A date with Mr Blue Sky

And Master Cloud, Mrs Grey, and the beautiful Ms Sunset with her ever-changing moods!

I had been invited to stay in Bremen, northern Germany. The only direct routes from the UK are by Ryan Air, from Stansted or Edinburgh.Having had the Ryan Air and Stansted experience in 2017, I wasn't overly enthusiastic about repeating it, so I booked flights from Heathrow (nearer to my home) to Zurich on Swiss, and Zurich to Bremen on Austrian airlines. Expedia made it look very easy. And so it turned out to be.

Of course, it's a lot further, and more expensive that Ryan Air, but my human rights and dignity were respected throughout, and I'd go so far as saying that travelling from Heathrow (T2) was a pleasant experience. Security is brief and painless, there are check in machines and few queues, and above all it's quiet on the 'other side'. Almost too quiet, but there are expensive looking restaurants and shops for the thrill seekers.

Zurich airport was much the same, except with a darker colour scheme, and a Chinese New year theme. I didn't have any Swiss francs, but the chocolates and books looked beautiful. I had no idea of the conversion rate, but 24 anythings for a small box of chocolates seemed a lot! Maybe they had Gold inside.

The second aircraft was a small sort of sky-bus. I felt sorry for the larger people, as it had clearly been built before obesity was a thing. However, I had a good conversationwith my large neighbour, who was just returning from Egypt. She told me that Bremen is small and clean, and we discussed English roses (David Austen in particular) and the Cotswolds. Agatha Raisin is on German TV, apparently!

Eventually, having consumed another Swiss cheese sandwich and tablet of chocolate, I got off the plane, retrieved my hand luggage case from.a trolley next to the plane on the tarmac (great idea, no faffing around with conveyor belts), and trotted out into the airport. No sign of passport control, nothing to declare, and nothing but five day of fun lying ahead of me!

Kim and Mari met me, and whisked me back to their house in the centre of Bremen. I was quite tired by then. I think Im going to like it here.