Friday 19th July

We awake to rain again. It is meant to clear by next week. We decide to restock the pantry, an indoors activity for the morning so visit a Tesco superstore. Seriously these places have everything and not in any logical order either. You turn the corner from cakes and you’re into gardening. There is women’s clothing in 3 different places. Canned beans, canned vegetables and canned pulses are in 3 different places. Luckily it’s easy to ask staff where to find things and they are always happy not just to tell you but to take you there.

After that we headed north around the Wash. The land is very flat, a bigger version of the Hauraki plains. The traffic is heavy and the driving very slow. We go to Skegness……. why, well why not. Now how to describe Skegness…..

Start with the beach, tides well out, the wind is howling and the view is of an off shore wind farm but it is lovely sand. There is an amazing old Victorian pier with ornate wrought ironwork and lanterns. On top are brightly coloured fairground rides. The only ones on the bouncy castle are the pigeons and the cup and saucer ride is rocking gently in the gale. No one is using the red and white canvas deck chairs or the regularly spaced telescopes.

The land side of the pier is enclosed and a full on arcade with all the discordant noise and canned music associated with such. The sign over the doors proclaim ‘Skegness Pier, What a great idea’. Either side of the pier are huge amusement parks and across the road the ground floors of old buildings are offering arcade after arcade. One is broadcasting bingo numbers, there are casino machines, claw machines and all sorts of brightly coloured games to entice the punter in. Onto the main road and it’s shop after shop selling plastic buckets and spades and plastic windbreaks and food places offering anything you want with “chips and mushy peas”. The whole place bombards the senses, it’s totally over the top.

After a wander around we depart for the Lincolnshire Wolds – an area of outstanding natural beauty as proclaimed by google maps and supposedly the UK. It is a high area of countryside with views for miles. A checkerboard of green and golden crops with small corpses of trees. We park up at Red Hill Reserve, joining a young Dutch couple there. Maybe in the morning if the weather improves we’ll go for a walk but for now it’s just huddle inside and have dinner. Been a very inactive day.

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Saturday 20th July

It rains overnight but is starting to clear in the morning. Tim and Dow send photos of blue sky and blue sea from where they are in Greece. Lucky them. We go for a wander around. See badger holes and fox holes, we know the difference now. Interestingly they will actually live in the same tunnel system along with rabbits too. Rabbits are the only animals we see though. The countryside is lovely and our view stretches for miles in every direction. I comment to Greg that it seems very unpopulated, he quickly responds that they are all driving between Kings Lynn and Skegness. Haha, point to him.

The parking area here has compost toilets and they are marvellous. No smell, other than fresh sawdust, no flies or other bugs. So much nicer than a long drop. I’m really impressed.

We eventually depart, driving across the wolds through lovely tree lined lanes, small settlements with old churches. We leave Lincolnshire via the Humber bridge and enter East Riding of Yorkshire. We skirt around Hull and head south to Spurn, an interesting looking spit curling around the Humber river mouth. The rain passes over but the wind hasn’t dropped, nevertheless we check out the visitor centre which turns out to be a basic cafe with a few booklets and notice boards. We then walk out towards the spit along the beach. We stop in a bird hide and chat to a couple there who pass on more information than the info centre, about birds anyway.

There is a lighthouse right out the end of the spit and back in Victorian times there used to be a thriving port but erosion wore it away to just a spit. It was then a military base during the war and in 2013 there was a breach so now it is an island at high tide. Proudly acclaimed as England’s newest tidal island.

Eventually we return to our van and drive off to park up by a sea wall on the inner side of the spit, on the banks of the Humber.

There is an English couple from Sheffield, this is their regular weekend get away. They, and the couple in the hide are quite surprised that a couple from New Zealand would choose to visit here. Definitely not a tourist hotspot. They both tell us places to go to in Scotland.

A local turns up to feed his horses and we start chatting. Apparently Hull applied for and was granted Seaside status, enabling them to access EU money for beautification projects. A couple of years later they built a badly needed new sewage plant and because they are ‘seaside’ they could just pipe directly offshore rather than the more expensive options if they were on a river or estuary. Anyway enough political machinations. He also told us he regularly sees badgers just down the lane at dusk so we dress warmly and go down there, Greg with his camera and we find a couple of spots to hide and wait. And wait and wait. The local passes us on his quadbike a couple of times and waves. I don’t see anything, Greg sees a hare. I’m not totally sure the local wasn’t having a laugh at us. I also imagine the badgers watching us from the bushes then coming out and partying after we’ve given up.

Tomorrow we’re going to York. The first place in the UK we’ve already been to. Seven years ago, in winter, in the dark.

Wednesday 17th July

Today we leave Suffolk and move up to Norfolk. Before we leave Southwold however we walk upriver, over a bridge, back down the other side and explore Walberwick. It’s a quintessential English village. Lines of old houses built of brick, stone, wooden planks, shingles, slate, tiles, thatch, plaster all melding together. Softened by colourful, fragrant flower gardens. The sound of the sea on the shingle beach providing a rhythmic bass.

Up the coast we meander through Lowestoft and stop for lunch in Great Yarmouth. The wind is still making the beaches unattractive. The locals are cocooned by canvas beach shelters reading books, children in wetsuits are building sandcastles. The indoor tables at cafes are more occupied than the outside ones.

In Great Yarmouth there is a tall statue of Britannia, now lost in an marine industrial area, once she stood alone on the point. Erected to honour Nelson, a local boy who done good.

Driving through the countryside and every time we pass through a small village both Greg and I are going wow! Craning our necks to take it all in. It’s so English, not really old or run down like in Europe, but so quaint, architecture we relate to more. Lots of churches, spires rising above the trees. The countryside is not as ordered as in Europe, a lot less grains and a lot more livestock. We drive through forests, trees curving over the road. You feel you are in the middle of nowhere, for a few moments at least. Then another village unexpectedly appears. Privet hedges everywhere, in full flower, giving me hayfever. Bugger!

Our site for the night is beside a river. There are several river boats parked up and a pub a few metres downstream. The area is known as the broads and there are several hundred miles of canals for the boats to travel along, one pub to the next…. We go for a drink, pay our dues. Drink the local cider this time. Interesting to note the last few pubs all have Old Mout, feel it’s a bit ‘Coals to Newcastle’ to have NZ cider here.

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Thursday 18th July

Really feels like England this morning it’s slightly chilly and drizzling, low cloud blending the landscape to shades of grey. We pass through places called odd names like Little Snoring and wonder what is the story behind them all.

