Moselle Valley, 15 February

One disadvantage of the very big bed in this motor home is that the Swan Whisperer is too far away to snuggle against his back when you wake up not quite warm enough in the night!  Ah well.

After breakfast this morning he went off on another of his 2-hour walks, leaving me on my own, and then we set off downstream again, stopping at a bakery for rolls for lunch and then in the town of Bernkastel-Kues

to eat said lunch and to have a walk round the town. Actually, what we walked round was Bernkastel; Kues is on the other side of the river

and not as pretty, from what we could see. There were several double - barrelled towns we went through like that, rather like Budapest, we thought. Not that the town looked anything like Buda, or even Pest!

It was very pretty and, even in February, a great many tourists! Mind you, it was a very un-February-like day; we didn't really need coats or wraps! Brilliant sunshine,

while at home they are being shaken by Storm Dennis! 

Then we drove on along the river tu where we had hoped to spend the night, only to find it closed because of the high water. So we are at another aire, a mile or so away, same price, but this one doesn't offer electricity, which is a bore as we are low on gas.

We may go straight to Koblenz tomorrow, we'll see. The Swan z Whisperer, needless to say, went off on another marathon, but can't back in time to cook Sausages and mash as it is Saturday and we have to have Sausages and mash on a Saturday... 

Moselle Valley, 14 February

"Extra for the mice, extra for the lice,

Two per cent for looking in the mirror twice!"

I really think the aire at Trier must have been taking lessons from the Master of the House, as on top of the not insubstantial overnight fees, we had to pay for electricity and for using the services and had we wanted a shower (which we could not have had anyway as they were out of use for the winter), that would have been extra, too. They did say at the entrance that you could use the loos for free.....

So anyway, the Swan Whisperer went for a run and after breakfast we went to a Kaufman where I did a shopping, and then we drove on here through some very pretty villages - it is lovely  now and will be really lovely in a month or two - to a village called  Schleich where we have parked up by the Moselle. 

Moselle Valley, 12-13 February

I don't quite know why I didn't blog yesterday - I meant to! I didn't do very much, although I felt a lot better than the previous day. We went to a supermarket - another E Leclerc, if memory serves me right, and then drove the relatively short distance to Sierck-les-Bains, where we parked up by the river, but with a railway line in between.

However, passenger services only seem to run at weekends and on bank Holidays, so only a couple of freight trains went past. The Swan Whisperer went on a long walk through three different countries, France, Germany and Luxembourg! I stayed in the van knitting, and finished my poncho at long last. It is lovely and warm. I can't quite decide whether to give it proper armholes, or not bother.

Today I went up to the Norma supermarket a couple of hundred yards away from the parking, but couldn't get fresh milk there and couldn't see the eggs, so we went to a Carrefour Market a little way out of town and rectified that. Then we drove along the banks of the Moselle to Trier, in Germany, passing through Schengen in Luxembourg, home of the infamous agreement. It would have been a lovelier drive if it hadn't been pouring with rain!

We used to park in the big park & ride car park, but they don't like you spending the night there, so we have goodly gone to the official motorhome site, which is expensive and electricity on top. Nice view of the Moselle though. After lunch the Swan Whisperer went for another walk (he did one before breakfast too), and I am relaxing on the bed as it is cold and I don't like to have the heating on if the SW isn't there. Seems a waste of good gas. 

Moselle Valley, 11 February

Not a good day for me; I really didn't want to get up, and it took me most of the morning to find the energy to have a shower. The Swan Whisperer went for a walk and found a bakery, so came back with a baguette and some croissants.

Once I was finally able to get dressed, we had lunch and then drive cross-country to Pont-a-Mousson, where we are parked up in the aire.  It was a seriously lovely drive!  France is beautiful, even at this time of year. 

It's the first time there have been other motor homes; we originally parked by the river, but the man in the office said to park up with the others as they were expecting more bad weather (which I don't think happened} and it was more sheltered up here, plus the electricity was stronger. So we moved, and have had a very comfortable night. 

