The Middle Kingdom

Only two letters now remain for the Alphabet Travel quest in Y and Z - no simple task to accomplish so instead a deviation to visit the Middle Kingdom of China. Shanghai, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Shaolin and Xian. A cold time to visit with temperatures expected to be around -1C but potentially to -9C here's hoping for some snow but not too much. A bullet train ride and the Longmen Grottos look to be the highlights.

P's and Q's

For those following along with the Alphabet Quest only four letters remain - P, Q, Y and Z. Countries with the letters P and Q will soon be visited - namely Poland and Qatar. Poland has a long and interesting history and many people when asked to name a country that starts with the letter Q struggle to identify that Qatar is the only one. But this trip will also visit many other countries: - Denmark (again); - Sweden (for the first time); - Finland (for the third time but the first to properly explore Helsinki); - Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Poland (all for the first time); - Germany (first time to Berlin, having made many prior trips to Germany); and - Czech Republic and Hungary (both for the first time). The many different currencies is a step back in time to my very first trips around Western Europe, now most countries of which all use the Euro - Zlotys (means gold), Korunas, Kronas, Krones, Rubles, and Forints - will be fascinating to see all the different currencies. Ahh and the Riyals of Qatar. And then there are the many languages. That's the great thing about travel - opens the mind.