you can always find English spoken but if you have an emergency - 112 phone operatives, hospital staff and police don't  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

muddywheels wrote:

you can always find English spoken but if you have an emergency - 112 phone operatives, hospital staff and police don't

I was speaking from my experiences when I had a medical emergency in the dordogne and a robbery in the algarve so from my point of view it was accurate  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

muddywheels
Bad though your experiences were, they were as I stated - an incident when Sod's law kicks in.

My statement is accurate - you can find English speaking operatives on the end of the 112 number - you have to ask - and/or insist - they are there. Same in hospitals - and most major hospitals within the EU operate as the NHS does and have a list of "foreign speakers" on call in such emergencies.

On average the linguistic support across the EU 15 states is invariably better than what a foreign visitor would experience in Blighty. Where the performance situation breaks down is when you travel further east into the expanded new member EU States i.e. into the greater EU25 members.

You speak of France - well we all know (yes the rest of Europe and the UK) know that they, the French, are indeed a "law" unto themselves which probably goes beyond Sod's & Murphy's law.

Re Portugal I and Katharina can speak from first hand experiences:

2001 - in my case the Russian owner of a restaurant in Oporto took exception to the fact that I had no desire to pay for defrosted wood pigeon when the menu stated duck. He said if I didn't pay he'd call the police. I said do so - K said no just pay and lets go he looks the sort to get violent. I told her I'll take care of myself, mobster or not, but he's a fraudster and I'm not paying a cent. Local plod arrived - I speak no Portuguese. It's 23:00hrs and local plod and partner are not best pleased. We had a chat - in English - he went to the owner the Russian émigré, who did speak both Portuguese and English. Plod came back to me and said he'll press charges for theft and I retorted I'll press charges for deception. Plod said he'd have to arrest me and I said he'd have to arrest him as well. Plod said that if I had been drunk he'd have arrested me for an easy life - but go back to your hotel now - I'll tell the Russian that if he spoils my night shift again I'll send the food inspectors in.

Summer 2003 Portugal, Katharina has an invitation from Coimbra University Hospital to work for 6mths helping their pediactrics unit. She speaks no Portuguese, they speak no German, or French or Italian or Norwegian, but hey ho they do speak English. So daily consultations and teaching were conducted in English.

In essence you were unlucky Muddywheels - the lack of speaking a native language should not put off anyone from travelling further afield - in fact it is one of the joys of travel - communication.

Mange tout, mange tout  ______________________
2011 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8
2012 FL2 SD4 Auto HSE
2013 Kawasaki Versys 650

Athelstan - My experience has not put me off travelling abroad

I always attempt to use the basics of the locals language wherever I am via phrase books/memory where possible which goes down well

Got a bit confused when we did the trip to Italy through france and switzerland but had a good laugh with the guy on Hotel reception in france on the way back - I had done had a day of italian, a day of german and then a day of french but my brain was fried with all the driving so I was mixing all 3 when he suggested we try english

On my travels I find if you stick to tourist areas English is popular but we like to go more rural/authentic and thats when things get difficult  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

Dave wrote:

Mange tout, mange tout

Non non - c'est la jeunesse dorée des automobilistes "rôti de boeuf" avec leur anglo saxon impérialisme linguistique.

muddywheels wrote:

Athelstan - My experience has not put me off travelling abroad

Grand, that's the spirit - best foot forward - stiff upper lip - hands across the water etc etc - avez vous une cuppa garlic breath

Whoops sorry - I meant "do you have a cup of fine Earl Grey" my dear chap