We drive to the Sandringham Estate. Public are allowed access to the park for free and at a cost to the formal gardens, transport museum and the main ground floor rooms. This is actually the Queens personally owned property and these rooms are actually used by the her. She lives here every winter from October to March and her family join her there every Christmas We walk through the room she does her Christmas broadcast from, the drawing room where they gather before walking to church, sittings rooms, hallways, the ballroom and the dining room. The dining table, currently with 2 extension leaves in, is reduced to a round table for just the Queen and Duke or extended to full length of the room to sit 24 when all the family is there. None of the chairs in any room look particularly comfortable yet there are photos of various members of the royal family sitting and entertaining on exactly those same seats.

Greg is disparaging of the wealth but I am less so. In my mind the Kings of England earned their dues back in the day and they never seem to dispose of anything, furniture, art, cars, houses, farms…. Greg did enjoy looking at the cars in the transport museum though.

We also wandered around the gardens, the rain having stopped and went to the little church the royal family use while they are here. It must be a challenging lifestyle where you can’t just nip out for a walk or down to the shops. After we left we drove through the intersection Prince Philip had his car accident earlier this year leading to him handing in his drivers license for good.

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In a proper campground tonight. Refill and empty appropriate tanks. Wifi here so I will attach some photos and post this even though it’s not much. Emailing and Safari research going on too. This weekend we will be halfway through our European holiday…. OMG!

Monday 15th July

Now it’s back to the two of us toddling along.

England feels familiar. It’s not home but it’s like visiting your grandparents or an elderly aunt, even down to the fake flowers and doilies in the toilet. The place names are familiar, the gardens, the driving, the adverts, the language.

We meander through Ipswich and go down to Felixstowe for lunch. There are lines of beach huts, some even being used today. Older ladies swaddled in blankets on deck chairs, hands wrapped around thermos tops. Watching the grey waves break under a grey sky. The pastel painted sheds offering some colour. Down the road there are brightly painted arcades and amusement rides hinting at other days when the seaside is a vibrant sunny place to go.

There is a fort at the headland but we opt not to go in instead walking around the Landguard Nature Reserve. We don’t see any of the endangered birds but do see the rare Yellow Horned Poppy.

Back to the van and we drive up the coast a little. Narrow B roads with high hedgerows. It’s school pick up time so there’s a bit of giving way going on. Sweet little villages interspaced with fields, mostly of corn.

Tonight’s spot is behind a coastal battery with a seawall in front. Across the sea they’d call it a dike. There are wetlands to the north so lots of birds. We see our first twitcher (birdwatcher) with his binoculars, camera and notebook wearing a camouflage vest. Once he leaves the swallows swoop down and sit on the fence. Naturally Greg can’t resist and gets some good photos. They are probably too common to interest the twitcher but they provide a challenge to a photographer.

Our evening walk was down the coast past Martello towers, built for defence against Napoleon, still standing strong and WW2 bunkers and landing craft deterrents crumbling into the sea. On the horizon, past the many ships, are lots and lots of wind turbines. Google maps tell me they are in the Netherlands. Great Britain may be an island but in the past their foes have virtually been in sight. The clouds clear amazingly quickly, we started our walk under grey cloud and finished with blue skies turning pink. May see the stars tonight.

Back at the van and we are treated to an aerial display by a large flock of small birds. An undulating black cloud, stretching and contracting as more birds join in. You can actually hear them as they twist around. They eventually settle into the reeds.

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16th July

Chatting to a local this morning and he told us the WW2 fortifications were quite significant on this stretch of coast because the first radar machine was based here in Bawdsey having been invented by Robert Watson-Watt at Bawdsey Manor.

He also informed us that one of the blips on the horizon we’d been looking at was a offshore platform known as Roughs Tower or the Principality of Sealand. Interesting story, it was originally built as an anti-aircraft gun platform. Then it was used by a group of pirate radio broadcasters before being seized by the Bates family who then claimed it was a nation state. There’s stories of hostage taking, attacks and hired gunmen. Lately it’s been used as a data haven. The Pirate Bay tried to buy it in 2007 but the asking price was set at £600 million The ‘King’ died in 2012 and I think it’s just been sitting there since then.

He told us to check out nearby Shingle Street, hinting at a mystery there. The mystery is more interesting than the location. Short blocks of old attached houses abutted by the steep shingle banks of a unswimmable beach. Signs on every drive and side road proclaiming ‘Private. Residents only’ the only hint of something more. The story goes that the Germans landed or attempted a landing here in August 1940 Reports of the sea being set on fire to stop them. Shingle Street itself was evacuated in May 1940 so no locals were living there at the time. Wikipedia says nothing happened and that the House of Commons checked the official records in 1993 but other reports say the story will come out in 2021 when the records will be made public. Either way it was an interesting diversion.

We then set course for Lexfield and the All Saints Church. We stopped for very good coffee in Dennington and were given more hints on good places to go visit.

In doing the family tree I found several of Greg’s ancestors (Mothers side) were buried in the All Saints Church in the ’13, ’14 & ’15th centuries. Unfortunately we discover all the graves still visible, are from the ’17 & ’18th centuries. The church has tombs from the ’16 & ’17th but anything older is long lost. There is reference to the Fisk(e) family burials in a folder but that is all. Never mind, it’s a lovely church in a lovely village and we’re both enjoying ambling along the country roads.

We then go to Dunwick as recommended by our coffee maker. We drive through a Heath with purple flowers, so different from home and eat lunch at the beach. Not tempted to go swimming, it may be a lovely beach by English standards but it’s windy and the sea is murky. Not hot enough to overcome that.

Move up the coast further to Southwold for the night, parked between a pub and a wharf. Been warned to watch the high tide as sometimes it covers the carpark lol. Drinks in the pub and it has wifi so I’ll grab some photos off Greg and post this. Once again end up in a conversation with a local. Had to disappoint him, he thought we were German and from his hometown of Munich. Apparently our van number plate starts DAH because it was registered in Dachau. That leads to a conversation about war. It’s unexpected how much WW2 comes up in our travels.

Friday 12th July 2019.

It’s my birthday. Don’t feel any different. Greg makes me breakfast, gives me a card and a huge bunch of flowers. Blues and cream. It is lovely that he always picks the colours. There are roses, daisys and stock, plus others I don’t know the names of. Not the most practical thing to have in a van and I have to cut the stems down lots to fit them into a cup. Will see how long I can make them last.

We cycle into Cambridge centre, leave Greg’s bike at a repair place ( not quite the bargain it seemed when we bought it) and explore all around. It is a lovely place and must be an amazing place to study. We buy some food at the market and eat on the banks of the river under the willow trees looking across at Trinity College. After we finish eating we go for a punt. Opting for a chauffeured one with information given, rather than attempting to pole ourselves around in circles as some groups seem to be doing. It’s very relaxing, the suns warm, the waters lapping on the bow and someone else is doing all the work. We then find a local for a late afternoon drink. I chose a Pimm’s, very English.

Much easier cycle back for Greg with a brand new back wheel, tube and chain.

