I left Spain, specifically Girona near Barcelona, fully loaded to the maximum, and it immediately affected the way the truck handled. At that time, I was still driving an older Mercedes Actros MP5 450.
Back when I drove a car, I never really paid attention to hills, but in a truck, you suddenly feel every tonne and every incline of the road.
Whitney Houston, the Sea and a Childhood Memory
While driving through France, the sun was shining and Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You from The Bodyguard started playing on the radio. Maybe it is not exactly a typical trucker song, but it immediately brought back a strong memory.
When I was a child, shortly after the fall of communism, my family and I went to the sea in Croatia by car for the first time. We had a green Škoda Favorit, and I remember that this exact song was playing at the moment when I saw the sea for the first time in my life.
And now, many years later, I was driving a fully loaded truck along the French coast and the same song started playing again. And at that moment, I realized that I had probably loved travelling since childhood. Highways, movement, discovering Europe and that feeling of simply being on the road.
Suddenly Snow and a Winter Jacket
A few hours later, the atmosphere changed completely.
I stopped near Pont-de-l’Isère at the famous location of the 45th parallel north. Just a short time earlier I had been driving near the sea in sunshine, and suddenly I was standing in wind, snow and cold weather wearing a winter jacket.
I already started missing Spain and the sunshine at that moment. The relaxed atmosphere, the sea, the sun and the warmer air.
From sunny Spain to snowy France.
As I continued further north, near Baume-les-Dames the fields were already completely covered in snow. Thankfully the roads were still dry, but you could feel that you were returning back into the Central European winter.
French Truck Stops
After a full day of driving, I finally stopped near Strasbourg, where I spent my daily break. And I have to say that the stories I had heard about French truck stops turned out to be quite true.
That evening, I was sitting in the cab watching something through the window that I had never seen before in my life. Male prostitutes were walking around the parking area offering themselves to truck drivers.
It was one of those moments when you realize how strange situations European trucking can sometimes bring.
Almost 650 Kilometres to Prague
The next day I continued driving and eventually managed to cover almost 650 kilometres. I made it all the way near Prague, where I planned to take my weekend break because Sunday driving restrictions were about to begin.
I still remember one more thing. It was already dark and the parking area had a really awkward roundabout, which made reversing difficult. So I asked a Serbian driver if he could help me. Without any problem, he got into the truck and reversed it into the parking spot.
This is exactly what I like about the trucking world:
drivers are often willing to help each other even when they do not know each other at all.
And so I stayed there for my legal weekend break, thinking about what I would actually do with one free day while already being relatively close to Prague.