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  • Andrew Glen
  • Jacqueline Glen

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    5 czerwca 2023
    Interrail

    Lockerbie train station

    5 czerwca 2023, Szkocja ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    First train changed to 9.10am as the transpennine express at 10.10 was cancelled.

    First chance to use our first class interrail pass and it went well. Smooth trip to Manchester Airport if not the most luxurious train we went on.

    Michelle had started a yesterday and after her train to Lockerbie was cancelled and the replacement bus was AWOL, she got a taxi to Lockerbie train station.

    We were full of excitement and looking forward to a coupe of weeks away together     Czytaj więcej

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    Manchester airport

    5 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Arrived in Manchester airport train station…..after a short …well very long walk through the airport to find the check in desks. First chance for all of us to experience the weight of our bags..and of course the official weigh in to see who had packed light…..and who was taking their entire wardrobe on the check in scales.

    Official results
    Michelle 10kg
    Adia 8kg
    Andrew 7.7kg
    Jacqueline 7.3kg

    This was hardly mentioned throughout the remainder of the trip and Jacqueline never had a bag this light for the next two weeks!!!! Bear in mind Jacqueline packed both Andrews and hers!!!

    Because we had to get the earlier train the wait was longer than expected so once through, the rather rude checking in of bags person and through the security checks (which Andrew really didn’t like and felt a bit stressed at) it was a seat on some benches and some KFC and Andrews first hypo of the week. Luckily Michelle had brought Andrew a stack of sweeties for the trip.

    Michelle and Adia bought duty free, which with hindsight was a smart move.

    Buckled in to a plane for Verona it was a slightly unreal feeling as we were delayed in the ground for 40 mins.     Czytaj więcej

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    Verona

    5 czerwca 2023, Włochy

    Arrived in Verona airport and were pretty much last through security….in Italy for the first time for most of us and we ended up in a taxi which was really easy to find. After an extremely fast taxi ride…..taxi driver was clearly on a day off from Monza!!!!! We were dropped off at the offices of our first accommodation of the two weeks.

    Unfortunately the office was closed, there was nobody about and despite ringing the bell and intercom we were ignored…….after the travel and the tiredness it was getting a bit concerning after five mins of checking we were in correct area. Michelle however saved the day by checking in the letterbox, where a letter addressed to Jacqueline had been left….panic over……all we had to do now was to find the apartment !!!!! A short five minute walk turned into a 10/15 minute walk with packs on through the streets of Verona…but Jacqueline was a star and found the apartment and as we walked into out first two bedroomed apartment, our home for the next four nights, we were very happy to have travelled for 13 hours and the apartment was clean, spacious and most importantly….air conditioned,

    We then decided to get pizza for our first meal and the little pizzeria down the road was superb and with our basic Italian we managed to get some pizzas and some starters.

    Pizzas were great and we went to bed happy that day 1 of our adventure was complete     Czytaj więcej

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    Verona day 2

    6 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Up early and went out for our first Italian breakfast in Verona. A small coffee bar where we nervously ordered coffee, hot chocolate, teas and chocolate pastries. This was the first time we realised that Adia had learned a few words of Italian and she was immediately promoted to chief interpreter.

    It was a warm day and Michelle and Jacqueline had booked themselves onto a walking tour. Subsequently, it turned up that they didn’t find the walking tour guide and wandered about themselves, found some key points of interest and then got a bit lost too. But with hindsight it was a helpful event.

    Andrew and Adia on the other hand decided to chill and had a short wander about the nearest park, looking at lizards and just watching the world go by, they found a small supermarket and bought some supplies. They tried their first ice cream (mango) of the trip….but not their last and had a good day.

    An trip to the train station so we knew where it was happened in the afternoon and the best dad joke of the holiday when we spotted the Verona city flag looked like the Swedish flag and Adia asked why there were so many Swedish flags about…..because their not Finnish(ed) was the retort. A joke that enabled Adia smiles in every subsequent photo.

    Adia and her dad waited on Jacqueline and Michelle to come back to apartment in the cafe close by.

    Later that evening we went out to dinner at nice bistro where Michelle had her best dish of the holiday with a knuckle of slow cooked beef. Jacqueline tried some wine and got a little bit tipsy. Back home to apartment where we chatted around the kitchen table and drank vodka     Czytaj więcej

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    A day in Verona - a walking tour not!!!

