Late Spring Holiday, 16 May

The worst thing about the trip to Oberstdorf is the drive across Belgium on the first full day! Belgian motorways are dull and slow.

At breakfast it was nice to be able to listen to the radio on our new portable via Bluetooth from our phones.  It doesn't seem to use much data, and of course we should have WiFi in Oberstdorf.

First thing after breakfast was shopping. We were able to get a new mini-jack cable, which works, so we can play music through the new car radio despite the USB connection not working. The Swan Whisperer also bought himself a new pair of shorts so he can run, having decided to use yesterday's t-shirt as the top. He wears ordinary socks, so that's OK. 

I forgot to buy cream cheese, though, which is a bore, but easily rectified. 

We decided to break the journey at the Strépy-Thieu boat lift, which is always nice, even though the route is a little longer.

Not helped by the fact that the new Sat-nav decided we were over 3.5 tonnes so must obey the HGV speed limits.  This didn't really matter in France, where they are 100 Kph on the motorways, as the SW tends to drive at that speed anyway, but was a bit in Belgium where it is 90, as it kept beeping at us for being over the speed limit. Which we really weren't as we are not over 3.5 tonnes.  I was able to fix this eventually, though, through the simple expedient of telling it we were a light camper, not a heavy one which was what I had originally told it. It still knows our dimensions and will programme routes accordingly.

Lunch was the usual bread, cheese etc, and I bought us raspberry tartlets to celebrate, and also some gariguette strawberries. Then we both went for a breath of air - I had  to wind my wool first as the ball had collapsed - and then  pressed on, stopping once as the SW needed a break. We got here eventually and had a cup of tea and now the SW is going to go for a walk before dinner.

Late Spring holiday, 15 May

It is nearly time for the annual ISU competition in Oberstdorf, so we are off again. Only in Calais so far, but I managed to exhaust myself getting ready to go and am glad it was not further.

We were nearly late arriving at Folkestone, but were able to go straight through, only to discover we couldn't make the USB connection to our new car radio work, and as that was the whole point of buying a new one, we are not impressed. Then we had trouble getting the SW's phone connected to the new Sat-nav, but managed that in the end, and I was able to connect my phone to the portable radio, so we can have our favourite stations via the various apps on my phone. I have also downloaded some podcasts, and some films on to my tablet, so we shall not want for entertainment this trip.

The Markfield Beam Engine

Ever since I have seen signposts to the Markfield Beam Engine, I have longed to visit it, and today it was not only open to the public, but also in steam!  So this was an Easter Monday outing to please me, if nobody else! The Daughter invited us to a barbecue lunch and after this we set off - as their car won't seat six, the Son-in-Law decided to cycle.  The children's bikes were put in the car, as the car park the Daughter likes to use is quite some way from the site.  In fact, she was able to park slightly nearer than she thought, and we set off to walk the remaining 1.5 km to the museum.

It was a lovely walk along the River Lea,

although the towpath was jam-packed solid with people - mostly ultra-Orthodox - out for a Bank Holiday walk.  The Daughter was rather concerned for the boys, between the Scylla of falling into the river and the Charybdis of knocking someone else over, but the navigation happened smoothly, and we arrived at the museum about five minutes before the introductory talk started, and then the engine was started.  It was brilliant, and smelt absolutely gloriously of coke....

we did wonder, though, whether it would have smelt quite so nice in the days when its function was to pump sewage.  The boys rapidly got too hot - it was hot in there - so we went out and had ice-cream and then the Swan Whisperer and I continued our walk along the river to Tottenham Hale Tube station, and so home. 

The Institution of Civil Engineers

Some years ago now, it was a joke that if you looked up "Boring" in the yellow pages, you were directed to civil engineers.  I think the Institution of Civil Engineers (known as "ICE", slightly to Boy Two's confusion) must have taken that to heart, as it has adapted their library to be an exhibition space, and this year's exhibition is "Water: From source to tap".

We had no idea what to expect, but in fact it was a delightful exhibition.  We arrived very soon after it opened, and were about the first people there, although it did fill up a bit later.  There were loads of videos you could watch, with headphones; there was a film (rather dull) in the built-in cinema; there were interactive touch screens and games, and even a virtual reality headset.  The Boy had a go on that, and had great fun exploring his world rather than playing the game that you were supposed to, but I, for one, would have done the same, I suspect.  There was lego and other construction materials, there were books (some free to take home) and generally, there were lots of ways to spend a morning!

