Summer Holiday, 24 August 2022

The Mollibahn isn't just another heritage railway - in fact, it's not even a heritage railway, even though it is a narrow-gauge steam railway; it is apparently used by commuters and schoolchildren, as well as tourists. Although there weren't many of anybody on the train we caught into Bad Doberan at 08:43 this morning. 

No, the Mollibahn's USP is that it runs through the streets of Bad Doberan, and cars and pedestrians have to get out of its way! 

We stayed on the train until its final stop, at the main station, and then walked back up to the third of the three town stations to catch it on its way back. I wish, in a way, I that we hadn't, as there seems to be a lot more to the town that we missed. Still, there is always next year! And we enjoyed the walk - it was not too hot at that time in the morning. 

It doesn't just run through streets, of course; there is lots of open country, too. Mostly arable, it would seem. 

We got back to the camp site with an hour to spare before we had to leave, so we sat outside while the SW had his coffee, and then we got ready to go,, but had to wait ages for the services to be free. Still, they came free in the end, so we emptied and filled the relevant bits, and then drove up to the next town where I visited Lidl while the SW programmed the SatNav to take us back to Lubeck cross-country. 

He found a very nice aire where we stopped for lunch, but we had to leave in a hurry when they wanted to charge us €10 for parking there. Fine for overnight, but not for just an hour or so. So we came away and drove back to Lubeck - some of the roads lovely, others twisty and poorly-surfaced. But we got here in the end. 

I didn't want any more exercise today, so have been reading and knitting, but the SW went for a walk. I hope to do so tomorrow. 

Summer Holiday, 23 August 2022

It's been a long day today! We started off at this swimming lake place (which didn't open until 13:00, so we couldn't have swum even if we had wanted to).

My tummy went slightly back on me, and probably after yesterday, and when we stopped at a huge ReWe to shop, I very nearly came over all unnecessary, and had to speak very severely to myself - the Swan Whisperer would not have been pleased if I had had to phone him to come and rescue me while he was drinking his coffee. I had previously gone to the Tedi on the same site and got another pair of shorts (yes, I know I'm too old and fat to wear shorts, but tough!) another short (1 metre) charging cable and, what pleased me almost most of all, a far more sturdy pill-organiser than any I have seen in the UK - the one I brought with me is so flimsy I had to put a rubber band round it to hold it together. This is a massively better design. 

I did get through the shopping all right, and back to the van, and we set off for Lubeck. I was feeling much better by the time we arrived. They have wonderful provision for motor homes there - two huge car parks, right in the city centre, no services, but only €6 for 24 hours, and and less for shorter periods.

We think that, in a slight change of plan, we will go back there tomorrow night and can have a good explore, as it's ages since we have been there. 

Then we didn't want to dawdle as we wanted to arrive here, at Wittenbeck, on the Baltic. A huge, huge aire, obviously a seaside resort and also for visiting the Mollibahn, which we plan to do tomorrow. We are supposed to leave by 11, but the very nice young man who booked us in said that they turned a blind eye to half an hour or so over, so we are going to get up early and catch the 08:43 into Bad Doberan.... 

However, before then we did want to see the train, so went down to watch it go through,

and then down to the beach

and back to watch the train going the other way.

And then I got supper, and it has cooled down a great deal.

Summer Holiday, 22 August 2022

So we thought we would visit the leisure baths this morning sine we had a €5 coupon. We They were cheaper than the ones at Amnéville, but not as nice - the currents weren't as strong and there weren't the massage points. What there were, though, were a variety of water slides, and I, stupidly, decided to go down one where you sat in an inner tube. Big mistake! 

I am far too fat for this to have been in any way, shape or form a plan. The current just lifted my legs (which presumably weigh a great deal less than the rest of me) and hefted me out of the tube, sending me down the slide battered, and gasping for air as the waters broke over my head. The absolute worst was that there was a pause half-way down and simply no way of getting out other than going down. 

That was the end of any swimming for me; I sat in a chair, gasping for breath, heart going far faster than it likes, wobbling and hoping I wasn't going to be sick. I wasn't, thankfully, but my neck hurt and my back is still a bit achey this evening. Never, ever again! 

So once we had changed, we went back to the WoMo and I lay down for half an hour with a couple of paracetamol while the SW used the services and we got ready to leave. I had to pull myself together then, as we had no bread and if we were to have lunch, this needed to be rectified ASAP. So we went to the nearest Edeka and I was pleased to find some fresh chillies, which I had been looking for for some days. 

After lunch, we set off and drove here to a town with the lovely name of Bad Fallingbostel, where we are parked up in an aire by an open-water swimming pool. Warm welcome from the woman on duty - did we want electricity, if so she would go and get the cables, etc. All found for €12, except there is nowhere to empty the loo. However, we did that this morning, so not a problem. 

Summer Holiday, 21 August 2022

Despite having slept a lot of yesterday, we slept well last night, and although I woke up at about 06:30 and took my tablet, I then went back to sleep and didn't stir until the alarm went off at its usual Sunday time of 08:00.

After a rather belated breakfast we went for a stroll around Königswinter, down to the river,

along it, and back along the Hauptstraße, where several shops were, surprisingly, open. We kept wondering whether to stop for coffee and/or an ice cream, but it was a bit soon after breakfast for that. We ended up going slightly all round the houses back to the WoMo,

as we came up one road too soon and had to go quite a long way back on ourselves before we got to the level crossing. Which was closed. We waited and waited, and eventually what came along was a single locomotive, all by itself! Such an anti-climax. 

So anyway, we set off fairly soon after that, but the place where we had hoped to stop for lunch, by a lake, didn't seem to be there so we ended up in a motorway services, very dull. Then I went to sleep as the rest of the journey was also very dull, motorway all the way. And the traffic was incredible for a summer Sunday! Heaven knows what it must be like in a weekday rush hour, with all the lorries that don't run on Sundays!