Moselle Valley, 10 February

The weather was still horrible when we woke up, so the Swan Whisperer didn't go for a run. He did, however, go out for a blow just after breakfast, and to his disgust just failed to get a picture of a tug going through the canal tunnel.

There were services, but you had to get a jeton from the museum/tourist office, which was not open today as it was Monday. Fortunately we didn't really need them.

Really frustrating morning; I set the satnav to take us to E Leclerc, but when we got there it was only "Drive", i.e. Click and Collect. The main shop was about a mile away, but, of course, we went the wrong way at the roundabout and ended up driving for about 5 miles until we got there. Still, we did in the end, and now have groceries, diesel and gas!  I had a lovely time wandering round E Leclerc, and was pleased to get a tidier in-car charging hub than the one we used in the old van, which didn't really suit the new one. It's similar to the one in our car and sits riding in a cup-holder.

Then it was off on a long, long drive over to Contrexéville,; we stopped for lunch, but then not again until we got here. I put on music from my phone, which is random enough not to be predictable, knitted for a bit and then slept.  It was still windy, but infrequent showers and the sun came out for a bit. 

Once here, we had a cup of tea, and tried to do something about an annoying rattle - we got rid of one yesterday, but another developed today. I think we may have sorted it. But the ride quality is superb compared to the old machine, and much more leg room.

After supper, I enjoyed watching a film on my tablet - I have bought some sports earphones and they are so nice I don't  know I'm wearing them, and they don't conflict with my hearing aids, Although they do get muddled with them when taking them off! And now it is bed time, and the weather is distinctly better, although winds still very strong. 

Moselle Valley, 9 February

Going away in February is often a mistake. But we do it, anyway. Going away in the middle of a named storm is a mistake, but we do that, too.  And although we hadn't originally planned to go away in February this year, we really wanted a chance to get thoroughly used to the new machine. 

So yesterday afternoon we set off to Folkestone in howling winds and pouring rain, crossed the Channel in the relative peace of the Tunnel - the only route that was still working, and then another couple of hours' driving in howling winds and pouring rain, this time in the dark. It was the Swan Whisperer who had chosen our stopping-place, not me! I spent the entire time rigid with terror, no chance to doze off, but the SW seems to have enjoyed himself.

Then the aubergine I'd saved for supper was long past its best, but I found I wasn't hungry anyway, so the SW had most of my share. And it was stormy most of the night, with the van shuddering in the wind. I think I got a little sleep in the lulls!

Today it is still very windy, but it has, at least temporarily, stopped raining and the sun is trying to come out so the SW has gone to blow away the cobwebs before we set off on another very long drive, stopping at a supermarket en route. 

Shakedown Cruise Mark II

We could only get away for three nights for our shakedown cruise, and we stayed local to Sussex.  Furthest afield we went was Heathfield, where we discovered, to our delight, that we were only a few miles from some dear friends who moved to Robertsbridge some 3 years ago, so we rang up and were able to call in on them for coffee, which was lovely.  I do so miss them in London!

However, the cruise was really about getting to know the motor home, and what was wrong with it, and what needed to be put right.  First thing that happened was the Swan Whisperer broke the door shelves of the fridge, so he has ordered some more, which we hope will arrive before we go away.  Then he bumped his head on the handle of one of the cupboards, and broke it - that is easily fixable, it just wants a drop of glue, but it needs to be done!  Third thing was that he didn't close the water inlet properly, and the bung fell out and was lost.  This was easily replaceable, and he has learnt how to put it in properly.

The van itself is comfortable, but we still haven't quite fathomed out where to keep things yet.  That will come, of course, as it did in our old one, but it feels as though there is less storage.  I don't think there actually is, but that is what it feels like.  We are going to try using a system of crates in the hold, as it's quite easy to get stuff out of it from inside the van.  It also has, rather a nice touch, an outside shower so you can wash your muddy shoes or boots off before getting in!  And it was muddy!  The first day it rained and rained and rained, and although we were warm and dry inside, the van was muddy and so was the campsite!  This being England, we had to use campsites or certificated locations, so we did both.

