Years ago I remember many times driving up the motorway from England to Scotland stopping at service centres along the way for a coffee and sandwich to perk up the driver, that would be P, never me :) You may wonder why I'm showing a service centre sign here on the Kwinana Freeway heading south.. there is a replica centre on the opposite side of the freeway heading north. As common as these facilities are overseas the BP Baldivis South and North centres are the first here in Perth. A stop to rest and refuel for the many trucks, tankers, tourists etc making the long haul down to the South West region of WA.
No reason for the shot below except that I enjoyed catching two truckies parking their rig and heading into their very own 'trucker's lounge' :) Are these stop, rest and refuel centres quite commonplace on the long haul motorways in your part of the world? Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..
The trucks aren't that different from the ones we see here.
ReplyDelete...yep they are!
ReplyDeleteIn Portugal they are very common,and they are very popular for stopovers for coffee, a bite to eat and a visit to the ladies or gents.
ReplyDeleteon the road!!!!! cool ! EW :)
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when it was a treat to visit a service station; families would visit for a day out. The sense of novelty has long been replaced with acceptance of their necessity, without for one minute forgiving the rip-off prices and often shockingly awful quality. That said - they're not ALL bad...
ReplyDeleteNot on this island but elsewhere in the maritimes, PDP.
ReplyDeleteWow, I do notice something different from where I live. Your McDonald's building is a lot different!
ReplyDeleteIt looks very similar to the service centers we have here on the Florida Turnpike, which is a toll highway.
ReplyDeleteAs you know there are plenty of these places in England, though it's often better to turn off the motorway and find a nice pub - not for alcohol but pub food is excellent these days.
ReplyDeleteWe have those service station stops all along our major highways too. They certainly make for a nice break on a long trip!
ReplyDeleteWe've got them in the U.S. on all major interstate highways. Many are one direction only, some in the middle for both directions, and many on an interchange which gives access even from small roads.
ReplyDeleteOh what a familiar sight to me. When growing up, my family was taking road trips all the time and we used these type of places frequently. I had no idea they would rare where you are. I just assumed they were everywhere. There is even one in Oklahoma that has a McDonald's restaurant that is formed as a bridge over the road. As a kid, I always wanted to stop at that one.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any. It only takes a few hours to drive west to east so there would be no need. I remember stopping at quite a few of them when we drove from the west coast to east coast in the US. They are nice pit stops when driving for days.
ReplyDeleteI remember an absolutely huge one in Carlisle, England on the M6 to Glasgow. It wasn't just take away food chains supplying the food. They were rather better than those here.
ReplyDeleteOh, there are many of them here in Virginia. We live near an interstate that carries so many trucks that I've read that 30% of the traffic there is trucks! They can look intimidating too.
ReplyDeleteWe have them here as well though not as big as yours I think :)
ReplyDeleteNesta altura do ano andam muitos nas estradas.
ReplyDeleteContinuação de boa semana.
Andarilhar
Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
O prazer dos livros
We have some places to rest along the motorways, but we are a small country, you drive almost in and out in a few hours. So you can also wait until a stop in Belgium or Germany :)
ReplyDeleteI went to a wonderful highway stop in Austria... gourmet food, lovely! And clean washrooms too.
ReplyDelete0.5 euro to go to the washroom then you can use the receipt towards a coffee in the cafe upstairs, very civilised.
Yes, Grace, very common. It´s better, though, to get the car filled up before hitting the highway - mostly cheaper then.
ReplyDeleteAlso if you have to "go" - go before, it does cost money at the stations. And often it´s not clean.
Sometimes I think these are a major part of the U.S. economy, if you travel on the interstate. On the West Coast there always seem to be fast food spots and gas stations near many off ramps and often simple "rest stops" with restrooms, drinking fountains, and enough parking spots to stop and nap or take a short walk.
ReplyDeleteSo you can also wait until a stop in Belgium or Germany :)
ReplyDeleteSexy Japan Girl
It doesn't look so different from what we have here....
ReplyDelete