Supping with an (ex)Squaddie.

ATTERSEE, GERMANY.

Decide to take the scenic, non-motorway route. Discover an Aldi just before Osnabruck so we buy provisions for tonight. Across the road is a Volksbank. Unfortunately, the cash machine refuses to take my card.

Drive to the parkrun site, a man-made lake with the start by a restaurant. The campsite, at Attersee, is about 5km away. I'm thinking that a bike ride might work tomorrow.

Our pitch is a lovely spot overlooking the lake.The campsite gives out a card which provides access to all facilities. The Gents block is being cleaned so Rosie and I share a shower in the Ladies. Then, Rosie does her laundry bit and hangs out the clothes on a line.

We go for a walk around the small lake which appears to be owned by the campsite. There is a chair similar to the Baltic coast ones but Rosie decides it will be full of insects and ignores it. However she can't pass a swing without having a go.

It's not long walk so we head for the local town of Wester, about 2 miles away. Enjoy coffee and cake in the local bakery. And, the cash machine works.

Back at the site, Rosie decides the boot needs sorting out. So, I cycle to the parkrun as a dummy run for tomorrow. It takes 30 minutes to get there because of a couple of wrong turns and 20 minutes back.

Enjoying a glass of wine when a voice ask where are we from. It's an ex square is from Middlesbrough and his wife from Nottingham. He was based at Osnabruck and didn't go home. She has a German mother and has lived here since she was 4. They invite to look at their static caravan.

We eat dinner then take a bottle of wine to share with them. He tells me that he only drinks beer so the three of us drink the wine. The caravan was bought from the estate of the former owner. It needs some work but is a large plot. As a parting gift, they give us a packet of English bacom from Netto.