Beer and Castles Route, 31 May

We have been in four countries today. We started off in Germany, where they were having yet another public holiday, but we found a petrol station with attached bakery to get both diesel and rolls for lunch. Then we set off on the long, long trail back to Calais, across Holland and Belgium, with endless road works and delays. We ended up in Ostende, where we stopped for a cup of tea and to stretch our legs, and then asked the Sat-nav to take us the rest of the way not on the motorway. It was a delightful drive alongside one of the many canals, and then through Dunkerque, a town where we've been many times before but we couldn't recognise anywhere, for some reason. Neither of us could, it wasn't just me being feeble.

Then we stopped at the big Auchan outside Dunkerque where we ate supper in. Flunch (not too gruesome!) and did a bit of shopping before heading back to the motorway for the final, quick and easy, run to Calais.

Beer and Castles Route, 30 May

Today was All About Wuppertal. And there is one thing which defines Wuppertal and that is the Schwebebahn, or suspended railway, which runs about 25 km through the town and serves the function of a metro or tram.

Citymapper works here, which is always a plus,and we discovered we could buy a day ticket that covered all the public transport in the area for €10.30 for both of us. They were available from the bus driver, too, so we didn't have the boring thing of having to pay for a single ticket to the station!

We found the right bus stop which was not far from the aire, and the bus came in about 5 minutes. It dropped us off at the Oberbarmen station which is one end of the line.

 

It really is an amazing feat of engineering, but what we didn't expect was that the cars would sway about - most disconcerting, and slightly sick-making. On subsequent rides we learnt that sitting as near the front of the train as possible minimised this.

We went to the far end of the line and, after stretching our legs round Woolworths and DM, came back to what we thought was the main town hall but it wasn't, so we got a bus to the central station and then the Schwebebahn again to the station called Alter Markt, where there was a brewery and a town hall, and a cafe where I used the loo and we ordered lunch, which was a big mistake as it took over an hour to arrive and was nothing special when it did. How long does it take to put salad and chicken on a flatbread?

Anyway, it came at last, and we decided to get a bus back to the aire that went a different way and that stopped just outside it. This was very pleasant, but we felt we had done Wuppertal by then, so after a cup of tea and using the services we headed on. First port of call was a supermarket as tomorrow is yet another bank holiday in this part of Germany (how many holidays in one month do you need?), so we had to get the last German things plus milk and yoghurt and so on. And then a rather slow drive to Düren and the aire we have stayed at twice before. We are definitely homeward bound.

Beer and Castles Route, 29 May

Today started off hot, and I decided to walk to the bakery to get rolls for lunch, and after using the services, we set sail for Wuppertal. The SW wanted to go across country through one or two marked scenic routes although, as he said, everywhere is scenic at this time of year. So we put various way points into the Sat-nav and eventually ended up at Stockum, on the Möhnesee, for lunch. There was a kiosk so we went to buy sausages, only to find that this was all they were, just on a plate by themselves, so we were glad of our rolls!

It was a long drive in the afternoon, too, and by the time we arrived at the camp site it was pouring with rain, so we haven't been out. Tomorrow will probably be nice, though.

Beer and Castles Route, 28 May

It was going to be a hot morning, so when the Swan Whisperer went for his run, I walked up to the Netto supermarket to do the day's shopping before breakfast. Of course he got back before I did and didn't have a key, so texted to find out where I was and then arrived to demand to borrow my key just as I was trying to pack and pay. So I made him walk back with me to cool down.

We had breakfast outside, and then headed on, only to find that the car wash place where you were supposed to pay and there were services had closed down, so we got our night for free.

We made a wrong turning, not believing the Sat-nav when it said that this very minor road was the B85, but we backtracked when we realised we were wrong and followed it around some serious hairpin bends until it ended at a town called Berka. And so we have travelled most of it (barring the odd detour) all the way from Passau!

So now along the A38 to Göttingen. We had originally planned to go to Fritzlar, but changed our minds. We are parked in an aire in the car park of a spa complex, with services, etc. The SW went in to see the town but said it wasn't very pretty.

It is very hot, and I think it will storm soon. We ate supper outside, but I don't think we'll leave the chairs and picnic table out tonight, nor have the skylights open!

