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Soest is a walled town in the North Rhine Westphalia region of western Germany. The old centre is very attractive.

Despite all this architectural goodness, there are no concessions to tourism at all here. No souvenir shops, no tourist office, it’s just an ordinary provincial German town. We had assumed that our hotel must be one of the town’s oldest buildings, but then we came across the Monchshof.

This dates from 1232, which puts it right in the middle of the 6th and 7th Crusades.

We went for a wander around the town with Val’s family and the kids in the afternoon. It’s hot, about 31 degrees. Ice cream time.

Heidelberg tomorrow.

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Another lovely dinner in one of Hamburg’s old pubs last night. Pfifferlinge mushrooms – we know them as Chanterelles, are in season, and they go very nicely with a steak.

We had a long train journey south today, and eventually we arrived at a town called Soest. Our first job is to go to see Val’s relatives. A few family snaps.

We took Val’s cousin Mark and his wife Cordula for dinner at our hotel.

Our hotel dates from 1304, and despite its name (Pilgrimhaus) it was a bit late for the Crusades. It’s a very attractive building.

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It was raining when we awoke this morning, but this was forecast so we have a plan. We liked the look of the docks area of the city when we saw it from our bus trip yesterday, so today we’ll go and see it properly. A ride on the underground keeps us out of the rain, and before long we arrive at the Philharminic Hall, or Elbphilharmonie.

This wonderful building was completed in 2016. It was extremely controversial owing to the cost – in excess of 860 million euros. It houses 3 concert halls, a hotel, and residential apartments. It is freely accessible to the public, without charge. We went up for a look.

The views of the busy port are impressive.

We went for a walk along the quay. This old cargo ship offers day trips.

And this tall ship is now a museum.

We caught the underground back into the city centre and popped into the town hall. The courtyard has a lovely gothic fountain.

Shopping in Germany is a great pleasure, as prices are so much lower here. We spent a few hours picking up whatever bargains we could find, and ended up with as many carrier bags as we could manage. The rain finally stopped around 4pm, by which time we were back at our hotel.

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Last night we found a lovely old pub for dinner.

Val got this shot from our balcony when we got back.

This morning we took a bus tour. Some highlights. First, the Town Hall.

The Philharmonic Hall. The bus driver said it cost fifty thousand euros each time the windows need cleaning.

The docks area is a maze of canals and basins.

Old church from the 13th Century.

The Alstersee, one of two lakes in the city centre.

The old Post Office.

We were just about back in time for the football. Afterwards we had a successful trip around the shops, which was just as well as I’m beginning to run out of clothes.

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It was raining when we checked out of our hotel this morning, so we got a taxi to the station. We’re off to Hamburg. To get off the island the train crosses a causeway called the Hindenburgdamm. There is no road access.

Hamburg is a big city, and hotel rooms in cities are usually small and cramped. I had tried to find something a little more spacious, and fortunately our apartment is lovely.

View to the Grand Casino and the TV tower from our balcony. We’re on the seventh floor and I don’t like heights. It’s only mildly terrifying.

We went for a wander around our local part of the city before dinner. There are two big lakes in the middle of Hamburg. Here’s one of them.

Now all we have to do is find somewhere for dinner.

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The bus service on Sylt is nice and simple. Line 1 takes you north to List, where we went yesterday, and line 2 goes south, and that’s our plan today. A quick map of the island.

Hörnum is very nice, with a long beach. The weather’s lovely.

A boat trip offers to take us around the bay. We get on board.

The trip is excellent. A lady from the National Parks service explains about the wildlife. The kids listen intently.

A net is dropped off the back of the boat so that the children can see some of the creatures that live in the sea.

Looking back to the southern tip of the island. Sylt is basically a huge sand dune, and it is gradually being lost to the sea.

When we got back to the port it was lunchtime. We had a delicious meal on the quayside at this seafood shack.

The lighthouse.

Val, in a beach basket, not that we needed one today.

We really liked Hörnum. Tonight we have dinner at a local restaurant where duck is a speciality.

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It’s our first morning on Sylt. The island is located on the north-west coast of Germany, in the North Sea. This morning we’re heading north by bus, to a small port called List. List is the northernmost point in Germany. Across the water we can see Denmark. There’s a ferry for car traffic, and it seems to be a popular day trip.

List itself is very small, with a supermarket and a few kiosks and restaurants by the quayside.

We had some lunch and headed back to Westerland, where our hotel is located. Westerland is the only real town on Sylt, and it’s famous for its beach. It’s almost always windy this far north, so ‘beach baskets’ protect beach goers from the chilly breeze.

We had fish & chips for dinner, and returned to the beach to see the famous sunset. I have to admit it was pretty good.