There are other issues - I can turn the radio off, which the Swan Whisperer can't, but I can't turn the heating on, which he can!  We had not been able to resolve the thermostat issue, so took it back to the Sussex Caravan Centre, where we'd bought it, and they were marvellous - the man didn't quite know, but knew where to ring for advice, and it turned out that the wrong thermostat had been installed, so he quickly replaced it.  Now we can programme it to come on just before we want to get up in the morning, and even programme the hot water, so no more shivering into a cold van to put the water and heating and kettle on!  Even though, as the Swan Whisperer said, we do drink tea before we get up....  They also showed him the knack of emptying the grey water tank (we had both tried, to no avail).

Another thing we discovered is that it has a television aerial on the roof!  As it also has a television mount inside, I am seriously looking at buying a 12 volt TV (yes, these are a thing), although we managed perfectly happily without one in the old machine.  But then, it didn't have an aerial!  And it didn't have anywhere comfortable to sit and watch, either.  The best TVs seem to have inbuilt DVD players plus USB connections to one's tablet to watch the Amazon Prime movies one downloaded earlier....  We also think that we have a combination grill/oven; thus far it has only been used to make toast and cook sausages, but I worry lest I succumb to the temptation to buy too many tartes flambées and quiches rather than cook from scratch.  The Swan Whisperer cooked supper once and breakfast twice, and I cooked supper twice and breakfast once, so we are both getting used to the kitchen.  It is too small, but at least while you're cooking, you're not in the way of the other person getting dressed.

I felt that I used too much water in the shower, so am going to buy a trigger-operated shower head like we used in our last machine, even though this one has a proper mixer tap.

There is still much to learn, so in ten days' time we are going to the Moselle valley on a 10-day cruise, to try to get it to feel more like home.  But then, what could be nicer than lying in bed watching the stars through the bedroom skylight, or waking up to a view of trees (and rain) at the end of one's bed?

A New Adventure

As regular readers of this blog will know, we've had our motor home since July 2015. 

It was a 2003 registration, able to come into the London Low Emission Zone, but not the ULEZ or any of the increasing number of green zones on the Continent.  And a convenient moment arose to buy a new - or new-to-us motor home.

Unlike in 2015, we knew what we wanted, and just before Christmas we went to the West Sussex Caravan Centre to have a look round - and found our new motor home on the spot.  A Pacific Pilote, 2017 registration, slightly longer than the old one, but still reasonably compact; 4 travel seats and I think sleeps 3.  

We took delivery of it on Wednesday 22 January, and spent yesterday afternoon and evening trying - slightly vainly - to get it sorted out.  It's very different from our old machine - some things are much nicer, including the bedroom, and some things are less nice - there are only two burners on the cooker, for instance, but we think it's a combination grill/oven.  We are still learning about it, of course, and it is a very steep learning curve as so much has been modernised!  It took us some time to learn how to turn off the radio, for instance - and I still don't know how you programme it.... The radio plays in the bedroom, which is nice (although bags me not be the one to get up and switch it off in the middle of the night!).  

Bedroom is definitely superior - huge double bed, memory foam mattress (I think), so we don't keep rolling into each other; I even have a bedside table, complete with pot cupboard, and the Swan Whisperer has a shelf to put his specs and book at night and his tea in the morning. 

Best of all, there are steps up to it so I don't have to get the stool out!  And there are two big cupboards above the bed, so the SW can have one for his clothes and we can use the other for storage, dirty laundry, etc.  I can use the drawers under the wardrobe for my clothes, plus I have a locker where I can keep my toiletries, hearing-aid case, etc, when we're moving.   Best of all, though, it has a separate door, so can be closed off when we have visitors (useful to dump untidy stuff on the bed!) and also I was able to dress in there this morning while the SW was getting breakfast and not get in his way.  

Then comes the bathroom - loo and basin one side, shower the other. 