Beer and Castles Route, 27 May

It was a hot, hot morning. We had vaguely thought of going swimming, but I wasn't feeling  quite 100% so we didn't. The Swan Whisperer did go for a walk round the town, mainly to get rolls for lunch, but once that had happened we set off.

The German summer seems to be very like the British one - three fine days and then a thunderstorm, and the thunderstorm caught up with us when we stopped for lunch at Bad Blankenburg so I really didn't want to go and look at the castle. So we drove on, out of the rain, via the Goethebrunnen at Bad Berka (which we couldn't see as there was nowhere to park), and then via the outskirts of Weimar, dominated by the Buchenwald memorial, to her at Bad Frankenhausen, the end of the route. We still have the inside of a week left, though, and a couple of adventures planned, so watch this space....

Beer and Castles Route, 26 May

Today's drive was mostly through deep valleys with hills covered with pine trees. Our day started with a trip to the supermarket, and then we headed towards B85 again. Our first port of call was a Border museum at Heinersdorf, but, sadly it was closed - I think you need to ring up and book in advance to see it. However, we saw a fraction of the old wall, and the notice that explains that this was where Germany, and Europe, were divided until 1989.

It wasn't quite lunch time, so we drove on for another 20 minutes or so, rejoining the B85 at Pressig, and stopping at a random lay-by for lunch. It has been a hot day and we were glad of the picnic tables provided.

After lunch, our first port of call was Ludwigsstadt, where there is a rather spectacular railway bridge, but its wasn't very easy to see. However, it turned out that back in the day, Ludwigsstadt had been the last (or first) railway station in West Germany. And, indeed, before that, on the border between Bavaria and Thuringia. The next town along, Probstzella, had been the first in East Germany and the old station building is now used as a museum of that time.

Fortunately for us it was open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (the first time I have ever seen Sonnabend used instead of Samstag for Saturday), and although the man on the desk had such a strong regional accent we couldn't understand a word he said, we got in all right and spent a very happy hour seeing all the hoops people had had to jump through to visit their relatives, even from West to East.

When we finished there, we drove up to a village called Leutenberg where there was a castle that is now a hospital. The SW went to see it, but I was too sleepy.

And so we went on to Saalfeld, passing another couple of castles on the way, and are parked up here for the night. A free car park, but no services here; however, as we used them this morning, we don't need them today, and I believe there are some at the local garage in an emergency.

Beer and Castles Route, 25 May

The Swan Whisperer went for rather a longer run than he meant this morning as he thought he was heading up the hill to the Plassenburg castle, but missed his path. Oh well, no harm done this time....

After breakfast we walked up to the museum. It was in fact three museums in one - a museum of brewing, one of baking and one of herbs and spices. The woman on the ticket desk said she wouldn't recommend we did all three in one morning, so we just bought tickets for the bakery and the herbs and spices one. The brewing museum was said to be as big as the other two put together, so I'm glad we didn't try to tackle it.

One of the disadvantages of being officially old is that you already know an awful lot of the stuff in museums, and there wasn't much about milling flour and baking bread that we hadn't already come across before. An interesting history's section, though, going from the Egyptians to the Romans, then to the middle ages and early modern period, with some interesting information on the legislation in the various city-states that comprised Germany until very recently.

Then on into the herb and spice museum which began with a trip along the Silk Road, bringing exotic spices to Europe, and where they went by sea (and the kinds of vessels their were transported in), and a but about the land route north of Venice. Then some descriptions of the various herbs and spices in everyday use and a history of their use in cookery and medicine. All very interesting, but I was tired. Our entry fee entitled us to some bread to eat on the spot and a sachet of herbs, rather nice. I believe if you'd been to the brewing museum you got a small glass of beer.

We walked back to the motor home and then on to a local bakery to see if they did the sausage in bread that this area is famous for, which they didn't and we felt bad for disturbing her lunch, but she told us where we could find them in the town, which we duly did and ate them (and very delicious they were, too). Then we bought a few bottles of the local brews, and it was time to say farewell to Kulmbach.

Our afternoon drive first went up to Weißenbrunn, where we saw a famous fountain,  the Jungfergettl Brunnen, which is a fertility figure with water pouring out of her boobs. Then to Kronach, where we caught a glimpse of the Festung Rosenberger, and so to Mitwitz, where we would have liked to have seen the Wasserschloss, but when we got to the car park an officious official told us we couldn't park there - although why not just for half an hour - and insisted we move on, despite our pretending not to understand.