For dinner we walk to a pub just across the river. It’s called The Green Dragon and a sign over the huge fireplace declares that Tolkin visited for inspiration while writing Lord of the Rings. I queried the authenticity of the statement and was informed the sign wouldn’t be permitted if it wasn’t likely to be true. The pub is the 3rd oldest in Cambridge having been granted a licence in 1630. We eat outside on the lawn by the river watching the rowing eights and fours training. The is an elderly gentleman at the next table wearing a crumpled linen suit with bright orange socks, a book in one hand and a beer in the other. Glasses low on his nose. He looks so right for the place.

Afterwards we walk up river a bit past a natural area encouraging native and endangered species. Planning a early night as tomorrow will be a big day/evening with Ethan & Emily’s wedding.

Today was a very chilled, relaxed day.

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Saturday 13th July 2019.

A very special day for Ethan and Emily. We feel very lucky to have been able to share it with them. For us the day started with Coffee at Costa and walking to David, Audrey and Connor’s b&b with our wedding gear, lunch and a bottle of wine. We drank, ate and got all dolled up. Then caught a taxi to the Service

The venue was the beautiful Gonville & Camus College Chapel. It’s an intimate church with the high vaulted ceilings and was built in 1393. Three tier pews facing inwards down each side with lit candles on each corner. A massive organ above the entrance and gold mosaics behind the alter. The choir sang the bride in on the arm of her father and sang several times throughout. When they left the chapel, it was to a flutist. Sounded amazing. It was a traditional Anglican ceremony emphasising the seriousness of marriage vows and the emotion was clear in their voices.

We were all given bubble wands as we left the chapel and instead of confetti they came outside into a sea of tiny bubbles. After photos were taken in the court of the college we all made our way to,the reception venue, a nice 20 minute walk through parkland. We arrived just as the bride and groom did in a Bentley convertible.

The reception was a causal affair with everyone mingling around and dinner in a buffet style. All vegan food and very, very tasty. Speeches and toasts had us all laughing one minute, crying the next. The cake was cut and the first dance was danced or should I say performed. Somehow, in between all the wedding prep, they managed to learn and perfect a DWTS number with lifts and swoops. Amazing, Greg was just relieved he didn’t have to remember how to waltz. The music after that was a good mix of oldies and modern, Kiwi and English and we all worked off the food partying away. All too soon it was the witching hour and we retraced our steps back to the van.

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Sunday 14th July

Moving on today, the tanks are all needing attention and I’ve found a site heading towards the coast with all services and wifi so we can process the photos and these words.

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Most of our holiday has been an easy drift along sort of thing but then we were sucked into a tube, fast flowing, things happening all over the place. Now we’ve been spat out the other end, back into the slow moving flow but there’s still a bit of churn. We’re in Europe for 9 months, 275 days and the 3 lots of people from home we met up with all happened in 8 days. The same 8 days as the most challenging border change, changing driving sides. All three events, the P2P, the wedding and Tim & Dow were totally, totally wonderful. I just wish they’d been a bit more spaced out. It all seemed to be over so fast.

Tuesday 9th July

Today we left Paris. But not before using the wifi to upload the blog and Greg’s Eye. Driving out of Paris was easier than driving in and in no time we’re on country roads. So many cute little settlements. We’re starting to see tudor style places with the half timbered upper stories. We pass ‘fancy pants’ grand houses hiding behind tall walls and ornate gates. In a lot of the fields the grains have been harvested, leaving the fields a checked pattern of short stumps , bare dirt and flattened stalks. It’s all feeling familiar now, I wonder how England will compare. Every time we’ve changed countries in Europe, the styles transition for several kilometres either side of that ‘black line’.

We’re parked up behind sand dunes about 70km from the Eurotunnel entrance. Don’t want to be late for that check in.

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13th July

Entry to the Eurotunnel is straight off the motorway. Drive up to the check in and hand over our booking number. He says we’re booked for the 11.50 but if we like, we can go on the 10.40 which is boarding now. Ok so it’s straight through French passport control who doesn’t even blink at the fact we’re over the permissible 90 days on our visa. Then drive on 5 metres to the UK passport control. English voice, chatting away asking us questions, in a friendly not official way. He says, oh you’re on a gap year! lol, I feel young haha. Then we drive down a ramp to the train platform and onto the train. It feels quite weird. We are in the oversized carriages. The cars go into two story units. Engine off, handbrake on, windows open and we start moving. There are windows and in a few minutes we’re in the dark and you feel the speed pick up. 35 minutes later and we drive off and we’re in England. Keep left! First time in 4 months. We’re straight onto a motorway which helps the adjustment. Then A roads, then B roads, roundabouts and we’re all good. Only issue is converting the miles speed limit to kms.

England feels so different and I can’t put my finger on exactly why, maybe it’s a combination. The houses are different, the streets are different, the flowers are different. And we understand the signs.

We stop in Faversham for coffee. Greg’s very happy with his barista flat white with oat milk. It seems so noisy and I realise that it’s the other people’s conversations. Instead of it being a foreign language which just becomes background noise, my brain is processing what’s being said. But is fun to be able to chat to anyone. We chat to the teen at the next table looking after a couple of children about the school holidays and systems.

We check in to a small campground on the Isle of Sheppey. He’s full, but squeezes us in and offers to make a cuppa. We’re parked beside Dalias that are as high as the van. It’s very quaint and English. The one hour time change is throwing us a bit so it’s a late lunch. It’s cloudy and humid, feels hotter than France.

I’d picked this place because it’s waters edge on a island, figured Greg could swim. Haha no but he can take lots and lots of photos of the old rusting ships settling into the mud alongside crumbling piers. I pick wild flowers as Mother Nature reclaims the derelict shipping yard. Life is always an adventure. Loving the unexpected.

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11th July

This site has the best wifi we’ve had for months. Greg gets his photos up to date.

We then drive straight to Cambridge. The app has a potential site where we can stay for all three nights right on the river & cycleway. Come Monday it’s all being re-developed so I don’t want to miss out on a posy. We manage to park up, no room for anyone else. There’s only two other campers, one looks like it’s just a local storing it here. There is also about 8 mobility scooters with covers over them and a boat. We’re parked side on to the river so with the door open it’s a great view and feels very private.

We have lunch and go for a walk around the neighbourhood. Just chilling and relaxing. Back to the van for 5pm drinks before we meet up with Audrey and David for dinner. Watch the rowing crews go past and the occasional canal boat.

Amazing dinner out with Audrey, David, Connor, Keagan, Kristy, Ethan, Emily, Jo, Rob, Rochelle, Sean and their boys. Food, drinks, laughter. Good night.

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Posting without any photos. May add some later… or maybe not haha.

