Late Spring Holiday 2024; Monday 20 May

 Home.

We got up relatively early, and were away by 09:30.  First port of call was Carrefour in Cité Europe, which was open, despite it's being a public holiday in France (I had checked!), where I did a bit of shopping - not too much, as time was getting on.

We got a crossing 30 minutes earlier than scheduled, and, despite hold-ups on the motorway, arrived at No 6 at about 13:15, and shared our lunch with my mother, and spent a very pleasant afternoon with her while unloading the WoMo and getting it ready for storage, although we'll have to take it to the dealers very soon as the skylight that doesn't open does leak!

We left Sussex at about 17:10, and got home two hours later - we had to take a slight diversion due to road closures on the A217, but were not badly held up, and enjoyed the sight of Clapham Common on a sunny evening being absolutely rammed with people - bring your own grass!

Then all the boringness of unpacking and putting things away, but it was done at last!  I didn't take any photos, so here is one I took earlier in the holiday. 

Late spring holiday 2024; Sunday 19 May

Marck, Pas-de-Calais, France

We have been in four different countries today! After using the services, and I did a qi gong workout as I was stiff, we left Düren at about 09:30, and it wasn't long before we had crossed the German border into the Netherlands, and some time later we stopped, I think in Belgium, for the SW to have coffee, and I walked up to the shop (it was a proper service area, not just a rest area) and back to stretch my legs. Not that I bought anything, but just a nice bit of exercise.

It is always a long, dreary drive across Belgium, especially when it's raining, which it was - not heavily, but mizzling. By the time we stopped for lunch, though, we were not all that far from Oostende, and just before the E40 turns South towards Calais, the sun came out, and it wasn't long before we were in France, and then only half an hour more to this aire in Marck, where we started off on the first night. It is a very nice aire,

although small, and especially in demand just now while the big one in Calais is being refurbished, hopefully reopening next month. We did get a space (obviously), although not on the side with electricity. The Swan Whisperer went for a walk, but I have had a lazy afternoon doing not very much! Delightful. 

And tomorrow we will be home. I wish we were just setting out..... 

Late spring holiday 2024; Saturday 18 May

Düren, Nordrhein-Westfalen

We hadn't actually planned to end up here today. But there was a parkrun in Esslingen, on the outskirts of Stuttgart, so of course the first thing we had to do was drive there. I cleared off my nightstand, but didn't shower and dress, as I could - and did - do that while the Swan Whisperer was parkrunning alongside the Necker.

So the first 25 km or so of today's journey was done with me in dressing-gown and slippers, with a rug over my knees! However, by the time the Swan Whisperer came back I was clean and tidy, and had had my breakfast. He had his, and then we set out, finding a ReWe to do a Last Shop in Germany, and a cheap petrol station to fill up with diesel. 

I had not been quite happy with where we had planned to spend the night, in France, as it had been a horribly long run last year, and although we hadn't planned to be in quite the same place, it had taken far longer than we thought to get back to the Calais area. So I thought I'd ask What's Halfway for its opinion, which was somewhere around Cologne, so the Swan Whisperer said We Might As Well Go To Düren. I said it would be a horribly long drive, but hey. 

But what with one thing and another, it was past noon before we got properly under way, and with a stop for lunch and another stop for the SW to have coffee, roadworks and pouring rain, it was nearly 19:00 before we got here and parked up. Luckily it is fine here (for now) and there was a space available, so we parked and plugged into the electricity, and then I went to Lidl for a last Last Shop in Germany while the SW got supper. He has just been for a loosen-up walk. 

There will be no possibility of shopping tomorrow, as shops in Germany aren't open on Sundays, and in France they close at noon, but Carrefour will be open in Cité Europe on Monday, even though it will be a public holiday - it has reduced hours. Tomorrow will be a long, long drive again, but I hope we will get away a very great deal earlier. 

