With rose tinted glasses does anyone have any funny stories of being weekended at Freds at Coslada.His vouchers to spend in his “clubs”.
The Atlantico beach shack/wooden hut Porto.
Sunbilla Kontixa pit stop Pamplona.
Victor’s Burgos.
Lloret del Mar.
Cascais Lisbon.
British International had an office in Porto next to the fire station or Bomberios.It was a donation of about 50p for a shower there.
The Portuguese have a 1000 recipes for cod dishes or bacalau.
Dried salted cod.
The Franchesina is a foot high mega sandwhich with ham,eggs,steak and many more fillers topped with hot spicy gravy.
Fried kidneys with Cognac or Hennesy brandy was very nice.
Cabbage soup.Beer with a red fruit syrup added called a Tango.
I lost my lorry in lloret de mar. Parked up went for a walk had a couple and it took me 3 hours to find my way back.
my first experience of a club. Walked in thinking it was a night club to then be accosted by several Romanian girls in lingerie. That was an eye opener.
daleyboy:
my first experience of a club. Walked in thinking it was a night club to then be accosted by several Romanian girls in lingerie. That was an eye opener.
Was it a wallet opener too ? 
bald bloke:
daleyboy:
my first experience of a club. Walked in thinking it was a night club to then be accosted by several Romanian girls in lingerie. That was an eye opener.Was it a wallet opener too ?
They tried, but I ran away and hid in my truck.
Not just Romanians in there wearing a bikini or bra and knickers.
Brazilian,Columbian,Peru,Equador,Argentinian,Dominican Republican,Caribean,and most Eastern European places and Baltic States and Ukrainian and Russians.
If you got on with them,you could take them out on their day off.
Hire a car.Meal out.
Lloret del Mar used to have the bus/coach park for trucks to park in.
Going in the club is ok just to have a drink.But they can very persistent and will not take no jiggy jiggy as an answer.
Yes, Freds in Coslada, the original one and the “new” one
Yes ,Sunbilla
Yes ,Victors ,when Victor used to run it
Yes , Lloret bus parking area
Yes ,Cascais
NO, BI.
Lloret de mar had a few good weekends down there took the ex with me and we ended up falling out on the first night due to the local girls knowing me a bit better than they should lol it was fun driving home with her not talking to me for five day,s lol
down at simba,s I cant remember the name now but it was the café just a bit further up the road lol the girls were every nationality going I never indulged myself but knew many that fell in love because the girls would give their telephone number out so the lads would think they where special lol loved my time in spain and Italy miss it like mad .
At both Freds places it was easy to get a bus or train to Madrid centre.If weekended it was boring sat in a cab doing nithing.
Fred is still trading at a cafe in a block of flats.
He not aged that much.He speaks about 6 languages and always looked after drivers.
The original Freds was a dust bowl.Lots of different nationalities of druvers that would fight each other after drinking.
With the new bullet trains in Spain you could park in Madrid and get the train to the coast.
The cabbage patch.Bp at St Andre de Cubzac.Bordeaux.
Spent a lot of time there or the Rouitiers under the big bridge on the ring road.
There was a five day truck ban which i was not aware of.
French/Spanish border shut plus a ban in the Basque.
So i parked the truck and flew to the Uk from Bordeaux.
Rang in on a Bt phone.The boss went mad.
Said i should be guarding his load.
It worked out cheaper to fly back then pay out for food or ahotel.
Used to enjoy my weekends at Freds in Coslada 
Always amused me when he used to run a few of us down to Madrid Airport on a Sunday morning to get the papers
Sunbilla on the double man shifts with my ex boss 
roll in at 0100 on sunday and crack on again 9hrs later to Freds ready to deliver first thing Monday…
4aaaa4dd:
down at simba,s I cant remember the name now but it was the café just a bit further up the road lol the girls were every nationality going I never indulged myself but knew many that fell in love because the girls would give their telephone number out so the lads would think they where special lol loved my time in spain and Italy miss it like mad .
