So That's It !!

Hi Readers,

I only think this will be a short post, but as usual I could prove myself wrong.

After 31 days abroad my trip is coming to an end as I sit in my quaint little digs here in London. Tomorrow I fly home.

Originally I was planning on this trip occurring mid year, but I took advantage of the fact that I had our son and his family in New York City, and as I'd never been there, why not use the opportunity to go there. And wasn't I so glad I did as a previous post will attest to.

Another reason to go earlier than planned was because of some upcoming surgery I need on an ankle, and if I held off until mid year there is no way that I'd be able to get around as it has already packed up and walking around is getting harder by the day.

Not complaining for a second, that's just how it is.

The European cobbled roads have really been a great help here!!!

I was actually walking down the steps in the Underground here in London and one of the very kind workers in a red jacket approached me and asked if I needed assistance! Wasn't that a blow to my ego!!

I'll admit that some days I move like a gazelle ( well, one that looks as if it has been shot) and other days something just goes in my ankle and leaves me struggling to walk. Very embarrassing and annoying to say the least.

So what have I learned on this trip? I could easily tell you what I have seen, and show some photos, but you could easily find similar photos yourself with a quick Google search.

Unless they were the photos that have personal significance, so many that I have that I needn't share as they'd mean diddly squat to you.

For example. I walked past Buckingham Palace the other day, and usually I'd plonk a photo of it here. But you all know what it looks like, so what's the point?

It was a few minutes later when I was walking down the long street towards Trafalgar Square that I took this photo, as at the time it just reminded me how lucky I was to be doing what I have been doing. 

More about that later.

40 years after finishing Teacher's College in Ballarat, I catch up with Trish Poole again. A great Easter Sunday!!

And 44 years after leaving Boarding School, I catch up with Terry Coughlin again. We just kept on from where we left off all those years ago. I could have spent days talking with him.

These pics mean nothing to you, but when I look back on them they will take me back to the time and space. I hope you are able to collect similar memories.

I've mentioned many times in previous posts how Jen and I tried not to go back to the same places on many of the trips that we were just so lucky to take together. London has been revisited many times as it has often been a transit to other places.

I think I've been here 5 or 6 times and I always find it to be just the most amazing city to wander through, and on this trip I have also jumped on the trains and gone beyond the central area..

Famous street in songs and movies

And who didn't love the movie  'Notting Hill'?

But the other night I went back and did something that we had done a number of times together. In recent years we attended quite a number of musicals, most of which I slept through, but Jen just loved them all. 

But there is one that just got me hooked, so much so that I have seen it here in London with Jen, and then on my own on this and another trip on my own, 5 times I think.

Yep Readers, this is where you are saying "He's lost it", and I can sort of agree with you.

A number of years ago our closest friends tragically lost their daughter in a road accident. A few days later her friends organised a private viewing of this movie at the local cinema as it was her absolute favourite. We attended, and it touched me in so many ways, to the point where it is my favourite movie that I regularly watch over and over. So when Jen surprised me on one of our trips with tickets to the live musical I became completely obsessed. I just love it.

When I travelled here a few years ago on a scholarship I saw it twice on my own, and we also saw it with our son and his now wife which was just the best night. On that occasion we lashed out and sat in the box to impress his new lady!!

I walked out after the show just bouncing. It is just such a feel good musical and you can see the joy in the performers and the audience experiencing it.

So as you can see, after going yet again, I wasn't disappointed.

To a point. And this is what I was alluding to earlier in this post.

I have been so fortunate to have been able to do this trip. The privilege has not been lost on me for a second.

However, I can't really say that I have found it to be enjoyable, save for the first week when I was seeing family every day.

Before you pounce on me and accuse me of being privileged, which I understand, I have just found it hard since then doing the next 4 weeks or so on my own. 

It took me a while to figure out why I just wasn't enjoying it rather than just 'doing' it

I realise now that I'm probably comparing it to other trips where I always had someone to talk about things, laugh about things, wonder about things etc.

Now I just do the same things, then move on, and it has taken some time to adjust to it.

It would be a bit rude to just blurt out to the nearest person what I think about what I have just seen!! I just miss so much having that one person with me as I have always been so accustomed to. Even 3 years later it is a challenge to get used to.

For example, today I stood in front of the London Eye and contemplated whether or not to have a go at it. In previous years we would have jumped at it, but I still feel so self conscious about doing things on my own

I don't want to appear as that "Weird old guy". so often I just skip things.