Thursday 4th July

Wake up in Luxembourg and break camp. It’s a bit of a nothing day. We fill up, as much as we can get in, of diesel. It’s €1.091. Belgium is €1.40 to €1.50 and France isn’t a lot cheaper. We also exchange our nearly empty gas bottle. France have different connections. Ireland will definitely do refills and apparently some places in England & Scotland will but most won’t.

We then hit the road. Long distance today to get us halfway to Paris. Still avoiding motorways when we can. The French countryside starts off with lots of livestock for the first few hours, then it’s mile after mile of grains. Hardly any traffic but we’re slowed regularly by tractors and trucks. Plus lots of slowing to 50 or 30 to go through deserted settlements. It’s interesting and boring all at the same time. Greg does stop to take photos a couple of times.

Eventually we skirt around Reims And ‘bang’ the crops change to grapes. Champagne grapes to be precise. Looking online there aren’t cellar door sales like in NZ. Everything is by appointment. Tastings and tours are very pricy too. If we can wing something tomorrow morning we will, else it will be a supermarket purchase. Neither of us are overly fussed on bubbles. I’ll drink them but am not a connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination. Greg generally won’t even drink it.

Finally after 5 hours on the road we reach our campsite. Not sure how an expected 3 & 1/2 hour route ended up taking so long. It was only 300km. Anyhow we arrive and are parked beside the river Marne. We miss out on one of the free power sites and are just squeezed in at the end. Doesn’t matter. Beer and crackers are exactly what we need right now (cider for me). Then Greg goes for a swim. Because of the region we’re in, Greg’s now saying he’s been for a swim in Champagne lol.

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5th July

Morning and we set course for Gay Paree. Leisurely, because check in is from 2pm. Could have just gone for it because once we hit the Paris ring roads, the 4 year out of date GPS and extensive roadworks mean it was well after 3 before we reach the campground and then there was a serious queue for check in. They actually have those webbing and post queuing systems so you zigzag up to the counter.

By the time we’ve set the van up we decide to flag going straight into the centre for a look around so just relax until it’s time to meet up with Noeline and Alison. Google directions to their apartment look pretty straightforward, out of the camp and across the road, straight through the park to the Eiffel Tower then around the river to the Notre-Dame then one road back. Haha I’m leading and as we enter the park I take the wrong road. 15 minutes in the wrong direction meant that our 35 minute cycle took about an hour and we went a very circular route.

Eventually we arrive and they are waiting with much needed drinks and nibbles. We decide to do a river cruise on the seine. Greg and Noeline have never done it and I’ve done it once, 7 years ago in the dark. So we walk less than 5 minutes and we on the river bank with the burnt Cathedral in front. Photos, ice creams and then an hour relaxing on the water admiring the grand buildings and numerous bridges. Great way to start our Paris exploring.

As we start walking back to the apartment via a different road, Alison exclaims ‘ that’s the marvellous place we ate at yesterday. So, of course, we go there. The waiter remembers the ladies and is very charming. We sit on the pavement and soak up the ambience. Conversation constantly flowing. Greg looks to me and asks, is it about 10.30? A quick look at the watch and my response is add an hour. Haha, it’s 11.30!

We pay up, collect our bikes and cycle home. Only one small misdirection this time. I’m pinching myself. Here am I at midnight riding through Paris with the wind in my hair, not in a sports car though. It’s a cool moment. And there are soooooo many people everywhere! Going back though the park we constantly swinging around the cars negotiating with the scantily clad pros. Not sure if they do it in the bushes or the car or drive to an apartment somewhere.

It’s after 1 before it’s lights out. Meeting Tim and Dow in the morning, exciting.

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6th July

No sleep-in after our late night. We cycle in to meet Tim & Dow by the Eiffel Tower. Hugs all round, tears from me. It’s so weird to see them here. Kind of a mental disconnect between being at home and seeing them but knowing we’re halfway around the world.

First item for the day is obviously the Eiffel Tower. Cheapest option is by the stairs so naturally that the one we pick. 669 steps. Naturally we also went down by stairs even though we could have caught the elevator. By the time we finished admiring the view and got down it was lunchtime so we walked along the river until we found a place that appealed. Beer, pizza and a view. After that we walked more, eventually ending up by the Lourve. My feeling is Paris is large and the sights are spread out but it is mostly all connected by the river.

The Lourve have just started opening for free on the first Saturday of the month, from 6pm, lol that’s today, so we lounge in the park for a while then go find a bar for 5 o’clock happy hour. Get back to the entrance at 10 to 6 and join the queue. It’s long but starts moving quickly.

Since we were last here 7 years ago security has ramped up hugely. Both at the Eiffel Tower and here, areas you could just walk into are now fenced off and you go through detectors.

We finally get downstairs and into the aircon. Nice, it’s officially low 30’s and in the courtyard it would have been hotter. Of course we check out the Mona Lisa but we also visit the Greek antiquities and see the bits from the Patheon that we didn’t see in Athens. Then Roman antiquities and the Egyptian antiquities. Is sad that these countries have lost these valuable pieces of their past to museums but on the other hand, I guess they are being preserved.

Nearly 9pm and we’re all hungry. Tim has been doing some meal idea planning so we walked to La Maisson Plasson, nipping in just as they closing to grab (upmarket) picnic foods with a bottle of wine and we walk back down river until we find a space and join all the locals eating on the river banks.

There is a drumming group jamming a short distance away and the lit boats cruising up and down the river. People talking and laughing. Touts walking past selling wine and beer. The sun is setting and the sky is showing lovely colours. It’s amazing.

Paris really has a soul. It’s can seem totally car dominated but when you find them, there are areas for people to chill and relax. Do their own thing on a small patch surrounded by others all doing their own thing.

About quarter to eleven we carry on walking back to the Eiffel Tower to catch the 11pm light show. Then it’s time to saw goodbye and Tim & Dow head to the metro and we collect our bikes and cycle home. A second night and we riding through Paris at midnight. Going to totally sleep in tomorrow.

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7th July

I got out of bed about 9.30, Greg about an hour later. Breakfast at 11. Plan to leave camp at 12.30 but it ends up closer to 1.

The finish line for the Peking 2 Paris rally is in the Place Vendome. Cars are expected from 2pm but when we get there at 1.30 they are starting to come in already. Lunch will have to wait. Our friends, Garry and Ken are 15th overall and 9th in their class.

Garry is also awarded a special trophy from FIVA, the overseeing association. It is called the ‘Spirit of FIVA’. Only 10 of these trophies are awarded each year, one at each of 10 events worldwide. It is awarded to a participant, organiser or official who exhibits enjoyment, camaraderie, friendship, inclusivity and general bonhomie. A huge honour.

It’s hugs and kisses all round. Greg takes lots of photos of course, not just of our boys but other kiwis and other Merc’s.

