1st Jan - Bus Trip to London

We had a bus trip booked to London the next day. The train trips that day were soooo expensive, the bus was the only viable alternative (really did feel like hitching a ride). We got to the bus terminal well before time, picked up the tickets & had a bite to eat for brunch. But we boarded the bus far too late to get a seat together & so had to make do with sitting across the aisle from each other cause no one was prepared to move.
Then about an hour or two into the trip, we came to the border. It was snowing quite heavily but, nevertheless, we had to unload all our gear from the bus & line up to go through a customs check. Bec was not at all impressed by this particular process! I liked feeling the snow land on my face though.
Back on the bus, we tried to get a bit of sleep – almost impossible for me – despite a couple of American yobbos who insisted on being load so others could hear them.

20th Nov - Overnight Bus Trip To Scotland

I’d booked a bus from London to Inverness for 15 pounds online – remarkable! But it was an overnight trip...a long overnight trip. Luckily, I got to sit by myself for most of the journey. Didn’t get much sleep at all. I remembered why buses are so cheap.
Ann from Shambala collected me, thankfully, from Inverness & we chatted all the way back to the ranch.

18th Nov - Back to Cairo

We hopped on yet another bus in the wee hours of the morning & headed back to Cairo. This time at least we got to see some of the desert. When we arrived back in Cairo we were tired, but the city was rocking. You see, they were in the World Cup football playoffs that eve. A few of us went for a walk down the street & bought some Egypt scarves along the way. The locals loved that we were barracking for their team & many took pics on their mobiles of this strange phenomena - foreigners wearing the Egyptian colours.

Check Out & Onto Overnight Bus

We'd been promised by Big Mo, our guide, that we'd get first dibs on bus seats over the other group who were staying at another hotel. But when the bus arrived & we got on, we realised the other group had snuck in front of us & had already settled into their own seats. Luckily, I was one of the few in the group who got their own double seat so it wasn't as cramped as some others were.
We left the hotel at 4pm for the long drive ahead. The country areas outside Luxor were alive with people coming home from work or going to markets. Along the way we passed many security checkpoints, especially around the Sinai region. But fortunately I had quite a good rest on the trip, unlike most others, & was ready for the day ahead in Dhahab.

The 100 Bus in Berlin

I had promised myself that I’d get up early, but that just didn’t happen. I finally got out of the hotel at about 9:45am then skipped across the road to grab a quick breakie. I then jumped on the Metro up to the Zoologischer Garten stop, then found my way to the bus stop to catch the 100 bus. This bus is a popular tourist bus (as is the 200 bus), even though it’s a regular bus, because it stops at most of the major highlights in Berlin. Much better than those very expensive sightseeing buses. And it was even a double decker!!!

Copenhagen to Berlin by Bus/Ferry

I prepared myself for a really long bus ride. The bus was about half the price of a train journey, so it justified the rather cramped conditions you so often find when riding long distance buses.
The bus left from behind the central rail station at 8:30am. Thank goodness, I was able to sit by myself with nobody beside me. About 3 hours into the trip, we came to the ferry crossing. I had no idea it would take close to 2 hours for the crossing, & it was great to get out of the bus & have a walk around. Not much to do on the ferry though. Did get a chance to buy some mini Jaegermeister bottles & chocolate on board though!! Marie had packed a lunch for me, so I was well prepared & didn’t go hungry.
The countryside in both Denmark & in Germany was beautiful. Remarkable how many wind turbines both these countries have invested in, with them dotted all over the countryside.
We arrived at 3:30pm, & the bus terminal was in the middle of nowhere. Luckily I grabbed a person that could speak English & she showed me how to get a ticket for the Metro & which way my stop was. The Metro system in Berlin is fantastic & I got off right in front of my hotel.
I was surprised that my hotel room was so large, I could have fit a family of four in there.

19th July - O/Night Bus to Copenhagen

After getting back from the fjords, I stopped off at Caffe Engel in Oslo again for a lovely bite to eat before preparing for my overnight bus trip to Copenhagen. It was the first time I'd caught a long distance bus in Europe & over 20 years since I'd been on an overnight bus trip. So, I was expecting not to get too much sleep.
I met a woman called Maria from Copenhagen on the bus & we had quite a few laughs & a good conversation. She filled me in on all the must see sights around Copenhagen, including the landmark 'Little Mermaid'. The trip ended at 6am in the morning & I had to hang out at the central rail station till 9am when the tourist info office was due to open.