70th birthday trip, Monday 26 June; travel day 13/15

Today was the last full day of our holiday. We were certainly not going to have breakfast in the hotel - CHF 27 per person!! But last night we had noticed a little bakery-cum-café across the road which looked as though it would do breakfasts, so went to explore this morning, and not only got some extremely good muesli and coffee, but also salads for lunch. The muesli came with a roll and butter, and we saved those for lunch, too.

There was a church clock which chimed every 15 minutes, but not between 22:00 and 07:00. However, at 07:00 it made up for the night's silence by ringing a peal of bells! Nice to wake up to! So after breakfast we wandered down to the church to have a look. I couldn't, however, take any photos of the interior as it was being used for a rehearsal - I assume by a local school, but with an orchestra of older people. We watched for a few minutes, and it looked good, with actors, dancers and gymnasts all aged about 10 or so.

Then it was time to check out of the hotel and head to the station for our train to Mannheim. Which was actually going to Hamburg via Köln - we could have gone straight to Köln and spent the night there. But we didn't. 

We had lovely seats on the train, in the panorama carriage, opposite one another. The only thing is they didn't recline and there was no footrest, bit still reasonably comfortable. And great views. 

We took a taxi to the hotel as it was further from public transport than I'd thought. It's not the nicest hotel - they only give you one duvet between two people, which I suppose is all right in the summer, but how on earth do people manage in the winter? It's literally the only place in this entire trip that hasn't had two duvets! Also only one pillow each, but a lovely and thick one so I haven't bothered to ask for another. And no, there were none in the wardrobe - we looked! Also no kettle or fridge, but not all hotels supply these.

The hotel recommended an Italian restaurant next door, which gave 10% off your main course if you flashed your room key. The SW had pizza, and I had a rather spicy pasta with crayfish, followed by ice cream which wasn't nearly as nice as the stuff we had at the Achensee.

One really nice thing about this hotel is that it faces on to the Rhein, so we have a lovely view from our room.

70th birthday trip, Sunday 25 June; travel day 12/15

Although I think I shall be glad to get home on Tuesday, it was sad to say goodbye to the Achensee for another year.

The bus stops practically outside or hotel, and it was one of the few that goes to Jenbach without having to change at Maurach. We were in good time for our train to Innsbruck, and even found a seat, but when the train got to Innsbruck, we think its locomotive broke down or something (it was headed to Rimini), thus causing a last minute platform change to the Zürich express. Which was rammed! I'm so glad I did book seats, as it was standing room only for those who hadn't. The train did empty a bit as we approached the Swiss border, and we could probably have got seats in 1st class but it would have been a hassle to move our luggage, so we didn't.

We arrived in Zürich on time, and the Swan Whisperer had done his homework and discovered what tram we needed to get to the hotel, where to catch it, and where to get off! He had even bought tickets, not that anybody checked.

After our experience in Hamburg, I was afraid that a "Boutique" hotel would always be nasty, but this one isn't at all. Quite the reverse! And it has Wi-Fi - or I wouldn't be posting this today, as Switzerland is not covered by our roaming policy, so very expensive, and we have firmly turned off data on our phones!

After a cup of tea, we went out to see what we could see. This turned out to be the Rigiblick funicular, which goes  up a very steep hill, stopping three times on the way. At the top you can walk up to a viewpoint, but it looked horribly steep, so we didn't, but contented ourselves with the views of Lake Zürich from the top of the funicular.

Then we not only took the funicular down again, but also a tram to the lakeside itself, which was lovely, if got. We were amused by an animatronic heron, which was remarkably lifelike!

Our tickets were about to expire, so we got the next tram back and treated ourselves to supper in a nearby restaurant. We both chose rösti, and very good they were, too, but filling to the point that we didn't have room for pudding (just as well, at Swiss prices!). 

70th birthday trip, Saturday 24 June

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, of course, stopping off at the Dorfladen (village shop) on his way back to get fresh rolls for breakfast. This apartment has a coffee machine so we were able to enjoy a decent cup of coffee (or two!) with our breakfast.

After which the SW went off to walk up the Karwendel and back (sooner him than me!) and I had meant to go into Maurach to get something for supper, but got held up trying to book seats on all of our remaining trains, which took far longer than it should have done, and there were no first class seats left on the Innsbruck-Zürich train tomorrow. Have got us second class seats in the quiet coach though.

So by the time I was ready to go out, most of the morning had gone, and I wasn't  going to get back to Pertisau until about 13:30. So I rang the SW and suggested he come and join me and we could have lunch at Klingler's, which we know from experience is good.

So when I had finished my shopping, I went down to the Achenseebahn station there and watched the world go by, mostly hang-gliders landing in the field,

and a train came past, which was lovely. So, incidentally, was our lunch - the SW, who said he had had a large slice of apfelstrudel on top of Karwendel, had two sausages with bread and mustard, and I had Leberkäse (nothing to do with either liver or cheese, but a sort of cross between a sausage and luncheon-meat) with a fried egg on top, and some chips, which the SW ate most of. Then I had a scoop of strawberry and a scoop of raspberry ice cream with whipped cream on top, and the SW had an iced coffee, ditto!