The loo door is two-way - you can either close it to make a private room of loo and basin, or it latches across to close off the main living area.  So with the sliding door closed, you have quite a large bathroom.  It will, however, need a bath mat to keep the floor in between dry, I think.  Not difficult - we have such a thing.  The kitchen I have already grumbled about - only two burners, and one very small;

sink is okay and huge fridge, also a grill/oven combination (haven't made friends with that, yet).   Lounge area seems more comfortable than the old one, and the cab seats swivel round so you can sit in comfort, but haven't worked out the best position for the table yet.  Cab itself all mod cons, including air conditioning, and a much more comfortable ride than the old one, except the blind rattles.  Oh well....  So all in all probably going to enjoy it, but it's not "home" yet the way the old one was.

We didn't take it out last night - we had thought of taking my mother for a drive, but by the time we'd finished putting stuff away, it was supper time, so she came over while we cooked salmon with broccoli, mashed potato and a lemon-parsley sauce, and drank the bottle of Wiston sparkling wine that the caravan centre gave us as a thank you for buying.  My mother found out later it was worth at least £25 a bottle, but it was delicious and between us we drank the lot!  

Then we went to bed, and slept okay, although I was a little anxious all night.  Today we went to Dunelm to try to find a smaller sauté pan, unsuccessfully, although I did buy a new frying pan, and also a new table cloth and cushions, as the old ones really didn't go with the new décor!  And one of the cushion covers has perished slightly, anyway, plus they were rather large.  We also drove back to the caravan centre to ask them to check the thermostat, as we are not quite sure it is working, but they said the two thermometers probably were out of sync and once we knew how badly, we could adjust the thermostat to suit.  And then we put it away and came back to London, but we'll be going on a proper shakedown cruise in a few days.  I'll report back....

WWMG Innsbruck - the homeward journey

The Games officially finished on the Sunday, and those who had to be at work next morning left at once, or even earlier.  The mountains reappeared, briefly, on Monday morning to bid us goodbye. 

but soon went back to bed again!

There were still plenty of us around on the Monday morning, and a fair few of us on the 10:40 to Munich!  The Aussies, and Sue from NZ, were going to spend the day sightseeing before catching their various planes in the evening; Phil and Bettina were rushing straight to catch a train out to the airport.  We had just under an hour between trains so didn't leave the station, but bought a sandwich and ate that and then went and stood on the platform, where the train was, until boarding started.  I was annoyed, because the DB site had warned that the train might be very full, so I had obediently gone to the ticket office in Innsbruck and reserved us two seats - only to find that the train didn't really fill up until Stuttgart, and meanwhile our seats didn't have a window!  So it was an unnecessary €7 wasted, and we could have sat in much better seats.  Oh well....

We arrived in Köln in good time, and of course the Ibis hotel is in the station itself, so no distance to walk.  Like all Ibises, it was clean, comfortable and soulless!  We went back to Schweinske's, in the station, to eat - I chose a schnitzel and the Swan Whisperer had lasagne.

This morning, we went back to Schweinske's, yet again, for breakfast which was marginally cheaper than in the hotel.  And very good it was, too.

 I recommend Schweinske's - it is very pork-heavy, but there are vegetarian options, too (I had the jacket potato with mushrooms on our way). 

After breakfast, we put our bags in the hotel's left luggage, and went out.  First port of call was the Cathedral, which we have seen so many times, but had never been in. 

Then the Swan Whisperer wanted to visit the Altmarkt, and it's not my fault we went slightly the wrong way through the shopping streets, is it.... We had a brief look round the Swarovski shop (not a patch on the ones in Innsbruck) and the 4711 shop (expensive - you can get the shower gel for half that in Müllers!).  Then we did find the Altmarkt, and walked back to the hotel, with just over an hour to wait.  We were a little worried, as rail traffic had been being badly disrupted due to an unexploded wartime bomb that had been found on the other side of the river; however, the nice man in the station information booth had assured us that our train would run, although it might be diverted, and, in fact, by the time it was due, the bomb had been safely dealt with and the bridge reopened. 