Could that be Upstairs Downstairs ? 
Fred opened a place North of Madrid on the National One.
It was about 30 miles from Madrid and high up on a hill.
It did not do well.
His other move was on an industrial estate guarded by armed guards who did not like trucks and were aggresive.
Simon:
4aaaa4dd:
down at simba,s I cant remember the name now but it was the café just a bit further up the road lol the girls were every nationality going I never indulged myself but knew many that fell in love because the girls would give their telephone number out so the lads would think they where special lol loved my time in spain and Italy miss it like mad .Could that be Upstairs Downstairs ?
that’s the one your spot on good times lol
Claudes truckstop at Saint Genis de Saintonage north of Bordeaux on the national road.
There was a big English man with a beard who ran the fuel garage and did electrical repairs.
The now shut old TIR park at Irun.A long walk to the French town over the border to be at the beach.
The Rouitier at La Rochelle.With the view of the bird sanctuary.
4aaaa4dd:
Simon:
4aaaa4dd:
down at simba,s I cant remember the name now but it was the café just a bit further up the road lol the girls were every nationality going I never indulged myself but knew many that fell in love because the girls would give their telephone number out so the lads would think they where special lol loved my time in spain and Italy miss it like mad .Could that be Upstairs Downstairs ?
that’s the one your spot on good times lol
Ah yes Upstairs Downstairs at Nules!! Can anyone on ere tell me what was upstairs? 
With the view of the bird sanctuary.
Do you mean the birds in there camper van just south of La Rochelle ■■?
All the Brits would head to Victors at Burgos.
I prefered the little cafe at the end of the fuel station.
It was owned by a Galician family.The food was based on the Vigo area.Some cracking recipes and winter warmers.
Victors did a tasty soupa de patatas,meat and spud soup.
Ideal in the ice and snow.
If you walked over the goat/sheep footbridge,about two miles away down a dirt track was a medieval village with cobbled streets.
The views on the way would rival a South American lanscape.Either in the summer with red sunsets or the snow on distant mountain ranges.
Then there is Billy’s piano bar on the Narbonne to Perpignan national road.The hygeine was not good.
La Jonqura is a crime hot spot now.Mafia and cab break ins by drivers with no running money left to get home.
Did anyone ever stop at the very local looking place on the left at the bottom of the hill before Victor’s?.Often fancied a stop there,but it was always ‘I’ll definitely try it next time’ 
That place you mentioned is one i always said maybe next time too.I never stopped there.
There were two places if coming from the Vitoria direction heading West.The first one on the left had a pool,the Muslim travelers camped over night on the way to Africa.
The next one on the left was in a small village with the speed limit.It was a pain as fully freighted you could not go flat out to get over the hill before Victors due to cops always there.
Once on the 121 and the national 2 via Medicini there were plenty of hotels with truck parking.
From Pamplona to Almazan;good cafes.Driver menus.
Also Tudela area once in Navara.
On the old road before the new dual was built,at Teruel was good for a coffee stop.
When leaving Valencia,pass Castelon,turn left to aTeruel,there was the cafe with an Australian lady owner.I got robbed and she offered to loan me some money or cook a meal for me.Was it called Rosies?
In reply to Toby:
There was a big English man with a beard who ran the fuel garage ; Tony, his wife worked in the bar with Annette and Kettys girlfriend .
The Rouitier at La Rochelle.With the view of the bird sanctuary.
La Aire de Marin ,the waiters wore Tartan trousers
Then there is Billy’s piano bar on the Narbonne to Perpignan national road.The hygeine was not good.
Yes ,had an old London bus outside ,horrible bloke ran it ,he smacked his 6 year old daughter over the head and told her to get out of the ■■■■■■■ way one night , His trade finished there one driver hit him ,everyone else walked out.
Sir +:
Did anyone ever stop at the very local looking place on the left at the bottom of the hill before Victor’s?.Often fancied a stop there,but it was always ‘I’ll definitely try it next time’
I think the girl that used to work in Victors (cant remember her name ) took it over.