Then we caught the bus back to Pertisau and rested for a bit, and then decided to go out for a walk in the warmth of the evening. We had hoped to get to the Dripping Rock, but when it came to it, I was too tired (and so, I expect, was the SW, although I don't expect him to admit it) , so we just went about a kilometre along the lake shore and back again. And then drank beer, and I suppose one of us will have to get supper soon. More photos on Facebook. 

And tomorrow we start for home, taking three days over it! 

70th birthday trip, Friday 23 June; travel day 11/15

The weather, which has been absolutely glorious for the past 2 1/2 weeks, has broken and it has rained most of the day. But as we have been on a train most of the day, that wasn't a problem.

The hotel breakfast was lovely, and I rescued some hard-boiled eggs and paté and bananas to have later, although we couldn't make sandwiches as the beeswax wraps hadn't been washed. But we now have breakfast, and perhaps lunch. stuff for a couple of days!

It shouldn't take the whole day to go from Vienna to Jenbach by train, but we quite literally went the pretty way! I wanted to go on the Semmeringbahn to Graz, and then the SW discovered that the direct route from Graz to Innsbruck also went straight through the mountains and was very scenic, even though it did take 6 1/2 hours to do it.

It was, actually, a very pleasant ride, even though I did nap for a bit on the second leg. I don't know though, why Austrian and Hungarian "Inter-city" trains have to be quite so tatty - this one was made up of any old coaches strung together. Not nearly as smart or as comfortable as the Railjets!

I had been a bit worried about today, as I didn't know whether there would be any taxis at Jenbach, and if there were, whether they would be willing to go up to Pertisau (the last bus and train having long since gone). And I hadn't booked our accommodation through Booking.com (who didn't have any nice places), and had stupidly left the confirmation email on my computer at home, so wasn't 100% sure of it. But all was well, and we were just in time to get a meal in the restaurant. The food was good, but the service was dire - we won't go back.

Then it was time to explore our apartment, and honestly, I kid you not, it is much bigger than our flat at home. Can we swap? Huge sitting-room with dining annex, kitchen twice the size of ours, shower room and separate loo, big bedroom. Only thing is no chairs in the bedroom, and I do like to put my clothes over a chair at night!

It is raining! 

70th birthday trip, Thursday 22 June; travel day 10/15

We were finishing a late breakfast (fried tomatoes on toast, which the Swan Whisperer hadn't known was a thing, but is now totally converted!) when the landlord arrived and wanted to be paid! I hadn't realised we hadn't already done so. The SW had no luck setting up an IBAN to do this, so I did and he paid me back.

Anyway, our taxi turned up a few minutes early and we had half an hour to wait for our train. I wandered off into the very seaside-resort square behind (or perhaps in front of) the station where I got us each a coffee - quite the nicest coffee I had in Hungary.

Our train was pretty punctual, and we arrived in good time to change at Budapest Kelenfold, but I was a bit concerned as the train before ours was running 20 minutes late. However, it went through in time not to hold our train up, and we enjoyed the journey to Vienna, including a large beer each!

The quickest way to our hotel was a train to the next station, Matzleindorfer Platz, which was covered by our passes, so we did that, and then the hotel was just around the corner. 

The SW went out to have a quick look at the city, and I stayed in the cool and read the new St Mary's book that came out today. We tried to have supper in the hotel restaurant, but it appeared to be closed, so we ate in the bar instead. It was okay, but only okay. Hope the breakfast is better.

The room is great - lots of room, lovely view, and even a bath in the bathroom! First time we've met one of those! But why do hotels have either far too many pillows or not enough? This one only provides one pillow, and I know I could ask for another at reception, but I cba! I have my inflatable pillow which works well as an under-pillow. 

70th birthday trip, Wednesday 21 June

Today was always going to be a rest day, and I didn't realise quite how badly we needed one until we had it!

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, while it was still cool - I went back to sleep the second he'd gone, and didn't stir until he came back, having stopped to do some shopping on the way. Sadly, some of the eggs he bought were bad, which is very rare nowadays. But we quickly changed our minds about having an omelette for lunch! Later in the morning the SW went to Lidl, quite a long way away, but "I'm not going to that Spar again!" and got rolls, ham, beer and ice-cream!

I, meanwhile, was having a very happy morning reading and dozing and doing puzzles on my tablet. I did get up and shower at some stage before lunch, I think.

Mid-afternoon, however, I got my second wind and the SW and I went for a really enjoyable swim in the lake. It's incredibly shallow, you can go about 200 metres before it even comes up to your waist so doesn't make for good swimming, but it was cool, and we spent a very happy 45 minutes splashing around, swimming a bit, floating a bit, and generally enjoying ourselves.

If the SW hadn't suggested we eat supper on the terrace, I'd have got straight back into my nightie after showering, but as it was, I did dress again. And we did eat on the terrace - it was cooling by then - and after supper I went down to the lake again to see if there were any bats, but I didn't see any and then a couple of people came down for a twilight swim, so I came away. 

