Out with the old...

So, another year has passed by and I, for one, will be glad to see 2017. I have been a bit disappointed with this year, as I was with 2015, and I'm really hoping that 2017 will be a better and less worrying year.

We've had more than our fair share of niggles this year, and I know a lot of other people have as well. I really thought that by now I would have a new job or be doing something that I really enjoyed, and although I love volunteering at the Citizens Advice Bureau once a week, the reality is I'm going to have to get serious about a new career pretty soon!

On the other hand I've made new friends (Richard and Michelle, Gill and Priya, Frank) and have dipped my toes into something new with the volunteering and the gardening with Sue, both of which I hope will be ongoing in 2017. We've had a couple of very good trips (Aldeburgh and Berlin) and we're all so excited about our holiday next August. It only seems like a few weeks ago that we booked it, but on Monday we will only have seven months to wait!

Keith's cancer scare knocked us all for six this year and we seem to have had quite a few health worries. I'm determined to get fitter in 2017 and do more walking. The saddest event in 2016 was the death of our beautiful furry bear, Archie, and we all still miss him every day. We can't believe he's not around any more, but he's safely tucked up in our garden and I talk to him whenever I go out there.

And talking of the dark side of life, this has been a terrible year for celebrity deaths with some of my favourite actors and singers passing away. The death of George Michael was a real shock. I hope and pray that 2017 will be more peaceful for everyone.

We came up with a Bucket List for 2017 the other evening. Here is our wish list:

Walk around both sides of Pitsford Reservoir, from home.

Ride the Mummy rollercoaster in Florida in August. (I will do it next year!)

Visit Broughton House.

See a film at the Errol Flynn cinema next to Derngate in Northampton.

Listen to live music at a restaurant or bar in Florida, preferably on the beach!

Eat caviar with Champagne

Visit a Latin bar and Salsa dance

Enjoy a night at a casino

Drive an Aston Martin (maybe an early 50th Birthday present?)

Walk the breadth of England


It's been a grey day today, a quiet and sombre end to the year. Sophie was at work and my parents came around for a cup of tea in the afternoon. We have no plans for tonight, other than a good meal and a glass of Cava at midnight.

Here's to 2017...Happy New Year!

Most memorable days of 2016

Every year I look back fondly on the best days of the year, my own New Year Honours List! Here they are for 2016:

Friday 15 January - my Birthday and a lovely day with breakfast at Beckworth to start off the celebrations!

Tuesday 16 February - a lovely walk, beautiful weather...what more could I ask for?

Sunday 27 March - Easter Sunday and we head home from our trip to the North-East. A fire near our estate causes excitement all round and dinner at Frank's Hamburger restaurant ends the day nicely!

Tuesday 5 April - Sophie's birthday, a big family breakfast, then a movie and early dinner at Las Iguanas. The beautiful weather was a bonus, too!

Thursday 26 May - shopping in Milton Keynes and a lovely, scenic journey home.

June - See December

Thursday 28 July - a day out in Southwold. Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

Saturday 27 August - the beer festival at the pub, some very interesting weather and a good laugh!

Sunday 11 September - a long walk in the woods on a glorious day, a quick pint at the pub and an afternoon watching Bridget Jones.

October - See December

November - See December

Sunday 4 December - (June substitute) A beautiful walk followed by decorating the christmas tree and hot chocolate. Bliss!

Tuesday 20 December - (October substitute) First day in Berlin. An enjoyable visit to the Olympic Stadium, a very strange bar in the afternoon, drinks in Otello and a delicious meal in Reinhard's. Perfect!

Wednesday 21 December - (November substitute). Another lovely day visiting the Berlin Christmas markets and a heavenly dinner in the evening at Solino's restaurant.

Sunday 25th December - Perfect Christmas Day. What more can I say? December has been a good month!

Quiet days...

Both Thursday and Friday have been quiet days with not much going on! We did our shopping as usual on Thursday and I spent the rest of the day grappling with my latest assignment which I'm finding quite difficult.