Then we decided to leave the route for a détour to Coburg, where we saw the castle that Queen Victoria called her second home, and I think a glimpse of the one where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German. But again, parking was difficult, and I was incredulity thirsty, for some reason, so we drove on a little way to Neustadt bei Coburg, where there is a very nice aire, like the ones we have spent the past few nights at - free, but you pay for electricity and water if you want them.

Beer and Castles Route, 24 May

After breakfast, and after using the services, we drove a few kilometres up the B85 to Sulzbach-Rosenberg, where we had a very pleasant walk around Sulzbach (we didn't go into Rosenberg). While I was in the supermarket, the SW found a scenic route and a car park which he said might be nice to have lunch in. It was, but it was a long old drive to it and because I was hungry I felt a bit car sick. Oh well, lunch soon sorted that.

But it began to rain and there was a thunderstorm while we were having lunch. I fell asleep, but I gather the SW went for a short walk. We set sail for our aire for tonight, in Kulmbach, but added in a détour to see the Rathaus in Pegnitz (not very impressive) and the Opera house in Bayreuth. Which is large, which it had need to be, but in no way beautiful.  The SW said that if it hadn't been so wet he'd have parked up and we could have seen it close up but it was too wet to want to do that! I agreed! 

Then because it was wet and rush hour and we didn't want to go on the motorway, the Sat-nav took us round the houses on minor roads, so we saw a succession of pretty villages, including Trebgast.

This seems a very nice aire. It's free, but suggests a voluntary donation of €3. Electricity is provided but seems quite expensive, so we've not taken it tonight. There are services, but we probably won't use them.

Beer and Castles Route, 23 May

Today was All about Amberg. As we don't have to do grandparent duty as soon as we get home, the Boys being in Scotland that week, we have postponed our return for two days, so have plenty of time to play with. So we had a fairly quiet morning, after the Swan Whisperer had been for his run, and then walked into town via the city walls.

The SW had found a load of plaques that commemorate the history of the town placed to celebrate its 975th birthday in 2009, which he wished me to translate for him, which I did very badly but we got the gist of it. We then entered the inner city by the nearest available gate, and then walked round the pedestrian area until we got to the market square where we had lunch. Beer, of course, and the most enormous Currywurst you have ever seen!  We decided we didn't rate the local brew as much as Regen's,so haven't bought any.

Then it was time to visit the Air Museum, which was not, as you might suppose, about flying but about air itself. There were a lot of rather dull pictures and sculptures, and then some exhibits you could play with, like an air-controlled  pinball table and a flying carpet (they didn't let you sit in it though). It was all quite interesting, but only quite. 3 stars I think.

Then we headed back to the town square and ate ice cream, and then headed back to the motor home. Alas, my tummy has gone back on me a bit so I haven't wanted much  supper and have slept a lot of the afternoon and evening. The SW went to the supermarket but appears to have gone to Birmingham by way of Bethnal Green as he sends to have gone all round the houses. Not that it matters - he enjoyed the walk.

Beer and Castles Route, 22 May

Another lovely morning, so after a leisurely breakfast we headed firstly to the supermarket to stock up on eggs and fruit juice and so on . This took longer than it might have done as the supermarket was in a mall, and there might have been some window shopping....

However, once I had finished, we drove up to Weißenstein to look at the ruins of the castle there, and then back to buy some beer, which I had forgotten to do (the SW had to be dissuaded from buying an enormous crateful, as the idea is to taste the different beers in the towns we pass through). And then finally we set sail to Amberg, which is a lovely town and has services, which we were beginning to need rather badly. We arrived quite early and the SW went for a walk, and he has been trying to persuade me to do like wise ever since, but I am having a tired day and tomorrow is another one.

Beer and Castles Route, 21 May

This is still the Oberstdorf Plus tour , but I have renamed it to fit in with where we are on the holiday.

So we woke up in Passau this morning, and the Swan Whisperer went for a run even before he'd had his tea, which I thought unwise, but he said he'd had a lot of water. As today is a public holiday in Germany the shops are not open, but it does mean parking is free. So after breakfast we drove into the town and parked up under a bridge over the Danube, and then walked around the Old Town, looking into the Cathedral and then walking to where the Inn and the Iltz join  the Danube. And back along the bank of the Danube, which wasn't as nice as it might have been as it was wall-to-wall river cruisers tied up!

