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Day 1 - Wednesday, 9th September - Home to Schaffhausen

Bahnhofstrasse 46, 8200 Schaffhausen, Switzerland

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Story: Jan drove me to Woolwich with Hugo on my lap. Then we hit the first snag of the day. How do you get to Woolwich Arsenal station in a car? It's all one way ... and that way is in the opposite direction of the station. In the end, Jan dropped me just above the entrance to what was the Wellington Street campus building for Thames Poly. It was a 5 minute stroll from there.

The next hurdle was finding the correct entrance to the station. There are three entrances; one for trains, one for the DLR and one for the Elizabeth line. You cannot get from one to the other once you get inside! But my razor sharp brain worked it out eventually.

It is just two stops on the DLR to the airport, about 5 minutes. You tap in and then spend longer trying to find the place to tap out than getting there. The tap out machines are in an alcove down a passageway different to the sign for the airport. Someone thought that through.

There was a 30 minute wait for the bag-drop to open, so it seemed a good idea to eat breakfast … which I had left in the fridge at home. It cost over £11 for a drink and a baguette.

After dropping the suitcase off (they queried my name because the booking agent had me as Andy and my passport says Andrew), I got through security in double quick time because of carrying a walking stick. Something worked for me at last. I was now in the holding pen.

There was an announcement that the plane would be delayed because the pilot heard a noise in the engine. They needed some time to find a pilot who couldn't hear the noise. This meant boarding was also to be delayed for a bit.

We finally took off at 9:45, half-an-hour late and were crossing the Channel 6 minutes later. By 10am we were over France (or possibly Belgium). And the wheels touched down at 11:05.

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We taxied around the airport for ages, but my suitcase was on the conveyor belt when I got into the baggage hall.

The next hurdle was finding the station and my train. Fortunately, there was a very nice lady who looked everything up for me and told me where to go. That happens to me a lot.

I got on the train and thought I would just check that the place I had booked knew I was coming ... only to find that the booking had been cancelled! There were four notices from booking.com telling me this, all sent that morning. Now I had a problem.

I texted them, but got no reply, so I walked my suitcase the ¾ mile up the hill to the address I had, only to find it was a set of dowdy flats. The listing on booking.com had been a scam. Fortunately, they reimburse the fees.

So, I sat on the wall, went on booking.com and found another place. It happened to be right by the station, probably 100m from the platform where I arrived. It is also really convenient for the Old Town.

It said it was “self-check-in", which I had never heard of before. You have to download an app, fill in a huge form which included passport details for 2 people. I know I'm a big lad, but really? This meant I had to ring Jan to get her details otherwise I couldn't get in. You have to check in before you get a code to get through the door.

This took a while because Jan had started off to collect Jack from school. She had to turn round and get her passport so that I could get in. Poor Jan.

I got in eventually. There is no reception, in fact, there is nobody around at all. Everything is accessed by the pass code you are sent. You type in the number to get through the entrance, then you have another keypad to get from the lobby into the hotel. The lift requires the pass code as does the door to your room. You need it 4 times just to get in.

However, once in, the room is very nice.

It is also quite quiet, especially given its location.

I unpacked and went hunting for provisions. It is only a couple of hundred metres to the main center.

I felt I deserved a rest when I got back. The rolls were nice, I read for a while and then turned out the light.

What a day!

Steps: 11,172

Weather: It was OK in the UK, not hot, not cold. It was drizzling when I landed in Zurich, but that had stopped by the time I got to Schaffhausen. They had rain earlier.

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Timings Leave Home: 05:55

Arrive City Airport: 06::45

Take off: 09:45

Land in Zürich: 11:05

Train leaves Zürich Airport: 13:10

Arrive in Schaffhausen: 13:45

Arrive in the room: 15:45

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Day 2 - Thursday, 10th September

Bahnhofstrasse 46, 8200 Schaffhausen, Switzerland

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Story: It was a new bed which has one of those horrid memory foam mattresses, so I didn't sleep too well. I know a lot of people like them, but I toss and turn.

The plan was to meet up with Christel and Thomas at 11:30 at the railway station. The room underneath the blue flag is mine and the photo was taken from the station.

But first, breakfast. I went walkies to the “supermarket" (actually, a convenience store with aspirations). Google maps said it was a 10 minute walk away, but it took nearly 2 hours to get there and back. There were so many lovely things to see, people chatted and made me feel welcome.

There were several statues similar to this in the squares. It was a really pleasant meander. For those who know Wasserburg in Bavaria, it has a similar look and feel.

I read my book for a while after breakfast in my room, then it was off to meet my two favourite locals.

Thomas had booked a table at a very quaint restaurant, complete with original oak beams and smartly dressed waiters. It sat right on the river, the Rhein. My schnitzel was lovely as was the Toblerone whip desert.

Christel went off line dancing for a bit whilst Thomas and I relieved the gelatoria of some real Italian ice cream. He then took me to a former monastery which had been converted into all sorts of things.

One of those is a museum with an exhibition showing what it was like to live in the ice age. I'll be visiting that tomorrow.

We then went to collect Christel so that we could all climb up to the castle, which overlooks Schaffhausen, together. It is 300+ steps to get up there. I was slow, but there was another chap who was coming up as if it was flat. I moved out of his way and he said, “Thank you". I asked him if he was English. He said he came from Whitby, so he was used to stairs.

You got a good view from the top … even of those steps.

The gallery at the very top was quite interesting. There is someone, always a woman, who is paid to live in the turret with her family. She is responsible for the security of the castle and has to ring the bell at 9pm every night.