There's a castle around every corner

Heathrow airport was busy but relatively easy to get through all the security etc. unfortunately, because Qantas and British Airways aren't good friends anymore, you can only use the BA lounge at terminal 3 and I was in terminal 5. So I was forced to hang out with the masses, with no wifi. But a very nice customer service person gave me the BA lounge login and I casually stood outside the door of the lounge facebooking and emailing. I had a fabulous weekend in Stockholm seeing my Swedish "family", its been 10 years but it felt like just yesterday. Susanne (my Swedish daughter) and I hung around Gamla Stan (Old Town) and went on a tour of the castle (something which Susanne, who has lived in Stockholm all her life, had never done) and wandered around the shops. We had a great evening watching Eurovision and I'm starting a campaign to get Australia in, maybe as a non competing country. I also, under sufferance went to the ABBA museum, but only took photos, its $30 entry fee. BTW, there is a big Eurovision controversy at the moment with Russia claiming points were stolen from them and they are sending the ambassador to check it out! The trip to Frankfurt took a couple of hours but then I had to wait for another hour from the time we landed till the luggage arrived (so much for German efficiency). The first day in Germany was very quiet as it was a public holiday and there was nothing open. On Tuesday morning we set off on the 10 day tour of Germany. Our first stop was a cruise down the Rhine, now I know what everyone talks about when they say how beautiful it is. There is a literally a castle around every bend of the river. We then headed to Cologne and checked out the city and the Cathedral that dominates the city centre before heading to Dusseldorf where we stayed the night and spent some time in the city enjoying a beer and watching the people. Have arrived in Berlin after a four hour trip on the fast train, and a very comfortable journey it was. I've been on a tour around the highlights of Berlin, of which there are many, and now settled into the hotel and looking forward to a day of sight seeing tomorrow. It's a bit hit and miss with Wifi access. It was better in the UK with access at almost every cafe and some public places but then it varies at hotels, with some charging, some giving you a half hour and then you have to log in again and others being totally free. Somebody needs to speak to them about getting their act together, in this day and age you should be able to get it free when you stay in a hotel, I have written many a feedback form telling them just that.