Road trip countdown!!

I'm so excited at the moment as I got the all clear today to travel to my best friend Louise's wedding in Germany on Thursday!!

Lou moved to Europe whilst studying for her MA and has settled near Stuttgart with her wonderful fiance Gerhard. Lou is so fluent in German that she now has to think of the English equivalent. Wouldn't it be amazing to be so proficient in another language? I went over to stay with them last year and was so embarrassed by my broken schoolgirl German that I vowed to learn more... that lasted all of three weeks and I've forgotten it all again now apart from the basics - oh dear!

Lou and Gerhard make a fantastic couple and I'm so pleased that they found each other. Lou jokes that it is an added bonus that Gerhard LOVES Little Britain and Gavin & Stacey haha! He really seems to "get" and love the British sense of humour - a match made in heaven!

Anyway, I am pleased to announce that Lou and Gerhard have asked me to translate the service into English so that Lou's friends and family can keep track. I have promised her that I will refrain from any Vicar of Dibley antics (we love that show!) and I just hope that I will manage to get through it without crying... I never used to cry at weddings but have needed a truckload of tissues in recent years - fingers crossed!

It will be VERY strange though, because I have to stand next to the Registrar and repeat her address, and I will actually say that they "are lawfully husband and wife". A bit of a responsibility but I'm so honoured that they asked me!! I'm sure I'll never repeat the experience.

The other exciting news is that we are having a change from flying and have decided to make an occasion of it and are driving there - my first ever road trip!!! If anything it will be cheaper than flying. I am travelling with my friend Jen and her partner Adrian but won't be helping with the driving as they have a manual car and I can only drive an automatic. My important job is to supply sweets to keep up morale :)

We are leaving at 7am on Thursday morning to beat most of the M25 traffic and have to be at Folkestone for 10am to catch the Chunnel. I have never been on it before (trying not to think how unnatural it will be to travel under the English Channel).

After arriving at Calais we will then proceed through France, Belgium and The Netherlands before reaching Germany, and then we stay on the Autobahn for hours... and hours... and hours....

Providing we don't get too lost, we should reach our hotel by 8pm on Thursday night. Not bad, considering we will have been in 5 countries in one day!

There are quite a few of us heading over to Germany but aside from our friends Lucy and Martyn and their boys, we are the only ones who are going on a big road adventure. Martyn has family in Northern Germany and they are leaving the UK tomorrow to break their journey there.

I plan to be SUCH a tourist and will no doubt take zillions of photos of various random landmarks along the way (note to self: save some of the memory card for the actual wedding day!!)

The wedding is at 11am on Friday morning, followed by photos at a local Schloss, a champagne wedding breakfast and then the actual wedding reception which begins at 4pm. From then on in it is an all-nighter finishing at 6am. Not sure if I will see the night through - it's been a few years!! Oh, and it is also German tradition to have a free bar at a wedding. With this in mind I will DEFINITELY not be seeing 6am!!!

Most of Saturday will be spent resting, and then we are all heading into the local town for a beer festival called Gockles Fest (Roast Chicken Festival). I kid you not. They had a Raddish Festival while I was there! Perhaps we should embrace some of their community spirit and have jolly gatherings like that here too!

Then on Sunday, we leave after breakfast to catch the 4pm Chunnel crossing. I'm sure it'll be a weekend to remember. So excited!!!

I have tomorrow off work as Annual Leave so will pack then. Have to get Gizmo cat to the Cattery for 4pm so am already bracing myself for the inevitable chase/coercing/begging to get him into his basket. Then for the inevitable peeling-claws-from-top-of cage-where-cat-is-hanging-on manoeuvre! Poor Gizmo cat. I will spoil him when he comes home :)

One question: Why on earth is travel insurance so expensive if you have a health condition? Declaring my CP cost an additional £12 even though I am not on medication for this and neither do I experience any consequential health problems. I don't even use any walking aids but just happen to walk with a slightly different gait. It seems unfair but I guess that's life...

xx