Driving my earthen truck from Northern Europe to the gate of North Africa

I have lived, studied and worked in Europe for many years and like to travel long distances in my spare time. One year before the epidemic occurred, that is, in 2019, two of us drove a Volvo station wagon from the cold Northern Europe (Copenhagen) to the warm Strait of Gibraltar, completing a long-span trip. Although it has passed now It took 3 years, but in retrospect it was still a very interesting experience (unfortunately, there was a problem with the mobile hard drive and many photos taken along the way were not saved).

There are many fans of station wagons in our country, and everyone likes to call them crock trucks. It is called Wagen in German and Wagon in English. Its original meaning is a four-wheeled carriage that can carry both people and cargo. Later, it gradually became a general reference to a station wagon that originated in the 1950s - suitable for traveling. , suitable for holding things. Although the name "Crock Truck" is a transliteration, I don't know if that's why it's called so many times, but I think it complements the characteristics of this type of vehicle.

In the past, the somewhat tough-looking crock-pot trucks are not outdated with today’s aesthetics.

I just don’t know why, but now self-driving travel has become a high-frequency travel method, but domestically Not many people actually drive a crock truck. Is it just because it’s expensive?

Among the information I found, the most recent global statistics were done in 2017 by the international automobile information website JATO. The data shows that 72% of the world’s earthen truck sales are in Europe, while China, the United States They are only 9%

Another survey by JATO in 2019 showed that the top five global tank truck sales are still five European countries: 1. Sweden; 2. Czech Republic; 3. Germany; 4. , Poland; 5. Netherlands

As listed in the statistical table above, Sweden, which ranks first, is both a major consumer and producer of earthenware tank trucks. The Volvo V series is a very popular car series. It can also be said that earthenware trucks are a favorite among European families and self-driving travelers of all ages. Volvo's V60 is also a model favored by people from all over Europe.

By the way, our car for this trip is my Volvo V60.

In order to save money, our car is an old Volvo V60. Personal summary: The characteristics of the Volvo V60 earthen truck are: 1. Solid leather; 2. Built to carry weight; 3. Can be loaded. Of course, in terms of "can be installed", its space performance may not be the best, but it is really enough

In fact, in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and other Western European countries, when buying a car, the condition A very good V60 is not too expensive. It costs around 16,000 euros after all the procedures are completed. The second-hand car market in Western European countries is very mature, and there are indeed many high-quality and cheap cars.

Below are two screenshots of Volvo V60 from the Dutch second-hand car website:

Our entire trip started from Copenhagen, Denmark, all the way south, passed through northern Germany, and then crossed north and south. The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and finally arrived at the Strait of Gibraltar, the southernmost part of Spain and the gateway to North Africa, with a total distance of about 2,600 kilometers.

Because the self-driving trip is long and the length of this article is limited, I will share the stuck points in some countries along the way based on the timeline and geographical coordinates. I will post some more detailed stories and insights on the road when I have time in the future. share.

On the first day from Copenhagen, we headed south quickly into northern Germany. On the way we passed through Hamburg, the largest city in North Germany, but we didn’t stop and went straight to the Netherlands.

Germany’s highways are world-famous for their unlimited speed and extremely low accident rate. But the reality that few people know is that the golden period when Germany's highways were really powerful was more than 10 years ago.

Famous city in North Germany: Hamburg

I remember one time in 2008, I was driving on a highway in Germany. As soon as I got on the road, I was in the slow lane at a slow speed of 180 kilometers per hour. Driving for space. Suddenly a car buzzed past me from the overtaking lane on my left. It only took a few seconds from the time it appeared to the time it disappeared from my field of vision. I couldn't even tell what kind of supercar it was.

In recent years, due to too many transit vehicles from Southeastern Europe and other countries, and the uneven quality of drivers, some accidents have occurred (for example, in 2019, a Polish truck driver drove on the wrong side of the road after drinking, causing a major accident. Of course, Germany's total accident rate is still far lower than most countries in the world), so the German government has set a speed limit of 120 km/h in many places. Today's veteran drivers in Germany can no longer run freely as they please.

After entering the Netherlands, the city we chose to stop and rest was Rotterdam. In order to control the distance and time, we did not stop in other places in the Netherlands. Many people should know that the Port of Rotterdam was not only the gateway to Europe for a long time in the last century, but also the largest port in Europe and the world. It was also the most important and busiest port in the world.

It is worth mentioning here that when entering the Netherlands from Germany, you will find the dramatic effect of speed changes on the highway.

There is no speed limit on German highways, and it is normal for most drivers to drive at a speed of 150-220 kilometers per hour. The speed limit in the Netherlands is 120-130 km/h. There are no border inspections between the Netherlands and Germany, and there are no highway toll stations in either country. There is only one border sign, which is much smoother than driving from Beijing to Tianjin.

