Aachen Hauptbahnhof

I had arranged this morning to borrow a mountain bike from the hotel where we've been staying in South Limburg in order to ride a few of the local hills and explore some of the forest tracks. I set the alarm to wake me for first light only to be greeted by rain and thoroughly miserable weather. I laid back down on the bed to ponder whether to go out or not, only to fall immediately into a deep sleep. I woke up again just a few minutes before we were due to be collected by our host. It felt like I'd given myself as much time in bed as I could possibly get away with! I clearly needed it.

The day was spent at Herleen, talking to the staff, gaining an understanding of how they work and the issues with their current systems. We then presented our solution and got them all very excited. I think we are going to make their lives a lot easier, or at least remove much of the boring admin and so free up time that can better be spent with their clients.

The rain continued all day, somewhat curtailing an exploration of Aachen where we caught a train to the airport at Dusseldorf. I've always loved railways and I still feel the romance of travelling by train in foreign parts. There is an undeniable excitement at arriving at a major city station, especially in Europe where the possibility exists to depart to so many exotic (to me anyway) destinations. I hadn't realised that we were going to be passing through Cologne. The cathedral, situated right next to the station, is massive. I wish I'd given myself the time to stop for an hour ro explore. I've actually down very little travel around Europe, other than to get to the mountains. I definitely look forward to a major rail tour sometime in the future.

I actually flew to Southampton this evening and I'm posting this blip from Christchurch, where my mother lives. I just about got here in time to be able to wish her a happy 80th birthday. With my two brothers and sister, we've got our mum an iPad to celebrate this milestone. I've just got her wireless internet set up here, so tomorrow we can get her up and running with Skype so she can keep in touch more easily with her 8 grandchildren. She seems really excited by the prospect and very much ready to embrace being on-line!