Fog and frost have dominated the weather and on Friday morning Keith and I went for a 4 mile walk down to the nature reserve and then up to Walgrave. The fog was quite thick and it was damp and clammy but we enjoyed the walk despite only seeing a couple of pheasants. It was lovely to get home, have a hot shower and enjoy breakfast in the conservatory. The sun did try and come out but only briefly and it was back to thick fog in the afternoon again.

I went to see Sue and deliver a card and a present as it's her birthday today. Her usual stunning view was missing this afternoon and I was surprised at how thick the mist was! I stayed for a cup of tea and a flapjack and another couple of her friends also dropped by to wish her a Happy Birthday.

I took Keith to the pub in the evening (back to the normal routine) and then went to fetch Sophie from work. She said they had been extremely busy and she was shattered, poor thing. Only one more day then she's off on Sunday and Monday...hooray!

A quiet day

I was up early and leaving home at 8am as I was back at the Citizens Advice office for my usual stint on Reception. The drive in was pretty, but quite foggy and frosty and it was very cold indeed: -4.5c at 8.30am. Brrrr! The coldest I have known it so far this winter!

We had a steady, quiet day and I worked with Hadeer and Priya. Frank was still off for the Christmas break but we didn't have any difficult people in and I was leaving to go home at 3pm. The other agencies nearby were also closed so I felt like we were all on our own!

I drove home in the gathering twilight and noticed that it has been another beautiful day with clear blue skies and sunshine. Just how I like winter!

Back to normal!

Sophie was back at work this morning and after we dropped her off we came home to have a shower. On Christmas Day we'd had a leak from the shower (we assumed) in the en-suite and the water had come down through the ceiling in the kitchen and into the extractor fan above the cooker. Keith had been really angry about it as that was one of the main reasons we'd had the new shower unit put in, but when I had a shower this morning, there was no leak at all. Very strange!

We went to do some shopping for the next couple of days in Tesco and then it was home to do very little. It's been a beautiful day today and I really should have gone out for a walk or got out into the garden but I was in one of those moods when you know you should be doing something but I wanted it to be fun and enjoyable, not a chore!

Sophie finished work at 3pm and I went to collect her, suggesting we call in for a coffee on the way home, in Kingsthorpe. She readily agreed so we spent an enjoyable half hour drinking Flat Whites and eating cakes. Before I'd left Keith had asked me to get some rice for our curry tonight (we forgot it in Tesco!) but I forgot again! I was just settling down to watch a TV programme when he stormed into the living room and said he was going off to get some...oh dear!

I went with him and we visited Mawsley as it was the most convenient, even though I still refused to go into the shop (because of the argument I had with them over Tequila and Vodka a few months ago). On the way home he suggested we drive along the narrow road leading into Walgrave called Newlands rather than go the normal way home and this turned out to be his mistake because as we neared our estate we could see there'd been an accident and the road in front of us was covered in glass and debris. It was so bad I refused to drive through it so we had to turn around and drive back the way we'd come.

When we neared our estate again, I could see a lot of people milling about and hazard lights flashing but no sign of the police or an ambulance. There was a large piece of plastic in the road so we stopped and Keith retrieved it. We asked a man what was going on and he said that someone had been hurt. I remembered that when we came out of our estate there had been a car driving slowly towards us so whether that had something to do with it I don't know.

When we got home we sent Mike out to see what was happening and he said the police were there and that one of the cars was badly smashed up, How on earth this happened on a straight stretch of road, we don't know.

Before dinner we played cards and the curry was delicious!

Boxing Day relaxation

I spent the morning catching up with my blog while Sophie watched episodes of Scandal, back to back...just how she wanted to spend Boxing Day!

It's been gorgeous weather - clear blue skies and sunshine and although not freezing cold, there has been a nip in the air. I washed my car when Keith went to the football and Mike went to Brixworth to see his mates. It was lovely being out in the fresh air and when I'd finished I swept up all the leaves on the driveway. Being outside meant that I saw neighbours and had a chat. A lot of them were relieved that we were home from Berlin and safe!