We then drove out of town and had lunch in a car park cum children's playground somewhere, and then drove on to this town of Regen. Some kind of festivity was obviously just finishing as we arrived, and the traffic out of town was horrendous! But the Sat-nav took us to our home for the night, which is in a pub car-park, which you can use if you eat in their restaurant. They even supply electricity for an extra €3.  The Swan Whisperer went for a walk and got soaked - the weather had been lovely all day and then suddenly it poured! And as soon as he got back to the van, the sun came out again! 

The meal was delicious  and very good value for money, only Google Translate let me down by not knowing any of the words I didn't know! I ended up with pork slices and noodles, with salad, and the SW had venison goulash with a dumpling and salad. Then he had a plum strudel and I had ice cream.  There was a Bavarian band playing, rather too loudly for indoors, I thought, but enjoyable none the less. 

And back to the motor home with another one next door whose dog whined very loudly the whole time they were at dinner, and they parked far too close to us. They have pulled all their curtains, even though it isn't even trying to be dark, and we think they are watching television. They might as well be at home!

Oberstdorf Plus, 20 May

I have done nothing much today except sleep! I woke up at my usual time and got back into bed with a cup of tea only to awaken two hours later. Forced myself out of bed and into the shower, and we had poached eggs for breakfast. The next thing I knew, we were stopping for lunch in a place called Rosenheim, which seemed quite pretty and we found a car park that was free as it is Sunday.

After much we set off again, and I slept again until we arrived in Passau. It was a lovely afternoon and we sat in the sun for a bit, reading,and knitting - I knitted, anyway - and then the. SW went for a walk, and I got supper, and now I an ging to bed even though it is not yet 9 pm.

Oberstdorf Plus, 19 May

We were up early this morning to get everything ready to move the van. After nearly a week of static camping, this took a bit of doing - switching electricity to 12 volts, making sure everything was put away and all the windows and cupboards closed, etc. Somewhere in all this we had breakfast and I went to the supermarket, and then we used the services and finally done up to the Oybelehalle car park above the rink. This is free with the tourist card so we obtained our ticket and then the Swan Whisperer went back to the camp site to give them back and get his deposit back. 

Then it was the final day of competition, including free dancing, artistic pairs and the elite skaters, including the incomparable Midori Itô and Gary Beacom.

And then a quick drink to toast a friend's birthday, and we were away. We are spending the night at a place called Marktoberdorf, about an hour's drive away, and the post-Oberstdorf exhaustion has hit. All I want to do is go to bed!  But it has been a lovely week, and wonderful to see old friends and make new ones.

Oberstdorf Plus, 18 May

The sun was shining this morning, and I could see mountains I hadn't seen all week! It was very cold until the sun rose, though, whereupon it was difficult to get out of bed as it was so lovely in there with the sun shining in!

The Swan Whisperer and I walked down into the village as I thought he might find a pair of trainers he would like in the cheap sports shop there, and eventually he did. There were some sandals there I rather coveted, too, but, alas, not in my size. Good thing, really, as I didn't really need them. He then went off back to skate on the public session, and I went to Müller and to Woolworth's to buy some more "tossies" for people as I was running out of soap, bd then caught the bus back to the motor home via Norma for orange juice and mushrooms.

Then to the rink to watch various friends skate, including  a very long Silver Ladies II (why can't one's friends all be drawn in the same group?), during which I may have fallen asleep. The SW had gone out for a walk with friends.

Finally back to the motor home for dinner and now the SW has gone back to the rink to watch the pairs, and I've gone to bed, as I'm cold!

Oberstdorf Plus, 17 May

There was not a lot I wanted to see this morning so did a load of washing and went into Oberstdorf to ťry to buy a new rücksack, successfully. Then back for lunch but the washing wasn't dry and we couldn't get any more tokens until later. I had a nap, then cooked a frittata to take down to the rink to eat while watching the Bronze and Silver pattern dances. After which I began fading fast, so we went back to the motor home and had ice cream and a cup of tea before a slightly earlier bed than usual!

