Home to Metz

The Plan.

Our 2014 tour will take us through Holland, France, Spain and then back to France through Normandy. That's the plan but...anything can happen.

Sunday 13 April. Home to Hull.

Our tour began at 2pm when we left home to collect the caravan from the storage site and head for Hull.   Arrived in plenty of time but took ages to check due to somewhat disorganised (putting it mildly) group of Belgians in very mucky 4X4’s. There were about 6 vehicles three in front of us and several more behind. After 10 minutes we realised that the ones in from of us had neither tickets or passports. So they spent about 20 minutes running between the vehicles sorting out their documentation.  

Once on board we had a wander and a drink and then went to dinner in the buffet restaurant.  The standard of food was excellent.  We had a chat with our waiter who was from the Philippine’s (as most of the catering staff seem to be on the ‘Pride of Rotterdam’).  He said that he works for 6 months (without a day off) and then gets to fly home for 2 months.   He works in the restaurant at dinner and breakfast, then cleans cabins, then sleeps until the next shift starts.   He said they don’t leave the boat much but do go ashore when it is nearing the time to go home to buy gifts for their families.  They seem willing to sacrifice being away from home for the better rates of pay they can achieve working for P&O. I did my bit by giving him a decent tip.

After dinner we sat in the bar and watched a swing band who had apparently appeared in the film ‘Memphis Belle’.  The band leader looked as if he was old enough to have played in the original Glenn Miller Band.

Monday 14 April. Rotterdam to Rijnsburg. 45 miles.

We didn’t sleep too well but had a very good breakfast, all be it rather early and disembarked the ferry in Rotterdam about 8.45am.   The drive to our first campsite ‘Camping Koningshof’ took about an hour.   It’s a very nice campsite with plenty of facilities but the best bit, as I discovered later in the day, is the heated floor in the shower block. Such luxury.  We checked in and got settled and then went to gather some provisions.   Later on we took a walk into the local town, Rijnsberg.  There must be some money in this growing flowers lark.   We passed some very nice houses.  Anyone interested in nosing around houses on the internet or flicking through the pages of an interiors magazine would appreciate these homes.   They all seemed to favour large downstairs windows all with grand displays of flowers, vases, large ornaments, lamps or candle lanterns.  They certainly seem to show some flair for interior design. (Sarah wrote this bit).

Tuesday 15 April. Amsterdam.

Today we drove to Amsterdam, well to the park and ride at Slotterdijk, which took about 40 mins.  We then took the bus into Amsterdam. ( I was very impressed by the local public transport. We paid 2 euros 50 each for the return bus ticket which I thought was very good value. It was only when we tried to get out the car park we realised that we had to pay another 8 euros.) Straight off the bus and into a 'Brown Bar' where Sarah tried to get to grips with a map.

After a coffee and a look at the map we wandered to Dam Square then Sarah told me she had always wanted to go on a canal cruise. So we did. Twenty minutes after cast off she was asleep. She blamed the motion of the boat. I'm not sure how much she missed.   The weather was freezing.   

We found a rather quirky café for lunch, serving all sorts of quiches, and bread concoctions.  The interior was all constructed out of recycled bits and pieces.  The seats were stools made out of packing crates, topped with cushions and the light fittings were stainless steel colanders.  We then had a wander of several miles around the streets and canals admiring the distinctive architecture.  

Not sure if there was some student event taking place or whether it happens every day – but we encountered a number of young men on bikes dressed in onesies, some were smurfs and another was a chicken. We then saw two young men on a moped dressed in shirts, smart jackets and their boxer shorts!!! We think they had been smoking the local tobacco.

We were drawn back to the same café for excellent cake.   Sarah had a piece courgette and lemon cake which sounds strange but she says was delicious.

Wednesday 16 April. Keukenhof Gardens.

The gardens are situated in the bulb growing centre of Holland, and only about 20 mins from the campsite.   We had read that it was advisable to get there for when they opened at 8am which proved good advice.  It was quite quiet until the coach tours started arriving.

The coach parties seemed to consist of either Chinese and Japanese who all seemed to have to strike a pose next to or in amongst the blooms as if developing a modelling portfolio; or old ladies staggering round. The gardens are a show case for the bulb growers to exhibit their bulb varieties, who knew there were so many!   

The displays were of tulips, narcissi, grape hyacinths, anemones, bluebells and others.  I don’t really know how to describe it except to say that it was a feast for the senses. 

Around every turn there was another display.  Every colour combination you could think of and more had been used to spectacular effect with the scent of narcissi following your around.  It really was a magnificent sight.

By the time we left 6 hours later, I had filled 2 camera memory cards – they are going to take some editing.   Stopped on the way back to admire some of the bulb fields.

It was a fabulous day and Sarah is already planning who she drags along for her next visit.

Thursday 17 April. On yer bike.

You know what they say “when in Rome”; well when in Holland you have to go on a bike ride.  We hired the bikes from reception and set off cautiously (neither of us had been on a bike, except at the gym, in years).  It took some time before we could stop the handle bars wobbling. That’s what happens when you ride a bike at the gym.

We did about 20 miles all together.  You rarely have to ride on the road.   There are separate cycle paths everywhere with excellent signposting.  Even if you are on the road it will have cycle lanes, even if this means that the actual road width for cars is only a single lane.  We cycled through the countryside seeing some amazing bulbfields we would not have seen from the road, up to the coast.  

In previous years I have seen so many Dutch caravaners in France and Spain I wondered if anyone was left in Holland. Well there are still a lot of people running the place and we discovered where they keep their caravans in the Winter. In the greenhouses. Sarah said she saw hundreds of them parked up.

Huge beaches but it was very windy.  We had to get off a couple of times as we couldn’t pedal into the wind.   We worked our along the coast for a few miles and then returned inland and back to the site.  Great fun, though we were rather saddle sore; especially Sarah.  Her saddle kept trying to twizzle round to the side, digging a hole in the right buttock.   Whilst she was trying to figure out what was going on she managed to collide with the kerb and fall off.   No damage to her or the bike was sustained. But it was very funny.

In the evening I decided to fill up the car with diesel. The first two self service places would not accept any of my credit cards – which was worrying. The next five did not have any diesel. I began to have visions of being trapped in Holland for three months. Luckily I finally found an Avia service station which did have diesel and was selling it at about 20 cents more than the others. I returned to the caravan site and had a beer to celebrate.

Friday 18 April. Rijsnburg to Metz. 248 miles.

Moved on to Metz in the Alsace region of France; passing through Belgium, and Luxembourg.  For some reason the police were diverting lorries off the main motorway. This caused us a slight delay but the queue of traffic in the other direction was actually longer than the Principality of Luxembourg. Whilst in the Grand Duchy we topped up with diesel as it was about 99p a litre.

The Municipal Campsite in Metz was in an ideal spot on the banks of the Moselle River and close to the town.  We wandered into town in the evening and had a very good pizza.

Saturday 19 April. Metz.

We walked into Metz this morning to excellent market.  There is a covered market everyday and on Saturday an outdoor market too.   Bought 2 tonnes of fruit and veg for 4 euros.  Why does the fruit and veg look so good in markets abroad.  The aubergines looked like someone had spent all night polishing them.   We also bought a Quiche Lorraine (a specialty of the region) and some smelly cheese.

After lunch we walked about into the town for a look around.  Encountered many cars tooting their horns.  They turned about to be a wedding party arriving at the Registry Office and then leaving, sounding their horns as they formed a convoy out of the town.

Metz is a typical Northern French town with a good vibe but nothing exceptional. It was OK for a couple of nights and it broke the journey but I won’t be hurrying back.