Today was the last time we will all be together until 30 January and so breakfast was the last meal together (even though I said yesterday that it was dinner). We had breakfast at a Pasteleria around the corner from the hotel. It took us awhile to figure out that you had to take a ticket to get served but we did that and then managed to get our order in. Breakfast was slightly more expensive this morning at €13 but still a fraction of what it would have cost if we had eaten in the hotel. It was then back to the hotel to pack up and off to the airport. Our taxi driver clearly wanted to chat to us on the way to the airport and asked (in Portuguese) whether we spoke Portuguese. We said no.  Then he tried Italian, we said no. Then he tried Spanish and Michael said a little. The balance of the drive was taken up with him conversing with Michael in Spanish. All I could make out was that they talked about football teams. Michael said he didn’t really know what he was talking about.

Helen & Chloe are flying back to Cape Town (via Dubai). They were the first to leave and have in fact just landed in Dubai as I type this. They left on time but arrived late into Dubai. It is now almost 2am Dubai time and their next flight leaves at about 8am for Cape Town.

I was next to leave for Frankfurt (unfortunately I have to go and work). My flight was packed full.  We were pushing back off the stand and people were standing in the aisles still trying to find a spot for their suitcase in the overhead compartment. I flew TAP and it doesn’t seem that they worry too much about passenger safety. Also the worst leg room I have had on a flight – my knees were right up against the seat in front of me. Stephen & Michael were last to leave and they flew to Switzerland (Zürich). We both then had train trips to get to our final destinations. I took a train to Cologne and the boys took a train to Bern then connected onto a train to Spiez and then my Dad fetched them from the train station in Spiez (which is about 30-40 minutes car drive from Grindelwald which is where they are going).

We all seemed to have ended up in the right places at least though Helen and Chloe are only half way to where they need to be. With all the traveling today I clean forgot to take some photos. So you will have to do with a shot just taken by Michael from the living room of the chalet in Grindelwald where they are now.

P, H, S, M & C