    6 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It became clear that team disabled wouldn’t make the walking tour. So Michelle and Jacqueline went on a little stroll 🤨. We went to the Verona Arena as well with the assistance of a lovely Italian lass we found Juliette’s house. Czytaj więcej

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    Verona day 3 morning

    7 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Got up early again, on what was the hottest day of our trip for more sightseeing around Verona. Breakfast at the cafe below our apartment provided the first laugh of the day when Jacqueline called from the ladies toilet to say that the door was stuck and she was locked inside. Michelle went to help and discovered that the door pushed open instead of pull….lesson for future trips learn the local language for things that say “push” and “pull”.

    We went to visit Verona’s coliseum after purchasing the Verona pass which allowed access to a lot of Veronas attraction. The coliseum was getting ready for the annual open air operas which took place two weeks after we had departed the city. But we climbed to the top of the building…..some found it easier than others. The two disabled folks managed fairly easy but the shorter travellers found it a little more challenging.

    As the day got hotter we went around the shopping area and into the market place. From their we went to visit “Juliet’s house” were we avoided the cheesy option of queuing up to rub Juliet’s “breast” which seemed to be what every tourist wanted to do. Instead we bought a heart shaped padlock where we wrote a message to our family members that had recently passed away and locked it to an area in the courtyard. There will be forever a part of us in Verona now. The Verona pass got us access to the house and we toured that with Andrew kissing Jacqueline on the famous balcony,…..just to prove we could be as cheesy as the tourists queuing up to grope Juliet’s statue!!!!

    We then went back to the market square for lunch at one of the many restaurants     Czytaj więcej

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    Verona day 3 afternoon

    7 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Afternoon saw us wander around Verona city centre. We visited the church of Anastasia, which was one of the nicer chapels we visited on our trip. We then made our way back to the apartment and chilled.

    Later that night we all walked back into the centre of the city to visit Hosteria 17 for evening meal, which was a lovely evening, which we all enjoyed.

    Back at the apartment more stories and late night stories drinking wine and vodka was had. By this time Adia’s Italian had really improved and this was a focus of our evening.     Czytaj więcej

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    Day 4 Verona final day

    8 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    The final day we walked into the city centre and towards the river where we had breakfast outside at a cafe. Adia quite confidently ordering for all of us as usual by now. We then took a visit to the Zoological museum which was much bigger than we imagined and was enjoyable.

    In the afternoon following a picnic lunch in the park, we headed to Verona museum.

    It was baking hot and Andrew and Adia (aka Team Disabled) were struggling in the heat and after another walk to Verona museum, Team Disabled split up from Team Walking Tour and Adia and Andrew went back to the apartment via a gelato shop and we chilled in cafe below the apartment and enjoyed the air conditioning.

    In the evening, following take away pizza for our meal, we packed our rucksacks and made ourselves ready for our next train journey to Bellano via Milano. We enjoyed Verona immensely and it was a great success in our adventure     Czytaj więcej

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    Verona to Bellano on lake Como

    9 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    After loading up our rucksacks and making sure that Jacqueline didn’t have the lightest rucksack after day 1…we undertook the short 5 minute walk to Verona train station, where we had bought tickets for our trip to Bellano. But we were going to spend a few hours in Milano. We managed the trains easily and got the correct train to Milano. Andrew was moaning because he was under the impression that the Doumo was a shopping centre and a very expensive one at that. Meanwhile his travel companions were happy to let him think this!!

    On arrival at Milano Centrale (which was built in a tribute to Mussolini) we dumped our bags at the luggage centre paying a small fortune for the privilege….we hadn’t discovered nanny bags at this point…..we managed to find the underground system and bought tickets to the Doumo a few stops later with Andrew expecting a shopping centre- we came up the escalator to the wonderful sight of Milan cathedral and with an audible “wow!” From Andrew - everyone else had a wee laugh. One of those moments that will live with us forever. The cathedral itself was awesome even for the atheists among our group. With Team Disabled getting priority entry - it was a really pleasant morning.

    Lunch was at a ramen bar not too far away, and was excellent. Lots of tourists and perhaps a pickpocket paradise it was a bit intimidating at times. We got entry to the cathedral museum too, but the collection was vast and I think we had perhaps had a bit much religious symbolism at this point to fully appreciate the works of art on offer…and with a further train trip and a replacement bus to negotiate….thoughts turned to how we were going to get to Lake Como.

