Replacement passport

Right, you can all take back everything you ever said about Catherine. Her replacement passport has safely arrived with weeks to spare. I told you she wasn't that daft. With our resident journo onboard you can expect the finest daily write ups beamed back straight from the field.

All guaranteed to be 100% Daily Mail quality or your money back.

Jollies booked!

Got the ball rolling this week and booked a ferry for the annual pilgrimage to Europe. We've got a return trip from Hull to Zebrugge courtesy of P&O. Not the poshest boats out there, but it's convenient and their food is cracking.

Heard some great tales of biking in Germany over the years but I've never ridden there. We're thinking of riding down into Italy through Germany. The Black Forest looks good then maybe the Italian Lakes and/or the Dolomites. Nurbergring has been marked on map, but that’s one for the end of the holiday rather than the start. We might give it a blast but it depends which way we head back home.

Found some useful sites with downloadable biking maps. The third one’s a bit patchy, but the first two are great:

http://85.255.193.172/Tourism/OnlineUEMmaps/tabid/55/Default.aspx

http://www.road-concept.eu/uebersicht-msd

http://www.germany-tourism.de/ENG/destination_germany/master_tlfstrasse-id15.htm