THE RED GAMBIT SERIES

Day#1

Left home at 2350hrs on Sunday 2/10 and crossed into Europe on P&O ferry to Calais. Failed to get past Brussels before the obligatory time [0800] so slept in car [no point trying until later as the belgians and their cars around brussels ....sheesh!]

Went straight to Margraten US Cemetary on eastern Holland. Its a very special place and you should go there if you get the chance.

Took me nearly two hours to find the right car park for my Hotel but the cold one I sunk was worth it once I sat down. No resting though, as went off around the platz and nearby, taking pics and sorting what will happen when the battle of Sittard is ready to be written, which is book#2 for your info.

Day#2 Up early [well early for me anyway]. Off to Berg an der Maas and Venlo before a hastily organised meeting with a good dutch friend from the days of Blackwatch Uk gaming clan, namely Casino/Michel Wijers. He's a good lad :-)

Then a long drive to Barnstorf, punctuated by photo opportunities at Bohmte and Helmsmuhle.

Tomorrow is a big day.

Those of you who have read the book will notice that each chapter is a 'The.....'

Not the one which I am researching tomorrow. It will stand out as it will be entitled 'Bloody Barnstorf' for a very good reasons.

Morning folks. It is day three and it started badly. breakfast, continental obviously m'dears, and I am an avid fan of the savoury. [Sugar reading this morning reflected the sweet pudding I had last night so i decided to eat correctly to adjust.] Selected a plate of lean meats and a few lght cheeses and some particularly yummy lookig beetroot and meat salad. Those of you who know me will understand my aversion to fish at the best of times, and breakfast in a german hotel does not rank as the best of times in my book!!! Some sort of swimming thing, nearly raw, and i actually ate a piece.

So I thought I would quickly write something in case i die of food poisoning en route to Munster :-)

Laters people.

Day#3 continued. Driving on german roads is a tale of two halves. i have had a wonderful gently cruising my way over to Munster Tank Museum, back through Book#2's vital battle sites of Tostedtland and Everstorfer. That aside, i am curious as to how any german who gets his licence at age 20, actually makes it to 21 without a minimum of whiplash! they are mad dogs, driving about a foot behind vehicles, overtaking ten at a time and just managing to get in before being wiped out. My own personal demons today were [1] the lorry who pulled across me into a side road, seemingly forgetting he had a trailer which stuck out into the fast road and [2] the lovely young gentleman in the racy Audi who failed to spot a large Chrysler Grand Voyager in his lane until he was roughly 10 metres away. I was doing 75mph and I reckon he was doing well over a 100mph. i suspect two fag papers would cover it, as I could see little of his car in my rear view mirror!

Anyway, reorganising the day was both good and bad, as I lost a lot of time in traffic hold ups. Tomorow morning a bit of Barnstorf and the Hunte River before heading south to Koblenz and the Rhine/Mosel rivers.

Off to dinner now, Speak laters folks.

Better nights sleep. Change of schedule today i think, provided weather holds. I hope to drive through Paderborn and onto Trendleburg [of book#1] before going to Koblenz. Enjoy your day folks

Did I really say that? Spent some time in Barnstorf this morning and was about as far into the woods as I coudl get before the heavens opened. Immediately quashed idea of going to Trendleburg [shame]. Still took me over 5 hours to get to Koblenz mind you. Germans are officially mad and if they ever offer you driving advice tell them to take a hike. Never seen such a collective idiocy in such appalling driving conditions!

Anyway, back to trip.

Got to hotel only to find the curse of the scrolling selection bar had claimed me. You knwo teh one. You click on a selection and move toother stuff, later finding its moved your choice?

You guessed it. My reservation was for the 6th of November ffs!!!!

However, the nice manager sorted me out and  I am presently writing to you from room#1023 of the Koblenz Mercure, thats tenth floor special executive suite complete with free bathrobe and slippers, minibar and a shower to die for.

But the view.....ahhhhhhhh!

I will share what actually happened in Barnstorf this morning later. Hopefully it will be worth waiting for.

Hmmmm hotel internet access failed at the point of pressing enter. Wonderful. Wrote a huge scree about Koblenz and the Mosel Valley. Zee [mosel] is a lovely place and you should go if you have the chance. Have photos coming out of my ears now.

However, today is the day, with a visit to the Chateau and all that entails. I have to get this right. If I have time then it will be Natzwiller Concentration Camp on my way to Caudry in France; a long drive today.

The Chateau was fabulous and I will be able to do all I hoped having been there. Natzwiller-Struhof was altogether different, from another world in some ways. The most wonderful views of the Vosges, stunning in fact, set against a concentration camp's scaffold, machine gun towers or electric fence. Awesome place and you should go there sometime if you can. http://www.struthof.fr/en/home/

Monday was for my family and myself, and I travelled to the graves of three brothers, all killed in the Great War. The fourth, my grandfather, was too young to go. Also two cousins from the same village were lost, and I believe two more distant cousins. From what I can glean, none of my family that went to war returned home in 1918.

I will try and sort something of a report and start posting some pictures tomorrow but I am very tired as you can imagine. Thanks for reading folks.

So now the work begins. I have the information needed to write the Chateau Chapter and complete 'Opening Moves'. I still think it will be on course for publishing before xmas, but will keep you all updated.