Summer Holiday, 10 June 2026

Zwenkau, Saxony, Germany

In the end, we reverted to Plan A, as the place the Swan Whisperer thought of in Leipzig was fully booked. And I'm very glad we did! 

It has been a much better day, weather-wise. The clouds have gone, the sun is out, and the temperature has been rising. 

Our first port of call this morning was to a REWE en route to the motorway, where I did a shopping and made sure we had enough supplies to do us until Monday; however, I expect we will need milk, also fizzy water and peppers, so I must try to shop tomorrow. I also want to be able to spend time pottering round a DM and/or a Kik or Tedi! Haven't had a chance this holiday as yet, and, as we are booked in, it won't matter if we don't arrive in Berlin until later. 

Anyway, we had a long drive on the motorway - I knitted and dozed a bit - and we arrived here in Zwenkau just in time for lunch. It is a lovely aire, by a lake - in fact, I think it is part of the Yacht Club. After lunch, we relaxed a bit and then had a cup of tea before going swimming at the bathing beach, which is only a couple of hundred yards away. This was the first time I have used my water shoes, which I originally bought for the Achensee last year, and then we never swam there. 

It was lovely, although horrible getting wet! We pootled around, relaxing and swimming a bit, and either I caught a tiny fish or it caught me, not sure which! Obviously I threw it back.... 

Once we started to get cold, we called it a swim, and came back to the WoMo. I was tempted to get into my dressing-gown and sit outside, but decided I hadn't really had enough exercise today, so got back into shorts and t-shirt and then took the rubbish to the bins, and used the opportunity to have a good walk round the site and take photos of the lake and the beach. 

Then we sat outside drinking, first lemon/mint cordial and then beer, and then I got supper which was the end of the ragu with a pre-prepared rice and lentil mix, and very good it was, too! And it's just beginning to get cool, so in a bit I'll go inside and read! I need to go to bed fairly early, as we must be up betimes so that the Swan Whisperer can parkrun in Leipzig tomorrow. 

Summer Holiday, 9 July 2026

Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany

It was cold in the night. The bedroom window was wide open, as was the skylight, so I ended up grabbing a rug to cover my duvet before I could sleep. I did hear my alarm, and sat up and took my pill, but then went straight back to sleep and didn't wake up until nearly 8, what time the Swan Whisperer said he was going for a run. 

I got up then, and got everything ready while he was out, and after a late breakfast we set off for Göttingen. It was a straightforward drive on the motorway, with only a couple of minor hold-ups due to roadworks, and we got here about 12:30. We had been told the aire was very popular, and were worried lest it be full, but in fact there were plenty of spaces, so once we had got water (we had emptied the grey and the loo this morning, but their water was u/s, so we just put in 11 litres from the standpipe and then filled up when we got here) and I had paid for our stay (there is an app, so easy!), I went off to the nearest bakery, just across the big car-park, to get rolls for lunch while the SW parked up and dealt with electricity and ramps and so on. When I got back, he had already got the various spreads, etc, on the table. 

We discovered it was only about a 20-minute walk into the old town centre, much of it along what is called a canal, but is only really a ditch (quite pretty, though, at this time of year),

so that's what we did. We wandered round the centre, which is rather nice - I could almost, almost have wished the SW hadn't been with me so I could investigate the lovely shops! I nearly parked him on a convenient husband bench and went to DM, but there will be other days! 

We decided to get a bus back to the aire - the bus stop is very near - but found we had got ourselves turned round, and had a bit of trouble finding the stop we wanted, which meant we very nearly missed the bus, but just caught it by the skin of our teeth. When we got back, we had a cup of tea and the SW, believe it or not, went for yet another walk as there is a lake nearby he wanted to see! I don't know where he finds the energy! He has chosen a different place for us to spend tomorrow, in Leipzig, so he can go for a parkrun! He said there is one near here, around the lake, but when I suggested staying here another night so he could, he said not. So we want to leave early-Ish tomorrow, and get to Leipzig in time to explore in the afternoon and then head on to Berlin after parkrun. That's the plan, anyway. 

There is a spa bath a couple of hundred metres away - I do wish I had the energy to enjoy its amenities, but I really don't! But after a cold, overcast day the sun has come out, and it is a lovely evening! 

