Arrived in Holland : 22-8-16

Location: Cousin Martin’s House, s’Gravendeel, Netherlands.

Our flight over was very uneventful and fortunately for us the first flight had spare seats which we were able to take advantage of, giving ourselves some extra room. On our second flight from Dubai we were looked after well by our Stewardess who gave us some extra bottles of wine with our meal.

Arriving mid-afternoon we were picked up at the airport by Ewoud [my cousin] and after a drive of about an hour and quarter we were reunited with Cousin Martin and our beloved motorhome the “Bunyip”.

On our first half in day in Holland we had a coffee, then dinner and an early night. Nothing very exciting.

Day two and we all had an early start, not planned just a reaction from the jet lag. The morning was a hive of activity with the motorhome being prepared for travel. The “Bunyip was left in good shape after Helen, Anne and John had used it for three months traveling to England, Ireland and Scotland.

After lunch we were ready for a rest and decided to go for a drive to the Euromast in Rotterdam. This is a tower that overlooks the city of Rotterdam and also the port and surrounding areas. After paying 9 euros we took the lift to the first observation area and then another revolving glass-sided lift which takes you to the top at a height of 185 meters. The first strange thing we noticed was that we could not pay the entrance fee in cash, only credit card. For safety reasons they say! Luckily Martin had his with him as we only took cash. [We did pay him back].

On the drive back we called in to Puttershoek a village 6 kms. from Martins house to visit the local windmill. The mill was open and we could go inside and visit, for free [amazing to have something free in Holland]. We had a tour of the windmill and the miller explained how it all worked. The place still works and produces flour for some local bakers.

The rest of the day was spent with more sorting of our camper and for dinner, take away food from “Quicklys”. For those who have stayed at Martins will know about Quicklys. Great food and a good price.

Day three and it is a hot humid day for Holland getting into the mid 30 degrees. Tomorrow we are heading off and the final packing, odd jobs and sorting are completed. A trip to the supermarket to get some essentials was the plan and we returned with a full trolley and bag full of food and drink.

The Bunyip is ready with a full tank of water, gas, diesel, food and drinks. Our first stop will be the Arnhem Open Air Museum and an even hotter day is forecast. It will be good to hit the road again to explore more of the delights of Europe.