Off to Meinhardtsee for the weekend

Stellplaatz Meinhardsee

We arrived to get their last site! After aquick  set up .....

Life is very tough in the European Summer, it was off to the FKK beach - if you don't know what that is you probably shouldn't know 😊

Back to Germany

We left Rotterdam and ran for the boarder! We overnighted on the German side at Bad Bentheim.

From there we continued to Bad Nerndorf....

Don't ask, all I am saying is some gay guys are having a go at some Nazi's and the trees are cold here....Germans are craaaaassssie :)

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Stellplatz : Bad Bentheim, Germany

So after the "highs" and "lows" (secret) of Amsterdam and the intellectual humanity of Den Haag we decided to head for the busy Shipping port of Rotterdam!

We parked in a nice open street with no pressure on us with no parking meter.......

Can you see a pay for parking sign it machine?

Hmmmm a ticket.......where is a good car guard when you need one! We were just saying how little harassment there had been - not one car guard, not one beggar, not one Hassler - just peace and quiet ..... And a ticket!

There was more justice in Den Haag!!!!

Anyway, we went on our bikes to see what we could see.....

Euromast!

Cube Houses (interesting use of space!)

Nice Response Cars

Wonderful Coffee House

A bus driving in the river WTF ?????

http://www.splashtours.nl/en/

Legal Pilgrimage (The Hague, Netherlands)

Stellplatz: Delftse Hout

We nearly made it. 

We had cycled 40km around The Hague without getting wet once but 1,5km from reaching home the heavens opened up and that was it. Sopping wet.

But back-tracking a bit: we departed Amsterdam City Camp this morning to drive 75km to Delft which lies between The Hague and Rotterdam. The whole way a storm was over us with torrential rain, strong winds and mild chaos on the road and of course the GPS trying to route us down a pedestrian walkway.... 

So far this Stellplatz is the most expensive one we have visited -35 Euro / night BUT it is linked to a proper campsite and thus has laundry facilities. Bedding, sheets, towels, clothing all had a good wash and we're good to go again for another two weeks.

Once the heavens had cleared, onto the bikes we climbed and headed for the Legal Pilgrimage - visiting the International Criminal Court and of course the Peace Palace which houses the International Court of Justice. 

One aspect I'm really enjoying is that all museums / visitor centres we have visited so far have audio devices which you can use to access additional information - for  example the Peace Palace information centre wasn't big (think elongate classroom) but we easily could have spent an hour inside.... Unfortunately we slipped in 20 min before closing time

So that was that - Den Haag is done! 

Coffee Shops :-) (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Those that know us might have heard about our last attempt to get stoned in Amsterdam and what a dismal failure that was- to this day we are still convinced that we fell into the tourist trap and got sold the guy's lawnmower cuttings from the weekend before.

So.... Attempt No. 2 was started at a vey dodgy Coffee Shop which was quite clear in it's signage. 

Trying our hand (HOW ON EARTH people can smoke is beyond me) 

Verdict: It worked! I have Timm sitting at the table giggling about todays events - Timm does not usually giggle! 

I on the other hand feel slighly drunk...

We (I)....(and me too now that I am no longer giggling at 4am) have now ticked the box and let me assure you - I don't have any desire to try smoking or dope again.... But it was worth an experiment :-)

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is.... (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

And yet we managed to get some sightseeing done!

As you might have been aware, a massive cold front has crossed europe over the last 48hrs with gale force winds and massive rain showers. Wherever we go at the moment we see uprooted trees, blocked roads and storm damage.

The plan for today was to cycle to Zaanse Schanz, an old village depicting life in the netherlands over 100 of years ago but due to the continous rain decided to drive there :-)

And what luck we had! Apart from a few downpours we managed to visit and walk around virtually dry and visit old mills, cheesemaking demos, chocolate demos etc.

As I am typing this blog, we are back in the motorhome with the rain and wind howling outside....

So here are some pictures for the day 

Lazy Day (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Well, after waking up at 10am (what bliss!) Timm and I decided to take the day easy so we had a late breakfast, watched the yacht's in the harbour, did some work, cycled and read our books. 