Oberstdorf Plus, 16 May

I knew when I went to bed last night that I was going to have trouble getting up, and indeed I woke with a splitting headache (no, I had had precisely one Apérol Spritz) and after we had used the services I went back to sleep again for a couple of  hours . So we didn't get to the rink until  the early afternoon, but in time to watch the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Masters Ladies III classes. These are basically women in their 50s (I think the age category is actually 48-58) and even within each class (except perhaps the Masters) the skill levels are very different.

We popped out for a quick bite to eat in the restaurant during a section of skaters we don't know, but otherwise more or less stayed put.  Three days down, three to go!

Oberstdorf Plus, 15 May

The second day of competition started off very wet indeed. We watched our friend who was in the first class of the day on the live stream! 

There wasn't a great deal I really wanted to watch during the early part of the day. The Swan Whisperer, who had wanted to go for a walk this morning, decided to skate the public session instead and I stayed in the motor home, knitting and reading. But then the rain stopped, so I went to Norma (the supermarket next to the motorhome park) and bought some necessities. I had arranged to meet the Swan Whisperer for lunch at the downstairs snack bar in the rink, which I duly did, and then we watched a couple of classes before he decided to go for his walk after all. I went into town and pottered around there for a bit, and then came back to the van and fell asleep with my head on the table which was uncomfortable and I was chilled when I woke up. It felt good to get back into the nice warm rink!  

We watched some of the Silver Ladies III, and then had a quick, but delicious, dinner in the rink restaurant, before coming downstairs to watch the skating until the end of the day. And got back to the van  just as the rain started!

Oberstdorf Plus, 14 May

Today was the first day of competition. I woke up early, feeling much better, and as I knew the Swan Whisperer wanted to go for a run, woke him up too. He went on his run, and then we had breakfast and were all cleared up and ready by 08:30 so we could be at the rink by 9 and on duty on the accreditation desk, which we did most of the day, with a break in the middle for lunch (Käsespätzle, mmmm), after which I went shopping and then round the town on the Ortsbus. Bought some red wool to make a cardigan for the other great-nephew, having finished the one for the first during the morning session. There will be masses left over - enough for sweaters for both grandsons, shouldn't wonder!

When we finished being on duty, we went and watched skating for a while, and then went back to the motor home, but it was raining and although we had our macs with us we were cold and wet! Supper was just rolls and cheese after the enormous lunch!

Oberstdorf Plus, 13 May

We got up at a reasonable hour, for once, and I went to get rolls for lunch while the Swan Whisperer got breakfast - the bakery was only a few minutes walk. We got away just after 09:30 and, apart from stopping for an hour for lunch, made a very quick and easy run of it, arriving here in Oberstdorf at about 15:30. 

Alas, my lungs, although massively better most of the time, do not seem to like being at altitude, and it rather feels as if someone has wrapped a very tight belt round my ribcage underneath my boobs. I hope I shall adjust, but I really don't feel like strenuous exercise just now. So I didn't go to the team GB get-together, but I did go to the rink party and official opening of the games, seeing old and new friends, hugging and being hugged, trying to catch up with news when you couldn't hear a word people said.....

And so back to the motor home and A Nice Cup of Tea before bed.

Oberstdorf Plus, 12 May

The first few days of this holiday are always one long, long drive to get us there, and today was no exception.

We started off with a walk, however, around the open-air area around  the museum, including the slag heap, which was interesting as it showed how nature was recolonising it gradually. 

Before heading off properly, we stopped at a supermarket for rolls for lunch and one or two other things, including a cake for supper pudding.  But I forgot to buy eggs.

The Swan Whisperer decided he would stop to buy diesel by the Moselle, more or less en route, and we would probably find a place to stop for lunch. And, indeed, we found a lovely motorhome aire just by the river, and had just settled down with our bacon and avocado rolls when the people who belonged to the caravan behind arrived and made it clear that we were to move so they could move their caravan. Which they ought not to have parked there in the first place, as a caravan is so not a motor home. And then, to add insult to injury, I dropped my second roll! 

So that was lunch ruined, although partially redeemed by both ice-cream and strawberries for pudding! 

And then we drove on and arrived in Mannheim at about 16:30, in time to have a cup of tea and a rest before our niece arrived, and to follow the end of the day's stage of the Giro on the app I have installed for the purpose. 