70th birthday trip, Tuesday 20 June. Travel day 9/15

Photo: Robert Smyth

I am confused about how many travel days we have actually used! I thought it was 10, but may have miscounted, as the app says 9. Oh well, that's the right way round.

We discovered that one of our breakfast eggs had broken, so we had to share the last one between us, but we had a tomato, too. 

Our train left from Budapest Déli station, which was new to us. And, for almost the first time this holiday, it was on time. It was only a little over an hour to Balatonlelle, which is on the shores of Lake Balaton. 

The apartment is okay, very near the lake but feels rather far from anywhere else!  And, too silly, the landlady who let us in was wearing identical trousers to mine - Lidl's best from last year! What are the odds? 

The Swan Whisperer did go back into town to buy food, and of course we both wandered to the lake. He went for a swim, but I didn't want to.

We walked to a nearby restaurant, but it felt an awful long way there, and my main course ought to have been delicious, but was far too salty. I am very tired tonight, and just want a quiet day doing nothing tomorrow, although I shall feel guilty if I don't make my step count, and break my current streak of 20 days!

70th birthday trip, Monday 19 June; travel day 8/15

This morning we enjoyed breakfast on the balcony of our apartment before setting off to walk the couple of kilometres to the Puszta Animal Park. This is a sort of zoo/safari park, only you walk round it rather than drive. It had lots of traditional Hungarian animals, like grey cattle and mangalica pigs, and lots of ducks and geese. We had a quick cup of coffee before we started our walk round. It was thoroughly enjoyable. One of the nicest things, almost, was the wealth of insect life and plants that we used to play with as children, like burdock and barley-grass, that you never see nowadays in England. Lots of  wild flowers beside the road, too.

We had hoped to lunch out, but the place that might have done us a meal (not the restaurant we ate at last night) was closed, so in the end we got a couple of filled rolls from a nearby grocery, and topped them up with ham and tomato. Followed by a peach. 

Then it was time to go - Angela had kindly let us stay on until 14:30, and she arrived to say goodbye shortly after that. It was not a long walk to the station, although our train was (of course) about 15 minutes late. But still in plenty of time for the connection, which was also late! We were only about 10 minutes late arriving in Budapest, and then it was easy to find our trolleybus back to the hotel.

We stopped off at Lidl to buy some salad for supper and some bread for the morning, and then straight to the hotel. The SW popped out again to get some beer, and I had a shower, badly needed, and got into my night clothes. He has gone out for another explore - don't know how he can find the energy. I have none! Over 13k steps today! 

70th birthday trip, Sunday 18 June; travel day 7/15

This morning we firmly boiled eggs in the kettle, rather than face the revolting hotel breakfast! Then the Swan Whisperer made sandwiches - cream cheese ham and tomato - and we packed the bare minimum into our overnight bags and stuffed the rest into our suitcases. We checked out of the hotel, leaving our suitcases behind, and headed off to find the English church.

I am not sure we would have found it but - miraculously - the people sitting next to us on the tram were on their way to the church and we had only to go with them! God is so nice, sometimes. The actual chapel was upstairs, and quite difficult to find. The service was quite long as there was a baptism, and a farewell to a diplomatic family who were moving on, and a presentation to a couple of people who had been confirmed in Vienna last weekend.

After the inevitable coffee (surprisingly drinkable), it was time to go, and we went on a direct metro line to Keleti station. This time, our first train was 20 minutes late, but that didn't affect our connection to Hortobágy, which was hot, slow, second-class only and on time!  It was a beautiful journey across the Hungarian plains,

some cultivation but not much, and scattered farms or ranches reminding me of Kate Seredy's The Good Master! 

We walked the couple of hundred metres to our accommodation only to find the gates locked and nobody at home. Again, miraculously, the proprietor of the holiday lets next door was in her garden and realised what had happened, so she rang the landlady of this place, Angela (sloth a hard g, like Frau Merkel), who was round within a couple of minutes to let us in. She had no English, so sent for a very nice young man called Mark - son? Toyboy? Neighbour? - who did speak English and we were soon sorted. A very nice studio apartment  with a shared kitchen, except we are the only people here, so not shared!

After a rest and a cup of tea, we set out to find the only restaurant in town that would be open. We ordered a sharing plate - allegedly for two people. Big mistake, and I do mean big - it would have fed, if not the five thousand, then at least six people.

The proprietor did offer us a box for the leftovers, but when would we have eaten them? We don't have a microwave in Budapest!

Then we wandered slowly back to the apartment via the church and are now relaxing before bed. 

70th birthday trip, Saturday 17th June

The day began with a huge disappointment - the hotel breakfast was utterly vile! Only white bread, with margarine rather than butter; squash instead of fruit juice; the eggs were slabs of cold over-cookedness; and, almost worst of all, the coffee was not only Instant but tasted burnt! Not doing that again - there is a Lidl at the end of the street and we have eggs and fruit juice and so on now! Plus ham to make sandwiches out of from for the train tomorrow!  I just wish we had a coffee-maker of some kind. 

