The ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn was a great way to travel and a fascinating experience in people-watching. This wasn’t just a ferry, it’s more a cruise. There were live shows aboard, multiple restaurants, a piano bar and a massive duty-free shop which was doing a roaring trade as Swedes stocked up on cheap booze. Mind you, it wasn’t just Swedes or Estonians aboard. I was surprised to find groups of Chinese, Japanese and even Indian tourists travelling.
I didn’t join in the partying. Instead I retreated to my cabin for a good night’s sleep. The ferry was large enough that there was no pitching and rolling or feeling of being out at sea so a good night’s sleep was easy.
The Baltic Queen in Tallinn.
We arrived at Tallinn at 11:00. Sadly, the sunshine that’s followed me most of the trip decided to abandon me today. Tallinn had seen a downpour and residual but intermittent rain remained. For some that was no bad thing because when I walked into town I encountered the runners of the Tallinn marathon!
Marathon running. Not something you want to be doing in blazing heat.Encouragement. I’m not sure of the relevance of the dinosaur tho’..
As I had a couple of hours to kill before I could check into my hotel I watched the runners, many of whom had clearly come from all across Europe to take part. Next, I popped over to the railway station to check out the place before catching my train tomorrow. Sadly, Estonian railways has modernised their fleet in recent years. All that was around were modern diesel and electric multiple units. Good for passengers, but not so interesting from an enthusiasts perspective.
Passenger operator Elron uses modern Stadler ‘Flirt’ trains in Estonia.
Finally, it was time to get to my hotel in the old town, and it didn’t disappoint. The St Olav hotel’s a refurbished neoclassical building dating from 1437 with a quirky interior but comfortable rooms. It’s a great base from which to explore the old town, which is delightful.
You can’t beat a quirky vintage hotel.My room
I’ve enjoyed exploring Tallin, a medieval town with amazing buildings and streets which are full of nooks and crannies. Unsurprisingly, it can get very busy during the day with tourists – especially when cruise ships are visiting, but in the evening it’s much quieter which makes it a great time to explore. Here’s a few shots from my wanderings.
Not a menu for veggies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen somewhere with Elk on the menu before.A backstreet Italian restaurant. The rain returned this evening. Which always makes for good reflective pictures, especially now the streets are quiet. The remains of the old city walls.
I’ve enjoyed my day in Tallinn, it’s a gorgeous place rich in history. I’d certainly come back, but tomorrow I’m on the move again. This time to Riga in Latvia.
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There’s not trains for me today, apart from a metro to the port. Instead, it’s all about boats, from the one I’ve slept on last night to the ferry I’ll be sleeping in tonight as it carries me from Stockholm to Tallin in Estonia, where I’ll arrive tomorrow morning. After the hectic pace of the past few days I’m taking time to kick back a little. I don’t have to check out of my ‘floatel’ until 11:00, so I’m making the most of it. It’s a cloudy day here in Stockholm, so I’m happy to relax and catch up on emails and suchlike before exploring later. My ship doesn’t sail until17:30 this afternoon, so that gives me time to wander. In the meantime, here’s a picture from yesterday. Here’s Stockholm’s artificial beach, which I walked past on the way to my floatel!
16:30.
After a day clocking up some serious miles walking around Stockholm I’m now on board the ‘Baltic Queen’ ferry, exploring the ship before she sails at 17:30. I’ve a simple cabin with no outside view but that really doesn’t matter.
Stockholm proved to be an interesting city to wander around. Some of the buildings are best described as monolithic. They’re huge! The Swedes obviously wanted to project wealth and power. The layout of the city is interesting too as it’s spread over several islands and at different elevations. Flat it isn’t! Despite that, cycling is a popular form of transport so there’s lots of cycle lanes. Public transport is plentiful, with buses a metro system as well as suburban rail.
Whilst Sweden is pricy, it’s not as bad as I thought it might be, although I resisted any temptation to visit bars or restaurants. Instead I contented myself with food from the Co-op on the station. Stockholm station has a lovely concourse and waiting area (pictures later) as well as plenty of shops.
Whilst I’ve enjoyed my brief visit I have to say that I prefer Copenhagen. It has a much more freewheeling and funky atmosphere. But, I would come back to Sweden to explore some more. Maybe as day trips from Copenhagen!