At 4pm Sophie and I walked Monty around the estate and went down to the field gate to see the horses. They came over to see us but we didn't have any food for them, so they just received pats and strokes on their noses. They were both dirty and covered in mud!

It had become much colder as the sun went down - perfect for going home, putting the heating on and wrapping up warm in Sophie's new throw!

A perfect Christmas Day

I'm never normally a fan of Christmas Day - so much anticipation and it's all over by 10am! This is then followed by hard work getting the house and the dinner ready!

However, today has been really lovely and very relaxed and stress-free. I was up at 7.30am and spending a blissfully quiet and peaceful hour watching Last Tango in Halifax which I'd recorded while we were in Berlin.

Keith was up next followed by Sophie and when I went to get dressed, Mike got up as well. I poured us all a glass of Bucks Fizz and we opened our presents.

As usual, copious amounts of alcohol on the table!

I received some gorgeous gifts - a really soft and cuddly onesie that was a complete surprise, a bottle of my favourite Vodka and of course, my purse, a £50 note from Keith and chocolates. The children seemed very happy with their presents and Keith loved his own onesie and his bottle of Jameson's.

As soon as everything was cleared away I tidied the house and prepared all the vegetables for dinner. Keith and Mike went to the pub for an hour and when I brought them back I dived into the shower before my parents arrived at 1.30pm.

We had decided to have lunch early this year rather than wait until the evening as my Dad gets quite tired at night. It was the right decision and by 3.15 pm we were all sitting down and enjoying a very delicious dinner, mainly cooked by Keith. I helped with the dishing up and it all went very smoothly for once!

To make things even better the weather has been lovely again today with blue skies and sunshine, although the wind is still strong. It was great sitting down to eat with it still being light outside.

After a break to watch some television, we had Christmas pudding and also the Chocolate Bread and Butter pudding that I'd made yesterday. Both desserts were delicious. Mum and Dad left to go home at about 7.30pm and I tried on my new onesie before dozing on the bed with Sophie and watching Gogglebox. A lovely day!

Finally! It feels like Christmas!

Having a wonderful Christmas here so far!

Thank you to everyone who reads this blog throughout the year - sometimes it can be a bit mundane, but then that's life!

Here's to a peaceful, happy 2017, filled with love, laughter and happiness.

Is it really Christmas Eve?

It's been a sunny and mild day today with the brisk winds still affecting us. I had difficulty believing it was actually Christmas Eve when I woke up this morning!

My friend Lynda came around mid-morning and we swapped Christmas gifts over a cup of coffee. When she went home Sophie and I headed to Market Harborough for one last shopping trip. I still had to get something for my parents from the children, a couple of stocking fillers for Sophie and a present for Keith who is incredibly difficult to buy for.

We had lunch at Caffe Nero and then hit the shops. I had imagined it would be quiet but oh no! Maybe everyone else was frantically looking for gifts as well! I bought Sophie some smelllies in Boots but was really stuck when it came to Keith. I just couldn't think of what else to get him!

Sophie was having a hard time coping with the crowds so after buying some American sweets for Mike we decided to drive to Farndon Fields garden centre to try and find a Christmas plant arrangement for my parents. Luckily, we found a beautiful basket filled with roses, Poinsettia and ivy which will look great in their house. Resisting the urge to splash out on more foodie treats, we headed home where I trawled the net looking for vouchers for Keith. In the end I printed him out a voucher entitling him to either dinner and drinks at a pub of his choice or a day at the races, all paid for by me.

A very relaxing evening followed with a delicious beef casserole for dinner. It's Christmas tomorrow!

Christmas shopping!

Keith and I were up just before 6am this morning and after a quick wash, we were walking into Tesco's Kettering by 6.30am. Despite the early hour it was manic and very busy with staff stacking shelves and boxes and cages of produce everywhere. However there was a lovely atmosphere and we had a few chats with the staff who were manning the checkouts and replenishing the shelves. It didn't feel at all like Christmas to me and I can hardly believe that it's all happening in the next couple of days! I didn't feel ready at all!