As I walked away I was left wondering "Will I regret not doing it?" Only time will tell.

It will be too late once I'm back in Australia in a few days!!

As for when I was seeing Mamma Mia, sitting on my own when everyone else was in a group or with a partner made me even more self conscious. An empty seat beside me made it feel even worse.

Luckily the family beside me started chatting with me and they were just lovely.

It was even better when I was able to explain some of the Australian slang terms that were mentioned in the show, as one of the characters was "an Australian traveller".

They loved the explanation of "No wuckers" when it was used in the show!! Two of the ladies said they were going to use it in front of their husbands, but not say what it meant!!

Readers, there have been just so many times when I have felt that this was a moment to celebrate or enjoy, but it just doesn't happen when I'm just wandering around on my own. I sort of expected it to be something like this, but until it happened I just did not know how it would feel. Now I know, and I just have to accept that this is it from now on.

It's not to say that I don't appreciate what I'm doing, it's just a new different.

Enough of my self pity! 

What are some things I have learnt? ( and most of these are mass generalisations!!)

• In London, people obey the traffic signals, and don't cross before the green signal. Generally. 
• And if you jaywalk, you get the stinkeye!! (Trust me, I found out!!)
• In NYC, jaywalking is as common as breathing.
• In NYC, tooting your horn is more common than breathing.
• In London, tooting your horn actually serves a purpose, and people take notice.
• People in Poland are very stern and do not pander to people who do not speak Polish
• In Germany, people just smile disdainfully at you as you try to explain yourself in English
• Bread in Europe is tough
• Bread in NYC is sickly sweet
• You can get EVERYTHING in supermarkets in Europe and London. Who walks out with a microwave meal and more beers than they need with ease??
• The public transport system here WORKS!!! Tap on, Tap off. Is that too hard Victorian Govt???
• It is incredibly expensive to live in London, Frankfurt, Geneva, Bern, Berlin and NYC. Thank goodness for Krakow and Warsaw!!
• Although being in England, English is not the language you hear most.
• I'm sick of changing electrical adaptors!!
• Each day is dictated by (a) How do I keep my phone charged                                                          (b) Where is the nearest toilet                                                                  (c) When will I be able to was my clothes next?

Well Readers, I could bore you with more photos of my travels, but most would mean nothing to you as I take shots of what means something to me at the time.

Rest assured I totally appreciate what I have experienced over the past few weeks, and some of these experiences will continue to confront me into the future ( ie experiencing Auschwitz-Birkenau) Others I will forever treasure ( Family in NYC and catching up with life long friends)

Tomorrow is the long flight home and time to really start my retirement, something that I'm already feeling challenged by.

Until my next post,

Cheers 😀

 What a Day a Difference Makes - Geneva

Hi Readers,

I hope you don't think I have muddled up my topic for this post. I was originally going for the standard "What a difference a day makes", but then realised that this heading sums up my day perfectly.

In my last post I pretty well stuffed up everything when I was in Bern. The one place I was looking forward to so much but I just got all my accommodation wrong, putting me in a negative frame of mind from the start. Maybe this also contributed to how I felt on my first day there. Happy to say though that I got my 💩💩 together and made the best of my situation. I was actually a little sad leaving there this morning, knowing realistically that I won't be back.

I'm so glad that Bern and I have parted on good terms 😘

Today was another train ride, this time a few hours to Geneva. While mentioning the trains, the European train system is first class. So functional, comfortable, organised and on time. I still panic that I have got the right ticket and the right platform, more than once I have thought I should have packed the brown undies!!! In previous trips over the years we always rode on trains when we could and it is the greatest way to really see the countries. And much more comfortable than a plane.

In a previous post I mentioned that on one of our trips over here, we were due to fly from Berlin to London. However, a day or so beforehand a pilot deliberately crashed the passenger jet he was in charge of, killing everyone. We were due to fly with that airline two days later, and Jen just insisted that we would not be doing that. Despite my insistence that the chances of it happening again were so remote, I gave in and we duly bought train tickets for the longish ride from Berlin to London. It took less than 12 hours and it was just magnificent, the best way to see what a country really looks like.

And Jen and I continued our childish game of always trying to catch a photo of each other snoozing off on the train. Childish yes, but it just added to the fun we always had together.