    We moved back to Milano Centrale and after waiting for an age on the most uncomfortable seating ever…..we boarded a very crowded train to Lecco (replacement bus would take us the rest of the way)….the train was stuffy and unbearable hot and with a Dutch lad setting with his legs wide open directly opposite Michelle it was great when left Milano some 35 mins late.     Czytaj więcej

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    Day 5 arrival in Bellano

    9 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    When we arrived in Lecco and a scene resembling the Normandy beach landings played out in front of us, with the hundreds of passengers from the train descended on a car park full of taxis, buses and cars. With none of the buses having destinations on them, but with Trenitalia staff standing near them it was time for the big lad in the group to take control. Andrew started muscling his way through to speak with the staff….ultimately it was fairly easy to get the right bus…and having triple checked we were all on the right bus, we relaxed into the wonderfully air conditioned bus for the 60 mins trip to Bellano.

    The trip was pleasant- the hairpins down the Bellano on the shores of Lake Como were “interesting”. We arrived and made our way along the streets of Bellano to meet our host coming to meet us, this was wonderful and after he showed us the Casa Rosa we relaxed into this apartment. It was older in style to the Verona apartment…but was comfortable, but not air conditioned.

    Pizza for a late supper (which was ok but not as good as Verona pizza) and we went to bed after a busy day.     Czytaj więcej

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    Bellano first full day

    10 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Well, we woke up to a wow view of Lake Como and after a quick breakfast on the edges of the lake we took a wander through the town, stopping at various little artisan shops, and generally getting our bearings. Most of the time we spent was looking out over the lake and at the mountains and small villages in our view.

    We spent the morning planning our itinerary for the next few days. After lunch at the apartment of cold meats, melon, olives and tomatoes we ventured to the waterfall Orrido de Bellano and although the walk up the hillside was steep and it was a warm day what a spectacle it was. Perhaps not for folks who had trouble with heights as the walkways were over the river, but beautiful. One of the highlights of our two weeks.

    The trip down from the waterfall through the town was great too and after the now obligatory stop at a chapel (the bells would ring out four or five times per day). We found the small beach on the lake and went for a paddle too……we the headed back to the apartment for an evening meal and to chat around the table again…with more vodka and wine.     Czytaj więcej

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    Lake Como day 2 Varenna part 1

    11 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Woke up to get on the ferry boat from Bellano to Varenna which was a 15 minute boat journey. On what was a scorching hot day. When arriving in the very touristy village of Varenna we took some time to find our bearings and went to the cafe near the train station which had high recommendations. The cafe was ok, but expensive at the time and this was the first clue that Varenna was a tourist trap and the prices were much more expensive than those of Bellano just a few miles north.

    Refuelled we wandered through the town and found ourselves at the gardens at the Villa Monestera….which were beautiful. A wander around the gardens took us a good few hours and allowed plenty of time for pictures.     Czytaj więcej

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    Lake Como Day 2 Varenna part 2

    11 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    On return from Varenna and some lovely lunch some nice slushies to cool down it was time for another chapel. Small one in the village centre before getting the boat back to Bellano. A chilled and relaxing evening next to the lake as the clouds started to form for a night of thunder and lightening as we slept. We felt relaxed now on our holiday as we chatted about the highlights and what was still to come. Czytaj więcej

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    Lake Como day 3

    12 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    This was a day when Team Disabled (aka Andrew and Adia) decided to spend a day in Bellano with Team Walking Tour ( aka Jacqueline and Michelle) wanted to visit the town of Bellagio. With the longest travel day of the two weeks the following day it was important that the two disabled travellers took some time to regain some strength before the epic days travel over the Alps. So with Team Walking Tour out of Bellano, Andrew and Adia had a lovely day of walking around Bellano, window shopping, getting groceries and having coffee in cafes and people watching. Often just stopping to take in the beauty of the lake and being happy in each others company. Talking about the future and the past and having a father/daughter day in the Italian sunshine. A day that neither of us will forget.

    Andrew waited on the boat coming back from Bellano to catch up on what Jacqueline and Michelle had been doing and we all had a take away dinner of pasta and pizza at the apartment. There may well have been wine and vodka consumed too!!!!     Czytaj więcej

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    Italy to Switzerland, the long trip P1

    13 czerwca 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This was the longest travelling day of our trip, once which Andrew in particular had looked forward to for some time as it included the Bernina Express.

