Day 2
It was fun waking up without the traditional hang over. Eddie had gone down for breakfast so I showered, shaved and went down to a continental breakfast (CONTINENTAL the word sounds exotic). Anyway, the breakfast consisted of, for starters, a French butter pastry (I don't know how to spell it!!), with strawberry jam in the middle, and fresh orange juice. Then came the main meal, which was slices of well cooked bacon, in a soft cob, with drizzled honey (Honey shipped in locally I might add and we finished with with toast, raspberry jam and coffee. How can I remember it you ask??? Well it was something completely different from my normal. (Cereal, Toast and Tea). When we finished, the courier told us that we wouldn't be long on the road and we'd be traveling through a medieval walled town the was on the border of France, Germany and Austria.
I've been looking for the name of the town and I believe it's Passau. All I can remember it was like Doctor Who, We traveled back in time. I expected knights and ladies fair, but the big thing I remember, everything was extraordinarily clean. The streets had not one bit of litter. (Boring I know but we, here have litter (Surprise!!!)). The coach moved forward and we got to see the Rhine. We were told that the castle we were about to pass, was the same castle that Richard the Lionheart was held to ransom in. (OK I've stuck a picture in). Eddie said it "needed the builders in", I was to busy going, "wow!" in my head, and back to the medieval knights (in my head)
We passed a number of castles and were told we're nearing the hotel (OK this may be the hotel, or something like it. We passed through a large wood and as the coach went through the sun dappled road, the courier mention the there was wild pigs in the area and if we saw them, he said "count them". This was a bizarre statement but it was one of those, "What the Heck!" things. We arrived at the hotel, late morning and there would be a supper at 6pm. Our room was on the ground floor, and we tipped the Bus boy, for delivering us to it.
Eddie, was excited and he wanted to do a "Julie Andrews". I guessed what this meant. It meant climbing a fecking mountain and bursting into song. I reluctantly agreed to join him. We left the hotel, with a map of the general area, and it seemed that behind the hotel was a fairly steep incline to a mountain village. "We're going to that village" he said. I thought it might be nice so off we went.
The incline got steeper, Eddie trotted along like a sodding mountain goat. It got steeper still and there was goat boy Eddie, skipping along. Steeper still, and smiling away, he looked down on me, as I puffed up the the hill, like "the little engine that could give a toss". "Ay Ha, Ay Ha" (No it's not the intro to "Prince Charming by Adam and the Ants" ) but the noises coming out my body. I was dying on that mountain side, and around me, hopped a little hobgoblin called Eddie.
We were lucky, we hit a road and the first thing I did was pause, make the excuse to look into the valley. I'm really glad I did, as while it was a ruse to get air into my exhausted lungs. it meant that I almost passed out, with the breath taking view. The Rhine meandered around the hotel, it was like a horse shoe with our hotel in the middle. Eddie was for the off, I turned and looked along the road and I could see why he wanted to go, there was a tavern. I told him that I didn't want to spoil our evening meal and I'd look around, the small mountain village.
He moved off at a fair pace and I looked at the various chalets and buildings and then I found a path between houses. There was a sign in Austrian and a gate, that had been inter-twined with flowers. I followed the path, and i came to the smallest of graveyards. (Now, my sister and I share an interest in statues and graves (Morbid I know, but hey, we're family) and so I walked into a beautiful place. How can I describe it? It was full of flowers. It was like an explosion of colour had fallen on this mountain side. Each grave was lovingly dressed and each stone had a picture of the occupant. There was photos going back years and it wasn't the solemn passport photo, it was photos of joy. It refreshed my soul but I knew I'd have to fetch Eddie. I got to the tavern and he had a stein of ale and a meal. The meal consisted of an enormous anemic sausage and onions and cabbage. He'd ordered me a beer and afterwards, we strolled slowly down the path back to the hotel for our supper.
OK I've got the night to type but, I've got to the stage it's no longer a joy... lol sooo next it's OH VIENNA
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