We sat in the hotel lounge until 20 minutes before our train was due, then reclaimed our luggage and went up to the platform.  The train was ten minutes late, but arrived at last, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch with the end of our food from Austria.  In Brussels, we had two hours to wait, and check in for the Eurostar doesn't open until an hour before departure, so we went to the nearest Prets and the SW had coffee and I had orange juice and we sat there until we could go through.  And then an uneventful journey to London, and the Tube home.  I was tired, and would have liked to have taken a taxi, but the SW pointed out that the Tube would be quicker (he's right, of course), and we cleverly managed to find the short way to the Victoria Line and not have to navigate all those tunnels.  And as we came out of the station at Brixton, a 35 bus came past!

Then it was just a matter of unpacking, putting on a load of washing, and sorting out things for tomorrow.

WWMG Innsbruck, 19 January

Today was the last day of skating, but we had friends in every class, so spent the entire time at the rink, watching some very memorable routines, particularly in the pairs.  It was snowing quite hard, so this wasn't actually a penance!

Midori Ito, partnered by Leigh Yip, did a very beautiful  and moving routine to Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera. Diana and Geoff did a routine based on a baseball song (why can't they play cricket like the other ex-colonies?) and Karen and John did a very amusing "Bear necessities". Our Aussies friends, among others, were in the singles earlier and did very well.

After it was all over, we came back to the hotel and I spent my usual quiet afternoon, while the Swan Whisperer went out for a walk. We had supper, as the first night of the holiday, at Frankies, just across the main road. I had a grilled chicken burger and wedges, and the SW had spare ribs. 

WWMG Innsbruck, 18 January

We woke up, as the forecast had suggested we would, to a white world of snow.

No more mountains gradually revealing themselved as the sun rose! We were glad we had done our sightseeing and were planning on watching skating most of the day. We had many friends in Silver Ladies II (so large it had to be split into two classes), and a fair few in III. As it happened, I got a bit of a headache - often happens when watching skating for any length of time, I think it's the whiteness of the ice, so after the second Silver Ladies II the Swan Whisperer and I went over the road to look at the Chinese restaurant he'd eaten in a couple of days ago, but it was a buffet and I hate those and I really wasn't hungry, so lunch was bought in the nearby supermarket. We bought - well, not quite Pot Noodles, but very nearly - and far those with an orange for lunch, and then supper tonight was egg and salad, and I know I shall feel the better for it! Didn't do anything much the rest of the day - the SW went for a run and I gather fell over in the snow. More fool him for going for a run this weather, I did suggest it might not be a plan!

WWMG Innsbruck, 17 January 2020

There was very little skating we actually wanted to see today, so we decided to take another morning off and go out exploring. The J bus is a real blessing, as it goes from Igls, on one side of Innsbruck, to Nordkette, on the other. We caught it from the Sillpark stop, where it interchanges with the no 3 tram, although we could have caught it near the rink.

Our plan had been to get off in Igls and take the no 6 tram, which goes on a scenic route to Bergisel, where the ski jump is. Unfortunately, when we got to the station, we discovered that at this time of year, apart from an early school run, it only runs on weekends and public holidays.

So we decided we would walk down the path alongside the tram line to the next stop, where we could get the J, and take it all the way to Nordkette and then take the Hungerbergbahn back down to the city.

It was a really lovely walk, with wonderful views of Alpine scenery all round.

When we got to Nordkette, we went to see how much the Hungerbergbahn cost - not a great deal, compared with the Nordkettebahn - and then had lunch in the same cafe that I lunched in yesterday. Today I did have the noodle soup with sausages, which was OK, and the Swan Whisperer had käsespätzle like I had yesterday, only he managed to eat a great deal more of it than I had! We were both full when we had finished, so headed on to the Hungerbergbahn. I bought the tickets and was delighted to find that contactless now works here! I do usually pay cash when I can, when I'm abroad, as it is cheaper (in the UK there is, of course, no surcharge), but it is useful to be able to pay be card or contactless when necessary.

The journey was very quick and not particularly scenic, as a lot of it was in tunnel. Fun, though.

Then we walked along the river to the market, where we got apfelstrudel for supper pudding, and then a team back to the hotel. The Swan Whisperer went up to the rink after we'd had a cup of tea, but I had a nap! 