So the first port of call was a coffee shop just down the road for a decent cup of coffee! Then round the corner and on to a trolley-bus which took us down to the Houses of Parliament. We walked along the river to the Chain Bridge, but this was closed to pedestrians so we took a bus over it and up to Fisherman's Bastion. After a walk round there, we caught another bus that took us to the major tram and bus interchange, and then a tram to see where it would go. Which was, usefully, past the station we shall need on Tuesday and down to a metro interchange which took us up to the station we shall want tomorrow!

By then it was lunch time and we found a little café that did us a sandwich and some very nice lemonade, and then caught another trolleybus to Hero Square, from where we walked back to the hotel via Andrassy Utca with its embassies and smart residences.  And also via the coffee shop we had patronised this morning as they had delicious cakes! 

We then flaked out for awhile, and then in late afternoon the Swan Whisperer, who had already been for a run in the morning, got restless again so he went out for a walk and on the way back saw a restaurant he thought would do nicely for supper. Which it did. 

70th birthday trip, Friday 16 June; travel day 6/15

Another long day of travel. Originally, we had been going to go to Budapest via Vienna and change trains there, but I remembered that years ago we had caught a direct train, and a bit of work with the timetable showed us we still could, so I reserved two seats on the 11:24.

We decided to breakfast in the hotel (although had I realised there was a McDonald's next door we might not have - I have a shaming taste for their Sausage and Egg McMuffins!). I was very restrained and just added fruit to my normal egg and toast (bread, in this case); the Swan Whisperer, who at home  thinks two slices of toast is almost greedy (although he does have an egg when we are in the motor home), was less restrained!  He did go for a walk after breakfast, though, which I didn't!

We found the train easily enough, and it was very nearly on time (only 12 minutes late in Budapest - that's practically early!). And then a long run to Budapest via Brno and Bratislava. We bought lunch on the train - it was delivered to our seats by a very nice waitress.

I should have liked a traditional meal with Czech dumplings, but the SW, unsurprisingly, wasn't very hungry, and I didn't want our appetites to be mismatched all day, so we just had a bowl of goulash soup (very good) and I had a slice of Czech honey cake. Later the SW got some rhubarb crumble, and I had some salted almonds.

When we arrived in Budapest, we had a terrible fright as one of my hearing aids fell out! Thankfully, the other one alerted me to its loss. We dashed back to the train, but no joy, so the SW retraced our steps towards the exit and, miracle of miracles, found it, not trodden on or anything! Phew! Much thankfulnesd. I suppose my neck pillow had dislodged it slightly. 

We took a taxi to the hotel, which had honoured my plea not to make us walk up too many stairs - our room is on the ground floor! After settling in, we researched local restaurants, and I realised that it was on our first Inter-rail holiday, ten years ago now, that I had first asked Google maps about local restaurants!

The first one we tried would have been lovely, but it was far too hot, and I realised I would feel faint if we stayed there any longer, so we came away and ate in the second one. I had cabbage stuffed with mangalica pork,

and very good it was, too, washed down with Apérol spritz

, and the SW had duck washed down with red wine. Then he discovered his phone was missing, so dashed back to the first restaurant to see if he had left it there, which he had, while I paid and said goodbye. Phew!

And so back to the hotel for bed. There is a Lidl a few yards away - we could easily be at home! 

70th birthday trip, Thursday 15 June. Travel day 5/15

We shook the dust of the so-called "hotel" off our feet quite early this morning, and got breakfast in the station. We had about an hour to wait, so took it in turns to go for a leg-stretch before heading down to the platform for our train to Prague. This was pretty much on time (amazing!) and we found our booked seats with no trouble.

The journey was uneventful, although we both got cold in the air-conditioning - I ended up changing into trousers (I had been wearing shorts) in the train loo!

There were engineering works on the line which held the train up, and we were about 30 minutes late getting to Prague, but that didn't matter as we were still in plenty of time to get to the hotel, a few minutes walk away, and freshen up before going out to meet our friend at the Výtopna Railway Restaurant, just round the corner.

The restaurant's USP is that it delivers your food and drink by model railway!

It has a sister branch in Vienna, featured in this video. I didn't expect much of the food but, actually, it was one of the most delicious burgers I have had for a long time! And it was lovely to see our friend again and catch up!

Tonight's hotel is very different from last night's - much more comfortable! And a great view from our bed, too! 

70th birthday trip, Wednesday 14 June; travel day 4/15.

Today was my 70th birthday. Many thanks, by the way, to all who took a moment to wish me a happy day. I appreciate it, although Facebook doesn't make it easy to see all the greetings!

The day started very well. We didn't get up early, but when we did get up, we went out for a very good breakfast at a nearby café. Then we checked out of the hostel and put our luggage in the facilities there before catching a bus down to Gammel Strand where we joined a canal boat tour, which was really fabulous, apart from the slightly irritating courier (but then they all are). However, she was knowledgeable and spoke excellent English, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We walked back, as our 24-hour tickets had expired. 