Summer Holiday, 8 July 2026

Möhnesee, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

With hindsight, we should have filled up with diesel before leaving Belgium, but we assumed diesel would be cheaper in Germany. Spoiler: it wasn't! In fact, it was about 20 cents a litre dearer, and we were lucky to fill up at "only" €2.04. I don't know what has made the prices so very much higher than they were in May - they have been beginning to come down in the UK lately! 

We thought we had set the Satnav to take us up through Maastricht and into Germany from there, but it seems to have changed its mind when I added a supermarket stop en route, and we were taken the "usual way" via Aachen. However, we did not turn off towards Köln, but rather went north towards Dusseldorf. Mind you, we've done that route before, only in the opposite direction. 

Our first stop was at a REWE to shop; my breakfast had expired by then, and I was very wobbly and bad-tempered, so made the Swan Whisperer go and get rolls from the in-store bakery and we had lunch, but even still I was very wobbly in the shop. Got all I wanted, though, and some lovely ripe gooseberries to boot, which I have stewed with some sugar and had with yoghurt for supper pudding. The rest of the journey took ages due to very slow traffic on the motorway, but we got here at last. 

I am very disappointed with this aire; it was expensive and looked as though it would be lovely, but it is small, cramped and crowded! And did I say expensive? I paid for the second tier of pitches, allegedly in front of the lake, which I suppose they are, but there is an awful lot of greenery between us and it!

I should have liked to have swum, but it has been overcast and cloudy all day, and the temperature is only about 21. After the recent hot weather, it really feels rather chilly! Nobody else was swimming, so I couldn't, as it really isn't safe to swim on one's own. 

So instead I profited from the free WiFi to catch up on YouTube, and then made a large ragu, which we had with fresh tagliatelle and shaved parmesan. Followed by the end of the stewed rhubarb for the Swan Whisperer and the aforementioned gooseberries for me, both with yoghurt. 

Summer Holiday, 7 July 2026

Blegny-Mine, Wallonie, Belgium

We were woken in the small hours by celebratory car horns - we assumed Belgium had beaten the USA, as, indeed, it turned out! The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, before it got too hot. We were sad to say goodbye to Tournai, and hope to come back again sometime. 

After much arguing with the SatNav, we got it to drive us along the Meuse, which was not quite as 100% industrial as I remembered, but the scenic bits - between towering cliffs - were not very long, and mostly it was either residential or industrial. We stopped off at a Carrefour on the outskirts of Liege, and, as I was having a must for some chips, we went to a restaurant in the complex. I had a piece of fish in caper sauce (I don't really like capers, but scraped them off), but it was very dry and had obviously sat under the lights too long. The SW had ribs with his chips, which I think he enjoyed, but he was listening to a seminar from our financial advice team, so when I had eaten enough I went shopping and met him back at the WoMo. 

It didn't take long to get to Blegny-Mine, although the Satnav took us a rather peculiar way, we thought. But when we got there, sadliness - the aire is no longer free, but they charge you €12 per night. Only since 1 July! I did pay it, but we may not come back. 

The SW went for a walk, and I had hoped to go for onelater, but suddenly started feeling horribly sick - I wonder if it was the fish? I wasn't sick, just, and after a nap the feeling passed, but it means I haven't had a walk today, and don't really feel like doing tai chi. 

This is a photo of the car park, as it feels very spacious - some WoMos arrived, but left again when they found they were expected to pay! 

Summer Holiday, 6 July 2026

Tournai, Wallonie, Belgium

We decided to go for our explore this morning, before the heat of the day.  We had a lovely walk round the Old Town, visiting various churches and generally exploring. There will, of course, be more photos on Facebook. 

Sadly, much of the Cathedral, which is the UNESCO World Heritage site, was under wraps due to Works, and really only enough space was left open to enable public worship. 

I was flagging a bit by then, so we stopped at one of the tourist-cafés in the Grand Place for the Swan Whisperer to have coffee and I had a beer (Cristal - delicious). The coffee came with a "featherbed of whipped cream", but I didn't think to take a photo until it no longer did! 

On the way back to the WoMo we stopped at the local Carrefour Market to buy eggs and some patisseries as it is our first full day here. Also paté, but we ended up not having it in the end. 

Then there was a long, hot afternoon spent either flopped on the bed or, once there was some shade outside, sitting out. The early shade, though, was under a lime tree, and you know what that's like for shedding! Actually, we are pretty much parked underneath it, and I do not know how we are going to get the bedroom skylight's mosquito netting closed without emptying bits all over the bed.... I expect there will need to be a towel deployed! 