She got me a beauty heading to Luxembourg in 2017

But I got her back travelling from Madrid to Barcelona a few years later.

It took a while, but I persevered!!!

And I never knew at the time that this would end up being one of my favourite photos of her ♥️

Anyway, back to this post.

The longest I have spent anywhere on this trip is 3 days, save for NYC where I spent a week. That means every few days I'm travelling, and packing in a rapid few days in between seeing what I want to see.

After my 3 days in Bern in digs that amounted to just a bed and bathroom, I get to Geneva and feel like I'm in 2nd Heaven!!

Yes, it's just a small 1 bedroom flat, but it's not a hotel room but a private rental. Disregard the 3 flights up the narrow spiral staircase, lots of expletives expended there I can tell you!!

I get in and find it has everything that my last digs didn't. Forgive me for sounding precious again, but here I have a fridge, oven, washing machine. I even have cups, glasses and plates and can cook up food and cool drinks!! My washing is being done as I write!!

And it has a seperate kitchen, and I have gone and just stood in the kitchen, because I can and just feel like I'm in a home again.

It's the little things!

I'm amazed at how purile this sounds after 3 days without these things, and this is where my heading of choice came from.

The difference has made my day!!

I just went down to the supermarket a stone's throw from here and got some real food that I'll heat up soon. I know I'll be able to have a coffee later. And that I will have my washing drying soon.  I can put some things in the fridge and have them later, rather than gulping them all down in a flash. 

Just little things that make a huge difference.

When I first dropped my bags off I saw what facilities I had and was like the proverbial kid in a candy shop. The weather here today is pretty crappy, constant rain, but I went out and roamed the streets without a care in the world as I was just so impressed with my digs. I actually enjoyed how bleak it was because I knew I'd be able to wash and dry things the moment I got back 'home'.

And the word 'home' is not used loosely here Readers. This flat is small and part of a small tower of flats. I think the owners live on the ground floor, I'm on floor 3. 

It just feels like a home. The way that the cupboards have all the things that we take for granted, the kitchen is stocked just like my kitchen at home, the towels feel like mine, the bed is ultra comfy, it has a bath and shower, the couch has sloppy cushions like mine. 

For the first time in a few weeks I have access to English speaking tv channels. No more relying on YouTube!! I just watched "Outback Truckers'!!!

And I don't for a minute expect to be provided with English speaking tv channels as we don't provide foreign speaking channels in Australia.

I could go on and on. It just feels like a home. It feels like the family has left for two days and rented their house to me. As a result, even with the bleak weather, I'm so happy!

What a day a difference makes !!!

So although I've only been in Geneva for 7 hours, I've been able to go out for a stroll and get some memorable snaps. I'm sure that when I look back on these pictures I'll really remember how I was feeling at the time, despite how they might be showing Geneva to be a bleak place due to the rain. This place would be stunning on a sunny day, I don't think I'll experience that as rain is expected tomorrow, but I'll be out there in it!!

If you get the chance, you would not be disappointed visiting Geneva.

As I'm leaving by plane very early on Friday for my next destination (stay tuned...) I need to be making my way to the train station by 4.30 Friday morning in order to catch the train to the airport. It's amazing how one just accepts these things as a necessary part of travel. 

Now some obligatory photos after just an afternoon in Geneva...

It could be any street in Geneva, but my digs are just past the sign.

Just near my digs. They sell ripped jeans etc, but obviously feel the need to state that they are a more upmarket type of business!! They are not a Vinnie's!!!

3 floors of this to get to my apartment. My bag barely fits. It kills my ankles.

I have said F&%K a lot !!!!

A random Geneva street. Beautiful here.

The waterways through the city

I'm thinking much of the water comes from Lake Lausanne, which is huge.

This fountain is obviously significant as it appears on so many brochures.  I'd better investigate tomorrow!

How could I not give a nod to the Swiss and their contributions to chronology !!!

You name the famous brand, and it's here. Thankfully I haven't been enticed to enter any of these stores let alone purchase a souvenir! I must admit that I have bought a watch on most trips, and the Swatch shop looks soooo good. As I have just received an Apple Watch I am more than happy with my ability to be on time!

And how packed would this place be on a sunny day. It just captures the essence of the city.

Well Readers,

Today I got to enjoy one of the reasons I love travel so much. I was standing in a street in the rain and just soaking up the atmosphere and relishing the moment that I was in.