We had a lovely evening with the niece, including a long three-way conversation with the SW's brother, who is on his first Continental motorhome holiday and loving it! He has yet to venture this far, but I bet he will one day.  The niece very kindly gave us some eggs, which  we swapped for half a jar of Marmite! 

And tomorrow the last long leg south to Oberstdorf and the competition.

Oberstdorf Plus, 11 May

Is there anything nicer than waking up on a fine morning in Cité Europe and realising that it is the first morning of your holiday?

We didn't hurry to get up, but drank our tea and caught up with things. We finally got up about 08:30 and had breakfast, and then I went and did some shopping in Carrefour. I was annoyed  because I'd used a trolley, as I wanted a 5L carboy of drinking-water so of course my wristband didn't register my step count. Fortunately, the other app I have on my phone did.

Then we were off for the first long, dreary drive across Belgium. We stopped briefly to get rid of used coffee, and for lunch and another walk at the Strépy-Thieux canal lift,

and a third time as the SW needed a break. It wasn't actually too bad as it was fine and the traffic wasn't too awful, for Belgium. And finally we got to the far side of Liège, and the aire at Blegny Mine that we stayed at in December. It is somewhat fuller now, funny that!

The SW went for a walk while I read and knitted and then he came back and we got supper. I've gone to bed, although I've no plans to snuggle down just yet - it's only 21:00!

Oberstdorf Plus. 10 May

It's that time of year again, when we set off to Oberstdorf for the annual. ISU International figure skating competition.

However, at home, they have been building new flats on the top of our block, and refurbishing it. Its been a total nightmare and gone on for far too long, but this week they have got to the part where they resurface the back yard. Of course, the site manager buggered off on holiday without telling the contractors that the garages were in use and people needed access to them. We knew this week would be impossible, though, so parked the car in the Youth Centre until last night. But it was obvious that we would not be able to bring the motor home up, so we had to load everything into the car, very early, to get away before the workmen came.

We weren't quite sure that everything would fit in the car - we have done this before, but there's a difference between going away for the weekend and going for three weeks! But it did, and we got away shortly after 7.00 am. We stopped at a Tesco to buy breakfast sandwiches and orange juice, and arrived at No 6 at about 9.30. After coffee, the Swan Whisperer went to get the van,and put stuff in it, and then I did the putting-away while he took the dog for a walk and the others went for a little drive round.

By this time it was lunch time, and after lunch we set off. First port of call was a Homebase in Shoreham for gas, and then it was motorway all the way, and we got on the Shuttle an hour earlier than we had booked. So I had time to get a few things from Carrefour (which shut early as it is Ascension Day) while the Swan Whisperer got supper.  Sadly, I wasn't very hungry, for some reason, and am very tired, so am going to have an early night.

Bread and Beer festival

A  hot bank holiday, for once, and we decided to stay local, and go to the Brixton Windmill Bread and Beer festival, which is held in Windmill Gardens, about 15 minutes' walk from where we live.  I hadn't been to Windmill Gardens for six or seven years - I think we took The Boy there once when he was still in a pushchair, and now he is nearly 8, but the Swan Whisperer says he walks past it on his way down to church.

The gardens were rammed when we arrived!  The main bread stall, the Old Post Office Bakery, was totally sold out and deserted, and there were very long queues for beer stalls (not surprised - it was hot!).  There was a van from a local coffee shop, but that was not so popular.  The Friends of Windmill Gardens had a colourful stall, too.

Any maypole dancing was obviously over when we arrived.

but the Morris Dancing was still going on very happily:

There was also a sound stage, and you could queue to go inside the Windmill itself, but we didn't do that.  We did, however, spend some time reading posters about the history of the mill.

It's not the first time, obviously, that we have visited it - I think it closed to the public in 1990, but we certainly visited it on an Open Day before then, when the Daughter was little.  It's good that there is still a working mill in Brixton, even though the flour is now ground by electricity rather than wind power - it hasn't done that for a very long time.  The sails do turn, but are in poor condition and need to be repaired, which I think is the next thing the Friends are hoping to do.

We were surprised by the crowds - not the numbers, that was not surprising on a lovely day.  But the demographic was primarily white, middle-class young families; more Walthamstow than Brixton!  Whether the demographic has changed this much without our noticing, or whether people came from further afield and local people didn't bother, we didn't see anybody we knew.  But it was a pleasant interlude in a busy day!