Our visits to England to England had become somewhat of an annual pilgrimage by 2016 and usually involved a stay in Plymouth, during which we visited friends and relatives, as well as many of our old haunts.
We always timed our visits to coincide with my father's birthday. He was born on 26th June, 1930, so this would be his eighty-sixth bithday. Sadly, it was also to be his last, as he died the following April.
On the way to Plymouth from Harwich we decided, for reasons I have long since forgotten, to use the southbound Dartford crossing - a toll bridge - instead of acquiring the westbound M25 as we have done previously.
We were unaware at the time that there were no longer any toll booths for the Dartford crossing in either direction, and only discovered later that we were supposed to pay online, which we duly did, albeit a few days later, once we had researched the relevant details.
The UK authorities tried to fine us GBP 70.00 for late payment, but later withdrew their demand, having accepted our argument that there was no information available at the crossing itself as to how payment should be made, and we did not have access to a computer at the time of the crossing or during our trip.
Our international crime spree continued in Holland on our way back from Hoek van Holland to Hamburg.We were caught on camera doing 110 kpm on the A12 in a 100 kpm zone near Utrecht, and received a fine of EUR 45.00.
On this occasion, there was no way of avoiding payment, so we had to pay up. Well, fate catches up with us all in the end - even Bonnie and Cyde!
In August 2016 we embarked on our third Greek holiday, and stayed once more at the \"To Kyma\" Taverna in Psakoudia.
As on previous occvasions we had a very enjoyable time - lots of sun, sand and sea. And of course wonderful hospitality, including plenty of Greek food and drink.
In September, we attended a concert in Hamburg's Stadtpark featuring Lotto King Karl (real name Gerrit Heesemann). Lotto is a local Hamburg musician, radio host, and occasional actor who, together with his band The Barmbek Dream Boys, has written and performed a large body of music celebrating Hamburg's culture and local identity. Each year, he performs the first and last of the Stadtpark concerts, which take place in May and September respectively.
Lotto's stage name is based on an imaginary fork-lift driver (Karl König) from Hamburg's Barmbek area who wins the lottery jackpot and uses his new-found wealth to launch a musical career. His best known song, "Hamburg, meine Perle", has become a de facto anthem for both the city of Hamburg and one of Hamburg's local football teams, Hamburg SV.