Jonathan Mountstevens

Enjoy! You also getting home in time for A Level results?

Finally made it back to Stevenage and ended up on the same planter where we started, but collapsing this time because we’re substantially more tired. More than worth it though! Fab holiday!

Went for King’s Cross rather than St Pancras to represent being back in Blighty because we thought we needed to hurry for a train, but ‘cor blimey there’s a points failure and everything’s delayed or cancelled. And it’s raining.

The management/leadership distinction is often referred to but it isn’t one I’ve ever found very clear or very helpful, to be honest.

What if the vision is crap but they can effectively enact and communicate it? Are they a good leader?

Crossing Paris. Not too much further to go now.

I’m clearly a terrible sinner but I think I’m clear of this one as I’m the school’s designated proof-reader, although being an irritating SPaG pedant is perhaps a crime of its own!

It wasn’t a world of fun. It was a Sixth Former and it all turned out fine in the end, but still.

I think that’s true and the Swiss do take good gate of their water (although it’s not hard to do better than our tendency to dump raw sewage). I do think that alpine geology plays a role too - the rocks are different from our hills and mountains and that affects the water colour, as do glaciers.

All lovely holidays must come to an end and it’s homeward bound for us from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.

Tram rather than train on final day of holiday. Off to Zürich Zoo for another day with friends.

Enlightenment by Sarah Perry.

The good looking one, obviously.

Heading back to Zürich now from Rapperswil after a lovely meal out.

Been on a fab trip via Swiss public transport to go for a beautiful mountain hike with friends and grill sausages over a fire pit. Didn’t have time to take selfies at all the railway stations but here’s a shot of where the bus dropped us off for the hike to make up for it (friends included).

Arriving at Zürich Hauptbahnhof for a final weekend of the holiday to spend time with friends who live around here.

Worth going through on the train even if only to get the text to add to the collection of different countries.

Departing from Uderns im Zillertal and saying goodbye to Austria after a wonderful week.

Went to Zell am Ziller for our final day in the Austrian Alps. Bit of a station in development, this one, but the crazy angles we’re leaning at on the gravel do justice to how tired we feel after a steep walk on a warm day with a brisk swim in a very cold lake at the end of it.

In fact the birthday trip involved a train, a cable car, a walk (with a mid-point break at a restaurant with a view), another cable car, a second walk, a bus and another train, so no shortage of public transport.

Back on the rails today (couldn’t have my birthday without a train journey) with a trip to Mayrhofen.

Or maybe we’re just the honest ones!

Couple of days without trains but today we did the first cablecar journey of the holiday. First entirely rain-free day too.

Obligatory ‘I spy a Habsburg chin’ photo.

Guess I won’t be getting through the pearly gates then.

Good opportunity to bring trams to our public transport party.

Lovely day in Innsbruck. @drmountstevens.bsky.social and I spent a wonderful Christmas here several years ago so were keen to introduce the place to Mini-Mountie and it didn’t disappoint, although a bit unhappy that my hair has got messed up.

Tired out at Fügen-Hart station after spending a couple of hours at the local swimming pool on a very rainy day (also known as the train was coming and there wasn’t time to set the Lego people up properly on the bench).

I guess at least there’ll be shelter there.

Uderns im Zillertal, which is our next base. I do like a station where you have to walk across the tracks to get to and from the train. It’s gorgeous here. Hopefully the weather will allow us to make the best of it.