I just wish that I could bottle these moments as they just feel so special.

It's when I get back home that I think back to these times and realise how lucky I am to be doing this.

As you can see from the tone of this post, the day that a difference makes has been huge for me. After a few weeks of being away today has given me the first experience of feeling like I can relax just a little bit and not worry about how I'm going to get to the next place, purely because I feel just that little bit 'homely' tonight.

I've got one more city to spend time in before I fly home in a week. As much as I've loved every minute of this trip, I think I'm ready to go home. Especially as then I'll be able to get some surgery done on an ankle that is giving me so much grief on these cobblestone roads here!!! No complaints, it's just how it is.

There could be another post from Geneva, or it will def be from my final city in another country.

Until my next post,

Cheers 😁

 Bernard in Bern!

Hi Readers,

Well here I am in my namesake city, Bern in Switzerland!

Jen and I came here back in 2018 and of all the places that we have loved, this place left an indelible mark on us. So much so, that we decided back then that we would come back here for another visit when we retired. So many of the places we have been to we would have loved to visit again, but that's always at the expense of seeing somewhere new.

Bern was the exception to our rule though.

Vulnerability alert, feel free to switch off now!

Apart from being in NYC and meeting up with family, this is the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most, but strangely it has left me feeling somewhat blank and empty today.

For the first few hours this morning as I retraced a long walk we took along the river I was overcome with this huge feeling of guilt and sadness that I just could not control.

It took me a while to figure it out, but I think I just feel so guilty that I have been able to do this trip and revisit the place that we were meant to come back to together.

So what made it so special in the first place?

Hard to put a finger on it, but it is just incredibly beautiful and peaceful here. 

As I walked along the riverbank this morning it just brought back so many memories of 7 years ago, talks we had, the snuggling up with each other to fight the cold, the sounds of our jackets brushing together, accidentally tripping each other up, pointing out random sights and taking fantastic and stupid photos of each other.

The 'nothingness' that means just everything. ♥️

And just being together.

We just loved being here and being with each other, it could not have been more perfect.

Maybe in my mind I was expecting to feel the same again, but in effect I felt the opposite.

As I remembered different parts of where we walked it was just like we were doing it all over again, but it was not to be. I remember every bit of it like it was yesterday.

After an hour or two of this I realised I needed to slap myself into a bit of reality and actually make the most of this fantastic opportunity I have been able to experience. 

I still feel so guilty that I'm doing this without Jen by my side as she should be, but I've decided to do it as if she still is.

I still have people saying to me "Come on, it's time to get over this", as they are entitled to feel. But until they walk a mile in the shoes of someone else they may never know fully what it feels like to go through what they have witnessed and experienced.

At least by then they will be a mile away, and while they might have my shoes, good luck to them.

So at the moment after a big day of walking around and taking endless photos, I'm sitting on the rooftop bar admiring this incredible scenery. In the distance I'm looking at the snow capped mountains. We don't have mountains in Australia, just hills. 

Switzerland has mountains!!!

The snow caps in the distance look so great.

Snow caps in the distance, but enjoying a beer in the sun.

And this is a rare selfie as I hate taking them!!

Not everything has been a rosy start to my stay in Bern though. This morning was emotionally hard, but I think I'm good now, but yesterday had me swearing and cussing at my own stupidity relentlessly.

For each of my stops I have planned to stay close to the main central railway station, a plan that has worked brilliantly, both logistically and financially. Especially as I'm taking the train so much through Poland, Germany and Switzerland.

Until yesterday.

It appears that when I searched for a hotel near the train station in Bern, I chose the wrong railway station. The one I had inadvertently chosen was not the central station (or Bahnhof as we locals now say!!) but a station a bit away from the city.

As I got off the train yesterday my Google Maps said it was a 55 min walk, and straight away the alarm bells were going off. No way would I plan to walk that far from the central station, but trusting my "Superb Planning", I started walking. I did think of getting a taxi, but walking in a city just gives me a greater sense of direction, which you will soon see was definitely lacking!!

And walking..

And walking.

Eventually after traversing through what felt like 2 or 3 time zones, I found myself out in the 'burbs' and facing a building standing alone beside the railway station in an area that I wasn't feeling overly safe in to begin with.

Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit there, but at the time it felt like this!!