WWMG Innsbruck, 16 January

Today I decided to take the day off from skating, and from people in general. The Swan Whisperer wanted to go to Seefeld to skate so after breakfast he set off, and when I had finished tidyng the room I went off to catch the tram into town. Noticed that there was an MPreis supermarket by the tram stop,so determined to visit it on my way back.

However, the first port of call was a huge shopping mall called Sillpark, and I got off the tram there and had a look round. There was a C&A, which reminded me of my grandmother who was so clever at finding bargains there (and an H&M, which  my daughter is good at). Didn't see anything really worth trying on, though. Enjoyed wandering round DM as usual, although the prices seemed slightly higher than in Germany. There was a big Spar as the anchor store, but I didn't go in there.

When I had had enough I went and caught the J bus up to Nordkette.

I had no idea of taking the cable car up the mountain, and as I was very thirsty I went to the nearest cafe and had a beer as well as a plate of käsespätzle, which was delicious but far too much and I could only eat half of it.

With hindsight, I should have taken the Hungerbergbahn down to the town centre, but I had wanted to go to Igls, which the J bus would have taken me to. However, the tram that took you back to town only runs once an hour, and I would have just missed it, so in the end I got off at the Inn,

and wandered round the old town, visiting the Swarovski shops and goodly not buying anything although there was a crystal wolf that badly wanted to follow me home! 

I did buy some rather lovely shopping bags, which will be great for knitting projects.

And so back to the main road and the tram, MPreis and the hotel, and we are watching skating on the livestream. 

WWMG Innsbruck, 15 January

Not a good day, alas. When you go up to the rink, which isn't far, you have to go down into an underpass to cross the road, and the quickest way up is to go up some steps. I have been finding it necessary to stop for breath half-way up as my lungs are not brilliant at the best of times, and with the aftermath of this cold they are really bad just now. But the Swan Whisperer encouraged me to keep going, and I was badly out of breath when I reached the top. This wouldn't have mattered, but when we got to the rink, some jobsworth wouldn't let me use the lift, and by the time I got to the spectators' level, I was breathless to the point of feeling really unwell. I ended up sleeping through the free dance, and didn't want to do anything once we'd watched our friends skate except go to bed and sleep. I hope I'll be better tomorrow - I want to go round the shops!

No photos today, so here is the rink again. 

WWMG Innsbruck, 14 January

We had an early start this morning as the ice dancing was due to start at 09:00, rather than at 09:30 as it did  yesterday and will tomorrow.  We got down there in good time, and enjoyed watching the Masters' Elite and Masters Rhythm Dances.  

I'd got confused and thought it was to be Silver Ladies I, where we don't know anybody, this morning, so we went for a walk in Innsbruck,

stopping at the Stiftskeller for lunch. 

I had sausages with sauerkraut, and the Swan Whisperer went for the day's meal deal, which was meat and potatoes in some kind of sauce followed by cake with cream.  I drank Almdudler, which I hadn't tried before; it was okay, I suppose, and I had no trouble finishing my glassful, but I'm not sure I'd buy it again. 

That is not the Stiftskeller, by the way....  We did not look in the Swarovski shop - maybe I'll go back without the Swan Whisperer!

We did, however, look round the market where we had had lunch at least once last time we were here. It has, I think, been poshed up a bit, and there is certainly a wider choice of places to eat than there was then.  

After lunch I was tired, so went back to the hotel on the tram, while the Swan Whisperer went back to the rink.  I did go out again, but only to the supermarket.  I know I've missed some lovely artistic programmes, and missed cheering on my friends, but in many ways I prefer watching free to artistic.  Tomorrow sees the last of the ice dances, the free dance, and also the last of the artistic, including our Aussie friends in Bronze V, which we will definitely watch. 

WWMG Innsbruck, 13 January

This version of Blogger is very definitely not as good as its predecessor, as there is no way, as far as I can tell, to insert links.  At least photos will go in their right place. 

