Day 12 - Bydgoszcz to Berlin

---

Its rubbish to be up so early again after a few days of some late lie ins, but we've got a long journey ahead so we need to get ready. Plus we're also dropping off Greg's parents at the airport this morning. It feels weird dropping them off, as it feels like they are the ones going travelling, and it's also weird cos we’re dropping them off in Poland, not Glasgow. We’ll be seeing them in a week though, so it's not too bad.

Getting out of Bydgoszcz proves more troublesome than anticipated, and it's almost like a comedy sketch as we actually drive past our hotel three times in a big circle. (Why can we find our way into a city but never out of it?). Eventually we manage to find a way out and are back on the motorway again. It should take us about 5 hours today so just a short drive today lol. It's a pretty non-eventful drive, and the weather is pleasant enough, so there's not too much to report on that front. No wrong turns, no police officers and no interesting landmarks either. We follow the directions closely as we know Berlin is a big place, and we don't want another repeat of Vienna. After being stuck in yet another traffic jam, we find the turning we should be taking, only to realise it is the only road shut for roadworks. This could be fun.

We try and navigate our way by taking another route, but keeping a close eye on where we’ve came from, but in the end we become even more lost (you'd think we'd be a bit wiser by now, but nope, just keep going and hope for the best seems to be our motto). We go into a little cafe to ask for directions, and by chance she knows where it is, but unfortunately she doesn't really speak English. In the end she draws us a mini map, which proves to be really accurate, and we find the hotel without any more glitches. Fair play to that woman indeed.

The hotel is nice, the first 4 star we've stayed in (ever), the only thing I would say is the decor probably needs updating as it’s a bit 90's looking (and probably the reason why we could afford it in the first place). Our room is big, and there's a gym, so we decide to do a wee gym sesh to keep us fit (it takes work to keep these bodies at this level of perfection). The 'gym' has a grand total of one exercise bike, one step walker and a weights bench. But we manage to do our own wee routine.

By the time we're finished, we're absolutely knackered and we opt to eat in the restaurant in the hotel. It's an all you can eat buffet which has lots on offer, so we decide to dig in. Only problem is the restaurant shuts in just over half an hour, so our mission within that time is to eat as much as is humanely possible to get our money's worth. So, we manage to consume a large plate of salad, a bowl of soup, a portion of fish and potatoes, a portion of beef and rice, a bowl of veggies followed up by apple strudel, ice-cream and fruit. I feel so sick I can't even finish my beer (which is saying something). I have a feeling our room is going to smell lovely tonight with all the gas we have in our bellies.

---