Today we are travelling to Portsmouth on the south coast of England. In the outlet shopping centre called Gunwharf Quays, we get together with our friend Clare, who we met here for the very first time a good nine years ago. We are also joined by our American friends Sheridan and Amy, who travelled from the USA yesterday and are staying with Clare. We will be doing more with the three of them during this second week of our holidays. But first we’re going shopping here.

The Haribo shop has only opened some days ago, so we have to queue here. Yes, to buy a few bags of sweets. The Mickey Mouse bags at Coach are great, but still cost several hundred pounds despite the discount. In the Lindt shop, the range is ten times bigger than in Switzerland. Instead, we buy chocolate in the Cadburry outlet. At Le Creuset, we marvel at the Harry Potter-style pot. The Nike shop resembles a rummage box, with shoes lying all over the place. At Pandora, we search in vain for a bracelet pendant. And at All Saints, I unexpectedly buy myself a cool leather jacket. Funnily, I had already bought a leather jacket here on my last visit a few years ago. And at North Face, Gabi finds a new thick winter jacket that she had been looking for in a few shops.

A small Christmas market has been set up outside and we are amazed at the many German products on offer: Chocolate kisses from a manufacturer in the Frankfurt am Main area and German sausages from the grill. So we stay outside for lunch and eat a “Berliner Currywurst”, which is labelled just like that. And it’s gone faster than I could take a photo of it! Oops! Afterwards we share a crumble: with berries, crumble and so much vanilla custard that the cup overflows. Yay!

Later in the afternoon, we say goodbye to Clare, Sheridan and Amy and drive back to the hotel. We charge LucY again on the way. And today we’re luckier: We don’t have to wait long at the Asian takeaway. We soon eat kung po chicken and sweet & sour with mixed balls in our hotel room, of which the prawns are my favourite.