Our train was due to leave at 3, so we reclaimed our luggage and sat in the lounge of the hostel for a bit, but then decided to go and see whether the 1st class lounge at the station would give us any free food. Only fruit, but a seriously delicious peach!  So I went and bought us a couple of sandwiches, but of course the Swan Whisperer said he had had a large breakfast (true!) and wasn't hungry, thus neatly making me feel guilty for wanting something to eat. So I  only had half a sandwich then, rather cross because I knew that if we waited to eat until we were on the train, the SW would then not want any dinner - and I would. However, it was moot, as the train, of course, was an hour late. Remind me never, ever to travel in Scandinavia by train again! To be fair, the local S-bahn trains, which our inter-rail passes also covered, were frequent and on time.

Then they said that some of the coaches were at Odense and we should take the next train and change there. Couldn't find first class on that train, but we did get seats in the end. Of course, when we got to Odense, no sign of any coaches, but eventually the train from Copenhagen pulled in, and then four more coaches came to join it from the other direction. Of course, the coach numbers bore no resemblance to those on which we had been booked, but we found two seats in first class and eventually arrived in Hamburg only an hour late. No refreshment car, of course, that would have been too much to ask, although the guard did bring bottles of water and a few sweets. 

But oh dear, the hotel is a disaster! The room is so tiny there is barely room for the bed, even the bathroom is bigger, and I have had to sleep on the wrong side as there is no night table or anything on the inside. No kettle or anything (glad I bought ours), no breakfast (we can get that in the station), and, worst of all, we had to walk up the flights of stairs. The concierge did try to help us with our cases, but she was breathing nearly as badly as I was! 

There was no way I was going to go down those stairs and back up, so the SW went out and got us currywurst and chips, which were very nice (and by then it was nearly 10, so even the SW admitted to being hungry!). Of course, they only gave us one key card, which he had to take to get in the front door, so I had to sit in the dark until he got back (as in so many hotels, you need to put the key card in a slot before the electricity will work), so I had a shower. But I am very glad we don't have to stay in this flea-pit longer than overnight!

70th birthday trip, Tuesday 13 June.

We hadn't drawn the curtains last night - I seldom do unless we are overlooked - but this was a mistake as the sun shone right into my eyes when it was still too early to wake up, so I had to rectify that!

The Swan Whisperer went for a run, of course, as the lakes behind the hostel - I think the remnants of a moat - seem almost as if they were designed for that! 

The hostel doesn't include breakfast and, although you can buy it, the options are all sweet, and I do hate an all-sweet breakfast. So we made our own, boiling eggs in my little kettle and finishing the bread and cream cheese we had bought in Oslo. And the last two not-very-nice yoghurts. Then I went downstairs and bought a coffee, which was far too weak, and some orange juice, which says it's organic but it's made from concentrate, so I don't see how it can be. Anyway, there is plenty left.

Then we went out. We walked to Strøget, which is the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe - and not all Euro-high-street, although  some familiar chains. I did like the Royal Copenhagen pottery building.

Finally we found ourselves at the Gammel Strand metro station (it's called metro here), by a statue commemorating the fishwives who used to hold a market here until the 1950s.

We took a train out to Østerport, and then walked to see the Little Mermaid (well, one couldn't not!). After which, we caught a riverbus down to Knippelsbro, on the other side of the harbour. There wasn't much to see, so we found a fish restaurant that did a not-very-nice fish burger but some really nice chips.

After which we discovered that there was a bus that would take us back to the hostel, so we caught it, and had a rest while our phones charged. Then the SW went out for another walk, and after that we bought a sandwich for supper in the hostel café (under-seasoned!). 

And so ends my 7th decade! 

70th birthday trip, Monday 12 June; travel day 3/15

We were sad to say goodbye to our studio apartment this morning - it was very comfortable and had everything one could possibly want. I recommend it if you are going to Oslo!

We walked down to where we thought we could get a bus to the station, but first got on one going in the wrong direction, and then discovered that the one we thought went to the station, didn't! But it wasn't far away, and by the time we had looked to see where we could get a bus or tram to the station. It wasn't worth it! So we walked.

We were early for the train we had planned to catch, and ended up getting the one before.  Swedish trains seem as bad as British or German ones, though, as quite suddenly when we got to Malmo they said that our end of the train wasn't going anywhere and we must move up. Of course we couldn't find first class, although there was one, and second class was absolutely rammed! I did get a seat, though, but the SW didn't.

Then they said the train wasn't stopping at Copenhagen airport, so those who wanted to go there had to get out at the next stop and go back. The train did empty at that point, and the SW could come and sit down, but of course we were nearly there.

The hostel isn't far from the station and we walked there. They have put is in a 6-bedded dormitory, but on our own. Quite nice actually.

We made a cup of tea - the first time I have had to dig out my own travel kettle and mugs - and then headed on out, primarily for a walk, but also to try to buy a screwdriver. The SW's suitcase, which I bought to take on our last Inter-rail trip in 2013, has 4 wheels. but two of them had broken - needless to say, in opposite corners. He reckoned that he might perhaps be able to change them round, and has done so although he is not too sure how well this will hold. There is a luggage shop near the station, though, so if necessary we can get a new one on Wednesday.

The place where we bought the screwdriver, just round the corner from the hostel, as it turns out, was a most extraordinary shop. We thought at first it was  basically a Halfords, but it not only sold that sort of thing, but a very random selection of stuff from baby necessities, laundry detergent and knitting wool! And lots of other stuff, including tools!