Late spring holiday 2024: Friday 17 May

Kircheim unter Teck, Baden-Württemburg, Germany

I slept really well last night - I think I must have dozed off about 11, then woke at 12:30 and then didn't wake again until 3:30! And then woke properly around 6, to "proper" Oberstdorf weather - it was raining! As we had to be away by 14:00, when our exit ticket expired (this is new; last year they had a token for exit, but I don't know what you did if you wanted to exit and re-enter. This year, it is a far more sophisticated system! But they keep on improving that place, year on year). 

We got up early, and the Swan Whisperer went to the place where you can get unpasteurised milk, and then got rolls for breakfast from the bakery. Once we had had breakfast, we used the services and got the WoMo all ready to leave, returned our Kurkarte and got our deposit back, and then went up to the rink. 

I am delighted to say that I have gone back and forth to the rink at least twice a day, except today when it was only once, and never once have I had to stop for breath part-way there! This has never happened in all the years we have been coming here in the WoMo, and in the Van before it, so I am very, very pleased! 

I was very sleepy, and may have dozed off during the free dances, which is a pity. I did manage to watch the Bagets, who say every year that it will be the last time, but I think they mean it now they are in their 80s! They were, gratifyingly, Not Last in their class. 

After the free dances, some of which were more watchable than others, it was the Silver Ladies III and IV Free Skating, in which we had several friends competing. But, sadly, after that class it was time for us to leave if we were to have lunch before our longish drive. We said goodbye to various friends, and returned to the WoMo by way of the bakery, where we treated ourselves to filled rolls and a "last day" raspberry strudel, which we shared. 

We called in at the ReWe to return empty beer bottles and buy leeks and mushrooms, and there was a miniature watermelon.... and then we set off to this little town near Stuttgart. We came here last year on our way home, too - it's only a car-park, but there are dedicated motorhome spaces, and it is free. I gather there is a parkrun not far away, so the SW is planning to do that. When we arrived we were both tired and hungry, so I regret to say we ate cheese on toast and a bit of fruit. This means our supper - chicken casserole - will be late, but cooking it will warm up the WoMo, which feels dank and chilly tonight! 

Late spring holiday 2024; Thursday 16 May

Oberstdorf, Allgäu, Bavaria

Competition day 5

This is being written in two halves, as I have had such a frustrating morning! All due to factors outwith my control! First of all, something seems to have gone wrong with the 5g signal here, which, although never great, at least worked. Now we seem reduced to 3g, and barely that! This also applies to the Swan Whisperer, so it's definitely them-not-us. Anyway, not realising this, I bought a cheap book on Amazon, all of 99p, and can't now get it to download to my Kindle. It is on my Fire, so I can read it there, but the Kindle will neither let me sign in to the free WiFi here on site nor connect to the hot spot! I tried rebooting my phone, I turned it off and on again.... 

Anyway, this morning's very large class had a friend skating first, then a couple of others towards the end, a couple of hours later. So I went up to the rink to watch the first skater, and then went to catch the bus into town as I wanted to go to Lidl.

The bus didn't come, and I had to wait for the next one. I got to Lidl, but of course had almost no signal, but luckily I remembered that it has free Wi-Fi in store in the UK, and decided to check to see if it does here, which it does. So I did my shopping, and then just missed a bus going back. The driver saw me running and pulled away, in the fashion of bus drivers all over the world.

So that was another 20 minutes to wait - I went over to Muller to see if they had any 4711 shower gel, but they didn't. Then I went back to wait for the next bus which was, of course, late. And by the time I'd gone back to the WoMo, put the perishable in the fridge, grabbed my rucksack and gone back to the rink, one of the skaters I'd wanted to see had already been! And no sign of the Swan Whisperer, who had gone on a hike with W this morning. Anyway, I saw the other skater I wanted to see, and then came back here, very frustrated at having been up to the rink twice to watch one skater each time. It is now lunchtime. 