Eventually we drag ourselves away and have a belated (4pm) lunch then bike back to the van. In daylight! Hahaha. Thinking we might get an early night but editing photos is too much temptation and it ends up being another late night.

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8th July

Our last day in Paris. We cycle in and meet up with Garry and Alison, Ken and Noeline. They have planned a totally untourist day.

We go to the Antique Market, firstly to a little cafe for beautiful French cuisine. The owner sings while you eat. Then we shop or rather Alison does. I find a ring I can afford and Noeline buys some earrings. We go into a shop where you ring the doorbell and they unlock the door for you to enter and lock it behind you. The shop is full of vintage designer dresses, shoes, bags and accessories. Christian Dior, Chanel. Tom Ford. Devine outfits. I don’t dare ask the price of anything. In this market you can buy anything from a taxidermy Zebra or Giraffe to spice boxes. It’s mind boggling.

Eventually we all meet up again and taxi back to their hotel where we have drinks in Ken & Noeline’s room with a small balcony looking at the Opera house immediately across the road. Very flash.

Then as the sky turns deep blue we dine in a courtyard with a view of the Sorbonne. Lovely food, wonderful company, great stories.

Finally time to say goodbye and cycle home through Paris for the last time. Things are all familiar now as we pass by places we’ve spent time and streets we’ve wandered. It’s the longest we’ve spent in one spot all holiday. And catching up with friends and family as made it a special visit.

One more night in France and then the Chunnel to the UK.

Tuesday 2nd July

A late departure this morning as we maximise the wifi to update Greg’s page. We then drive few a couple of hours through French countryside. It’s very picturesque, little villages, slightly run down but more interesting for it. A couple of grand mansions, behind ornate gates. Mostly though it’s fields of grains browning off in the summer sun, interspaced with small corpses of trees.

We eventually cross the border back into Belgium and into Bouillon. Bouillon is a super cute place. To get to our campsite for the night we go through a single width tunnel almost under the castle them over a stone bridge, also single width. We’re parked up along side the river with sports fields and a park beside us. It’s free and includes water & waste. There is coin operated electricity but we’re fine with the solar panel for the night. All the devices were fully charged last night.

We walk up to the castle. This is the best castle yet! It’s dank, dark, gloomy. It has dungeons and cellars and towers. A rabbit warren of arched tunnels and stairs. Some carved straight out of the rock, some dripping stone, others old bricks. One of the rooms in the cellar is used by a local couple to age their Belgium Sheep cheese, row after row of of grey pats covered in mould that looks like lichen.

In the courtyard they have a falconry show, also one of the best we’ve seen, despite the whole thing being in French. He is flying multiple birds at a time. He started with owls and introduced two, then a third appears out of the sky. Three times birds have obviously been released from somewhere else and swoop in unexpectedly. The climax is an American Bald Eagle. It’s a huge bird. We’re watching from the wall parapet and they swoop down close to our heads. Magical.

History note. The castle was built by the Ardennes-Verdun family in the 10th century. It had been a stronghold before that. The dungeons and basements date from that era but the above ground appearance is from the 16th century. It was a Duchy until the Waterloo second treaty gave it to the Netherlands. After the Belgium revolt it became aligned with Belgium. (Funny, cause it feels totally French).

We spend over two hours exploring and as we make our way down to the town afterwards, Greg comments ‘how do we go back to a normal routine back in New Zealand?’ My response is, we don’t. Yes we need to earn an income but seriously, life is for living not work. We will need to find a balance or find a passion that supports us financially.

We try some local beers in the town. We’re in Belgium and they are known for their beer. I have noticed though the alcohol levels can range up to 14%. That’s pretty intense.

After dinner we walk back up to the castle and down the other side to take evening photos. The castle is lit up and reflects in the still waters of the river. Every hour on the hour there is a small light show, different colours flicking on and off in the castle windows.

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3rd July

We had noticed a lookout high on a hill overlooking the town so decide we should check it out. Google maps says 11 minute drive though the town and around, walking option the same way. Greg is sure there has to be a quicker walking track, after all it’s just up the hill behind us so he does some online searching and yes there is a track. Haha it starts with a very steep scramble up up up before zig zagging the rest of the way to the top of the ridge. It’s then another 112 steps up to the top level of the lookout. Good morning workout.

We go down the other way and back through the town, stopping for coffee and croissants. Greg orders a cappuccino and is seriously not impressed. It’s some weak coffee topped with some flat milk and a huge mound of whipped cream with cinnamon on top. Even my espresso is watery. On the other hand the croissants were lovely.

Back to the van and we hit the road. The Belgium countryside around here is so like New Zealand. It seems to be dairy farms and even the farm buildings are the same. Then you pass through a village and it’s very clear we are in Europe.

We enter Luxembourg, another new country for us. We get to the campground and there is a sign at reception saying closed, check in at the camp shop. The camp shop is also closed! The reception hours says it reopens in just over an hour so we eat lunch in the van and wait. There is a Dutch couple equally perplexed by it.

By the time reception reopens there are 6 vehicles waiting and the check in process is slow. Never mind we get in and it’s a nice site. We quickly do some washing and Greg gets to work on all the photos he took yesterday and this morning. We will go into town a bit later and stay there until we get the evening light.

We cycle in, bit of a steep uphill which our thighs notice after this morning. We cross into the centre and explore an area called the Bock Casemates. These are part of a system of underground galleries built from 1644 for the defence of the city. 23km long and covering several stories and down to 40 metres. In 1867, following the neutralisation of Luxembourg the fortress and casemates were to be dismantled. Because the casemates were mostly under the city 17km remain. We just go into a small area but it is a rabbit warren of galleries and ‘rooms’ connected with small tunnels. There is a road and bridges above us.

At one point we wind down a spiral staircase, through a narrow tunnel and back up another spiral staircase. This was a secret exit and goes deep underground. Above us at that point is a road going under a two story arched bridge, which has walking access between two galleries on the lower level and a road for buses and cars on the upper level. Strong rock!

After that we walked some of the city walls. There are half circle towers, some you can climb to get a good view.

The walls cross the river and there used to be iron gates which dropped into the river below for defence. Next we walked the Chemin de la Corniche, hailed as ‘Europe’s most beautiful balcony’. Not sure if I agree but it did have lovely views.

Then we head into the town square to try the local brews. At the first place when we go to order the waitress says there is no beer! Really! Second place also said no no no. Third place and we finally have success. The square is lined with large trees and as we’re sitting there lots of fairy lights come on making it quite a magical place.

Friday 28th June

We head south down the coast. We’re driving with the railway line and the beach on the right. The sand dunes on the left. Then we notice the sand dunes have bunkers and guns on them. Naturally we investigate. It’s a museum, the Atlantic Wall open air museum.