We bought all of our vegetables, wine and Cava for Christmas Day and enough things to get us through until next Tuesday and headed home for breakfast. Sophie was still asleep but woke up at 8am as she is back at work today. She wasn't at all keen on going back but had Christmas Eve off so that was some consolation.

We took her into work and then drove to Homesense as I still needed to get quite a few Christmas presents! I managed to find her a beautiful black furry throw and lovely box decorated with New York images and a sweet little Berlin notebook which I was thrilled about. We also went to Jones's where I bought more presents including a soft scarf for my Mum and stocking fillers for the kids.

On the way home we called into the Co-op at Brixworth which was heaving with people. Even here I managed to buy some more presents while Keith shopped for sausages and eggs...weren't we in Tesco this morning?!

I spent a busy afternoon wrapping presents and I washed six of Sophie's jumpers that she'd worn in Berlin. Mum and Dad came over with the turkey and we sat and enjoyed a much-needed cup of tea! Outside the weather had changed and it was very windy - apparently this is Storm Barbara and is set to cause havoc over the weekend!

Before collecting Sophie from work I had a hot shower and washed my hair as we are out to Sarah and Liam's house this evening. The journey to pick up Sophie was quite hairy as we had heavy rain and strong winds all the way to Moulton. Back home, Sophie did my hair and make-up and Sue and Paul picked us up at just after 7pm.

We had a lovely evening and our old neighbours, Gill and Tim, were there as well. Gatsby, the Irish Wolfhound, stole the show - he's so HUGE! We had a delicious buffet and sat and relaxed in the living room after eating, with several glasses of wine. It was a great night and so good to catch up with old friends!

Homeward bound

We set our alarm for 6am this morning and we were downstairs in the dining room having breakfast by 7am. I was sad to be going home and wished we had a few days longer to enjoy Berlin. We booked a taxi for 7.45am and it arrived as we were checking out. We hoped he would be a better driver than the one we had on Monday evening!

He certainly was, and very friendly as well, chatting about Berlin and driving with a lot more care and attention! We made it to the airport just after 8am and were able to drop off our suitcase almost straight away. Security was busy and after quite a long wait we made it through to Departures. The airport was very hot and, as usual, there were hardly any seats about, but we managed to find a row of four so we marked out our territory and Sophie and I went off to the Duty Free to stock up on presents. I bought a litre bottle of Jameson's for Keith and a bottle of Campari for my mum to thank her for looking after the house and the cat while we were away. I also treated myself to a bottle of Grant's whisky.

Before long we were called to go down to the Gate and as ever, the plane hadn't even arrived yet. Being herded into a small area with no seats was not pleasant but we amused ourselves by feeding euros into a vending machine and enjoying some chocolate and water. I was fed up with carrying my heavy coat and bags and just wanted to get on the plane and sit down!

When we were called to board, somehow Keith and Mike went on far quicker than Sophie and I and by the time we'd got to our seats there was absolutely no room for our cabin bags. Luckily my bag (stuffed full of litre bottles of alcohol) fitted under the seat in front of me but we had to ask a stewardess to find a space for Sophie's. Grrrr!

Finally, everyone was in their seats and we took off for the flight home. I dozed for most of it and was very glad when we landed at around 11.30am UK time! We made it through passport control and I used the e-reader machines for the first time. They do save a bit of time as the other queues were very long.

All too soon, we were on the shuttle bus, into the car and on the motorway heading home. The weather was lovely and sunny but not nearly as cold as Berlin! Under pressure from the kids we called into McDonald's on Riverside for lunch and the whole area was heaving with people and cars... the world has gone mad!

Our house was freezing and it took us the whole afternoon to get it warm again! Monty was very pleased to see us and we spent the rest of the day unpacking and putting washing on. Back to reality!

