At last, we are off again. After failing to get away to Corsica earlier in he summer, we are back on the road. It's a great feeling, although I'm always just a little apprehensive about embarking on a long journey. The more I learn about vehicle maintenance, the more l know what there is to go wrong. The result: more tools and more spare parts. At least this landy isn't complicated, plus I can slide underneath without needing to lift it. We have picked Hull-Rotterdam because it’s only 85 miles to Hull and then we are o n-board, plus t he nice people at P&O held our previous payment as credit and we used it to rebook this trip. So here we are, boarding the Pride of Rotterdam at the rear (due to our 2.7m height with the box). We are dwarfed by motor homes and camper vans and later by a desirable Sprinter 4x4 on its way home to Germany plus many others that completely fill the deck in all directions. The Skylounge is an early call, just to get the trip off to a good start...
If you want a huge skiable vertical drop then don’t go to Sälen. This lump of hills, just east of the border with Norway, rise to just about 1,000m. Each run down is a single adrenaline rush, rather than one that can take some time. However, for a family friendly destination where you can learn or re-learn in a lovely environment, you can’t go wrong. Take the lift attendants; every one of them makes eye contact and says Heije or Hello and smiles. They do that every time they pass you the button or the T-bar. All day. It’s a big contrast to other countries and resorts where you can feel like a second-class citizen and begin to wish you weren’t English. It isn’t terribly expensive. On-slope coffee and hot chocolate, even with fresh cream and marshmallows (if you are allowed them), is at least competitive as at home, possibly cheaper. Obviously if your request for a “hot chocolate” is misunderstood and you are served a shot-glass full of goodness, that includes coffee, whipped cream and ...