We went back to the hostel and the SW worked on the case, and then it was supper time so went out to a local steakhouse which we thought looked nice. And it was. I had a steak and chips, plus a side salad, and the SW had salmon with new potatoes and shared my salad, and we both had beer.

Then pudding, which was basically soft ice-cream, his with a chocolate lava cake and mine on a waffle with chocolate sauce and nuts. And so back to the hostel for the night! 

70th birthday trip, Sunday 11 June

I woke up early, and decided to put on my dressing-gown and slippers and take a load of laundry downstairs to the facilities provided, which are not only free to use but they also have an iron and ironing-board, should you wish to use that.  And detergent capsules are there to be used! 

Unfortunately, the door lock chimes very loudly when you open it, so I woke the Swan Whisperer, which I had had no idea of doing! Anyway, I made tea and then washed and dressed to go and put the washing in the dryer before anybody else wanted it. Someone had put their stuff in to dry overnight, but it was dry so I took it out and folded it, although the Swan Whisperer, who went down to get ours when the drying cycle had finished, said it was still there!

There is an Anglican church here, which I learnt was built in the last century to cater for seamen, mostly Scots (so why Anglican rather than Presbyterian?).

We decided to attend worship there, and, as it was a lovely day, we walked - about 20 minutes. Sadly, the minister was ill, so the service was taken by a worship leader and had to be Morning Prayer rather than the Communion we had hoped for. The minister had emailed her sermon to the worship leader, who read it on her behalf, rather well, I thought.

We were not the only people "passing through" Gothenburg at the service, and it was good to chat to an American couple over a cup of tea afterwards. Then we went on to explore the waterfront,

and found a café in which to eat fish and chips, and then took various buses and trams to see where they went - I fell asleep on the final tram and missed the city centre, to my annoyance!

After a cup of tea the Swan Whisperer went out to explore on his own, and got some sandwich stuff in Lidl for tonight and tomorrow. He is now back and relaxing, and I have pretty much repacked my stuff. 

70th birthday trip, Saturday 10 June. Not travel day 3/15!

The hotel breakfast was as delicious as ever, and we firmly made sandwiches to take with us on the coach. I know one isn't supposed to, but since at least half the stuff was far more sandwich filling stuff than breakfast stuff, I expect they are used to it. The Swan Whisperer put a cherry tomato into his, which later exploded when he bit into it and went all over me! But that was later. After breakfast, we went back to the room and packed up, and were in good time to check out before the 11:00 am deadline. 

The Swan Whisperer was marvellous at carrying and/or pulling our heavy suitcases all down the long slopes and stairs to the T-bane station. We changed at Nationaltheatret to a NY local line, which we should probably have marked on our pass, but the SW said firmly that our local tickets would count, and anyway, nobody wanted to see them, so that was all right. 

We parked ourselves in the station and I went for a walk round and took some photos, and explored the various shops, etc

(there was a l'Occitane en Provence, but I resisted temptation!). We then wandered through to the bus station and found where the coach would go from; I bought some drinking-water as I was almost out. 

We thought the Swan Whisperer had booked us seats right at the front of the coach but, alas, they were right at the back, way beyond the back wheels. Fortunately the suspension was good and so was the road quality, so we got away with it. We ate our sandwiches, mopped off the tomato explosion, and then I went to sleep for a bit. When I woke up, I I did some knitting, wishing all the time that I could read or watch videos, and stand up and move about a bit. 

However, we reached Gothenburg at long last, and after visiting the facilities (10 SEK, but you paid by contactless), we bought day-tickets (these are valid for 24 hours from the time of purchase) and caught a local bus to what was probably not the nearest stop, but we are not sure. We finally found our apartment building, and got in with no problems. It is a lovely little studio with all you could want in the way of fittings, etc. 

After relaxing with a cup of tea, we went out in search of a supermarket, and did a shopping for essentials - bread, milk, etc, and a ready-meal for supper which was potatoes in some kind of cheese sauce. Would have been nicer with a green veg or some salad, but you can't have everything. 

There is a washing machine and tumble dryer in the basement, so we will do all that tomorrow! And, of course, explore the town and perhaps attend public worship at the local English church. 

70th birthday trip, Friday 9 June

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, and came back to a hotel breakfast that was even more delicious and copious than the one In Stockholm! I am going to put on an awful lot of fat this holiday, I can see it coming. 

After breakfast, we did a tidy-up and sort-out, and then went into town. Unfortunately, while the hotel location has the most superb views over Oslo, the road down to the nearest T-bane (metro) station is very, very steeply downhill, and I was far too worried about how on earth I was going to get back up again to really enjoy seeing Oslo. So in the end the SW abandoned me to sit outside a café and drink strawberry lemonade while he did a brief explore. I spent the entire time trying to fill in a compensation claim to Inter-rail for the bus fare tomorrow. I don't know whether they will agree. However, SR are going to compensate me for the delay on Tuesday, so that's something. 

Anyway, we bought some rolls in the café and then headed back to the T-bane. I suggested we go right to the end of the line to eat them, and then come back down to the T-bane stop before ours, which might be more downhill and less steep. So we did.