Above all, two things stood out - one the slightly relentless focus on how much the world needs civil engineers and how they are "secret superheroes", and the other about Don't Feed the Fatberg.  Apparently it's not just London that has a fatberg problem, but all round the world!

I am not sure how much Boy Two enjoyed it, although he did like playing with some of the construction materials and the games on one of the touch screens.  He was faintly confused by the acronym ICE for the Institution, but I think he might have sorted it in the end.  The Boy enjoed himself, and was heard telling his father all about fatbergs.....

When we had had enough, we followed our noses to the basement, where there is a café and a brasserie, both open to the public.  We looked at the brasserie's menu, but decided that it was a bit expensive for lunchtime, so we went to the café, where I had a salad bowl, the boys had paninis and salad (half a panini each, and their "salads" were only cucumber and coleslaw, but they enjoyed them), and the Swan Whisperer had a panini with potato wedges.  This was all delicious and disappeared rapidly, and was also excellent value for money.

After lunch, we decided to head up to the Stow, specifically to Higham's Park, as I wanted to go to the big Tesco there (well, any big Tesco, really, but that one was easy enough to get to).  We walked to Green Park Tube via both St James' Park

and Green Park, which was a lovely walk, and at Walthamstow Central we were delighted to find that an Overground train arrived almost at the same time as we did.  I left the menfolk to have drinks in Costa while I went to shop, and then I joined them.  And then a bus back to theirs.....

I definitely recommend the Institution of Civil Engineers - the Boy wondered why on earth it wasn't more popular, but I don't think it's widely known.  They have had previous exhibitions, but I was never confident of finding them - but now I know, I shall keep an eye on it for an Easter holiday activity 

Bisecting the Hexagon, 3 April

We had booked on the 09:50 crossing, so set the alarm for 06:30, and as soon as the bathwater was hot, we got up and were eating our breakfast by 07:30. This meant we were able to get to the terminal in good time, and were allowed on to the 09:20 crossing, which suited us very well indeed! So we got home (the M20 is horrible at the moment, nothing but roadworks and you really can't count on being allowed to go more than 50 mph for any of it, so if you are headed that way, leave extra time) about 11:00 UK time, and spent the next couple of hours in a frenzy of unpacking and putting away, and doing the first two loads of washing. Then we set off again shortly after 3:00 pm to take the van down to Sussex, and had supper with my mother and sister before returning to London and getting home about 10:45 pm.

Bisecting the Hexagon, 2 April

And so the holiday ends, as most of our holidays do, at Cité Europe to be ready for an early crossing in the morning.

We started the day in Amiens, and realised it was raining. Apart from the first two days of our holiday we have had lovely weather; warm, shirtsleeve weather, and I don't think I've worn a coat more than once or twice!

The Swan Whisperer went out to buy bread and then we had breakfast, by which time the sun was out again. I went back to sleep for a bit, and I suppose it was about 11 we set off. We decided to have a look at Doullens, as although we have been there before, we couldn't really remember it. Not very impressive - there is a citadel, but not open for visiting at that time. So we came away and drove to Arras, and parked up by the great cemetery there, where we had lunch. And then slowly, through a tremendous hailstorm at one point, up to Coquelles and Cité Europe. I did a Last Shop in the rain, and then we had supper, and I'm about to go to bed!

Bisecting the Hexagon, 1 April

All holidays come to an end, and this one is winding down to its close. I really haven't felt able to do anything much today after overdoing it yesterday - the tourist areas of Paris are now overrun with electric scooters, which do not add to the city's charm, but would have saved our legs a bit had we learnt how to use them.

I think I slept all the way to Beauvais this morning, but as we needed eggs I had to go into the supermarket and got some radishes and one or two other things while I was at it. It turned out to be lunchtime and so we had that, and then tried to drive on to an aire from our book that we thought sounded nice, opposite a British cemetery, with full services. But the lat and long just led us to the middle of a field, and there was neither a cemetery nor, indeed, a road by that name in the village. Had it been on-line, I'd have suspected an April Fool prank, but this was in a book. Very odd. So we came to this car park in Amiens, where we have stayed before. The SW had scratched dirt on the place I'd originally chosen, saying it was in the middle of nowhere. Not that it matters. Tomorrow to Coquelles and a Last Shop, and then home on Wednesday.