The site was owned by Prince Charles, Count of Flanders who seemed to be a bit eccentric, instead of living in a palace, he chose to live in a fishermans cottage. Anyhow he decided the fortifications shouldn’t be destroyed. This means you can walk through a couple of miles of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall bunkers, tunnels and other buildings from WW2 and a section from WW1. It’s interesting with Audio guides giving you lots of information about the different guns and what all the buildings were used for. When they first arrived in the area the forces confiscated all building materials. In this area they were lucky to acquire bricks that had been fired at a very high temperature which is the reason all the tunnels have lasted so well. They were also different colours so the tunnels have a bit of a mosaic effect. There are 2 Enigma Machines, which means something to me now I’ve seen the movie. The soldiers based there grew vegetables and had chickens and pigs so as to be self sufficient. I imagine they spent hours staring out to sea waiting.

And we enter France. I was checking Google Maps so we knew the exact point.

A few km’s in and we get to the beach of Dunkirk. Overall impression is it’s windy. May just be a bad day but judging by the huge supply of Beach shelters for sale and the glass screens around all the bars and restaurants I think it might be normal. There are a couple of bunkers in the sand dunes, tagged and unloved.

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29th June

In the morning we drive down the beach to another bunker area. This one’s also been left to deteriorate. Mother Nature working to repair the scars.

One bunker close to the populated area has been mosaic’ed with mirror shards. A brutal shape broken up with reflections of the natural beauty around it. Shattered glass representing the shattering war does to human lives, maybe. (edit. Google found this; https://anonymeuntitled.wixsite.com/blockhaus/about Interesting, now at a time of extremes, they want to remind people of the past and how devastating extreme politics can be).

The other bunkers and vast buildings hidden in the dunes have been used as canvases by graffiti artists. This also breaks up the brutal bulk into a gallery of colourful images. Greg takes lots of photos.

The wind has dropped from yesterday and it’s hot. Being a Saturday the beach is full of happy French families. Greg finally manages a swim in the North Sea. We buy some croissants. Real French ones and they are divine.

We cross back into Belgium. We’re going to be crisscrossing this border regularly for the next week. For the first time this holiday we have a planned schedule taking us all the way up until 14 July.

We go to Ypres. The proposed camp has a sign out saying ‘full’ at 12.30. Bugger. Second option we end up around the corner from, because apparently there is a car rally on. Lol. It includes an historical category, double lol. Is it then surprising later on we end up at the Silver Arrow Racing Team pit stop/truck. They are racing a 500SLC. Have made some contacts because they are seriously looking at coming to New Zealand next year and want local connections (Daryl, early warning). We get to see it come in from the final stage. Just the showcase finish left. They’re satisfied with their placing, could have been better, could have been worse. I’m am introduced to the driver, who kisses both checks and murmurs something in French.

Anyhow Ypres. The town was totally annihilated in WW1 but they completely rebuilt it. We went to the museum, In Flanders Field. As an aside it was opened by Helen Clark along with others. It’s brutal. They do not glorify war at all. So many messages about the needlessness of it all, and the personal cost. It totally resonates with me. There is a display on the progression of the uniforms over the course of the war, simplifying down to the essentials and removing any individuality. Below there is an information panel talking also about training and drills to overlay individual thinking with group responses. There are lots of personal tales from the doctors and nurses patching up patients to ‘either go home injured or maimed to be a burden to their families and community or if possible to get them back to being able to carry an 30kg kit and carry on fighting, only to end up back here again’. One nurse talks about an injured soldier who botched trying to kill himself. Her job was to nurse him back to a state he could be lined up against a wall and shot.

We also go up the bell tower. The bells chime just as we reach the top, making us jump. We should be used to it by now. Because of the car rally the centre has been taken over by all the support and media. We have a refreshing drink in a bar. Chat to some locals who have a hot air ballooning business. Too hot to go up today but they are hopeful for tomorrow. They have a booking. Them and others we chat to later compare Belgium attitudes to New Zealand as being similar, we are both welcoming and tolerant, open and friendly.

At 8pm every night they do the Last Post at Menin Gate, a tradition that started in 1928. It’s not just a bugler but a full on memorial service not to those who died defending the town but poignantly to all those who were injured, maimed and survived. Those who we not granted the “glory” of dying for their country. Three buglers, then a pipe quartet, a reading of a poem, then laying of wreathes. Another bugle tune, then a final parade to a single drum beat. There is a special bond here with Australia as many of them fought here.

It’s been a great day. Mind you, yesterday was too.

………..

30th June

A few kilometres north of Ypres is Passchendaele, an area and battle etched in New Zealand’s history. We go first to the Tyne Cot Cemetery. Up until October 1917 this was a German battery. The Australians took it and it became a aid hospital. A few men were then buried there.

Partway through the war one man decided there needed to be records of the dead and their location, this war being totally different to anything that had happened previously. After the war the decision was made that if a burial area contained less than 40 men they would be exhumed and reburied together, primarily at Tyne Cot. As it was the duty of the troops to bury their own dead it’s mostly only those who survived long enough to get to a first aid station that were buried with all location and personal details recorded. Even as recently as 2011 bodies are still being found.

This is the largest commonwealth war cemetery in Europe and contains 11956 graves, over 8300 are unnamed as the remains contained were unidentified. Around the walls are names of 34857 men who we killed from 16th August 1917 to the end of the war, but their graves are unknown. The Menin Gate names 55000 who’s bodies went missing before that date.

 

It’s very sobering. Most of them here fell during the third battle of Ypres. In 100 days they gained 8km but at the cost of 13000 allied soldiers. That figure includes 2735 New Zealander who were killed in 4 hours, one of New Zealand’s worst military days. There are graves here for 1368 New Zealanders (lots are unnamed) and names for 1368 more. There is a specific New Zealand Cemetery at the location of that particular battle.

From there we went to the Passchendaele Memorial Museum. It leads you through the huge progressions made in fighting styles, uniforms and weaponry. Passchendaele was the first location for usage of trench warfare, flame throwers and chemical weapons among others. You walk through recreations of the deep dugouts, underground frontline bases as well as open air trenches. There are shelters in the trenches built using the original material, shifted from their first locations. The museum is not ‘good guys, bad guys’ and shows the German side as well. Towards the end of the war the trenches on both sides were remarkably similar.

We crossed over to France again. Almost missed the actual crossing but there are signs advising you on the expected speeds for urban, rural and motorway.

We are in the Somme now. Will probably only do two more WW1 sites. It’s all very emotive. Even though my Great Grandfather’s war experience ended here when he lost his arm at High Wood, there is nothing to see at that exact spot.