The end of the line was near the Rose Castle, which apparently memorialises the German occupation during WWII. We didn't go in, but did treat ourselves to an ice at the café there. Unfortunately, what the Swan Whisperer (and I) thought was dark chocolate turned out to be licorice, but he ate it anyway and I let him have a bite of my luscious strawberry lolly to take the taste away.

We then got the T-bane down to the stop before the nearest one, which was not much further and the path a lot easier. When we got to the hotel, the path led alongside the underground car park, so we nipped in there and used the lift straight into the hotel lobby! 

After which, as if he had not had enough exercise for one day, the SW decided to go for a hike by himself, and I had a bit of a nap. When he came back and had had another shower, we had dinner in the hotel restaurant. He had a burger and beer, and I had cod in some sort of luscious sauce with rosé wine, and very good it was, too!

Then we wandered out on the terrace for awhile, taking photos of the superb view over Oslo, and of a robot lawn-mower, and so, as Pepys says, to bed! Photos on Facebook, as per usual. 

70th birthday trip, Thursday 8 June. Travel day 2/15

We got up fairly early - well, when it is light by 04:00 it's hard not to! Plus we wanted to catch the first tourist bus of the day, which left at 10. Hotel breakfast was delicious and copious, although the bacon made me thirsty! But quite the nicest melon I've ever tasted!

The city tour was great, and showed you where everything was, although it would have been nice to have had time to get off and look around. Difficult to take photos from a bus. Also had I thought, I would have taken a box for my hearing-aids so I could have listened to the commentary. If we take another tour bus anywhere, I will try to remember to do that.

A lovely walk back to the hotel from the final stop, and then we checked out and sat in the lobby (very comfortable) with a cup of coffee (complimentary) and relaxed. We bought a couple of filled rolls and some chocolate for lunch and then went to the station to await our train.

Not desperately comfortable, and a very long, but pleasantly scenic, journey to Oslo.

Much of it single-track, which surprised us, between two major European capitals. But there are no trains this Saturday - don't know whether strike or track work - so we have had to buy coach tickets, and I dislike coach travel! I am hoping Eurail will refund us the ticket costs - am trying to sort that out. Also, no idea whether SJ will refund the cost of our reservations; they should, but I am not holding my breath. No customer service at the stations of course. This holiday is a total nightmare so far, but then, come to think of it so was our last Inter-rail tour the first few days, and then it was delightful.

Anyway, I had ordered us a meal on the train - nothing grand, just a wrap with meatballs and potatoes, but it was very good! Tea, coffee, water, fruit and chocolate were all complimentary for 1st-class passengers, which was nice. I dozed in front of some YouTube videos for the first hour or so, and then read and watched the world go by.

I made a mistake and booked a hotel miles out of the centre, so we had to take a taxi which was horrendously expensive, and we'll have to take one back to the bus station on Saturday. But it is a very nice hotel, although the loo wouldn't stop flushing in the first room they gave us, so they moved us into a rather nicer one! Not enough pillows, though - I'll have to ask for an extra one in the morning. Meanwhile I have my inflatable one. The hotel is up a massive hill, and there is a fabulous view, which I shall take photos of in the morning - the light was fading rather by the time we were settled tonight. 

70th birthday trip, Wednesday 7 June

We should have arrived in Stockholm at 09:10 this morning. We finally arrived at 16:40. I spent most of the day lying on my bunk as the most comfortable option!  They gave us  breakfast, of a sort - stale roll with margarine (which I won't touch), cream cheese and jam, cardboard orange juice and quite nice coffee.

We had hoped we would be only a couple of hours late - the death that caused the original delay was an "accident" at Neumunster, where the train also sat for ages.  We were still in Germany when we woke up!

And every time the train stopped the projected delay got longer and longer and longer and longer. By the time it was lunchtime, I knew I would probably not last out, so the SW went to see if he could scrounge some food from somewhere and came back with a much nicer breakfast - fresh roll, margarine and jam, (didn't eat the margarine), muesli with yoghurt, fruit juice, and a tub of boiled egg, cheese and salad. And more coffee. We assumed this was the paid-for breakfast available to seated and couchette passengers, but they didn't charge us for it (I should jolly well think not!).

There was some lovely views as we went over the bridges between the various Danish islands and Denmark and Sweden.

Anyway, we got there in the end, and the hotel was not far from the station if you knew where to look! We found it eventually. The room is very nice, although it looks over the railway line - totally soundproof, though. I believe the cheap rooms here don't have windows, but I wasn't having that!

After a cup of tea and a rest, we went out and had a lovely walk round the old town, and a delicious meal. Meat dishes are expensive, but fish is reasonable and beer and so on positively cheap! Then back to the hotel. 

But the hiccups aren't over. The hotel I have mistakenly booked us in in Oslo is about 10 miles out of town and not refundable so we can't change it. And the first leg of our train from Oslo to Copenhagen has been cancelled, so I'll have to rebook. Oh dear. 

70th birthday trip, Tuesday 6 June. Travel day 1/15

Well, we should be en route to Stockholm now, but actually we are still sitting in Hamburg station. The train is here, and we are in bed in it, but it should have left 40 minutes ago.