Anyway, we spent some time looking up an interesting route for tomorrow - the SW wants to drive along the Moselle and refuses to believe me that when we have done so in the past it has been disappointingly industrial. But there, if he wants to drive through industrial estate after industrial estate, I shall just go to sleep! We also spent time researching restaurants as we wanted to eat out and, in fact, ended up at the nearest open one, which was Moroccan, and exceptionally good! Also excellent value for money. I had couscous with a lamb skewer, and the SW had a mixed skewer, both beef and lamb. They bought everything in bowls so one could help oneself, but there was a fair bit left over, delicious though it was! 

And so back to the motor home and I am hoping our mosquito lamp will attract the insects to their demise, as I have too many bites for comfort! 

Summer Holiday, 5 July 2026

Tournai, Wallonie, Belgium

A very long day! We have spent the past week in Sussex, keeping an eye on my mother while my sister and her partner were enjoying their birthdays in Malta. However, I was preaching this morning (you can read the result here, although audio will not be posted until we are home again in a couple of weeks), so we got up early, having loaded as much as we could into the motor home the night before, and we're away shortly after 08:00. We got to the church in plenty of time, and the service went well. 

When it was over, we headed more-or-less straight off to Folkestone, stopping at a large Tesco's en route, because yesterday, at our local Tesco's, the Swan Whisperer had bought a pair of trousers and a pair of shorts, both of which he badly needed. However, he failed to get the security tag taken off them, so we went into this one to ask them to do it. Which they did, and while we were stopped we had a quick lunch - I had bought meal deals the previous day - and then headed on again. I think we were offered a crossing 30 minutes earlier than we had booked, but because it took forever to get through French passport control, we ended up on our booked 15:24 after all. 

It did feel odd not going straight to Cité Europe straight after getting off the Shuttle, but absolutely no point on a Sunday afternoon - French supermarkets are only open on Sunday mornings, if then. So we drove straight here to Tournai, only stopping when traffic jams on the A25 made that a necessity. 

The reason for Tournai is that we had always assumed that it was an industrial city like Lille, but coming home last time we noticed a sign advertising it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So we decided that, next time, we would explore. 

We are staying here two nights, but both of us were tired and jaded after a long day in the motor home - I had slept on the M20, but even still. So after supper - this was cold, consisting of a slice of Gala pie each, plus a sweetcorn salad, a couscous salad and some lettuce - there are times when prepared foods are very useful - we set off for a brief explore. 

We didn't want to spoil ourselves too much for tomorrow, but enjoyed walking down to the historic centre and back; there is a small supermarket a couple of minutes' walk away, which will be useful in the morning, and then we will go and do a proper explore of the old town! 

Late Spring Holiday, 28 May 2026

 Brixton, London

We were booked on the 11:50 crossing,which meant reporting to Le Shuttle no earlier than 09:50 and no later than 10:50.We decided to aim for the earliest time,and were delighted to be offered a crossing on the 10:24! We didn't actuallyy think we'd make it, but, despite queues at passport control, we did, by the skin of our teeth!  If we weren't the last vehicle on, then we were the penultimate!

So we arrived at No 6 just before noon, UK time, sadly too late to see my cousins, who had had to leave an hour earlier, but we did get to see my sister, who was going out to lunch.  She had left lunch for all of us - had I known we were going to be so early, I could have brought something, and this was leftovers from dinner with the cousins the previous evening (cold salmon with a variety of salads, yum!). 

By the time we had everything sorted out, it was already 17:00, largely because the SW had to wash the car as it was covered in bird poo. I did what I could to help, but spent a lot of the time with my mother, reading, and watching a woodpecker trying to see off some starlings which had descended on the bird feeders. About a year ago, my daughter gave them a wildlife camera, and they have been using it to record the doings of the hedgehog in their garden. I haven't seen any footage as yet, but hope to!

The journey back to London was uneventful, and then we had to spend forever unpacking - I haven't quite finished, and have one packing-cube full of t-shirts to put away, but they can wait until tomorrow! I was hot and sweaty, and enjoyed a really luxurious cool shower!  My shower is one of the few things that reconciles me to being at home - the one in the motor home is functional and gets one clean, but cannot be described as luxurious!

I haven't taken any photos today, so here is one from our week at Oberstdorf (the lower station of the Nebelhornbahn at night):