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1st July

We explored Vimy Ridge. This was an area taken by the Canadians and there is an area of preserved trenches, not the deep ‘dug in for months’ type but the more open communication trenches. The whole top of the ridge is undulating with shell holes, some extremely large. Most of the area is fenced off with signs warning of undiscovered explosives. There is a huge memorial to all the sixty thousand who lost their lives in the 4 years of war. There is also a visitors centre but it’s not open this morning. Wikipedia does the job.

We then drive to Le Quesnoy, a town taken by New Zealanders in November 1918. This opened up the route to Belgium and Germany and was instrumental in ending the war. The campground is just outside the town ramparts. These are really interesting. It is a completely intact walled town. There are short lengths of outer walls, which have tunnels running down the middle of them, so we discovered. Then there is the moat area, it still has waterways but also has mass areas of wildflowers and paths winding around. Back in the day, there were 4 ponds which could flood the entire area in case of a siege. The inner walls are very high and are in the traditional ‘star’ shape. We learned a few weeks ago that this design meant the cannon balls ricocheted off and if men tried to reach the walls they could be attacked from two sides. On the front face of the inner wall is a monument to New Zealand.

On 4th November 1918, New Zealand troops freed the town from German occupation. So, as Ypres has a special bond to Australia and Vimy has one with Canada, Le Quesnoy has one with New Zealand. There are streets and squares named in NZ’s honour, Rue de la Nouvelle Zelande, Place des All Black’s, Rue de Helen Clark, Avenue des Neo-Zelandais among others. It’s a sleepy town, nearly everything is closed. We walk the streets looking at the signs then walk back on top the wall.

Tomorrow we leave the WW1 sites behind and go back to Belgium

Monday 24th June

First call this morning was for a supermarket. Supplies are getting low. There was a Lidl near by so headed there. It was closed! But another supermarket opposite was open so we went there. It was very busy which seemed odd but we didn’t give it too much thought until we got back to the van and a street parade passed by. A couple of brass bands and lots of people waving flags. No idea what it was for. They passed and we went to drive off. Around the corner and there are a couple of tables in the road, swerve around them, then around the next corner there are lots of tables and chairs plus a stall being set up. No way passed so it’s a u turn. Big van, small street not the easiest task. I’m trying to navigate our way out of the village and both our sons are messaging about different matters so their texts keep popping up on my screen. Greg’s going ‘What way?’ Arrrh! Priorities! I get us out of the village and then can enjoy conversing with the boys. Counting down the days until we see one of them.

Cross another unnoticeable border. We’re now in Belgium.

We go to Brussels. Generally it’s just like all other big cities. High risers, busy roads. The old town is lovely. Like all the others we’ve seen, cute little lanes, old buildings. This time it’s chocolate and beer in all the shops. Brussels piece d’resistance though is the square, the Grand Place. It is very impressive. All the buildings, old Guild houses have gold leaf decorations. There are two huge gothic buildings opposite each other. One, the town hall, is white. The other a pale grey. Unfortunately it’s baking hot, mid 30’s and I’m sure in the square, with no trees or shade, it’s way hotter. We’re unable to get a site to stay in the city for the night so we head for the trees around Waterloo instead. A bit cooler.

The site we’ve picked is actually the Chateau de la Hulpe. The house itself isn’t overly imposing. A modest 3 stories with 4 turrets, vine covered. The grounds however are vast, large grass terraces, hedged gardens, lakes and miles of forest. Presumably so they could have hunting weekends. Nowadays they’re walking and cycling paths. We go for a genteel stroll around the grounds.

Bit of evening entertainment. A couple arrive in 2 cars and after some heavy kissing get into the back of the station wagon. About 10 minutes later they climb back out and get dressed. A bit more kissing and then they reluctantly depart in their separate cars. Evening entertainment gets better. A Buddhist monk gets out of a Porsche convertible (passenger seat) and he is holding a large bird. I investigate closer. It’s a chicken, a very pretty one with feathers forming a mane around its head. They go down to the lake where his companions feed the geese and ducks. The monk sits on the grass and the chicken climbs off and on his hand. Certainly not something you see every day.

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25th June

The mornings first stop is to the site of the Battle of Waterloo. It’s pretty much unchanged in the last 204 years. The museum is really well done and leads you through the French Revolution and Napoleons rise to power and up to the day of the battle. You then go into a 3D theatre to experience the actual day. The the museum follows on with all the treaties and dividing up of countries. Interesting stuff. Some men sitting in a room decide on what nationality general people are. Coming from a country where the sea determines the countries borders, its quite fascinating to have these lines drawn on bits of paper, bargaining between the powerful. From the museum we then viewed a restored 1912 panorama of the battle. It’s 110 metres around and 12 metres high. Last at the site was a climb up 233 steep straight steps to the top of a mount with a huge statue on top. The mount was formed in 1826 at the location where the Prince of Orange was wounded. There is also access and information to the house Wellington used as his headquarters plus the house Napoleon used as well as a farmhouse that had heavy fighting on the day and the field hospital. We didn’t go to any of those but anyone really keen on war history could spend days here. They did a full on re-enactment in 2015 for the 200th anniversary which would have been amazing to see.

We drive off through the Belgium countryside. Belgium is just a blend of influences. There are shop signs in Dutch, French, German all side by side. The buildings seem a mix of styles too. On the down side Diesel prices seem really high and a google search explains that the government ordered that Diesel should be the same price as petrol to discourage its use since its not good for the environment. Damn we should have filled up in the Netherlands.

Next stop of the day was Ghent. Ghent is really cool. Totally recommend visiting! Everywhere you look there is an interesting vista. So many interesting small buildings done with bricks and huge gothic buildings too. There is a full on medieval castle that you don’t even notice at first as it’s totally surrounded by shops and houses. There aren’t many tourists at all and as it’s a university town it has that vibrant energy. It has interesting old buildings, canals and lots of squares with things going on, places to sit eat and drink. We visited The Belfry and spent longer than we expected. The bells ring from a massive carillon, a huge drum that rotates pulling the wires connected to the 54 bells. It’s connected to a pendulum clock. The first time it played we were walking around the outside of the belfry. We made a point of being in the room when it played again 15 minutes later. They change the tune every 2 years. Oh and at the top of the spire is a dragon. Inside there are 2 earlier versions. No idea why they have dragons but they are really neat. I like dragons.

Today we spent time in two totally different head spaces. It’s hard to believe it was the same day.

…….

26th June

Another day, another town. And it keeps getting better. Bruges is totally awesome. Yes there are a lot of tourists but they are mostly European tourists, I’m not hearing lot of English being spoken on the streets.

Step-gabled buildings lining cobblestoned lanes, canals winding throughout, towers of the churches and the famous Belfort. We did intend to go up the Belfort but looking at the massive queues and with the knowledge it’s 366 steps up a very skinny spiral staircase, we decided to give it a miss. Later the walking guide told us one time he was almost to the top when a large tourist was coming down and there was no way past him so our guide had to back nearly all the way down.