Watching ferries to-ing and fro-ing through the multitude of small islands that line the route out of Sweden.
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Excuse the lateness of posting this but it’s been a long day and it’s still before noon here in Sweden. I left Copenhagen early this morning after a day full of memories – even if they were bittersweet. This was my first visit in 22 years and the last time I was there was for the funeral of a friend. Where’s the time gone? The city’s certainly changed a bit. Not Christianshavn where we used to stay, but certainly along the river, where there’s lots of new developments. Even so, it’s still a lovely city with a liberal soul. Being up late meant that I discovered new pictures like this.
In some ways I’d have liked to have lingered longer, but as I don’t have the same connections to the city anymore I was content to move on and explore new territory, which is what I did. One of the early morning trains was heading for a place in Sweden called Kalmar, which was on the end of a branch line to the coast. I thought, ‘that sounds good to me’, plonked myself in the train and promptly fell asleep!
Several hours later I woke up surrounded by Swedish forests and lakes. I now understand why the Swedes make so much wooden furniture – there’s no shortage of trees! Kalmar was a lovely little place that would be worth exploring more, if I’d had the time. Having had a short wander to get pictures of the shoreside castle I was back on another train. This was like stepping back in time too. four old coaches hauled by an equally old loco. That said, there was 1st Class and it was equipped with power sockets and wifi.
Kalmar castle on the shores of the town. These electric locos date from 1985 but the styling makes them look a lot older.
Having retraced my steps to Alvesta I’m now on a sleek modern express heading for Stockholm…
13:30.
Bugger! We’re currently stuck at a place called Linköping. The Train Manager has announced that there’s a ‘problem with a bridge’ further down the line. I’m assuming this means that a railway bridge has been hit by a road vehicle, a not uncommon event back in the UK. Good job I’m in no hurry to get to Stockholm. On the bright side, there’s free tea, coffee and snacks in 1st Class on these trains. Despite the fact we’ve been sat here for around 30 minutes now there’s a distinct lack of complaining form my fellow passengers. If this was the UK the tutting level would have reached ‘severe’ by now.
My 1st Class coach.
14:41.
We’re still stuck! Many passengers are out on the platform, making the most of the sun. Unlike Brits who’d be sucking on fags or vapes quite a few passengers are doing calisthenics or taking the time to get some steps in! We’ve still no idea when we’re going to be on the move. Other trains are trapped here too. Only a couple of local services have come and gone, but they’re all heading South.
15:23.
We’re finally on the move!
15:40.
Whilst it’s good not to be stationary anymore our pace is best described as ‘pedestrian’ so I’ve no idea when we’re likely to arrive in Stockholm. I’m not expecting to get much sightseeing done today unfortunately. That’s a shame as I’ve never been here before, but that’s life. This trip was always going to be a taster – I’d just hoped the taste wouldn’t be this tantalising! Even so, I’m enjoying the trip. From what I’ve seen so far, Sweden looks lovely, with pretty little villages and lots of brightly painted wooden houses with red being the favourite colour.
We’ve just departed from Norrköping, a busy station that once has extensive freight yards, although most are now lifted or disused although some goods traffic still remains. There’s also an old steam era locomotive roundhouse tucked away in a corner, but I can’t tell if it’s still used for anything.
A useful feature in these 1st Class coaches is the amount of plug sockets provided. I’m in an airline seat and there’s two sockets between the seats and two in the back of the seats in front, which gives me the opportunity to power up the laptop and recharge my camera battery at the same time. I rather like these X2000 trains. They may only be 5-cars long but they still have a buffet as well as the little refreshment station in 1st class.
Free tea and coffee – and healthy snacks. Well, if you ignore the chocolates!
21:15.
And relax! We finally made it to Stockholm and I wasted no time in getting to my hotel. Or should that be ship – as that’s what I’m staying on. Rygerfjord is a collection of three ships that have been converted into a bar, Thai restaurant and floating accommodation. The cabins are cosy but offer a fantastic views of Stockholm from their moorings. Their Thai food is pretty good too! Here’s a few pictures.
The view from the floating jetty between the two housboats.This is the view from my cabin, looking at the main boat which contains the bar and restaurant. The stir-fry vegetables with chicken and rice was really rather good. There’s 20% discount for guests.
