Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
Greetings from …………… 🇩🇪 🇯🇵
Greetings pop pickers, it’s that time again!
Bags are packed, hand baggage only.
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Got to Gatwick and through security OK
And waiting with a view c/o Wagamama.
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Three months of travelling ahead, it’s going to be fun! Catch y’all once in Berlin.
PS And expect lots of food pics. Ginger Chicken & Udon noodles, nice start to the food travels. I can hear the rumbles from here!
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Luckily my ninja chopstick skills are still with me.
23rd Aug 2023 10:43 am
GLYNNE
Member Since: 06 Oct 2006
Location: KENT
Posts: 4695
Have fun 👋🏻
23rd Aug 2023 12:03 pm
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14387
Has Marin increased server capacity for the food pics?
Enjoy.
And don't worry, Nige and I will find good homes for the beautifully seasoned wood in the National Emergency Log Store New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!)
Sold Volvo XC90 R-Design (known as Basil)
Sold - D4 HSE (Known as Gerty)
No longer the Old Buses original owner
231,000 miles and counting
05 S manual owned from March 2005
D4 Face lifted
Still original injectors and turbo
V8 Front brakes
BAS Remap, Allisport Intercooler and deCat
EGRs blanked
T-Max split charge
Hanibal Expeedition rack
Prospeed ladder
Duratrac tyres
IID BT
BAS FBH control
23rd Aug 2023 12:22 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
I’ve got a feeling Nige has already sorted out a good home for the log stash.
@Glynne, will do.
23rd Aug 2023 12:24 pm
Rescue01
Member Since: 14 Jan 2008
Location: Aberdeen
Posts: 2515
Derek hope you both have a great time Its not the height of the fall but the sudden stop at the bottom that hurts!!
23rd Aug 2023 1:21 pm
nigethecat
Member Since: 11 Sep 2016
Location: Marnoch
Posts: 4244
May you have a long and prosperous trip... and not once think about the fate of your log store, coal bunker or oil tank (or location of your wheelie bin)
Enjoy mate, keep us all appraised of your location for any potential meet ups I want to see the sweets before I get into your windowless van... I'm not stupid!
Corris Grey D4 Commercial SE 2016
Zermatt Sliver 2007 D3 SE manual (gone)
Indus Silver D4 HSE 2015 (gone)
Bonatti Grey D3 HSE 2006 (gone)
White D3 S (LHD) 2007 (gone)
Firenze Red D4 HSE 2014 (gone)
Black RRS 3.6TDV8 2008 (gone)
Rusty Green Defender 110 1997 (gone)
Black FL2 HSE 2013 (gone)
23rd Aug 2023 2:20 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
We will enjoy, it’s been too long since we’ve been on the road.
And first food in Germany.
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2nd course, deeeeeeelish!!
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And enjoy the heating supplies! You can tell the fizz has gone to my head!
23rd Aug 2023 6:01 pm
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Have fun on your travels and enjoy the gastronomic delights, we won't be jealous at all Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
24th Aug 2023 8:45 am
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26774
On the road again ….. Safe travels Derek. Surely you’ve been everywhere now?
How long are you away for ????? SWMBO's make-up for a night away would take up more space than that !
24th Aug 2023 9:25 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
3 months. We often get asked where the rest of the baggage is.
We only do hand baggage on trips, put bags in the hold if absolutely have to. Had hoped we could get it down to 7kg each, which we need to do for jolly after this. Unfortunately we’re a couple of kg over between the two of us so next time will just have to take less clothing and recycle more between laundries!
24th Aug 2023 1:06 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
Gareth wrote:
On the road again ….. Safe travels Derek. Surely you’ve been everywhere now?
Not quite. We’ve got this trip fully planned & booked, plus the next, then another 2 after that pencilled in. It’s a pretty big planet, lots to see and that’s with whole areas that are either too dodgy, too expensive or just don’t fancy going to.
We’re booking hotels about a year ahead as often they are super cheap, obviously book flexible. Flights are either booked a year(ish) ahead or wait for a sale. Good thing about sorting out a trip so far ahead is when you go on the trip you’ve kind of forgotten what and why you’d booked things so it’s a nice surprise.
24th Aug 2023 1:48 pm
mark the spark
Member Since: 22 Jun 2011
Location: southampton
Posts: 2521
im certainly jealous of the luggage my missus cant do a weekend on less than 20KG does my nut inMY05 SE D3 Manual my first LR what a car
MY10 HSE D4 auto
MY14 XXV more buttons than the spaceshuttle
24th Aug 2023 2:24 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
We tend to use “local” buses either to/from airports or stations so have to be able to get a seat (hopefully) and have bags on our laps. Too much baggage makes for uncomfortable journey. Plus we only use taxis if we have no reasonable alternative. We also avoid “limo” services to airports, like we don’t do hop on/hop off tourist buses. Why pay £10 when a local bus could do the same route for 20p?
24th Aug 2023 2:32 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
Right, pics time. A couple of days of museums and galleries, plus the Reichstag tour and we’re a bit knackered. Berlin has a pretty good public tpt system but we’re still managing to hike between 6 and 10km a day.
Meet Tristan from the Nat Hist Museum. He’s “real” as opposed to the plaster cast Dippy from our Nat Hist Museum.
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Well apart from the head above, that’s a copy but the real one is in a glass case in the next room. This is an angle you wouldn’t want to have viewed a live T Rex from.
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Really enjoyed the Nat Hist Mus, lots of geology stuff and dinos, plus usual stuffed animals and critters in jars. Enjoyed it too much to take many pics though!
Then a bit of a hike down to the Reichstag building for a free tour, thankfully in English. Worth doing but you deffo have to book ahead. Luckily Mrs DSL is on the case.
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Lots of Red Army graffiti from after they captured it. I always thought the Reichstag was in E Berlin but no, the Soviets didn’t keep it but gave it to the Allied Powers and it became part of W Berlin.
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Red Army graffiti with the top of the Brandenburg Gate in the background.
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And bit more modern bits of the building.
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Selfie from the dome that Norman Foster didn’t want but hey-ho, he wasn’t the client!
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Rest of the day was 2 galleries. The modern art one wasn’t to our taste but the fine art one was really good so here’s a bit of culture for you lot. In no particular order:
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One of 3 severed heads we clocked, some too grim for this peaceful thread.
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And after all that, back to the hotel to dry off (heavens opened) and up to the lounge for tea and medals. Food is scrummy, just don’t be fooled by the portion sizes. Plenty of other bits to bulk up on for my sumo debut!
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All while drinking a rather nice German red.
More museums tomorrow, well it would be rude not to. That and we have a 3 day Berlin Museum Pass with a day to go.
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