Up, packed, supermarket shop, breakfast, metro and away from Cologne on the 9:25. Don't remember us being this sprightly last time round. More nimble movement meant we sat all the way to Berlin, 4.5 hrs. Kids very well behaved.

Backpacks in a locker and a walking tour of the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and the park. 1st sulker storming off. Found a playground with a zip wire so peace broke out, temporarily. Great dinner of meat and beer.

Then to the night train to Budapest. The carriage was cosy, had to feel sorry for Denise, the German woman who was in with the five of us. She listened politely for most of the 14 hour trip. It was cool all lying in bed watching the German and then Polish countryside roll by. The train went through Czechia, Slovakia and then crossed the Danube in Hungary. Reasonable nights sleep. Steve locked himself in the toilet and had to be rescued by passengers who heard is frantic banging.

No more trains for a week now. In Budapest we hired a car. Stopped for lunch, first Hungarian parking ticket. Then headed in up to the Tatras Mountains in Northern Slovakia.

That's the end of the beginning. A mad dash across Europe, it's been good to see a bit of Brussels and Berlin. Looking forward to exploring Slovakia and Hungary before we hit the tracks again.