The last chapter was posted one month before the ‘Ghost Train’ read-through, in tribute to Arnold Ridley. I was really grateful for the support of family members in this – especially those who travelled some distance to be with us and contribute to the reading.

N.B. The box on the table did not contain what it says! It carried the books kindly obtained for me by the Lawrence Batley Theatre Play Reading Group from the Leeds Library. Two members of that group can be seen to left of the first photo. The reading was successful and I think those present enjoyed it, whether joining in or listening.

Now for that Christmas trip! I hope not to go on too long, nor concentrate on the disappointments, but to show my pick of the pics with brief day-by-day notes:

Day one, Monday 22nd December: 2.10am – joined the ‘feeder’ coach in the middle of Huddersfield in pouring rain! Travelled to Folkestone to join our ‘Luxuria’ coach. This was decorated for Christmas, and after dark fairy lights constantly changed between red and yellow and blue and green:

At Dover, no-one noticed the phantom reindeer stalking the ridge between the castle and the white cliffs!

After the crossing – smooth but disappointing food – several hours travelling to Brussels for overnight at one of the hotels at the airport. Luxuria certainly gives more leg room and elbow room than an ‘ordinary’ coach, and if you want it, your own little screen can play music, show films, or at times show the road ahead as seen by the dashboard camera. Service and food at the hotel’s restaurant was a further disappointment – ’nuff said.

Day 2, Tuesday 23rd: A long onward journey to Kufstein in Austria.

We look like a couple of happy travellers!

Day 3, Wednesday 24th: Excursion to Salzburg. Gave up looking for a restaurant specialising in fish (no fish choice at the hotel), but found the Chrismas Market, with a skating rink beside it (no, we didn’t!):

Just outside the market we found an Italian restaurant where we had the best meal so far! Mine was a seafood spaghetti:

And just outside that restaurant we had a partial view of the castle:

Day 4, Christmas Day: Now for the real scenic stuff! But first:

Bucks fizz in a bus on Christmas Day! (From a plastic goblet!) – That was a new experience! With a card and a cracker, a present from our drivers, a father and son team.

Now it’s difficult to choose from the plethora (good word!) of scenic photos, many with at least some patches of snow:

At our first stop, Kitzbühel, by walking a bit further than I wanted to, Jean was able to take these two:

Then, after a bit more in the bus, we get the train to Zell am See. The first big highlight.

Those above taken from the train.

At the station at Zell am See, without any advice or guidance, we found our way to the lakeside (it was just there – no whiffling needed, just the use of a subway.) The first photo was an accidental selfie – I was just fiddling with it and it ‘went off’!

We sat on a bench and shared a sip of wine, then set about taking more pics. The view was diffent from one end of the lake to the other, according to where the sun was shining:

Back at the hotel, the Christmas dinner, turkey (with all the trimmings? -we didn’t think so!) was disappointing. Remarks regarding the sprouts (made by others, not us) referred to marbles or mini golf balls, and my own thoughts on the carrots were that there was a difference between ‘al dente’ and raw! But we tried to make the best of it:

Day 5, St Stephen’s Day ! Best day of the trip? – Possibly … (Or equal with yesterday!)

By coach to Jenbach –

When we first saw that photo, we though the foreground looked like water! – It’s not …

And from Jenbach, the length of the Zillertalbahn – the Ziller Valley Railway:

And the closer we got to the end station, Mayrhofen, the more sight we had of the river. The water had a lovely grey-green tinge which reminded me of Cumbria! But, from the moving train, it was difficult to get a good pic. This was the best I could do:

In Mayrhofen, there was time for lunch before the next treat, and once again, only Italian restaurants seemed to be open! But we fared well – I had king prawns with chilli tomato sauce, and bread, not pasta.

Mayrhofen is very scenic, and a skiing centre. Cable cars were running and ski runs open, which Jean had never seen before. I suspect the snow was either ‘imported’ or artificial in some way, but no matter to us.

Those views and the selfie were taken while we were waiting for our carriages to arrive! Yes – the final highlight! A horse-drawn carriage ride! Two carriages, one following the other nose-to-tail, well, nose to shoulder of the passengers in the lead carriage at times!

On the way back to Kufstein, we stopped at a souvenir shop in Fügen, the largest town in the Ziller Valley. This should have been a special moment for lovers of ‘Stille Nacht’ (Need I interpret? – Silent Night.) Although the song was first heard with guitar accompaniment some way away in Oberndorf, it was the organ builder(s) from Fügen who heard it there, and brought it back to their town where they shared it with two groups of family singers, who then spread it worldwide! The mention of this association was one of the reasons for my choosing this Christmas trip. But there we were, on Boxing Day, the Feast of Stephen, in that very place, and not a word was said about it, and not a note sung or heard.

I did sing it later, in the bar at the hotel, for Jean and just three other members of our party, with karaoke accompaniment – I had been told in advance not to try to take the guitar with me! I sang ‘Good King Wenceslas’, too … well …

Maybe I should stop there. Narrating days 6 and 7 would come across like a catalogue of disasters, but there’s one photo we’d like to include; at the Van der Valk hotel in Brussels (not the same hotel as on the outward journey), both the service and the food were much better, and I got to enjoy a real pot of mussels! –

Did we enjoy the trip? On balance, yes. Will we do something like it again? – No! Next time, I’ll be driving, and we’ll take our accomodation with us (or it’ll take us!). Watch this space!

Pic of the week? Possibly this one:

BONNE ANNEE!