Tuesday 21 -Saturday 25 November
While I enjoy my Winter rest, my crew are taking advantage of the European rail network to visit some landlocked capital cities. First on the list is Berlin, where they stayed with family friends who made them feel very welcome.
After a seven-hour 
train journey, they spent Wednesday and Thursday exploring some of the favourite tourist attractions 
and sites of historical importance, including remains of The Wall, the iconic Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial. They enjoyed an Autumn stroll through the Tiergarten and a bracing stretch along the River Spree to view the government buildings of the Bundestag and the Reichstag.
On Friday their generous host drove them to historic Potsdam, formerly the home of Prussian royals, and the palaces and gardens of Sanssouci. Just across a lake on the former East/West border they could see the famous Bridge of Spies, and they enjoyed the views of scenic rural Germany.
The return journey was less straightforward and they arrived home two hours late. I was glad to see them, in spite of the cold and dark.