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Hi and welcome to my travel-page. Are you up for some exciting stories? Then you are at the right address!! 
Jun 22, 2005 06:00 PM Home sweet home
It was about 9 when they knocked on our door. We got up, had a small breakfast and left for Belgium. Around 12 we arrived at home... :o)
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Jun 21, 2005 06:00 PM Are we switching today?
Because we hadn't heared anything from the other team which would switch with us that day, we went to Vulcania. The European park for vulcans. I had been there once, during a camp and I had found it really interesting. So I was pleased to redo it.
During the trip we got a call from the team that was going to switch with us. They were still at home, so it would take till the evening until they would arrive.
After Vulcania we decided to already drive more northwards, so they would meet us earlier.
We parked the car and got a telephone call that they didn't want to stay on a parking but rather go to a local camping. After giving us the address, we went there and waited for them.
It was about 10 PM when we left the camping and got on the road with the other car. We drove all the way to the north, straight through Paris and looked up a Formule 1 hotel.
There we stayed for the rest of the night.
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Jun 20, 2005 06:00 PM Last day of normal actions
We eventually came into Clermont-Ferrand where we stopped capturing for always. It was the end of our last trip.
We now only had to clean up the camper. After some shopping for goods which were needed in the camper, we went to a place where we could wash the car.
First we washed the outside, than the inside. Because it was really hot weather, we sweated our asses off. The only thing we could think of was to wash ourselves afterwards...with one of those hoses which you could use to clean the car. We put in a Euro and showered ourselves :o)
Afterwards we put on some new clothes and went out eating.
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Jun 19, 2005 06:00 PM The last days
You can really notice that it are our last days. We didn't get up till 11 hour this morning. The spirit is starting to flow away. But, because the office called us, we eventually had to get up to answer the call.
After some quality checking we left for those couple of roads we still wanted to finish. This would imply that we finished of a couple of maps as well, and that gives us a better feeling :o)
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Jun 18, 2005 06:00 PM Hot hot hot
My driving was a lot better today. We haven't had any problems at all. But the weather was just too good. It was so hot, we couldn't stay on driving. We eventually stopped on a beautiful spot on our way back towards the direction of Lyon, where we would finish off some roads.
We stayed on that spot till the next day, just enjoying the sun and peace :o)
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Jun 17, 2005 06:00 PM When things go wrong...
We had been working a lot yesterday, even after we left in the afternoon. But today it was my turn to drive again.
And it didn't work out that well...
First, we came up to a deviation which lead us over a bridge which was as wide as the camper itself. On both sides of the bridge were high borders. And I had to turn onto that bridge in a 90 degree angle. You can guess the result: a big stroke from about the middle to about the end of the camper on the right side at the bottom of it. Damn...
Than, when I was driving through the mountains, suddenly there was a speed-camera standing besides the road. I saw it from a couple of meters before I passed it and though I was driving too much it didn't flash me. But when I passed it, it did...damn again...
And if that wasn't enough for the day, I also got stiched by a humble bee right in my back when I was driving on a roundabout. Luckily I had the reflex to pull back very fast, so the angle didn't got into me and the wound healed very fast.
The problem was that it was 35? C in the shades and we don't have Air Conditioning on board the camper. So we drive with both our windows down...
There has even been a huge humble bee which flew into the camper, right besides Wouters ear. I pulled over quickly and it got out the camper. Pff, this really wasn't my day and when things go wrong, the go wrong all together...
On the 23th of june we will be replaced by another team. We really are starting to count the days. Though this is an awsome job to have, there are limits :o)
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Jun 15, 2005 06:00 PM Whoow, shiny disks
This morning we got up and drove to the DHL office in Lyon. We got our disks and went back, close to a place where we could start filming again. But in order to do so, we first had to back up a lot of data.
This took up the rest of the day and with the quality check which we also had to do, we even didn't move till the midday on the day after...
Accidently I had seen a very small village nearby a place were we would end our day. It was called Super-Besse and it was a ski-resort which I had been to during summer, two years ago. It was during a camp that I had been there and it would be stupid not to pass by.
So we stayed there for the night. It was kinda strange seeing that village again. But nice :o)
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Jun 14, 2005 06:00 PM Where is DHL?
Yesterday Dominique sent us 3 brand new HD's for us to use. He sent it to DHL in Lyon. After capturing almost all day, we eventually went to Lyon, to get the HD's. We thought DHL would be at the airport, so we drove straight to it. There of course, they told us it was another place we had to be.
A simple design would have to help us get there. They didn't even have a map or something...than again, we are the people who make GPS maps and we don't even have a GPS inside our own vehicle.
We drove straight into Lyon and after half an hour of looking, we eventually found the office. Of course they were already closed, it was about 21 hours in the evening. We looked for a good parking spot outside Lyon and went to bed.
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Jun 13, 2005 06:00 PM No brakes anymore
We had been having troubles with our brakes lately. It looked like they were at the end of there life, though there had been a great check-up just a few weeks ago. We didn't really understand.
On a sudden moment there was a light in the dashboard which started to burn when we braked. This couldn't be good, so we checked what it was in the manual. And as suspected: the brakes were finished...
When we passed a VW garage in Aubenas, we pulled aside and called Leaseplan (the company who actually owned the cars and leased them to Tele Atlas). In stead of what we had thought, the man at the other side of the line, told us we could simply go to any VW garage and let it be repaired.
This was really weird, in comparison with what we had been going through in Switserland. But, we went into the garage and asked the man if he could help us. Of course he was too busy and he didn't have the right tools to put a camper like that in the air and start working under it.
We asked him if he could give us another address where we might be more lucky.
After a short drive we came at the garage, but also this man couldn't help us out. So we called Erwin from Leaseplan again. This time he went looking for a garage nearby. He wouldn't have done this if I wouldn't have asked him too...it was so strange, as if he didn't know jack of how Leasplan worked.
After some Googling (!!) he gave us some telephone numbers and addresses. We called a couple of garages and eventually found one in Annonay. It was quite some kilometers away from the place we were, but we still had to film those roads, so it didn't matter.
We worked our way to that city and found the garage quite easily. Because it was midday we first went to eat something and than went back to the garage. The man checked our camper, but couldn't help us because his garage was too small.
So again, we called leaseplan and got another address and phonenumber. This time the garage was in Valence. After a short call, they told us they would be able to help us and we could come over.
It appeared to be a huge garage where cars constantly came in and out, all for repares. Though the man who helped us looked a bit pissed off, he did do the job and gave us 4 brand new brakes. He showed us the old ones, or better, what was left of them. He also told us the campers were way to heavy for the suspension they are standing on. Interesting information, which we obiously passed on to Tele Atlas...
So, this time, it only took us 4 garages and just a few phone calls to get the camper repaired...the job is getting too easy :o)
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Jun 12, 2005 06:00 PM Keep on rollin' baby
We've been on the road again for a couple of days now. Everything goes well and we really start to finish off big parts of the project. Finally! But still, it won't be long anymore till we will be standing still again.
We have been moving from above Lyon (area of Bourg en Bresse) down over Lyon (which was already finished) to Valence, Le Puy and even more south. But now not only the disks are getting full, we also have noticed (big time) that the brakes are starting to live on the edge. They are getting overused, so we will need to look for replacements.
This is going to take up some time again and in about 10 days, we want to be going home... we'll see what the future brings...
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