Finally late afternoon we got on our way to Amsterdam and drove the 34km to our Stellplatz for the next two days: Amsterdam City Camp

It's nothing but an expensive parking lot with electricity hook up but its virtually right in the centre of Amsterdam so can't be beat for convenience and vibe :-)

Sneaking into Sneek! (Almere, The Netherlands)

Stellplatz: Almere Jachthaven

Well it was an early start and we went in search of breakfast in a Town called Sneek. 

In Friesland there is a total absence of fences - none - nadda - niks. Instead they use trenches of water to keep the livestock in and mark borders, the only thing you see is gates!

On sneaking into Sneek.....

We had a Creme Brûlée coffee - yes it was disgusting but you have got to try these things..... 

We went in search of our Graduate and friend Michael van Dijk and his family in Almere. There was a force 6 gale blowing and trees were coming down all around us but we continued on our quest!

We found our Stellplatz Almere Jachthaven despite many a detour and so managed to beat the force 6 gale with an "Anger Rating" of 9 on a Mouses Scale of Anger! True to form my ever wise wife reminded me that we don't have to be anywhere at any particular time and when ambling through Europe one can never be lost - it is an adventure! This is my lesson on this trip so I was glad to take her advice - again!

Don't you hate that kind of clarity of thought from someone 12 years your junior .....

Tiredness (Warten, The Netherlands)

Stellplatz: Jachthaven Wartena

I think what characterises today is Timm's and my sheer exhaustion finally showing and the excitement of the last 2 weeks catching up with us. A few things have played a role in this:-

1. We have yet to actually rest. This may sound stupid but since our day of arrival in Munich, everyday has been "balls to the wall" with organising, admin, travelling and sightseeing. We are desperately due for a rest day where we can actually just chillax and "catch-up". 

2. These late sun sets are killing me! At the moment it only gets dark round about 10:30pm which means we're still up and about much later than what we are used to - Ive found myself only starting to cook dinner at 9pm, a time when we're usually done, the feet are up and we are reading / watching tv. No way Jose, not here!

3. These early sunrises mean an early wake-up call...

4. The lack of routine. We're still trying to find the sweet spot when it comes to how far to travel per day vs number of days to stay at a spot. Meals - do we have our main meal at lunch or for dinner?

 

Beginner mistakes also add a bit of spice - turns out I forgot to remove the hose connection from the last campsites water tap..... So off to the hardware store we had to go. For the record - we bought 5 this time round 😉

5. We are both missing our families, the kids and the pets! 

But, I dont want to sound ungrateful. We have the most amazing opportunity thanks to Timm and everyone supporting us and one I'm determined to enjoy. On that note - It's Jamies Birthday today so happy birthday James. Thanks for holding the medical fort at home 😍

Our Stellplatz for tonight is, as you might have guessed, located in a Yacht Harbour! Nothing much happened today apart from us cycling into Leeuwarden for Lunch (28km)

Ameland, The Netherlands

Stellplatz: Veldzicht

Ameland, a teeny island off the coast, was our day-trip destination today and what an awesome day it was. My behind is sore (I'm not used to cycling 40km) and we're tired but fun was had by all.

First off, we had to race a bit to catch the ferry departure because I alway's seem to underestimate how much longer we take to "get going" - getting ready in 8m2 is very different to getting ready in a house!

The weather here in the north is sunny but with a cold wind, as you can see from the photo's I had to wear my windproof jacket and a beanie. Don't want to think about our tour up to northern scandinavia!

Ameland seems to be an island living off tourism and agriculture and there is nothing for miles except for cows, horses, sheep, cyclists and llama's :-) Oh and the dykes!
Cycling on the path's on the dyke's is amazing

So, here are some photo's and impressions from today

Our bikes looking quite lost on the ferry

North Sea!

Bikes, bikes and more bikes

As I said, bikes!

Llama's

Nothing in sight for miles

Our trip for today