Mum and Dad called to see us later in the afternoon and had a cup of tea and we recounted our adventures. I think my Mum had been very worried about us in Berlin but we had had a really great time and we never felt afraid.

In the evening Sophie and I went to give blood but I mentioned I had a headache so I wasn't allowed to donate. I felt a bit relieved, to be honest, as I have a very busy couple of days coming up and needed all my strength!

Pre-Christmas Berlin break 19-22 December 2016

Indulging in Christmas markets

We were a bit of a subdued little band this morning, as Mike still felt ill and came down to breakfast very late, complaining of "almost passing out." However, the misty, grey skies had disappeared overnight to be replaced by blue sky and sunshine, just as promised!

After having another lovely breakfast we departed for Alexanderplatz to see how much it cost to go up the Television Tower as we were thinking of having dinner there this evening. The new U5 building works are still going on in this area and I for one will be really glad when it's all finished! We strolled through the Nikolai quarter first and took some photos of a very old inn, Zum Nussbaum which had been rebuilt after the war.

There was already a long queue for the TV Tower and we were dismayed to see that the prices for booking a table by the window (no food included) was 23 euros per person! So, that was 92 euros before we even ordered any food! We couldn't remember them having two different prices for the tables before so we thought it a bit of a rip-off!

As we had no real plans for today we ambled down towards the Berliner Weinachtszeit Christmas market and decided to have a warming hot chocolate opposite before it opened. There were lots of people about and we called into a couple of shops to have a look for hats. Despite Keith having several hats at home, he had forgotten to bring one with him and his head was cold! He found a comfy black one and we headed to a coffee shop where Sophie treated us to a hot chocolate.

After our little break I bought myself a wall plaque in a touristy shop nearby - it's a Berliner Kindl one and will look lovely next to our Beergarten sign in the conservatory. By now the Christmas market was open and I did feel a bit uncomfortable at first. There was no security presence at all, even though the entrance to the market was directly onto a very busy main road.

Sophie was in search of another ring and found the man that she bought from last year (the Omar Sharif lookalike). She had a good peruse of the rings available and bought the first one she tried on, which looked lovely and went really well with her other rings. The stall-holder was very pleased she had come back to buy from him and gave the ring a good clean for her.

I also found a beautiful leather purse that Sophie and Mike bought me for Christmas and of course we had to have a glass of Gluhwein in the 2016 mug! Even Sophie enjoyed it very much! We had a good look at all the stalls and we bought a lovely white and silver decoration for the Christmas tree in the living room. There were so many food stalls about you would never go hungry visiting one of these markets and the choice of drinks was fabulous as well!

The old and the new

After the market we walked down Unter Den Linden and past the Berliner Dom. Work is still going on on the new Humboldt Forum and as the new U5 lines passes along this way as well, there is a lot of disruption. The Humboldt Forum has an exhibition (the Humboldt Box) going on so we decided to take a look and learnt about the history of the original building and what it was going to look like when it was finished.

We carried on down Unter Den Linden as I wanted to go to the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market, but on the way we stumbled across another small fair, which was more of a traditional market and very pretty as it was situated in front of St Hedwig's Cathedral. The children found a flat cap for Keith as he had always wanted one, so I had to take him away and distract him while they bought it!

Just a few minutes walk away was the utterly gorgeous Gendarmenmarkt Christmas fair which I loved. We had to pay 4 euros to get in, which seemed OK to me, and our bags were checked by security which was reassuring. There was also a van of police right outside the entrance. This is a large market with an indoor area selling everything you could conceivably want, including a vast range of hot food and drinks. There was a lovely festive atmosphere and with the blue sky behind, the beautiful old buildings and the white roofs of the stalls, it was perfect.

We spent a very enjoyable hour wandering around and treated ourselves to a Bratwurst in a crusty roll. Delicious!

I was really sad to leave but we decided to push on to Potsdamer Platz and have a look at the market there. We took a bit of a roundabout route to get there and came across a shopping mall we'd never visited before. It looked lovely so that will be a plan for our next visit!