Last night, after I had written this, we went out to the fast food restaurant, Frankies, that the hotel receptionist recommended. It may have been fast food, but it was excellent, and we will certainly eat there again next weekend (it is closed Tuesday to Thursday).  I had a "grillteller", which was huge and I didn't eat all of it

and the Swan Whisperer had a pizza.  And so to bed, but went to sleep too early and was awake for hours in the middle of the night, which meant I had trouble waking up this morning. 

Today was the first day of figure skating at the WWMG, so we got up relatively early (not, it has to be said, quite as early as we had meant) and went down to see what the hotel breakfast was like.  This turned out to be delicious and copious, with a cooked option, including, of all things, baked beans!  

After leaving our room as we hoped the chambermaid would wish to find it, we went down to the rink - which seemed  a great deal nearer than yesterday, now that we knew where it was - and watched the various Pattern dances, from Masters down to Bronze. 

Many of which were mediocre for their standards, but the Arnolds were as brilliant as usual, and our friends and sometime competitors SK and Alicia, did a truly great Fiesta Tango that quite redeemed their egregious European waltz. 

When that was over, we got coffee from the stall - no reduction for using your own mug, but they do make it in it for you.  It was then the turn of the Bronze men to do their artistic, and we'd promised to support Jim, and also a Spanish woman we'd met in the restaurant last night. 

Once they had skated, it was lunch time, so we went to the "Sports Bar" and I had what was called Viennese goulash with bread, and the Swan Whisperer had a burger that came with chips and I think was the better option.  We washed it all down with gluwein, which was lovely. 

After this, I had watched enough skating for one day, so went back to the hotel via the supermarket, where I bought bread, cheese, hardboiled eggs, tomatoes, oranges and yoghurt for our supper, and flopped for  bit.  Then I decided I'd done my 5k steps for the day, so watched a bit of the skating on the live stream, and some YouTube videos, and knitted a bit, and then the Swan Whisperer came in, so we ate, and are trying to decide whether to go down to the bar or not.  I am inclined to say not.... 

WWMG, Innsbruck, 11-12 January 2020

The WWMG, or Winter World Masters' Games, is a winter sports competition for adults aged 30 and over. Although we no longer compete, we still enjoy watching ice skating, and many of our friends are here from all over the world.

The Alps in January in a non - winterised motor home was never going to be a plan, so we decided to go by train. The Man in Seat 61 (can't see how to  insert links for some reason; he's seat61.com) told us that the way to do it (or A way to do it) was the night sleeper from Cologne, which sounded great. And it was.

We set off at about 11:15, and the first train was the Victoria Line to St Pancras, where we had about an hour to wait - about 40 minutes before boarding - and then on to the Eurostar to Brussels. Another 90 minutes in that city gave us time to have a cup of tea and, luckily, to discover we were in the wrong part of the station - the right part had much nicer places for tea, oh well. We got to the platform just as the Thalys to Köln was pulling in, but it didn't feel rushed as so many people were getting off we had to wait several minutes to board.

The Thalys was very comfortable and I fell asleep at once and didn't really stir until we got to Köln, where a 2 hour gap gave us time to have dinner in comfort. I had a jacket potato with garlic mushrooms 

 and the Swan Whisperer had a Currywurst ("Got to have my sausage on a Saturday!") with chips.

The NightJet was on time and very comfortable - we slept surprisingly well. Very small compartments - you practically had to take it in turns to breathe, but we spent quite a lot of time in the corridor watching the Rhine go by. They gave us a goody bag with slippers and towels as well as fizzy wine, a pen, drinking water, earplugs and a couple of snacks. It was disconcerting to wake up and find we were now going in the opposite direction, but I think it may have reversed at Nürnberg, where it divided to go half to Vienna and half to Innsbruck.

Watching the sun rise over the Alps is always a huge pleasure, especially in a train with a delicious breakfast, ordered the night before.

We arrived at Innsbruck at the scheduled time of 09:15, and took a taxi to the hotel who firmly said we couldn't check in until 3 pm, so we asked if we might leave our luggage and they said of course, and showed us where to put it, and there were our Aussie friends finishing their breakfasts! I couldn't resist striking a pose and declaring, "We have arrived! Let the Games begin!"