Right, it’s been a very long day – so I’m off to bed. I want to try and see at least a bit of Stockholm tomorrow before I’m on a different boat – the ferry to Tallin, Estonia….
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Another day, another city. As I was late arriving in Hamburg I haven’t had chance to explore more than the area I’m staying in, which is functional, but not very attractive. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to see before I leave, but Hamburg tourism wasn’t high on my agenda for this trip, it was more a useful stopover on my way elsewhere.
Today I travel across unfamiliar territory to a city I once knew very well 20 odd years ago. Back then, Lynn (my first wife) and I had Danish friends who lived there. We’d often go over and stay with Didi, so we got to know the city well. Now, I’m the only one left out of the trio. I’ve not been back since Didi’s funeral, so I’ll be curious to see how much has changed.
Right now I’m leaving Hamburg aboard a rather nice Danish Railways DSB train formed of modern Talgo articulated coaches. I’ve grabbed a seat in the rear coach as there’s a little window at the back that allows you to see where you’ve come from. I’m hoping to use it for photographs later. Plus, there’s power sockets and wifi, so I can blog along the way. As this is a DSB service I’m hoping to avoid another DB farce like yesterday.
I didn’t see much of Hamburg, but then I didn’t expect to. Most of my time was spent taking pictures at the vast main station which is like a mini city in itself. I’d certainly return to Hamburg. Whilst the area around the station can be a bit seedy it looks like an interesting place that’s seeing a lot of investment in infrastructure. The cities international links can be seen through the trains that serve it. Earlier I watched a Czech train arrive on it’s way to Budapest, Hungary! If I hadn’t already got plans I’d have been sorely tempted…
The main hall, which is a rather impressive steel and iron shopping centre
Just as I was settling in for the journey every phone in the coach went off, including mine. It was the Germans testing their national alert system!
11:50.
The trip’s going well so far (touch wood). We’ve juts passed through Neumunster, a small town with a large railway works of the sort we lost in the UK many years ago. All sort of DB vehicles appear to be repaired or refurbished here. There’s still a lot of freight traffic too. Once thing I’ve noticed is the number of solar and wind farms we’ve passed so far. They’re a real sign of investment in clean energy. The countryside itself isn’t that exciting. It’s pretty flat but is obviously good farming country with a variety of uses. Maize seems to be a popular crop around here.
12:10.
OK. I take it back about the countryside being flat! We’ve just passed over the 1913 Rendsburg high bridge which crosses the Kiel canal at a height of more than 40 meters. It’s a very impressive structure I’d love to come back and photograph!
12:43.
Having made our first stop at Schleswig I decided to have a wander through the train. It’s packed, with lots of people standing. Heading to the rear was a wise move! Sadly, there’s no buffet car, just the standard Danish vending machines offering tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and sugar rushes.
Now the train’s even more packed with the last few available seats in the rear car taken.
15:15.
Having crossed ove into Denmark at Padborg we had a prefunctory passport check. No-one actually looked at passports in our car at least. Danish Immigration officrs just stuck their heads in and looked around!
Niw we’re only a short distance from Copenhagen, having crossed between a number of islands by bridge or tunnel. It’s been an interesting trip. A lot of investment seems to be going into the railways, including building new lines. There’s quite a bit of freight around too, including pocket wagons carrying HGV trailers, which is good to see. The weather’s picked up too with lots of sunshine around. Shame I’m only here overnight…
The further
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Having had an early night I was up with the larks at 06:15 this morning in order to make the most of the day and the opportunity to explore some of Lille sans suitcase. Some of the architecture in the city centre is stunning. I’ll add pictures later.
I left on the 09:08 to Tournai in Belgium. It’s advertised as an SNCF service but it’s actually worked by a Belgian train and crew. The journey was just over 20 minutes but it was rich in interest due to the countryside and the rail scene. At Tournai I transferred to a loco-hauled double-deck train which will be my home for the next two hours until I change again at Brussels Airport. Whilst this train’s comfortable (and I almost have the top deck of a car to myself) it’s a bit retrograde. Belgian railways gaven’t really got the hang of step-free access. Plus, there’s no power points or Wifi in this coach.
Ready to go. Lille Flandres station.Level boarding? Nope…
Hopefully, when I transfer to an Intercity service at Brussels I’ll be able to add far more yo thus blog but right now everything’s being done on my smartphone, so I’m busy taking paper notes instead.
