Saturday 16 July 2022

Five, Three, Two, One

"Four" is missing from today's headline. Not because I have suddenly forgotten how to count, but because I could not think of anything representing it for the purpose of this post:

5 trains + 3 countries + 2 sisters  = 1 trip

The day for our trip to Yorkshire has finally arrived - our first Yorkshire holiday since 2019!

It will be wonderful to see our family and friends there, and to be back in "our" cottage, visit our favourite places and generally just relax and enjoy ourselves.

But before that, there will be five trains across three countries to catch:

Starting in Ludwigsburg with a local train to Stuttgart. There, the TGV will take us to Paris, France. In Paris, we'll change stations (only about 700 m on foot - no problem) and board the Eurostar. That one will take us through the tunnel underneath the Channel, and we will emerge on the other side in England. In London, we will once again change stations and board a train to Leeds. In Leeds, we'll change to our last train of the trip, a local one to Harrogate, where my sister-in-law will pick us up to cover the remaining few miles to Ripon by car.

Phew!

If all goes according to plan (fingers crossed!), we should be at Matchbox Cottage around 9:00 pm tonight.

If not, we'll work it out as we go along - wouldn't be the first time. We are both experienced travellers, know the language(s) of the places where we might need to ask for information, and can use our phones for finding out stuff. Still, it would be nice to just have the trip go smoothly.

As I will only have my ipad with me and not a computer with a proper keyboard, I may not comment as much as usual on your blogs, or post here on my own blog. But I am sure I'll be in touch every now and then over the next two weeks!

15 comments:

  1. I hope that your journey is safe, hitch-free and enjoyable. Have a wonderful holiday.

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    1. Thank you, Graham! It was a smooth trip, just a very long day from start to finish.

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  2. Wish you a good trip and holiday! I'm just back from mine with my brother (since Thursday evening, and he left Friday afternoon). Had a good time, but kind of intense compared to what I'm used to... So this weekend mainly just unpacking and resting! :)

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    1. Oops, I seem not to have been logged in when commenting... DawnTreader/Monica

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    2. Hello Monica, I am looking forward to reading about your trip and seeing the photos.
      I know what you mean about having a good but intense time!

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  3. Good luck with the travel - so near and yet so far only twenty or so miles apart. If I wasn't so immobile \i would come down on the bus - I come there for my Hearing aids servicing and mby taxi - these days my favourite journey.

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    1. I know, Pat. If you had a service trip to Ripon over the next two weeks, we could meet you right here. We love the drive to Ripon from Harrogate, where my sister-in-law picked us up; so much like coming home.

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  4. Have a wonderful trip! Pack lots of masks and stay safe! Hope it all goes smoothly for you and your sister.

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    1. Thank you, Ellen! Most of the time, we were the only ones to wear our masks while on trains and during check in and border control. But we don‘t mind that one bit.
      The trip went smoothly!

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  5. I'm so happy for you! Enjoy every moment--we'll be here when you return! :)

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  6. I am so happy you can go again!! I remember Matchbox Cottage from your postings. A perfect place. And I do so love that you are in such close to touch to your late husband's family. And what an orderly sounding trip.

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    1. Thank you, Nan! We are very happy to be here, too. All three of us welled up when my sister-in-law met us at Harrogate station last night.

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  7. Why not just go by car via Eurotunnel? So much less hassle, and in charge of your destiny.

    May all your expectations of this trip come true. Good luck with the trains.

    U

    PS Should I have missed that neither of you drive, my apologies. Wishing you even more luck with the trains.

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    1. You have indeed missed that I don‘t drive (never bothered with things like taking lessons and tests, buying a car and all of that). And although my sister does drive and owns a car, she does not feel comfortable with driving on the „wrong“ side of the road. We are big fans of public transport (also under the environmental aspect) - it‘s great when it works, and it DID work yesterday 😊

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