Yes, it was close to the train station, but not the one I was planning on. That must have explained the great rates!

I decided to bite the bullet there and then and looked for alternate digs closer to the city centre where I wanted to be, and thankfully I found a reasonable place in next to no time. I quickly read the reviews, saw that it had great comments so checked in.

I didn't even try to enter the original place, I was out of there.

I realised later on that I should have checked the facilities more closely before opting for these digs, but I was in a panic to find something a bit better than the digs I had just abandoned. Upon getting up to my room, I found that it was no more than just a bed, a desk and a basic bathroom. No kettle/jug, microwave, tea/coffee making at all. Not even a cup or glass. Still good, but I was hoping for a few basics.

I know I'm sounding precious here, but these few days were meant to be the most special part of my trip, and here I was with ultra basic facilities. I had a quick look online, and was more careful this time and found better options elsewhere, so went to the desk and made up a total lie that I just found out that I had to leave for Australia the next day at short notice, so could I get a refund on my next two days?

"No way. Once you are checked in, no refunds!"

Great.

So now to make the best of a bad situation. As every shop here is closed on a Sunday, getting food was a problem. And I couldn't really bring much back as there was no fridge.

Today was worse as there is so much food on offer, but still nowhere to put it.

In my last post I mentioned how I still can't bring myself to sit at a restaurant on my own, so I eventually found a shop that sold sausage roll sort of things and beers, so that made a nice dinner back at my hotel room. They even let me take a paper cup from the foyer up to my room, but I'm not sure how long it will last !!

Readers, let's not forget that I also took a financial hit here as I had already paid for 3 nights at the previous hotel, but just couldn't stay there as I didn't feel safe there anyway.

My fault, and something I will use as future reference for being more meticulous with my planning!

Back to Bern. There are not many places where just about everywhere is a photo opportunity. Canada is one place I'd put here. Switzerland another. Bern is one other place where I am continually blown away by just the simplicity and structure that is everywhere.

There aren't famous landmarks or world renowned structures, but just the streets and scenery captivate me. I suppose it's just what floats your goat.

I foolishly took a map of the city in Frankfurt, then ditched it in a minute in favour of Google Maps. Isn't it a sign of how things have changed so much!

Who remembers using a map???????

A brilliant statue in Bern, not sure if I'd show the Grandsons!

A quiet Sunday afternoon in Bern, but this lady is on a mission!!

While the river looks calm, I could not get over how fast the flow was.

Just another beautiful streetscape by the river.

Are these the shots they make jigsaws from??

2018

2025. The sort of shots I came here for.

The last time we were here I thought this was just a relic from the past. In fact, it is the current exhibit for 3 bears !! I was shocked to see that it was still in action.

2018

2025

One of the bears in its display on the edge of the river.

2018. I always have to touch the water of places I visit.

7 Years later.

Can't take a photo of me touching the water !!😔

2025

2018

2025

Just a photo. Nothing compared to years ago.

The squares were buzzing today!

You just won't see me sitting at a table there yet.

What a view from the rooftop bar!

Cheers from the rooftop bar in Bern 🍺

Well Readers,

Some of you might be aware that I have a bit of a problem with my ankles, and I'm booked in for surgery on one of them when I get home that will lay me up for quite a few months. The rough streets for the past two weeks have really given me grief, so for today I have forced myself to utilise the local bus network.

How proud do you think I feel tonight!!! I have navigated timetables in a foreign language (ie Just fanged it and found my way home!!) and now know how to get into the city and back home again. You may see this as purile, but for me it has been a huge own goal !!

This is someone who only learnt how to do banking etc 3 years ago as it was always done for him. So, planning and executing this trip has been a huge challenge, and while I don't appreciate it yet, I might when i get home.

Today has been a very emotional day for me, but I have sort of loved every part of my first full day in Bern. A few tears, a few F&*&S, and few laughs. 

Actually, a lot of  F&*&S !!

I have been over all the places that made it so special to us all those years ago, and tomorrow will be just a day of wandering the streets, and sitting down and doing some serious people watching. No doubt it will trigger even more memories of what Jen and I did back then. 

I think this trip makes me appreciate those memories even more than the ones I'll take from this trip.

And writing about it is also fantastic therapy!!

Tomorrow is another day in Bern, I might even sit at a table in a restaurant and have a coffee or feed!! Living the life of a rebel!

Until my next post,

Cheers 😁