A relatively short journey today (compared to days to come) takes me across the border to Germany. I stopped at the border and took some pictures. There is a service station here and they’ve drawn the border around it. The Dutch side (north of the motorway) contains the shop and restaurant and the other side – German – has the police and customs station. Both are connected via a bridge. There is a sign to mark the point where the two roads meet. It’s a shame in a way, because I think there’s something just a little exciting about stopping

Right then, the first day’s gone well. Starting where I left off, I found the car. So, bags loaded, on-board computer changed to English, radio set up, km count reset to zero (very important!) and off I go – once I find my way out of the multi-storey car park with very tight corners, left-hand driving a big car and trying hard to remember that I need to leave a lot more space on the right between me and the concrete posts and other people’s cars! Anyway, out of the car park and onto the open road. France was but

I’ve just completed the first leg of the trip – an incredibly quick 1 hour 10 minute trip from Ebbsfleet International in Kent to Lille Europe in France, via the new ‘it took us decades longer to do it, but we got there eventually’ high-speed rail link. It’s definitely worth the wait. Ebbsfleet International is an interesting station. What is Ebbsfleet? A very small place, that’s what it is. It seems to be a small village, ever-expanding with its new found fame and glory as the gateway to Europe. A housing developers dream. Now you too can work in France

Welcome to my European driving trip, visiting virtually every Western EU country and hopefully a handful of Eastern European nations over the course of two and a half weeks. I already have a head start – I went to Ireland for a wedding in July and I live in the UK so that’s two. I’ve often heard people say “I’d love to drive across the States” – usually on a motorbike or in a convertible. Well I’ve always thought it would be fantastic to drive around Europe, stopping off in as many places as possible. Going to real countries –