13:00.
I’m back, thanks to DB (German railways) wifi. As I type this my train is pulling out of Aachen en-route to Cologne. This has been a fascinating trip today but I’m running slightly later than planned due to missing a very tight connection at Brussels airport. To be honest, it worked to my advantage as I had to retrace my steps to Brussels Nord station which is a wonderful example of 1930s architecture. that said, I’ve also passed through a modern version at Liege. On the way from Lille I passed through a little town with a name that will delight the English sense of humour. Silly – no, really!
Belgian railways were a bit of a blast from the past. Back in 2004-2005 I was a regular traveller around the country on daft railtogurs with a group of friends. Organised by a group of Brits under the banner of Mercia Railtours they took us to all sorts of strange and wonderful places in strange and wonderful trains.
The ICE I’m on is full so I’ve nowhere to charge stuff up, which is a bit of a problem when you have an e-ticket on your Smartphone – hence my silence. I’ll be arriving in Koln in the next 20mins, after which I’m hoping to find space on an ICE to Hamburg and blog from there. Watch this space….
17:00.
I’m back! Right now I’m on ICE108 from Cologne to Hamburg, only it’s not going to Hamburg. Apparently it’s being terminated at Bremen and we’ve got to get a local cart to go to our final destination. Today’s been a great example of the best the railway can offer (no, not you German railways) – and also the changes that need to be made for the future. Problems and missed connections aside, I’ve had a great day. I’m exploring parts of Germany I’ve never seen before. I just wish I had more time to stop off and get pictures, but then this trip was always going to be a ‘reccie’ for the future.
When I get settled in Hamburg tonight (wifi permitting) I’ll add a few pictures.
Whilst I may be critical of DBs timekeeping I can’t really fault their 1st Class offering. They still have buffet cars on ICE services that offer a range of food and drinks – and table service.
17:10.
A standard DB farce. We’ve been stuck at Diepholz for over over 20 minutes now. The idea that we’re going to connect with said cart to Hamburg is long gone. Whilst the staff are doing their best to placate people, they’re not actually explaining what the problem is. That said, at least they’re doing it in a range of languages…
At least we were let off the train to get some fresh air.
Day 3 update.
Having cancelled our train at Diepholz we were all loaded onto a following ICE service for the journey to Hamburg, only that never made it to the Hauptbahnhof. Instead it terminated in the suburbs at Harburg, where we were told to get the metro into town!
By the time I made it into town all I wanted to do was get to my hotel and crash for the night, which is what I did, hoping for a better day on Thursday. The once mighty Deutsch Bahn had let me down again.
Anyways, here’s a couple of pictures from the day.
Lille shopfrontThe ornate clocktower of Lille’s chamber of commerce. The main hall of Brussels Nord station
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I’m on my way folks! The trip’s got off to a slightly rocky start. Late last night we had a torrential rainstorm, this led to the frustrating discovery that the cottage roof is leaking – despite us spending £1000 to get it repaired only a few months ago. It’s too late for me to do anything about it, so I’ve had to leave poor Dawn to contact the roofers and sort it out (so sorry, Dawn x). It’s not quite the start I’d hoped for as it wasn’t exactly conducive to a good nights sleep for either of us.
This morning the alarm went off at 05:45, blurgh! Having had a caffeine fix whilst I finished packing Dee drove me down to Halifax station to bid farewell. Now I’m on the first train of the trip – the 07:16 from Halifax to Leeds which is formed from one of the old West Yorkshire PTE Class 158s. Despite the early hour it’s a busy train full of commuters heading into the city.
I’m slowly managing to master the intricacies of my Interrail pass app on the phone, activated it and generated a ticket. I’m sure I’ll be fluent in its use by the end of the trip, I just hope I don’t hit some of the app glitches that I’ve read about. Or, if I do I have a sympathetic ‘gripper’ (ticket inspector) when I do!
I’m looking forward to trying a variety of different types of trains as I travel around Europe. I’m sure I might find some as old as this 1980s class 158, but also some rather more modern and up to date vehicles too. Let’s see what happens.
My first train of the trip. 158904 pauses at Leeds before heading off to Hull.
08:15.