Later: So, after lunch I went to sleep for a bit, and when I woke up, I found my insides had gone back on me, and Immodium was rather necessary. I hope it was because I scored a free iced coffee drink in Lidl, only I don't think the coupon worked, and I was thirsty so I drank it - my insides aren't used to all that milk. It wasn't even very nice! Anyway, I took some Immodium and also some oil of peppermint, which helped. 

Went back up to the rink to watch the rhythm dances, which were very good, and stayed on to watch some of the Gold and Masters Women who are friends. There was than a gap between them and the Masters III men, who are always worth watching. However, I really didn't want to go up and down to the rink again today, so decided that, regretfully, I would have to watch them on livestream. The SW, tireless as ever, has gone back to watch them live. 

Meanwhile, just before we left, there was a small presentation honouring Sissy Krick, who is retiring as a judge, but who has been an integral part of adult skating, and a significant part of setting up the ISU competitions. She is very popular and always gets a cheer when announced as judge and/or referee - she will be missed! 

Tomorrow our exit ticket for the Wohnmobilstellplatz expires at 14:00, so we will have to be all ready to leave before then, probably missing several skaters we would have liked to have seen. Oh well. As well we checked, or we might have had to pay for an extra night! 

Late spring holiday 2024; Wednesday 15 May

Oberstdorf, Allgäu, Bavaria

Competition day 4

Really didn't feel at all well this morning, so stayed quietly in the WoMo, other than a quick trip to Norma. Had hoped to go to Lidl, but that simply wasn't happening. I did make salad for lunch, though. 

Went to the rink for about 12:15 to watch various skaters, and then came back to the WoMo for lunch as it was going to be Pairs, and I don't like watching pairs. 

Had a good kip after lunch, and then back to the rink at 4:00 for a marathon session, interrupted only by dinner at Zorans, above the rink, and even then we were watching some of the pattern dances on the livestream! 

The pattern dances didn't finish until nearly 10, by which time we were both stiff and grateful for the short walk back to the WoMo, a cup of tea, and:

Late spring holiday 2024; Tuesday 14 May

Oberstdorf, Allgäu, Bavaria 

3rd day of competition 

There's always one day when one doesn't want to watch all that much of the competition, and today was that day. The first people we wanted to watch were not going to be on much before 11, so I walked down to Woolworths to buy a flat cushion to sit on in the rink, having not thought to bring an inflatable one. There wasn't going to be a bus for another 5 minutes, so I decided to walk up to the rink via the tourist part of town, which I had not yet seen this year. In hindsight, this was a mistake.

The class we had wanted to see finished very early for some reason, and as there would be half an hour before the one and only skater we wanted to see in the next class, we decided to go back to the WoMo the long way round. This, in hindsight, was also a mistake - or, rather, one or other of these walks would have been fine, but both of them was not a good idea. Especially as we then went up to the rink to watch more friends, and also the Masters Elite Women's artistic, starring Midori Ito. She was brilliant, but many of us thought another skater was actually better and should have won. But that's skating.

Anyway, we came away after that, and another couple of thousand steps back to the WoMo. But that was not the end of it, as the Swan Whisperer wanted to eat out, so although the restaurant we finally went to is marginally nearer than the rink, I have still done >11k steps today, which does not bode well for tomorrow. 

Late spring holiday 2024; Monday 13 May

Oberstdorf, Allgäu, Bavaria

The weather forecast for today was absolutely dire, prophesying rain all day, but in fact, although there were a few showers through the night and into the early morning, the sun came out at lunchtime and we have had a lovely afternoon and early evening.

The competition started at 10.00, and our friend W was skating in the first class, so we made our way to the rink to watch her, and then stayed on to watch several other friends skate, many of whom ended up on the podium. We came away at lunchtime and bought filled rolls from the café next door, which we brought back to eat in the WoMo. The Swan Whisperer treated himself to a very large apfelstrudel, too! 