Anyway, we got here in the end. "Here" is Osnabrück, where we are parked up in a small aire that is part of a large car park. There is a huge swimming complex, including a leisure bath (more lazy rivers), and we get a €5 discount as we are parked up, so we will probably have a swim in the morning, we shall see. 

Summer Holiday, 20 August 2022

I didn't blog yesterday, as we were at a family wedding. It was a very happy day, and lovely to see so much of the Swan Whisperer's family, but, of course, not suitable for blogging about. 

We staggered into bed about 11:30 pm - not being party animals, we didn't stay to the end. Slept very well, but came awake before I meant. I do get a very dry mouth at night, and have a spray that helps. Unfortunately, last night I also had a spray bottle of Cologne on my nightstand - and, yes, the inevitable happened! So I leapt out of bed and rinsed my mouth out very thoroughly, and was awake for, if not the day, then at least the first part of the morning. 

Once we had redd up after breakfast, we decided there was no reason to hang about, so drove round the corner to the hotel where the rest of the family were staying (we were certainly not the only wedding guests on the campsite, though) and spent a very happy hour with them before they had to check out. We then headed on and went to a local Edeka where I shopped, and then we headed north. 

I knew nothing of the first part of the journey, but slept very soundly and didn't rouse up until we stopped for lunch, which I didn't really want. I then went back to sleep again until the SW woke me to be aware we were crossing the high bridge over the Moselle! I did stay awake after that as we left the motorways and drove to Königswinter along the Rhine. We decided that the Drachenfels has been rather spoilt by the modern café; it looks better from on top than from below! 

We were worried that the aire would be full, but there was room for us. The SW went out for a walk, and I caught up on YouTube etc - the signal here is brilliant; it was very poor at Altrip. I am still very tired, and plan an early night! And my cologne will not be on my nightstand! 

Summer Holiday, 18 August 2022

As had been being forecast since forever, it was a wet night and a wet morning. Not nearly enough rain, of course, but it is a start. We were in no rush to get up, and lingered over our breakfast before heading off to the local Edeka where there was also a Kik and a Tedi. There may have been some accidental buyage of shorts, but at €4 each, why wouldn't you? 

In Edeka, as well as the usual bits and bobs for lunch, there were huge crates of the local brew, called Karlsberg, 20 bottles for the princely sum of €8, so rude not to, really. It's actually extremely drinkable! 

The SW programmed the Satnav to take us on a scenic route. I do wish he hadn't, as it was very twisty and parts of it in very poor condition, mostly on the edge of a steep slope and unfenced. It was scary, and rather sick-making. Not my idea of a pleasant drive! 

However, we did stop in a very nice lay-by for lunch,

and we got here in the end. "Here" is Altrip, on the outskirts of Mannheim, and we are here to attend the wedding of the SW's niece tomorrow, which is why we are on holiday in August, which is unusual for us. We usually wait until the children are back at school. 

The campsite is next door to the hotel, and I sincerely hope the hotel is nicer! We had reserved, or rather, L had done it for us, and no problem finding us. It is a very cheap campsite, very basic, and I am not sure how useable the services are going to be, as the taps have no tops on them! I think we may be able to borrow one from Reception, at least, I hope so! As the SW said, the kids - who are legion - would probably leave them running the whole time, else. 

There is a lakeside beach, you borrow a key to the gate from Reception, with a deposit of €20. I did have a wander, and later on the SW sat on the beach and read, as being nicer than the camp site. The sanitaires are very small for the numbers of people using them, I thought. 

Summer Holiday, 17 August 2022

It did rain a bit in the night - enough to wet the windows, but not really enough to wet the ground or anything. The By the time we were up and dressed the sun was out.

The USP of Amnéville, where we spent the night, is a huge leisure area with all the attractions one's heart, could wish, from an indoor snow centre and skating rink (I am fairly sure we know people who skate there) to a zoo, via a casino, adventure centre, a plethora of hotels and restaurants, and, most relevant, the "Thermapolis" which is a huge leisure pool complex with various whirlpool baths, Jacuzzis and lazy rivers.

So after breakfast we used the series and drove the kilometer or so to the baths. Which were absolute heaven! As you can see from my records,

you couldn't really swim, but you were whirled round (it was actually quite difficult to get out of the stream when I wanted to get out to spend a penny!) and there were places you could sit and the jets of water would massage your feet and ankles, and loads of places where the jets massaged your knees, thighs, bum and lower back, basically in that order. And one of those really fierce overhead showers that massaged your shoulders! 

The Swan Whisperer and I spent a very happy hour there (the workout record isn't quite accurate, as I think I accidentally paused it when trying to see the time), and afterwards I felt that I really had had a full body massage! Why, oh why, do they not have such facilities in the UK? I have used them in Austria, Germany and now France, but as far as I know, they do not exist in the UK, and they are so wonderful! This one was very busy, of course, being in the middle of the school holidays - children are allowed in from the age of 4, but must be accompanied by an adult. 

Anyway, after about an hour we had had enough, so got changed and went back to the WoMo, and headed on, first to a quick dash round Lidl (no decent coupons this week!) and then a stop for a little diesel and then a rest area for a late lunch. 

I realised, thinking about it, that much as we love Kehl/Strasbourg, going there would be two sides of a triangle, so we looked at the map and found that a town called Homburg was half way, and, better still, there was a free motorhome parking area. It is rather dull, actually, in the car park of another swimming-pool (which we are not going to as it might be rather a let-down after this morning). The easiest way to it was via Luxembourg, so we found a load of petrol stations where diesel was a bit cheaper than in France, and Germany, and called in there. After which I fell sound asleep, and didn't really wake up until we were almost here!