OK, so what I didn't mention on Thursday was starting to feel a bit under the weather while we were wandering around Makro - head begining to ache, limbs likewise and general flu like symptoms coming along. They came to a head yesterday when I spent most of the afternoon shivering under the duvet and generally being miserable. Feeling much better now, although not up to 100% operating efficiency as yet.

A few more things about the holiday that have come back to me (why is it so hard to write about the experience?). The global reputation for Switzerland being a really clean country is totally deserved. Not just in the obvious things like spotless toilets or whatever (and there's a cultural difference for you - in the UK you will generally find a coat hook on the back of a toilet door, over there they seem to be on the wall to the side). We never saw a single item of litter in Switzerland, hardly any graffitti and none of the general "mess" that fills France. Even the roadworks looked spotless. To the point of having little gangs of men up on the mountain roads clearing leaves. OK, so with the twists and turns and precipitous drops up there it makes sense, but they were everywhere, all the time.

Then there is also the more relaxed attitude over on the continent to sex, porn and generally getting your kit off. Seemed to be sex shops everywhere you turned, all the newsagents full of openly displayed porn mags etc. Then when we stopped in Paris there was a selection of magazines in each room provided by the hotel - not porn mags, but one was a photo mag including sections on Porn photographer Thomas Ruff and an explicitly illustrated article on transexuals - not what you'd expect at a UK Travelodge or Holiday Inn. Not that I'm complaining as I think this country is far too uptight most of the time, but still a bit of a surprise to find.

Plus I'm missing not having time to include a crusty roll with cheese as part of my breakfast routine - and I'm not even back to work yet.

Oh well. We shall just have to save hard and make sure we get back there some time.

Now to listen to the new Iron Maiden album Dance Of Death which is sounding good up to track three...