We do a Canal trip for a different perspective, then a walking tour for more in depth information.

Incidentally learned the origin of the saying ‘Stinking rich’. It came from the wealthy having their bodies entombed in the churches to be closer to god but the bodies decayed, naturally, and stunk out the churches. This is also why they started using incense. We then learned the origin of ‘Posh’. This was from the wealthy traveling by ship. In order not to be exposed to the sun and get tanned like common workers, they requested cabins on the port side going over and the starboard side returning home. Their tickets were stamped POSH, port side out starboard home.

Of Bruges we learned about the step-gables and the different building stages of the Belfort, churches and the hospital and gained recommendations on the best waffles, chocolates and beers. And soon we were all keeping an eye out for the numerous statues of Mary and baby Jesus set in to the corners of buildings.

After the tour we promptly followed his advice on the best beer and went to Bourgogne des Flandres. The beer is made with lambic and no yeast. It was a very nice beer! We shared a table with a Swedish couple and had a great conversation, Bruges, Belgium, European driving, coffee, skiing, America, brixit, climate change. Doesn’t matter where in the world you come from, environment issues are a concern.

Bruges is so photogenic. We walk the streets until half an hour after sunset. The crowds disappear , the clouds dissipate and the light improves. By the way sunset was 10pm. We mightn’t have climbed stairs today but we did get plenty of exercise.

………

27th June

Off to Ostend today. About 15 minutes into our drive Greg spots a field he wants to photograph so we do a u turn and park. Then he noticed the water cap isn’t on! Thankfully it’s still sitting on the ledge between the back door and the bike rack with my keys still in it. Amazing they didn’t fall off at all! Italian roads and they wouldn’t have lasted 2 minutes. Anyhow we’re now at the beach. Pity it’s a bit windy.

Leaving Belgium in the morning but we will be back soon. Dunkirk is just over the border in France so we’re going there next.

Thursday 20 June

Bugger! In the middle of cleaning teeth the water pump suddenly stops working. S@#%&$***t!

Thankfully we are in a campground with a tap close to our van (& a bathroom for the morning).

Thankfully we are headed to Germany tomorrow.

Thankfully we have time. In two weeks we have some set bookings.

……….

21st June

So in the morning instead of exploring the De Hoge Veluwe National Park we head to Hiddingsel and a partnership RV dealer. When we arrive the person we were to ask for isn’t there but thankfully they can help and have the part. They drive it off and we’re showed to a room with a coffee machine. Fingers crossed it’s all okay.

Just after 2pm and it’s back and for the first time ever the water pump is totally quiet. Lol we’d just assumed it was meant to make a noise. Although we had noticed it was getting higher pitched lately.

Park4night finds a lakeside spot close by and off we set. Cologne can wait for tomorrow. On the plus side it’s the cheapest day we’ve had for a while. Been pushing the budget a bit lately. Cities are always expensive stops.

We spent a sunny afternoon lazing on the sand and going for swims instead of viewing a grand cathedral. Not saying viewing the cathedral won’t be totally amazing but we’ve had so few sunny days lately.

…….

22nd June

A quick blat down the autobahn and we reach Cologne. The motorhome site we’d picked fills up quickly and you pay at a machine for 24 hours so getting there in the morning isn’t an issue. The man at the gate says there are 3 places left, phew! It is on the Rhine, well the side of it anyway. Between the water and us is a tree lined cycle path and a 3 km ride up river is the Cathedral. It’s a great location. We plug in and cycle off.

The Dom is impressive. Firstly it’s huge. It’s dark, I know it just dirty but it adds to the imposing dominance on the skyline. It’s also so incredibly ornate as Gothic Architecture is. Inside though, it feels like the tardis in reverse. It is high but it feels skinny. The stained glass does add plenty of light.

I was quite taken with the wrought ironwork. Actually that is something that regularly catches my eye. I wish I could create like that. Maybe I should investigate learning when I get home. Craft stuff not industrial.

We go up the tower, one of them anyway as there are two. It’s a skinny spiral staircase, 533 stone steps, good exercise as we haven’t done any stairs for a while. It’s hot and crowded in the stairwell. It’s barely half a metre wide and it’s a steam of people going up in the inside and a stream of people going down on the outside. The spire is 157m (515ft) 2nd highest twin spires in Europe and third highest in the world. The viewing platform is at 100 m (330 ft) but you look up inside all the way to the top. It looks so solid on the outside but inside it’s surprisingly open and light.

There is a circuit going around the outside but the lasting impression from that was of the graffiti. Why oh why do people feel they need to write their names and messages on historical buildings. On the way down there is a circuit of the bell fry. One bell tolls while we’re there making everyone jump.

We then have a belated lunch at a beer garden, wander the streets, listen to a benefit concert, sit on the riverbank and people watch. We chill and take it all in.

There are a LOT of stag parties and hen parties. A lot! We can’t walk 10 metres without seeing another one. They are generally all in matching tee shirts, both sexes. There are lots and lots of beer gardens, all full of people. The overall atmosphere is joie de vivre.

………

23rd June

An hours drive this morning and we’re In Maastricht, Netherlands. It’s about as far south as you can get in the Netherlands and unlike the rest of the country it’s hilly.

We book to do a tunnel tour under Fort St Pieter. Not sure what to expect but was blown away. We are guided through old mines. They were started in the 13th century to get blocks to build city walls and other buildings. During wartimes they were hideouts for the local people. We were shown a fireplace and bedroom area and heard a story about a pig who escaped the sty and was spotted by French Soldiers during the Neapolitan wars. The soldiers pinched the pigs ear so it squealed. The other pigs squealed back and so the family was captured after hiding underground for 2 weeks. We were shown a place where the French set dynamite to try and break through to the fort. It made a massive cavern but only succeeded in killing all the bombers. They were also off track by 150 metres.

There were lots of paintings done in charcoal and graffiti dating back to the 1800’s. There are fossils in the rocks and they discovered an intact Mosasaurus there. At one time Mushrooms were commercially grown in the tunnels but it’s more economical to grow them hydroponically now. There were still beds of Chicory though. We were shown a map of the tunnel network. It’s huge and he explained the map only goes up to the Belgium border but the tunnels go beyond. In the other direction at one point the tunnel system went all the way to Amsterdam. There was a green locked door and our guide told us there is an exclusive club, limited to 15 members that meet there every week.

We all got to walk a section without the lights on. It’s total black out! We all inch our way along with one hand on the wall, regularly bumping into the person in front of you. You can hear them but the tunnel distorts the sounds. The walls are sandstone and absorb noise. It was a really interesting visit.

We are now in a camp alongside the river. Very pretty, grass and lots of trees. Summer had finally arrived in full force so we’re actually using the awning and dining outside.