After lunch, he went back to the rink to watch a couple of friends of his, and I went to Norma and did a shopping, including a tubful of prepared fruit salad, which I had intended to share with the SW, but ended up scoffing the lot! I had hoped to go down to Woolworths to buy an inflatable cushion, as the seats in the rink are not exactly comfortable and are apt to induce severe chapelbottom (although doing a qi gong warmup during one of the resurfaces did really help), but ended up falling asleep, as per usual, and only woke up to get back to the rink in time to watch a few more friends skate, but after a bit I'd had enough, so I asked another skater to please throw my soaps to the various British skaters yet to perform, and we came back to the WoMo.

The sun was out and it was a lovely warm evening, so we sat out and read with a beer for about an hour, until the sun suddenly went behind a dark cloud and it was supper time, so we came in and ate. But the cloud had a silver lining.... 

Late spring holiday 2024; Sunday 12 May

Oberstdorf, Allgäu, Bavaria 

Today was the first day of competition, but it didn't start until 12:00, so the Swan Whisperer went for a run before breakfast, and I didn't get up until he got back. This was a mistake, as when I came back from drying my hair - my new hairdryer is great, and works very well - our friend E had joined us. She had already breakfasted, but accepted a cup of coffee, and we enjoyed chatting to her until she had to go to the rink where she was volunteering, and I went over to the little café-cum-bakery across the road to buy rolls and Sunday patisseries.

We arrived at the rink in time to watch the first class, in which we had friends skating. Unfortunately, G's music didn't play properly, which upset her quite badly, but nevertheless she skated well. In a gap when there was nobody we particularly wanted to watch, we came back to the WoMo and ate far too much lunch (in hindsight, we should have shared a patisserie between us), which made me, for one, very sleepy. So I had a nap, and thus missed a skater I'd quite wanted to see, but we went back to the rink and watched until almost the end of the day.

Neither of us wanted the stew that was waiting for us, so we had cheese on toast, a couple of cherry tomatoes, and a peach instead. I don't know how some people manage to eat a patisserie every day while they are here; I certainly couldn't! 

Late spring holiday 2024; Saturday 11 May

Oberstdorf, Allgäu, Bavaria

Didn't know about the Northern Lights, nor whether they were even visible from here, but what a lovely view to wake up to! 

As I had hoped, my lungs were massively better this morning, so was able to go out and about. Our friend W has just arrived for her first Oberstdorf, and we hadn't seen her since she came to the Mountain Cup in 2009! I She was wanting to go for a walk to get her bearings and explore the area, and as the Swan Whisperer is always up for a walk, I suggested they go together, and come back to the WoMo for lunch. 

I, meanwhile, walked down to Lidl to shop, and was rather annoyed because in Berlin they had had some lovely herb and garlic mills, which I didn't buy, because I thought I could get them here, but, of course, they don't seem to stock them! Grrr. Anyway, I did most of my shopping and then came back on the bus, and made a lovely salad with olives and cucumbers and tomatoes and avocadoes and feta and hard-boiled eggs, and we had fried Leberkäse with our rolls, followed by fruit salad and ice cream. Lush! Of course, I couldn't remember which bus stop I needed to get out at, and got off one stop too soon, which is a mistake I make every year! No harm done, though. 

After lunch, I showed W where the Norma was, and caught the bus back into town, as my travelling hairdryer, which I have not had the opportunity to use before today, grinds to a halt as soon as it heats up, so I decided I'd better invest in a new one - I have a bigger one I use at home, and there are such things as adapters should I want to use the travel one in the UK. I thought I could probably get one in Woolworths, and indeed I could - I do so miss them in the UK, even after all these years! So having bought one, I took the next bus back to the Wohnmobilestellplatz, getting off at the right stop this time, to find the machine at the services being emptied and filled in appropriate places. 

The SW agreed to sort out our clean washing, which had been airing off all over our bed, so I popped over to Norma to get tomatoes and avocadoes since we were now out of them. Then I came back to the WoMo and went to sleep. The SW went up to the rink for the opening party, but came away when the speeches started and is now cooking Saturday sausages. I I must go and put my clean clothes away.