Wind and rain mean the ride might be off

Andy's Kona on Kenley Airfield.

The wind has been rattling the windows and the rain has been frantically tapping on the glass for most of the night and now, at 0709hrs its still doing the same, although its dying down a little. It's odd as there's rain on the windows at the rear of the house but seemingly nothing out front. I don't mind the wind, but if it's raining too, then no way. I've sent a text to Andy suggesting we re-think and he's come back saying meet at 0830hrs instead. Now, at 0719, it's died down and I can hear the birds but then again, there's heavy gusts of wind so perhaps not. Hopefully, I'll be out of here and on the bike within the next 40 minutes.

Andy went out yesterday without me as I had things to do at home AND I was a bit knackered. More to report later, I hope.

Montreux's 'Bixi' bikes...

Montreux's own 'Bixi' bikes

I never got round to using one of them, but Montreux has its own 'Bixi' bikes, sponsored by Nestlé, which is headquartered in Switzerland. I went out of my way not to buy Nestle chocolate.

Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva, 25 January 2013

On Lake Geneva in Montreux, Switzerland

Montreux is famous for this statue of Freddie Mercury.

As company Christmas parties go, you can't go better than a trip to Switzerland and that's where I was headed on Thursday morning, leaving Heathrow around 1100hrs on a BA flight. We stayed in a hotel on Lake Geneva and an excellent time was had by all. Here are some photos of the trip.

There was plenty of time for mooching around and I managed to get in a long walk early in the morning, after breakfast in our hotel, the Eden Palace, right on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Montreux is a pleasant place and I can understand why Freddie Mercury was here; it's a peaceful place and I'd imagine people left him alone. Today his statue is a tourist attraction along with the surrounding snowcapped mountains of the Alps and, of course, Lake Geneva, which is as clear as crystal, but very cold. However, there are diving boards dotted around so I'm assuming that the weather here picks up considerably in the summer months and that holidaymakers find time to swim in the deep and clear waters.

The Confiserie Tearoom – soup of the day and cup of tea, excellent!

After breakfast, I took a long walk in the direction of Vevey where, the previous evening, we were treated to a trip on a funicular railway, which took us high up the mountain to a restaurant overlooking the lake. The walk took me to the Confiserie Tearoom where I enjoyed a bowl of soup and cup of tea and then I hopped on to the 201 bus back towards Montreux where I decided to head in the opposite direction to Villeneuve.

Switzerland is famous for many things, one being top quality chocolate and excellent patisseries selling wonderful cakes and pastries. I found one in Villeneuve and, after a brief walk around the town I sat down for another cup of tea and some kind of apple and custard creation that was amazing. I figured that after walking for over an hour, I'd burn up the cake pretty quickly.

We left Montreux around 4pm and headed for Geneve Airport and another BA flight. It was delayed by half an hour, but we made up time once in the air and landed just before 9pm. We then picked up a coach to Redhill and then I hitched a lift with my work colleague Martin, who lives close by.

On the shores of Lake Geneva, Montreux, Switzerland, 25 January 2013

The Eden Palace was an excellent hotel. The rooms were of a high quality, the service was excellent and the location perfect – right on Lake Geneva. As is now customary on this blog, below is a shot of my hotel room. Note my walking boots on the floor.

Room 207 at the Eden Palace Hotel, Montreux