I listen to Miles on shuffle play. I have around 70 of his pieces on the jukebox, mostly mid-late sixties which is probably my favourite period for his stuff. I continue reading his biography and am up to the late 40's early 50's - the heroin addiction years....
I go back to bed at 6:30 and wake again at 8. We listen to Boccherini and Brahms as we pack the bags before breakfast.
After breakfast we go to the bank for money for petrol and stroll back up to the flat through the town. I buy a fridge magnet - I have a collection. It's on the fridge.
I also buy a new watch, my fifth. I didn't used to wear a watch until I inherited my dad's when he died. since then I've bought a couple more and Anne also gave me one at Christmas.
We pack the car, hand back the key and head along the inland road and wind up back at Traben Trarbach, driving past the house we stayed in two years ago.
From there, it's up the river to the town of Zell. Our holiday has just missed their wine festival. The preparations are being made in the town for what looks like it's going to be a helluva drinkfest - except the Germans, unlike us, can handle their drink. I suppose it goes with the upbringing...no bingeing here - no need for it.
We walk through the pedestrianised streets of this "Black Cat" town (that's their mascot) then back along the river bank watching ducks and swans and their young swim along beside us.
In the town we stop at a cafe and try to order their much-publicised-in-the-window Erdbeer Becher (Strawberry Bowl) only to be told they don't do a Strawberry Bowl - a bit strange considering all the signs.
After five minutes, the embarrassed waitress comes back and says yes they do have a strawberry-bowl?? So we get one each and they are very good - fresh strawberries and ice cream and cream..mmm mmm.
After driving 600km on the trip, we need to fill up with petrol then it's inland again. I'd been wanting to visit Simmern. This is the town where the families in the famous German TV series "Heimat" lived. So we drive there.
But it's not a small village - it's a good sized, fairly modern town. We take a walk round then settle in the main square for a couple of drinks. Here we finally find one very small reference to the series which describes the various locations in the town where scenes from "Heimat" were filmed.
It's still very hot. Children are playing in the fountains. They are falling over because it's slippy. This is simultaneously funny and scary...we don't want to see any cracked heads, but you have to laugh at anyone falling over...
We head back towards the airport and decide to go past it to a place called Morbach. But we never get there because we see a sign for Traben Trarbach and decide to go there instead for one last time.
We park near the river and take a seat on the bank watching the world go by. It's such a peaceful spot - I think I prefer it to Bernkastel because it's smaller...you can just see the seat we sat on on the bank opposite from where this picture was taken
Finally we drive to the airport and go to the Mexican restaurant out in the middle of nowhere. We ate here last time too before we left and I came here back in 2002 with Alan Brodie when it was an American Sports Bar.
The meal, which we eat al fresco, is great despite the attentions of a maurauding fly. Then it's to the Hertz office to hand back the car. We must have driven a good 75 further kilometres since filling up earlier but the dial still points to full....
I hate checking in. It's probably the worst part of air travel and I always pick the wrong queue if there's a choice.
We get through security and partake of one last beer before sitting in the waiting hall. As people with kids (always travel with a child if you want on a plane first!!) head to the gate, one woman has obviously lost it and gets up and almost runs to the gate dragging her poor husband behind her. This sets off a stampede and soon, despite no announcements having been made, the departure point is swarming with people.
We remain in our seats.
Here's a tip. If you want to get to the front of a queue, just walk calmly up to it and start saying "excuse me". It works everytime. Noone ever says "no".
Accordingly, we make our way to the front of the queue and are amongst the first non child accompanying passengers.
The flight passes without incident and we're soon back at Prestwick and on the bus to the car park. I find that I have left the passenger window open for six days. I hope it wasn't raining!!
We drive back to Crispycat Towers in under 75 minutes, and another holiday comes to an end.
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