stut

This is one of these trips I've been planning for ages. Having finally found the courage to leave the job I've wanted to be shot of for ages, I was in the mood to celebrate and make use of the free time before contracts start... With travel! But there was no getting round a 3-month notice period, so the dates got pushed further and further out. China was my choice as it's somewhere that I've long wanted to see more of (I hadn't been anywhere outside the big cities), and that MrsStut (who sadly couldn't travel with me) wouldn't feel bad about not visiting. It being January had a factor in my choice of destination, too: as far south within the country as possible (well, without going to Hainan, which I didn't fancy). So, Yunnan it was to be! And seeing as I was, thanks to a good, generous BD redemption, going to be travelling via ICN and KWL (Seoul and Guilin), it seemed rude not to stop in both of those places too.

The diversion via Germany? Well, that's part redemption availability, part tax avoidance. The Air Berlin flight, plus the Rail & Fly add-on, came to significantly less than the tax difference between London and Frankfurt. Plus, I've always wanted to visit Cologne cathedral (so gothic!) which is slap bang between Duesseldorf and Frankfurt. Plus, a journey on the ICE is always enjoyable.