My time in a damp Leeds was brief. I had long enough to get a quick shot of my train before heading over the footbridge to platform 8 to catch my LNER service to London which consisted of a pair of Hitachi built ‘Azuma’ Class 801s. I’m now happily ensconced in 1st Class, sipping coffee and looking forward to the breakfast service! my coach (K) is split 50/50 between 1st and Standard class. 1st is quiet, with only a handful of other passengers other than me – although several other seats are reserved en-route.
There are worse ways to travel…
09:15.
We’ve just sped through Grantham (the best way to see it perhaps). Having scoffed a bacon roll at 125mph I’m now enjoying watching the scenery flash past the window. Summer seems to be over now. The skies are gloomy and the light flat. Hopefully I’ll find better weather in Europe. 1st Class has filled up en-route, I’d say we’re about 60% full now, which isn’t bad for a Tuesday.
11;00.
The closer we got to the capital the worse the weather became. I’m glad I made a last minute decision to pack a brolly as I’m going to need it! fortunately, it’s only the work of a couple of minutes to transfer between Kings Cross and St Pancras. Plus, if it’s really hammering it down you can do the transfer via the subway. Now I’m sat on this 140mph chariot for a a trip along HS1 (High Speed 1) to Ashford, then on the traditional lines via Folkestone to Dover.
The last UK leg to Dover…
11:30.
We’ve arrived at Ebbsfleet International in Kent, having sped underneath London and across Essex. I still have to pinch myself sometimes as I documented HS1 being built when I lived in London. You can find the gallery of pictures here. Now, years later I’m documenting HS2 being built. I don’t travel this route often enough. I’ve not done it for a couple of years. The way residential building is taking over from industry to the East of London is quite a surprise. Gone are massive factory complexes like Ford in Dagenham. Now there’s more blocks of flats than commercial premises. It’s only along the banks of the Thames that industry hangs on.
14:45.
Well, that was interesting. The journey across Kent to Dover was painless – if rather wet and misty, which hardly showed off the ‘Garden of England’ at its best. Then you arrive at Dover – which (not to mince words) a bit of a shithole! I had time on my hands so elected to walk to the ferry terminal, accompanied by one of the local vagrants who just wanted someone to talk to (and ask for spare change). Nowadays the port is just one vast car and lorry park with all the glamour you’d expect from acres of concrete and tarmac. Boat trains arriving into Dover Marine station for a fast transfer onto a ferry are long gone. Now, if you’re a P&O foot passenger you’re advised to arrive 90 minutes before your ferry departs. Now I know why. I was one of only six foot passengers who joined the 13:35 bus for the 15:05 ferry. This takes you from the Eastern docks all the way to the Western docks where you go through passport control in a new building in the middle of a desolate lorry park. Then you get back on the bus for a circular tour before being driven back to the Eastern docks. There you get waved through customs befor your bus sits next to the ferry as it disgorges a seemingly endless stream of HGVs and other vehicles. Finally, the bus drives onto the ferry to deposit you by a staircase on the car deck, 35 minutes after you got on!
The bright side is you’re first on the ferry so have chance to explore whilst it’s empty!
A string of ferries ready to depart. Well, not the furthest. That’s an Irish Ferries ship that seems to be lost!
15:20.
It’s bye-bye Septic Isle…
My ferry’s sailed in bloody awful weather. The white cliffs of dover disappered in the rain within a minute of clearing the Dover harbour breakwater. The ferry is still eeriely quiet too which is rather a surprise. I’d have thought it would have been much busier. A tanny announcement earlier mentioned there were only a few hundred passengers aboard – including 105 lorry drivers, which gives an idea of the size of this ferry. Apparently the ‘P&O Liberte’ is over 42,000 gwt and can carry 1,500 passengers. I’m not sure it’s earning its keep on this crossing.
18:30.
Bonjour from Calais! Remember I said we were first on the ferry at Dover? There’s a downside to the system. We were the last one’s off at Calais. Thankfully, a funky little free ekectric bus runs between the ferty terminal and Calais Ville station which git mere there just in time to catch my train to Lille. I was sorely tempted to gang around to get pictures as I’ve not been to Calais for donkey’s years, but a hotel and food beckons…
My first European train of the trip…
The train was packed with young people as far as the first stop at Audricio. I’m assuming it was the school run. The wet and windy weather that dogged my trip across the channel has abated. The skies are clearing with the occaisional hint of blue sky and sunshine. Whilst this train’s a local service it’s very comfortable, with low doors, a variety of seating and plenty of space for cycles and wheelchairs. The automated announcements are multi-lingual. English racists would hate it!