National signs when entering the Netherlands

The bad Dutch police have set up many speed detectors on the border between the Netherlands and Germany to catch drivers who do not slow down. What’s even more unethical is that the speed limit on the Dutch side of some border sections is 100 km/h.

When I entered the Netherlands this time, my speed was almost 200 km/h, just in time for the 100 km/h speed limit. There was no other way but to slam on the brakes. And when your speed suddenly drops from more than 200 to less than 100, it will feel like your car is crawling on the road at a speed of 5 kilometers per hour. It is very magical. It is really difficult to go from "luxury" to "frugality".

After 2019, the road section at the junction of Germany and the Netherlands is allowed to drive above 200. However, because I am driving an old model, the top speed cannot reach this level - Volvo company for safety reasons The design concept that puts driving safety first has now limited the top speed to about 180 kilometers per hour on many models.

Volvo V60 gives a list of the top speeds of various versions according to year

The scenery of the Dutch highways can be highly summarized with the words "big cows, big sheep and big pastures".

In this country that is below sea level, most of its land is plains with large tracts of pasture. The Netherlands is a country that produces the highest quality dairy products in the world, so flocks of cattle and sheep will appear on various pastures on the roadside.

Of course, in addition to the big cows, big sheep and big grasslands, you can also see tall and white modern windmills, as well as those ancient traditional windmills.

Although the Netherlands is a small country, it has many wide highways with four or five lanes in one direction. This is because the Netherlands has many ports and densely populated vehicles. Many goods from all over the world have to be landed in the Netherlands and then continuously transported to various parts of Europe through the Netherlands. The port of Rotterdam alone ensures the daily necessities of at least 50 million people on the European continent.

So this is also a consideration for us to choose to do some supplies and rest in Rotterdam.

The designer of Rotterdam’s Magic Market is the designer of Tianjin Binhai Library

Let’s focus on the Dutch sea dam Afsluitdijk, which not only separates the North Sea and the Inland Sea , prevented flooding and connected the north and south of the Netherlands. The dam is 32 kilometers long and 92 meters wide. It was built 88 years ago and is one of the architectural miracles of mankind.

The corner of the sea-blocking dam also separates the inner and outer sea

Occasionally, you can stop and look at the seaside. We passed this dam that can run cars from the north of the Netherlands to Rotterdam in the south.

In Europe, self-driving travel is very popular. A very important thing is that the roads are smooth. The highways in European countries are basically based on the principle of ensuring traffic rate and social efficiency, and encourage speed, so as long as your speed does not exceed If you drive at 10% of the speed limit, you will basically not get a ticket.

One thing that is even more unique in the Netherlands is that when driving in the vast wilderness in the north of the Netherlands, even if you don’t open the car window, there will always be some fresh cow dung smell squeezed in from the outside. .

My secret is: the most worthwhile thing to visit when traveling by car in the Netherlands is actually the exquisite and beautiful small towns. Turn off the high-speed option in the navigation and take the national highway, and you will have many surprises.

A small town in the Netherlands

So we didn’t set aside time to go sightseeing in Rotterdam. We just took a short rest, packed some supplies and continued our journey south.

This section of the road from the Netherlands to Belgium passes through many canals. The bridges on the rivers will often be raised due to passing ships, so all vehicles on the road must wait patiently.

Rotterdam is located in the south of the Netherlands, and it is very fast to get from Rotterdam to its southern neighbor Belgium. The road conditions in Belgium are slightly worse than those in the Netherlands, but overall they are more comfortable.

Many people think that the best beer in the world is in Germany and the best chocolate is in Switzerland. Actually, both are in Belgium. Belgium is a small country smaller than the Netherlands, but it is an exquisite place.

Belgium has a speed limit of 120 kilometers per hour, but few people obey it. Compared to Brussels, which has a pissing boy and the EU headquarters, I recommend some niche but definitely worth visiting cities - Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven, etc.

For our first stop in Belgium, we chose Antwerp.

We stayed here for the night in Antwerp

There are many interesting things in Antwerp, such as underground tankers, cross-river underground passages, riverside castles, maritime museums, and quaint bars. , a century-old chocolate shop, and the most beautiful train station in Europe (voted) - Antwerp Central Station.

Antwerp Castle

Antwerp Railway Station

Inside Antwerp Railway Station

Due to the extremely high population density in Belgium, I do not recommend traveling in Drive from the city center of any city, especially the capital Brussels.

There is another reason not to drive in the city center, and that is that the quality of Belgian beer is the best in the world. If you don’t find a bar to have a few drinks in Belgium, you are ignoring this country’s specialties.

