Coast To Coast....Day 1

Distance walking is an interesting undertaking. Funnily enough I find the steep and difficult walks a lot easier than the flat walks. I seem to go faster up hills. Maybe I was a mountain goat in a past life. Nah….maybe a snow leopard. Sounds better. There's also more to think about, like where you're putting your feet. Flat walking can get monotonous. Gives you way too much time to think. I already think too much. Always analysing and philosophising. And with today, Day One of the walk being 14 miles of basically flat walking, I had life, the universe and everything all figured out five times over. I mean, I think I've solved every global issue that has ever existed whilst walking on the flat (or was that on IB chat with Mr Marchant??!?!) Drives me insane.

The first task of the walk is to race down to the beach at St Bees and pick up a pebble. This is to be carried for the duration of the walk and thrown into the North Sea at the end of the walk in Robin Hood's Bay. The walk doesn't officially start however, until your pebble and feet have made contact with the Irish Sea. Mission complete and off we went! It's a little disconcerting initially as the first few miles of your trek east are actually directly north. It's a nice coastal ramble though. By the end of the day, I was surprised how well the body pulled up. Everything felt good after the 7.5hrs. Except perhaps for my already dodgy right shoulder. I must say though the day pack feels heavier than it should, but with just the essentials of waterproofs, water, maps and food, it was basically impossible to lighten. I felt like our Mongolian packhorses from a few weeks ago. My heart went out to them!! Ok, so perhaps the nail oil, mascara, hand cream, lip gloss and essential oil could have been left out, but it's nice to make oneself feel a bit more gorgeous over the slightly-to-long lunch break!

XXX

Welcome To England :-/

Sunday it was time to race back to London to pick Mum up from Terninal 3. It wasn't as smooth sailing as i thought. Frankfurt airport was a nightmare. More and more I am concerned about where that good old German efficiency has gone! Having made Heathrow, and thinking my troubles were over, I found the Iris scanner out of action. Never a good thing when you're an "alien", as they like to call us. Time to roll up the sleeves and get ready for the third degree. And I wasn't to be disappointed. In fact, I was lucky to make it back into the country, not even thinking that no visa PLUS no airline ticket out of the old dart is never a good combo. Giving a bit of cheek never really goes down well either. Oh well, I got the stamp and stormed off as the girl was still ranting. Right. Back on track. Found Mum and then was kindly picked up by Scott. Thanks Scott!!

No rest for the wicked and next stop was Kensington. There's no way I could be that close to Wholefoods and not pay a visit. That would be sacrilege! Of course Mum loved the cashew ice-cream and green juice. ;-) Next stop….Cotswolds. The area never ceases to impress and charm one to the core. We were staying at Bourton-On-The-Water and there could hardly be a more delightful place..…and it has a laundrette. A bonus when you've a suitcase of dirty clothes. The next few days were spent reacquainting ourselves to this sunny little corner of England. Bourton, Bibury, Cheltenham and the family favourite, Lower Slaughter. The hotel at Lower Slaughter is lovely, but don't bother eating there. It's supposed to be a fairly classy restaurant, but they had no salad as the supplier hadn't made it that day. Really??? Serious?? You're about two hours from the centre of London and 2 minutes from the local Spar!!! Note to self, restaurant….MUST TRY HARDER!!!

After a few easy-going days, it was time to head north to Kirkby Stephen to drop off the car and then St Bees get ready for the inevitable!! St Bees is on the western coast and it's here that Arthur Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk starts. We had a day to "acclimatise", so to speak. Well, to be fair, it is a touch cooler up north here!

Ich Liebe Deutschland!

I love Germany. I think that time and frequent visits have made it so. It was never a country where the first time I landed I thought, "Wow! Germany!" I love it in a cozy, old friend kind of way. I know what to expect and I know where to find things now. Though I must say I was shocked by the lack of the taken-for-granted German efficiency with the trains this time round. Thirty minutes late and no air/con. What the…? Anyway, I landed in Frankfurt after a delayed Russian flight (no surprises there), and it was then a 4.5hr train trip up to Berlin, so the chances of me joining in the World Cup Final craziness were becoming slimmer and slimmer until they were non-existent. Oh well.

I've never been to Berlin before and it was brilliant. One of those cities you could all too easily live in, as many expats do. The history is not altogether pleasant, but I admire how upfront Berlin is about it. The city doesn't try to hide away it's Nazi past, but fully acknowledges that it happened and that's that. That's a brave attitude. Respect, Berlin. The days I was there it was mid 30C and I was exhausted from Mongolia, so perhaps I didn't do the city justice, but I think I gave it a good shot. Alexander Platz, Brandenberg Gate, The Hollacost Memorial, The Topography of Terror Museum (set on the site where the Nazi's ran the concentration camps), Neues Museum, Alters Museum, The National Gallery and The Olympic Stadium. It was here that a lovely couple showed me around the horse complex which was originally a racetrack. It's a lovely spot and an agistment centre today (I also met their gorgeous horses!). They also showed me where the British military used to train their horses and where Hitler used to run the whole German sporting effort.

Checkpoint Charlie was also a must see. There's a great little museum here describing the history of the Berlin Wall. It's small, cramped and stuffy, but well worth the effort.

Two "guides on the ground" Clement and Marco had recommended the Neues Museum, and I'm glad I took their advice (thanks guys!). The museum houses mainly Egyptian artefacts (including the famous bust of Nefertiti), which is good enough in itself. The standout though is the way they've presented the actual building….like a big Egyptian tomb. Wonderful.

From Berlin, it was time to head down to the best show on earth…..AACHEN! The CHIO really deserves its billing and I'm thinking it may well have to become an annual event. The atmosphere, the competition, the shopping and mainly the people that you'll find there. It was great to catch up with old friends, and new ones alike. Carolus Thermen is nothing to sneeze at either.