19:00.
Our latest stop is Saint Omer, which has a huge (and very impressive) old station building. I’ve bever been here before but if I had time I’d certainly stop off to have a look. This area of France is criss-crossed by a multitude of canals and waterways, but (unlike the Norfolk Broads) the terrain is more undulating.
23:00 (French time).
From this point on I’ll be using the local time of whatever country I’m in. Right now I’m resting in my hotel in Lille afrer a long day. Having checked in earlier I went for a aander with the camera. I’d forgotten what an attactive town centre Lille has. There’s some gorgeous buildings that put nany UK cities to shame. Flandres station is lovely too. I spent a while there once night had fallen in order to get pictures. I’d planned to add some to this blog but I’ve decided to call it a night and have a longer day tomorrow. I’ll add some in the morning instead.
So, here’s the end of day 1. I’ll be blogging throughout day 2 as I’ll be covering a lot of miles. Tomorrow’s overnight stop will be in Hamburg, Germany.
And it’s goodnight from me. Welcome to Lille…
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I’ve been back in Halifax since Saturday but tonight’s my last night for a while. Tomorrow morning I start my ‘grand tour’ of Europe (North and South) so I’ve been busy catching up on various activities back home whilst I can. Sadly, the rainy weather put the kibosh on some of the outdoor DIY jobs I’d planned. Let’s face it, repointing and wet weather don’t really mix! Still, we managed to get a few indoor jobs done to begin getting the cottage ready for the winter. Winter – God, what a thought. Admittedly, the nights are already drawing in but I’m not in the mindset to contemplate those long cold winter nights just yet!
Instead I got into cooking mode, something I’m not going to be doing for a while. Whilst Dawn was busy with her parents and various appointments I nipped out to get my daily steps in and pick up various items of shopping. Back home I first prepared a dish that will go straight into the freezer for Dee to enjoy whilst I away. Cucumber curry! Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it’s actually a simple but stunning dish. Here’s the ingredients prepped ready for cooking.
Having that one under my belt I moved on to tonight’s evening meal. Seabass in a Lemon, Basil and Vermouth sauce, served with peas and spinach. The vermouth adds a wonderful flavour to the fish without overpowering it whilst the spinach and peas add an ideal veggie accompaniment.
Now it’s time for a quiet night her at Bigland Towers as I prep for an early start. Tomorrow will see me travelling down to Dover by train before getting a ferry from Dover to Calais. Hopefully the black-clad, balaclava-wearing morons pretending to be ‘patriots’ will be bothering someone else and not buggering up ordinary people’s travel plans. I’ll be ending the day by catching a train from Calais to Lille where I’ll be spending the night. Whilst I’ve passed through many times recently I’ve not spent any time in Lille for 20 odd years, when I was working their for a company supplying train simulators, so I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted.
After that – wait and see. I’ll be doing a daily rolling blog (internet permitting) which means the next few weeks blogs will have plenty of variety (and countries) on offer!
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
The seasons really are rolling on here in Southport, not that I’m here for much longer. Yesterday we were treated to rain lashing down which caught me unawares as I’d misread the forecast. That said, which forecast do you trust as there’s so many of ’em out there nowadays? Then there’s the newspapers which put their own slant on things – especially the ones trying to push the idea that climate change is a ‘hoax’.
None of that was any comfort to me as I made a very wet journey from town to my sisters. The rain was so heavy that I gave up walking and used my ‘old fart’ pass to catch a bus for the last half mile! Today the weather’s changed again. Now we’re confronted by high winds, but at least that’s keeping the rain away – which is just as well as I pegged a load of washing out on the line this morning, ready to head back to West Yorkshire before the start of my next adventure. Whilst said washing was doing its thing in the machine I spent a fruitful hour with a toothbrush and mold remover, scrubbing clean the grouting in sis’s bathroom. It’s quite a therapeutic exercise – as long as the moggie doesn’t intrude as ‘Willow’ loves leaping into the bath to drink from the taps. Not a great idea when the bathroom is dripping with mold remover. Willow was most annoyed when I chased her out!