    Early up and packed and loaded ourselves up and walked the ten minutes to the train station and grabbed a quick coffee at the train station cafe. Train was switched from one platform to the other, and we picked this up, which illustrated that our Italian was getting better.

    The train was supposed to be a direct train from Bellano to Tirano, but with major rail works in place the train only went as far and Sondrio and then it was a replacement bus, at Sondrio station there were zero signs to help us complete the transfer and it was almost by luck we found that going under the train lines brought us out to a bus station and onto our replacement bus….it was tight as it had taken us a few minutes to find this bus!!! But this wasn’t the closest run connect we had that day…more to follow on that later!!!

    We arrived in the small Italian village of Tirano, right at the Swiss border and at the foot of the Alps. It was a pretty cool little place, but everything revolved around the two train stations….one which was Swiss and the other Italian one. Plenty of touristy places to eat and we tried our luck in one, the food being good, but hugely overpriced. There was a bit of a wait with not much to do whilst we waited on our “red” train.

    We had reserved seats and with hindsight we probably would have been better using the local trains but we had opted for the panoramic carriage. As we set of in the express, it was evident fairly early on that “express” was a truly optimistic term as this was the slowest train we had been on ever. The scenery was superb, but after a while it all kind of blended into one. It was the most picturesque train journey we had been on but four hours was a long journey and as we approached Chur, it was clear that the always reliable Swiss trains that we heard so much about, were not as reliable as they were made out to be. The express was over 20 mins late getting into Chur and with our connecting train to Zurich leaving in just 10 mins it was down to a bit of a sprint to find the correct platform and jump on the train to Zurich. We made it after a bit of a run and as we walked through the train we lost Michelle behind us….only for her to catch up later and tell us that the automatic doors had closed on the back pack and she was stuck in the doors….much to the amusement of the fellow travellers. Once one lady had stopped laughing and helped Michelle get free only then could she join us in first class.

    We were pretty tired as the sun was setting and we arrived in Zurich train station…it was massive and appeared to also be in the middle of a shopping centre too!!! We couldn’t find an exit and despite walking for a good few minutes, struggled to get outside. When eventually we did manage to see daylight and get out bearings the short five minute walk turned into a 15 min hike through the busy city. Trying to find our ridiculously expensive accommodation for the one night that we were in Switzerland. To give an indication of the prices we were facing our phones buzzed reminding us that even sending a text in Switzerland was going to cost us £2.50

    Eventually we found our “not for profit” accommodation above a nightclub and comedy venue. The inside was sparse and the theme the place seemed to be going for was “prison”…..we were all sharing one room and as we eventually got the codes and entered the room our worst fears were realised……     Czytaj więcej

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    Italy to Switzerland, the long trip P2

    14 czerwca 2023, Szwajcaria ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    ………cont. One double bunk bed was all we had and an en suite bathroom. One chair that was impossible to get out of, if you were brave enough to sit in it. It was a case of laughing as the alternative was a capsule hotel a few miles away.

    It was as this point where Jacqueline, being her usual optimistic self, declared that it wasn’t that bad and that there was “a communal day room” …which “had a kettle in it” just down the hall. We went to investigate……the room did indeed have a kettle, but no running water, three seats and some orange crates to sit on, which, with all of us being super fit and the ideal weight, none of us broke them!!! We met a lovely South African lady who said that she liked the place and then went on to say that in South Africa she only had electricity for 12 hours in any 24 hour period.

    We decided to make the best of it and as the room had spared no expense and splashed out on ear buds, we got ready for bed. With Andrew in the shower whilst the ladies got ready for bed there was gold comedy when Michelle who had been “volunteered” to go on top bunk with Adia, couldn’t get up the ladder and with Jacqueline incapacitated by laughter, Michelle eventually made it to the top bunk.

    Bed was comfortable, but it was relief to escape the “stalag” in the morning and continue with our journey     Czytaj więcej

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    Arrival in Strasbourg

    14 czerwca 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Train from Zurich to Basel was an easy trip, we were getting the hang of using the passes and although we had to use data in Switzerland to update a ticket, which cost is a small fortune, we arrived in Basel and with Adia asking for directions perfectly in German to a person in information, we found our TGV train and settled down to move into France and on towards Strasbourg.