The area around Potsdamer Platz was busy with people and traffic and we had a look around the Christmas market where Mike bought a beautiful leather-bound notebook. We were feeling a bit weary by now so we decided to call into the House of 100 beers for a much-needed rest and a couple of drinks.

Outside it grew darker but it was very cosy and warm inside the restaurant. Next to us was a television screen showing a roaring log fire, but it was so realistic I could almost feel the heat coming off it! After our drinks we walked down to the U-Bahn and bought short trip tickets back to Markisches Museum. The train was very crowded, but we were back at the hotel within half an hour and looking forward to our evening meal.

Tonight we had decided to eat at Solino, the Italian restaurant in the Nikolai quarter where we'd had dessert last year. It always looks a lovely, cosy place to eat and we have visited for drinks and breakfast in the past as well. Before we went Sophie wanted to buy a tee-shirt she'd seen so we called into the shop and we also visited a wine and delicatessen where my lovely daughter bought me a bottle of Riesling for a Christmas present.

We strolled back to Solino and were shown to a table opposite the bar. I ordered a bottle of Montepulciano for Sophie and I to share while the boys had beers. We started with Bruschetta (two kinds) and soup for Mike, followed by lamb chops (Keith), lasagne (kids) and a beautifully cooked steak for me. This came with a mound of salad and vegetables and was delicious.

We managed to find room for dessert - tiramisu for me, panna cotta for Sophie and an Irish coffee for Keith. It was a very relaxing evening and we had plenty of people watching to do as the restaurant filled up with diners. The two women next to us were a particular source of fascination and Sophie and I made up stories about them! There was also a man at the bar sitting alone with a beer and I speculated that he was lonely and didn't want to go back to an empty flat. I was very pleasantly surprised to see him joined by a woman later in the evening who gave him a lovely kiss on the lips!

Our bill came to 158 euros and we walked back to the hotel feeling full and relaxed. Back at the hotel we finished our packing. Homeward bound tomorrow and an early start!

Pre-Christmas Berlin break 19-22 December 2016

A lovely day...a contender for the best one of the year?

This morning, before hitting the breakfast buffet, we made sure that our room rate included the meal! We didn't fancy being charged 19,50 euros per day for the four of us...a whopping 234 euros in total! We had already been nuisance guests as last night we'd closed the outer door and then couldn't open it again with our room keys, and a member of staff had to accompany us back and open it so we could get to our rooms!

Thankfully our room rate included a buffet breakfast so that was great and we could indulge in cereals, fruit, breads, yoghurts, a range of hot dishes and lashings of good coffee. The dining room was situated overlooking a courtyard and was very airy and bright, much better than the pokey area of the Grosser Kurfurst.

We had plans to visit the Olympic Stadium today and knew that it was a fair ride on the U2 line, almost all the way to Ruhleben (for some strange reason, Sophie's nickname for Archie...don't ask me why).

We took the line from Markisches Museum and the train was very full with standing room only. By the time we'd reached the outer stations the carriages were almost empty with just one other couple travelling with us. When we all got out they headed for the Olympic Stadium while we fooled around taking photos.

It was a very grey and misty day as well as being bitterly cold. The platform and station were deserted and we started walking towards the stadium. We came to a huge expanse in front of the building which is used for parking I suppose. The next night Hertha Berlin were playing another team so I expect there would be a completely different atmosphere!

We paid 7 euros to enter the stadium and went through a very modern and bright visitor centre. We were allowed to walk where we wanted, although the VIP boxes and pitch itself were out of bounds. There were a lot of people getting the stadium ready for tomorrow's game and the pitch itself looked lovely.

As always, the pitch looked a lot smaller than it does on television. I imagined the atmosphere at a match would be fantastic and I couldn't get over how much seating there was. We wandered about and had a good look at a bell dating from the 1936 Olympic games. The engravings were very interesting!

The area around the stadium was very quiet indeed, with hardly anyone about. We had a look at the Torch holder and the wall plaques with the list of winners.

