Blogs from Saxony, Germany, Europe

Zittau sits very close to the border with Poland and Czechia. It's a lovely rural German city but what great timing for us. We took the train from Gorlitz which was simple, cheap and quick. Then we walked the 20 minutes down to the main square where we were staying. On arrival they were setting up for what looked like a German Christmas market in May. All was soon to be revealed, but first we checked into the Hotel Sonnewhich was a wonderful birthday treat for Russ and a class above our normal travel digs! It's a beautifully restored building full of quirky works of art and we absolutely loved it there. Art themes continue all around the city. Near the hotel is Grüne Strasse where the old communist housing blocks have been painted eclectic colours ... read more

Wow. Yes, I'm back. The last time I posted to this blog, I said that was going to take a break from travelling for a while and that I didn't know when I would be posting next. Never in my wildest imagination did I think that it would be a break of two and a half years - and never in my wildest nightmares did I think that the world would be forever changed by a global pandemic. Pandemics? Surely, they only happen in the movies. Alas, this was no Hollywood disaster film, this was real life and the scale of the coronavirus pandemic still astonishes me to this day. It is almost impossible to think of a global event that has literally affected every single human being on the planet and that has completely changed ... read more

It’s my last day of visiting old haunts. I have enjoyed my trip down memory lane. There is still a distinct difference between east and west Germany; here it’s more laid back and the people are friendlier. Other ways they remain linked to the past; the WiFi is rubbish, there’s still a Woolworths and a C&A, even the odd Trabant. We start the day with a different car and a tour of the Glaserne Manufaktur (the transparent factory) where they manufacture the VW E-Golf. The building, made entirely of glass, sitting in the corner of a park, is quite a sight. We opt to walk the 2 miles to the factory because we have been told it is difficult to park there! To be honest, the factory is little more than a PR stunt. In this ... read more

Bonjour à tous, La journée d‘aujourd‘hui, a été parfaite. Par rapport à celle d’hier, c’est facile de les rendre parfaites. Ma plus grosses déprimes à été à mon retour du souper, lorsque je ne pouvais plus ouvrir le site Travel Blog sur la tablette. C’était une des rares fois où il n’était pas fini. Habituellement je le corrige après le souper, je fais des ajouts auxquels j’ai pensé en mangeant, j’essaie de corriger mes fautes, et surtout celle de la tablette qui en génère en quantité plus les mots qu’elle invente, ou qu’elle tronque. Je sais c’est moi qui ne sais pas assez bien l’utiliser. Surtout que la soirée avait été super agréable à Wroclaw. Sur la grande place Zubeck, plein de restaurants énormément de monde qui se promenait. 25º la soirée parfaite pour sortir et ... read more

Am letzten Tag des verlängerten Wochenendes bin ich problemlos die A9 entlang von Leipzig nach München gefahren. Dort habe ich abends das schöne aber erfolglose Spiel des FC Bayern angesehen. Aber ich habe an dem Tag keine Fotos gemacht.... read more