Something new for the to do list

There is an article in the paper this morning about Inter railing. A single month long ticket for the under 25's to rail around Europe for a month. I checked out the website and discovered you can also inter rail when you are over 25 these days, in fact pretty much all of your life.

Last time was, I think, December 1987 (Eve, am I right?). My best friend and I spent the summer in Crete, the first of very many in my case, and then travelled around Crete, spent some time in Athens and inter railed home. We slept on the trains mostly as rooms were too expensive. We ate home prepared food each day, cooking up bacon or spaghetti in the bathroom if we ever actually got a room but otherwise it was cold meats, cheeses and bread, and don't forget the wine. We had the bes time ever. We went everywhere that we hoped except for Venice, which is still on my list. We travelled down to Southern Spain to visit my Anty, and do some serious landry, met up with my parents for a weekend in Paris. We showered every few days in Paris, where we also stored or bags. Coming all the way back to Paris meant we had lots of long jorneys which are mch better when the train is also your bed. Have to say the businessmen of Holland and Belgium get up for work way too early, getting on the trains and disturbing snoring British kids at around 4am.

It was all my friends idea and it was a brilliant idea. I would love to do it again but with the innocence of youth (too too late), hotel beds at night and the odd hot meal. Slightly less red wine maybe, so that I can differentiate between sleeping and passing out. I cant imagine my kids doing anything like this, unless I turned it into a family holiday, they really don't have my wanderlust and I think they are really missing out.

This time tomorrow we are off to the airport. Pretty sure my house is the party zone in the area for the net three weeks but they probably don't make as much mess as my husband does normally anyway. Both kids are coming on holiday with s but for shorter times because of work and study commitments so the house will be occupied the whole time. I am happy with that, no shutting down the boiler, cancelling services etc although I am moving the bird just up the road to his 'Aunties' house just to be safe.

I was intending to pack my new 'Getting Stuff Done' book bt ironically I cant remember what I have done with it. unbelievable.