Back from hol to Germany. Now tanked up on German Coffee and Chocolate for another few months. (Wonder if I can sneak another trip in about the end of August, start of September?)
So anyway, the holiday. Well, getting up at half four in the morning is not my idea of fun, but I had to be at the airport in time for the flight at eight. Checked in at the Lufthansa desk. Other side of walkway, there are around 1,000 chavs checking in with snotty kids in tow for their school -time trip to some tourist trap in the Med.
Please, don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with a holiday in the Med, it's just a tad too hot for me, but I wouldn't mind going on holiday there sometime in the future. It's the chavs that think they're rich bay taking the cheapest package on offer from the tour operator, getting sunburned to within an inch of their life, just so they can show all their mates that they've got the money t go abroad. (I know because there's someone similar where I work, only that person doesn't take their kids out of school in the middle of term.
So, finally checked in, we join the queue for the departure lounge, another 1,500 people, or so it seems in the queue at the same time. Not all of them are chavs, quite a few business people and a few idiots who think that the sings telling you to remove your jacket and have your boarding pass ready, don't apply to them, so hold the queue up. Got throught the security checks, into the departure lounge. It's now just coming upto seven, and we haven't had anyting to eat, so went and had some breakfast. Let me tell you, Airport cafe's must be in league with Motorway service stations, they charge over the top prices. All we wanted was 2 cups of tea, and 2 packets of cereal. Finally get on the plane, nothing spectacular to report there, got to Dusseldorf airport, took the SkyTrain to Dusseldorf Flughafen Bahnhof. The SkyTrain is basically a monorail train on a suspended track. Got to the Bahnhof, bought tickets to Cologne Hauptbahnhof (9.60 Euros for 2 people.) Train was late, (shdes of home there then) finally reached Cologne, went to the nearest McDonalds and had lunch. (2 hambugers, 2 mittel Pommes Frites, 1 klein orangeslaft, and 1 mittel CocaCola Light)
Got the U-Bahn from Breslauer Platz to Mulheim Wiener Platz on the other side of the Rhine to the HauptBahnhof. Walked from Wiener Platz to the hotel which should only take about 10 or 15 minutes. The hotel is on Clevischer Ring, which is busy anytime of the day, but living in a built up area of Manchester, the noise doesn't bother us in the slightest. Checked into the hotel, put our stuff away, and went back into the centre of Cologne for a couple of hours so we could find out how much the tickets would be to get to Natrup-Hagan the following day, and see if we could find a bank that Mum was prepared to use the cash point.
Memo to HSBC - if you are the World's local branch, where's your branch in Cologne?
Returned to the hotel and had dinner. (Smoked Salmon with Potatoe cakes for 2 and a bottle of water.) After dinner went to the bar and had a couple of drinks. I was on diet coke, mum was on Bicardi and coke. Went to bed with alarm set for half six following morning.
Following day got up, had breakfast and headed out back to Wiener Platz to get the U-Bahn to the train station. Got to the station, went to the Reise Zentrum (ticket office) to get the tickets to Natrup-Hagan. The girl behind the desk had never heard of it, so we went to one of the machines and got the tickets from there. (78 Euros on my card) Finally reached Natrup-Hagan which is basically 2 platforms with a ticket machine on each. Made way to other side to find out how to get to showground. Bloke waiting on approach to Osnabruck platform, looks promising (Ok he was cute, I admit it) Walk up to him and ask how we get to Am Borgberg. "Am Borgberg? Ah Hof Kasselmann? I am your taxi" He says. 5 minutes later, we arrive at Hof Kasselmann and set off to have a nosy round, well that's my idea, mum's is to get something to eat. lunch sorted we make our way to Turnierplatz to watch the showjumping, and see the last couple of riders in the Nations cup. Mum is disappointed that there are no British riders. I'm relieved in a way, at least there is no chance of us further damaging our standing in the World of Showjumping if we don't go to the competitions in the first place. Make our way over to the dressage arena to watch a couple of riders in the Prix St George class. There is a very high standard of dressage in this class and I really want to watch it to it's conclusion, but mum decides it's too hot, and that she want's a drink. You have probably by now realised that the trip, for the most part, centred on what mum wanted to do. I swear, next year, she is definately NOT coming, then I might be able to actually watch a class all the way through. Mum's main comment as we walk round revolves around comparing Horses and Dreams unfavourably to Olympia.
Does anyone want my oppinion? Really? Ok, then. In my very humble oppinion, Horses and Dreams is the best organised, well thought-out, presented show that I have ever been to. Maybe there aren't as many trade stall as at Olympia, but people like me aren't there to buy things, we're there to watch top class showjumping and dressage, and Horses and Dreams has that in abundance. I really commend the organisers and everyone involved in the show for their hard work in making this show as successful as it is. You know you are doing something right when the top riders want to come and compete at your show, and that is what happens with Horses and Dreams and all the other successful shows.
Note to the organisers of Horses and Dreams - Can I have my tickets for next year in advance please?