We got up at sparrowfart this morning and arrived at St Pancras in plenty of time for our Eurostar. Compared to our Christmas trip, there was virtually no queue to check in and go through security and passport control. As we have first class passes, we could travel in Standard Premier, and got a complimentary breakfast, although the coffee tasted a bit burnt.

We got an earlier train to Cologne than we originally thought we would, and could have (perhaps should have) done a cross-platform change on to the next train to Hamburg, but decided to have lunch first and catch a mid-afternoon train.Which was a little late starting off and got later and later - at its worst it was about 45 minutes late, but it did catch up a little of that and was only 30 minutes late at Hamburg.

We went to a restaurant across the road from the station (and, 

 incidentally, next door to the hotel where we will be staying on our way back through the town) and had a lovely dinner including our first beer of the holiday.

And then back to wait for our train, which has still not gone  anywhere! Oh well. I'll watch some videos while I still have a signal!

10 minutes later: Apparently the delay, sadly, due to someone's having died on the train between Berlin and here. Attendant said he thought it wouldn't be much longer. Anyway, we are comfortable! 

Oberstdorf 2023, Tuesday 23 May

 I have never really liked the aire at Sangatte, as it is in the middle of nowhere and too far to get to a bakery before breakfast!  However, the one in Calais does not have this defect, so we had pains aux raisins for breakfast as well as a lovely fresh demi-baguette.  The pains aux raisins were definitely edible, but not, it has to be said, as nice as the ones you can get in Lidl!

Anyway, we left the aire at about 09:35 and made our way to the Shuttle, where we were given our booked crossing.  This gave us half an hour or so before we were called to the boarding area, so the Swan Whisperer had coffee and we finished the packing up in the bedroom and the clothes - the kitchen stuff had to wait until we arrived as it would have rattled and there isn't really room for the crates on the floor.  The crossing was on time, and then it was an easy run to No 6.  In fact, as my mother and sister were going to be out and it was lunchtime, we parked up by Patching Pond

to eat our lunch before going round to the house and packing up the rest of the stuff - groceries, etc.  My mother and sister came home briefly to let the dog out, and then went out again; we finished up everything except the fridge (that came last of all), and then made ourselves a cup of tea.  While we were drinking it, they returned, and we chatted for awhile before heading back to London.  

That was an easy run until we got to Mitcham, when we were held in a massive traffic jam at Figges Marsh, and we didn't get home until about 18:45.  Then we had to unload the car, unpack, and put on the first load of washing - but it is done, now, supper has been eaten, and we are home for the next two weeks!  

Oberstdorf 2023, Monday 22 May

I could have sworn, when I planned this trip, that our drive for today was to have been around 4 hours - quite long enough when you have to sit there, doing nothing except perhaps a bit of knitting! I can't really read in a moving car, and get both bored and tired.  And the Swan Whisperer swears that the route he took was a direct one - but it was nearly 7 hours travelling time!

First thing, he went for a run, and I walked up to the nearby bakery and got bread and croissants for breakfast (actually one croissant and one pain au chocolat). We set off about 09:30, and stopped at a Casino in Sedan for lunch and shopping, which I later regretted as it seemed far more expensive than Carrefour and didn't have such nice things.

Then it was a long, long, long drive to Cité Europe, as there were a couple of things I hadn't been able to get in Casino, including a ready meal for supper, and we needed diesel, which is cheaper here than in the UK. Supper was a frozen dish of potato, fish and scallops, and very good it was too.

However, when we got to Sangatte, where we had planned to spend the night, we found that the car park no longer accepts motor homes, so we came here to the one in Calais. Nothing wrong with it, except it isn't free, and services are extra. Not that we need them, having used them this morning in Dieue-sur-Meuse.

Oh, and apparently Oberstdorf was a super-spreader event, and an awful lot of people have now gone down with, or tested positive for Covid. Well, if I didn't get it again after spending a whole afternoon with my mother when she had it in March, I probably won't get it now. Hope not, anyway.

Haven't taken any photos today, so here is one from yesterday, some random poultry. 

Oberstdorf 2023, Sunday 21 May

Dieue-sur-Meuse, France

Today was a long, slow drive through Germany and into France. The Swan Whisperer went for a quick leg-stretch before breakfast, and said that Kircheim-unter-Teck was a very pretty little town, but unfortunately there was not enough time for me to confirm this. He also found a bakery!

As I said, it was a long, weary drive. The SW said that when we go past Pforzheim it either rains or there are road works. Today, it was the latter. 

We stopped in a random layby to watch our church service livestream, although it was not very easy to hear, and then have lunch, and then it was on and on, and we finally arrived in this little town, just south of Verdun, at about 4:00 pm. We had a quick cup of tea, and then I discovered there was a planned walking tour around the town with historical sites, so we went for a very pleasant, if rather hot, walk, basically down to the Meuse and back. We are parked up alongside a canal, which is rather lovely.

More photos on Facebook.

Then back to the WoMo to have supper and our monthly Zoom Bible study, and tomorrow we will be back in Calais, I hope, and ready to cross on Tuesday morning.