Now I’m in the local library to type this and sort out a last few admin details ready for next week’s trip. I’ll get back to Yorkshire tomorrow to see Dawn for a few days, then on Tuesday morning I’ll be off on my European odyssey. I’ve ferries/trains/hotels booked as far as the end of Innotrans in Berlin on the 26th, after that I’ll see. Who knows where I might end up? Having had annual travel insurance through the same company (Columbus) for donkey’s years I’ve had to find a new one. As soon as I turned 66 Columbus tripled the premium and wouldn’t budge – despite the fact I’ve never claimed. Now I’m insured with SAGA, which is rather sobering as it’s an indicator of my age! I won’t crack the old jokes about what SAGA stands for (what? you mean Send a Granny Away, or Sex and Games for the Aged? Ed) but at least I’m covered.
For now I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is an indicator of the seasons change. Is it really this time of year already?
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Well, here we are in another month and on the edge of autumn. The weather’s become far more mixed with heavy rain and thunderstorms (at least here in Southport) and the nights are drawing in. There’s no doubt the seasons are changing…
This bank holiday weekend saw the annual Southport airshow. It’s a popular event but as with many outdoor events it’s at the mercy of the weather – and the weather wasn’t particularly kind. After weeks of sunshine there was rain and even thunder and lightning – all of which plays havoc with an airshows plans, especially when you have precious and historic vintage aircraft meant to take part. I managed to attend both days with the Saturday providing the best and most consistent weather. Sunday was more of a bust. The day started off with glorious sunshine but as the time came for the ariel displays to begin the clouds rolled in. They made for some very dull photo’s. But a couple of acts provided their own contrasts. Like this…
The Red Arrows making a stunning contrast against grim skies. This little helicopter provided its own firework show which really lit up the sky.
Bank holiday Monday was much like the traditional UK event we’ve come to expect. It chucked it down with rain during the morning, which (surprise, surprise) seemed to keep a lot of people at home, including me. But then I had plenty to do with picture editing and planning for my tour around Europe which is drawing closer. A chunk of today was spent arranging travel insurance. I’ve now reached that age where some companies take the pee. Fortunately, I’ve managed to get an annual policy that’s flexible enough that I can extend the length of time away if I need it.
So, on to September – and France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Switzerland and Italy – here I come…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Apologies for the lack of blogs recently. A combination of being busy with other things and the muse not being about me has led to the drought. Not that there’s an actual drought back here in Southport as the weather has very much turned to wet! Here’s how the skies looked this morning during my walk into town!
I’ve been back in Southport since last weekend, when I had chance to attend a fun night at the Settle Inn which is in Botanic Gardens. Billed as an ‘alternative night’ the 3 DJs involved played some classic music from the 70s-90s. I bumped into many old friends, from one of my former London flat mates from the 1980s to people I grew up with whom I’ve not seen for 40-odd years. Talk about memory lane! As it was a ‘night off’ I didn’t take the camera with me, which I kinda regret as it would have been lovely to document the evening – and the people, as the passing of time has meant there’s quite a few faces from those days who’re no longer around. Maybe another time, if there is one?
Now I’m sheltering in the Atkinson library on Lord St, researching and booking next month’s adventure either side of working at Innotrans in Berlin. With an Interrail ticket booked it’s now a case of planning routes via train and ferry that will take me in a broad loop around Europe to take in several countries I’ve never visited before. Exciting! One of today’s little tasks has been to buy a new small suitcase to take with me. Whilst not being constrained by airline baggage regulations I don’t want to be towing a suitcase the size of a caravan, so I’ve cut my cloth. Travel insurance is next on the list, although I’ve mixed feelings about finding out that the best place place I can go for that now is SAGA!
Back in Southport it seems time is accelerating. A couple of days ago I spotted this, then today I was in a shop called ‘Home Bargains’ where they’re already selling Xmas decorations! Give it another month and there’ll be Easter eggs in the shops.
Much as the rain is welcome, it couldn’t have come at a more awkward time. This bank holiday weekend it’s the Southport airshow. No more clear blue skies for that as the forecast is for a very mixed couple of days. Ho hum…
Even so, some people are continuing to do their best to brighten up the town. In an era when so many people seem to spend their time spreading doom and gloom on the internet it’s great to see that others are more bothered about raising a smile with their work.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 