    Temperature was crazy hot as we arrived in Strasbourg and as usual we were laden down with our bags. We just hoped our accommodation was better than it was in Switzerland. Andrew was low in sugar as we arrived in Strasbourg and we therefore had an emergency McDonald’s. We still had over three hours to wait until check in so after a phone call with the big lad using his best French we manage to move this forward and sat outside in a Cafe as we awaited check in.

    Last accommodation was basic and extremely small, but better than the stalag. Pleased to be in Strasbourg we ventured out into La Petit France and eventually got something to eat. Champagne, wine and some good food we went back to the digs and to prepare for some days in Alsace     Czytaj więcej

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    Strasbourg day 1

    15 czerwca 2023, Francja ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    On waking up and having coffee and croissants at a nearby cafe we started to explore the city, in particular the region known as La Petit France. Strasbourg is beautiful and with the weather being so nice it was a pleasure to be in.

    Team Disable separated from Team Walking Tour as the later had set up yet another route March (sorry walking tour). With Andrew and Adia taking a funky train tour around the city it was an enjoyable day with some great photos taken.

    Later that evening a superb meal at The Schnockeloch Restaurant where way too much food was presented to us.     Czytaj więcej

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    Strasbourg day 2

    16 czerwca 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Another day of just exploring Strasbourg, visiting markets and looking at the dam and battlement areas of the city. Michelle and Jacqueline entered the cathedral and Andrew and Adia wandered around getting small gifts and having a wonderful pie for lunch. With Michelle being propositioned outside the accommodation it was an eventful day!!!

    Later in the day a takeaway meal went well for three of our intrepid team and awful for one of them. With Jacqueline fancying a “burger” for evening meal. With Adia and Michelle opting for the mixed grill….Andrew wanted a chicken kebab……the results were as follows

    Jacqueline …great burger
    Michelle …..great mixed grill
    Adia……great mixed grill
    Andrew……slimy horrible dish….inedible, with Michelle giving Andrew a meatball at least he had something to eat on his final night in Strasbourg.

    Motto of the story…..not all French food is good!

    Edit….from Andrew…….never let Jacqueline pick a restaurant on holiday…..ever!!!!     Czytaj więcej

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    Strasbourg to Lille via Colmar

    17 czerwca 2023, Francja ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    With an early checkout and a late train and check in our adventurers decided to add in a bonus trip to Colmar, which was back in the direction of Basel.

    This was the day we discovered “nanny bags” and managed to store our big bags near the train station in Strasbourg.

    Colmar is a lovely town which we probably didn’t have enough time to do justice, but we had a nice lunch there and prepared ourselves for the high speed train to our last night away in Lille.

    Getting to Lille was easy and comfortable, and we arrived late at night and got a bit lost finding our hotel, with only Adia picking the right route, eventually we found our very small rooms and after a late night KFC. We settled down for an early start and the Euro Star connection to London and home.     Czytaj więcej

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    The last day euro star

    18 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The morning in Lille was memorable, for some more than others…we got wet. For the first time it rained and it was welcome too. Early up to the train station from our hotel was an easy walk and we waited for the Eurostar security checks, which weren’t as rigorous as the one in Manchester airport,

    Breakfast on Eurostar was ok and before we knew it we were arriving in London St Pancreas.     Czytaj więcej

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    The last day london and home

    18 czerwca 2023, Szkocja ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    The walk from St Pancreas to Euston was ultimately easy, but we were not prepared for the amount of people in Euston station, frankly it was a pickpockets paradise and none of s felt comfortable. Jacqueline then took the initiative and decided to see if our first class passes would give us access to the Avanti first class lounge….and marvellously they did. We enjoyed a range of free hospitality in an air conditioned lounge. Michelle then decided that she would try and grab and earlier train (we had left lots of time as we weren’t sure about security and how long it would take to get through it after Eurostar) so she left the Glens and made her way home without a reservation.

    The remaining travellers had reservations on a later train and thoroughly enjoyed what was the best and most comfortable train of the two weeks. The additional cost of first class was worth it for that train alone.

    Eventually we all made it home and are planning our next trip already.     Czytaj więcej

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    Koniec wyprawy
    18 czerwca 2023
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