In the distance we could see the Bell Tower and two huge sculptures of men with horses.

We also saw the pool where the diving events took place and we all shivered! Even thinking about taking a dip in the icy waters made us come out in goosebumps!

As it was now really cold and Mike was suffering with a cough and a  bad chest we headed inside for cups of hot chocolate. The men working in the arena were queuing up for their lunch - steaming plates of pork and spaghetti. We sat by the window with our hot drinks and gazed out over the arena.

It was utter bliss to sip our chocolate and get warm again! After we'd finished we walked back to the visitor centre (taking some photos with the bears on the way) and watched a short film about the stadium and then we took the U2 line back to Markisches Museum so we could pop into the hotel, use the loos and freshen up a bit.

At least the bears added a touch of much needed colour to the grey day!

We decided to walk back to Alexanderplatz and visit the Galeria Kaufhof to do some shopping. Sophie and I were in search of a heart and some Christmas decorations. Of course, she also wanted to visit the Mac outlet! On the way we noticed that both Christmas markets were closed which I thought was a good thing - a mark of respect for those who had died and had been injured.

Sophie bought three lipsticks at Mac and I found a little "gonk" straight away. Mike and Keith went off in search of a beer counter but couldn't find anything so they hung around and waited as we looked at the decorations on the 5th floor. It was very busy in the store with people doing Christmas shopping. I could have spent a fortune! We didn't see any hearts we liked so we decided to look at the Christmas markets when they re-opened.

Our latest addition to the gonk family!

As we were a bit hungry by now, we walked across the station and went to the restaurant we regularly visit for currywurst and fried potatoes. Keith just had a beer but the three of us tucked into our meals with gusto, although Mike said the sauce was a bit sickly.

As Keith and Mike had never used the trams in Berlin we took one to Hackescher Markt which saved us a walk. Sophie wanted to wander around the Hackescher Hof again and we had to take the obligatory photo in front of the Christmas tree!

It was still bitterly cold with a freezing wind that cut right through our clothes! After wandering around for a while we found the bar that we had seen some years back and which Keith had always wanted to visit. It was situated at the end of an alleyway completely covered in graffiti with weird sculptures everywhere.

Keith suggested going in for a drink but I wasn't too sure...the others encouraged me, though, so we went into the most grungiest bar I'd ever come across in my life! There were two women at the bar who stared at us as we walked in and made me feel quite uncomfortable. It was very dimly lit with walls painted in dark colours and candles everywhere. It was how I imagined the edgier side of Berlin to be!

Sophie ordered a Margarita while the three of us had beers and when Sophie went to take a photo of her drink the barman told her it was not allowed...hmmm! She did manage to get one, though!

Keith and the kids loved it in there but I wasn't so sure! Not really my type of place, to be honest!

After we'd had our drinks we had a walk around outside and looked at all the graffiti. Mike took a photo of me:

As it was now getting late, we headed back to the hotel to have hot showers and get ready for our dinner reservation at Reinhard's. I was really looking forward to eating in the beautiful restaurant again and we'd made the booking a few months ago to make sure the place was open and that we could have a table. We enjoyed a few drinks in Otello first and as always, we were the only ones in there. It was like having our own little private bar!

Happiness is...Reinhard's and a glass of Riesling!

Sophie and I shared a bottle of very good Riesling while the boys had beers and we sat there having a good chat until it was time to go through to our table. The restaurant was busy and we had a seat by the window. The two waiters who served us last year weren't about but we were looked after very well by the staff and had a delicious meal.

We had some bread to munch on first and Sophie and I chose the veal escalope for a main course served with fried potatoes. cauliflower cheese and a mushroom sauce. It was delicious! Keith and Mike went for the lamb chops which looked very meaty. We managed to fit in desserts tonight - profiteroles for Mike, crepes for me served with Grand Marnier and Tiramisu for Sophie. It was a fantastic evening and rounded off our day very nicely!