As we do every time we come here, we walked around the city center and found a bar in the evening to taste some independent beer. Get up early the next day and take the route through France, heading straight for Spain.

The overall quality of Belgian beer is recognized as the best in the world

This time we want to visit Spain in detail, so France is just passing by.

It should be pointed out that most police speed tests in France are mobile speed tests by plainclothes police cars, which are very concealed. Congestion is common around Paris and the rest of the road is fine. There are no high-speed toll stations in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, but there are many in France, so you need to prepare cash or cards in advance.

It took us most of the day to drive out of France. There are no border inspections between countries in the EU Schengen countries, but there will be random checks. Spain cleverly set up a high-speed toll booth on the border with France to make it easier for police to search cars. This time we were also unfortunately subject to a "spot check". After the police confirmed that there was no problem, we could enter Spain.

The first stop is the famous Barcelona. However, the most interesting part of this trip is actually the approximately 72 kilometers of coastal road before arriving in Barcelona.

On the left side of this section of the road is the vast Mediterranean Sea and the golden sandy beach full of tourists. On the right side there are many restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues. You can park and play, take photos, eat and drink at any time.

This is the Barcelona coastal road that you may have seen in some film and television works

This section of road perfectly explains the sentence: "Self-driving travel is not about the destination, but the destination. It’s on the road.”

Schematic diagram of the coastal road

Barcelona seaside

Overlooking Barcelona

The itinerary in Spain is very loose, we stop and go and take things as they come.

A large part of the trip from Barcelona to Madrid is traveling through high mountains. The mountains in northern Spain are bare and earthy, but very majestic and majestic. Driving in Spain feels like arriving in Mexico. No wonder Spain loved colonizing Mexico so much.

The mountains of Spain

After Madrid, we went to some cities in the central part of the country, and went all the way south through Cordoba to Malaga, and then passed through Malve Leah arrived in Gibraltar, which is just over an hour away from North Africa by ferry.

Evening in Malaga, the Pearl of Southern Spain

As I approached the port of Gibraltar, I saw many earthen trucks with a lot of luggage tied on the roof. The locals said that these trucks The owners are all Moroccans who came to Spain to work, and they want to put the car on a boat and cross the sea back to their hometown in North Africa.

I feel very strongly about this. There are really hard-working workers in every corner of the world.

The southern coast of Spain across the sea from North Africa

In Spain, I deliberately turned off the high-speed option in the navigation and walked a lot of mountain roads and roads that were not shown in the GPS. Dirt road.

Just stop and go, driving and driving for more than half a month, passing through Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and other countries, but in fact the pure driving distance from north to south is actually Less than 2 days (of course you have to kick the accelerator to finish). This journey covers a total of 6,325 kilometers round trip, and the landforms along the way include forests, plains, mountains, sand dunes and beaches. The overall feeling is: tiring but not annoying, complicated but fun!

Finally, let me talk about the two major advantages of traveling in a crock truck after being tested in practice: 1. The space is large, so you don’t have to worry about your luggage and the things you bought along the way; 2. Comfort and comfort are all taken into account. It is flexible and can adapt to complex road conditions. Along the way, we walked some mountainous dirt roads and gravel roads with steep slopes, and the car went smoothly without any damage. Of course, you can't use it to deal with pure off-road routes. That would not be traveling, but a waste of time.

It is worth mentioning that in southern Spain, I went to dinner with a local friend. He drove a Porsche 911, and I complimented him on the quality of his car.

I never thought he would actually say that in the eyes of Europeans, Volvo is the real old luxury brand, while Porsche is just a fun car.

With the progress of mankind’s fight against the epidemic, it will not be too far away when we can travel freely to Europe again. Then let’s talk about the precautions for self-driving in Europe in advance.

It must be emphasized that the rules must be strictly followed on the road - never occupy the passing lane, do not merge randomly, when entering the roundabout, first give way to the vehicles on the island, give way to the main road on the branch road, and give way to pedestrians. Don't blow the whistle indiscriminately.

Remember not to drive slowly. For example, if the speed limit is 120 kilometers, it is best to drive at 120 kilometers. There is basically no problem if it exceeds 5%.

The quality of European drivers is among the highest in the world, so you don’t have to worry about this. I only honked the horn three times during my entire round trip of more than 6,000 kilometers.

When driving in Europe from China, it is best to have an international driver's license recognized by IDP (an international driver's license renewed from a member country's driver's license cannot be bought for a few hundred dollars on Taobao).

Someone once told me that the websites of some European countries’ embassies in China clearly stated that Chinese driver’s licenses can be used for short-term travel! Yes, but once you have an accident, even if someone else hits you, it will be very troublesome and troublesome to solve!