And so back to UK again.....

We decided to get our shopping done BEFORE partaking of a little 'light' refreshment (Gluhwein)! So on the Sunday (last day in Cologne) we trekked to the Christmas market, having enjoyed a large breakfast of mixed fresh fruit to begin, followed by a choice of cooked food, followed by cakes, and really anything else you wanted to help yourself to there and of course washed down with 'lashings' of fruit juice/teas/coffee.

Unsurprisingly, we got the shopping done in quite a short time and I'm sure it was not because we were anxious to sample a little mulled wine. Still, with that out of the way we felt we could relax and join our fellow shoppers in enjoying the traditional food and drink. The remainder of the day seemed to go by so quickly and before we knew it we were makeing our way back to the Hotel as it was beginning to get dark and it was bitterly cold.


The next morning we were down for brekky at 06.30 and once again on the coach at 07.00 for the home journey. As we were leaving Cologne the daughter remarked on how busy the roads were, there were so many cars, but the odd thing that we both noticed is that it was all moving quite freely, and so we made our journey back to Calais without disruption. The daughter wondered why so many people were up so very early in the morning which gave me the chance of explaining how we used to work 'flexi- hours' in Germany. This entailed being able to begin our work anytime from 06.30 am and finish by 20.30 an as long as we worked the set hours we were paid for during the month we had the freedom of choice of what would suit us best. I don't need to say that this was so much better for everything, appointments, shopping, hangovers! etc. A far better way to go on altogether.

We boarded the ferry and arrived in Dover at 16.30. By the time our cases had been transferred and we found the feeder coach that would take us up to Northampton it was 17.30 and we began the last leg of the journey. Of course in England when there is a lot of traffic it is NOT free moving, no, we Brits who like queuing so much also seem to favour being gridlocked on our roads for hours on end and so the journey just to Northampton took us almost double the time it took on the way down!! Glad to be back? Erm, why yes of course..............