We sat in the hotel for a bit - I dozed off - and then decided to walk up to the Olympiahalle - about 500 metres away - to see who was around. We met various friends and found out where the skating will be tomorrow; there was short track going on today.

There was a very nice cafe in the complex where we had coffee, and then headed off to walk back to the station to buy milk in the supermarket there and grab a sandwich.

We wandered around Central Innsbruck for a bit, but I was getting tired and there was a tram, so we took that back to the hotel. Which kindly allows us to check in, even though it wasn't quite 3, so we checked in, unpacked, and had a cup of tea. The Swan Whisperer has gone for a run and I am enjoying the view from my bed! 

Christmas Markets trip., 16 December 2019

Today was the last full day of our holiday, and the weather has been spectacularly vile, peeing it down most of the day. 

We left our hosts of the previous night at about 10:00, and our first port of call was an Intermarché in Guise for diesel and gas; I popped into the supermarket and spent all of €2. 10 on half a baguette and some reduced-for-quick-sale apple tarts. 

We drove on to the far side of Lille before stopping for lunch  - we had thought to stop in Landrecies, where we have parked up before, but it was too early for lunch and the Swan Whisperer had had his coffee, so we headed on.  

Got to Coquelles mid-afternoon, and I did a massive shop for last-minute Christmas goodies, and also coffee and the nice tea that I like as we are unlikely to be back  here before next May. 

After a cup of the aforementioned tea, we drove up to the new aire at Sangatte, near the cemetery there, and rather stupidly settled down for the evening - had we thought, we could have driven round Calais and seen their Christmas lights, which are always spectacular.  But we didn't, and spent the evening reading and playing games or listening to music on our various devices. 

Christmas Markets trip, 15 December

Today is the Swan Whisperer's 69th birthday, and it was pouring with rain for a lot of it.  He went for a run when he got up, and while he was doing that, I got his presents out from their hiding place and later got breakfast while he was showering and dressing. 

I was quite tired today after two fairly strenuous days in Strasbourg and Kehl, and the weather was not conducive to doing much.  The Swan Whisperer went for a walk before lunch, and then we went to use the services, forgetting that we were still attached to the electricity!  Oops!  Fortunately no harm done except it reset the circuit breaker in the aire, but we suspect that can be easily fixed.  The head came off our cable, but the SW was able to get it back on and it is working, so that's all right. 

After lunch, we set off and drove to this place not too far from Laon where we are spending the night.  It is a farm, and I expect they will want to sell us some of their produce in the morning, but that's okay!  It's a France Passion place, and they seem very nice and welcoming. 

We have just had a nice cup of tea, and it will be sausages and mash for supper as we didn't have them yesterday. 

Christmas Markets trip, 14 December

We really got up at a reasonable hour this morning and caught the bus into town to wander up the main shopping drag, calling at DM, Muller and Woolworth's on the way. Then we went into what's called the City Centre shopping mall to go to Edeka and a German grocery shop, including, but not limited to, red cabbage for our Christmas dinner (which will be magret de canard), coloured hard-boiled eggs, sausages for tomorrow night, and a pineapple!

We had had trouble finding the mall, and when we came out we headed towards what we thought would be a tram stop, but then found we were at the Town Hall already! And there was our bus - they are only one an hour on Saturdays - about to go, so we had to run for it. I was delighted to find I recovered very quickly!

Once back at the van, we had coffee and then got ready to head on. We had already decided to get diesel in Germany, as it is a good 20 cents a litre cheaper than in France, and were very amused to find that this is obviously what the French do on Saturdays, as there were huge queues (and at the Esso garage on the other side of the road).

However, we got our diesel at long last and headed on back to Toul for the night. Google have is a lot more restaurant options once we were here, and the one we have chosen is all of 5 minutes away from the aire! 

The Swan Whisperer is eating tartiflette with local sausage, and I have ham hock! Both very delicious!