A quick trip over the channel

A quick trip over the channel, to visit friends in the United Kingdom.   Only a few friends unfortunately, as I only had three days and two nights there.    My apologies, as I do not have many photographs, due to too much talking and listening.   But it was fantastic to catch up with work colleagues from schools in Bexleyheath.

The day began with an early morning shower at the camping ground, with no one around at 5.30 in the morning. Then Walter strapped my suitcase to the back of the bike with bungee straps, and off I went to cycle to the railway station.  And from there it was the Sprinter (stop train) to Utrecht, where I boarded the Intercity to Schiphol.   It all took less than an hour.   Walter came with me to the airport, and we had breakfast together there.   He went onto Den Haag. 

And for me, a short flight to Southend Airport, owned and run by Eddie Stobart, the trucking people, who ensured a well run and immaculate airport.   There is one feature though that did not impress me, but more about that at the end of the blog.  I must keep events in sequence!

A short walk from the airport took me to the train station where I took the train to Liverpool Street, London.   A very dirty train I might add, and we passed equally dirty and unkempt railway stations.   East Anglia services!

Finally, after an hour, we arrived at the impressive Liverpool Street station, where I became quite confused for a minute or two.   So many people, and all the names were familiar but not familiar.    An extremely weird feeling.   However it only lasted a few minutes, thank goodness, and after consulting the tube map, I knew exactly which trains to catch.    A short trip on the Central Line and then onto the Northern Line to Charing Cross.   So easy.

A busy Liverpool Street.

I met up with Jane and Yvonne at our favourite meeting place, The Chandos Pub, opposite the Portrait Gallery.    We managed to get our favourite window spot too.   We spent a very pleasant few hours there, talking, catching up on news, eating lunch, and consuming a couple of glasses of wine and for Yvonne, gin and tonic.   It was so lovely to catch up. 

Finally I made it to the last train, to Bexleyheath, where Karen collected me from the station.   I stayed with Kathy, in her room downstairs, with ensuite. Total luxury. 

I was very spoilt by Kathy and Karen, who took me out for breakfast, and gave me delicious lunches and dinners.   And we talked and talked, so much to catch up on.   They organised a lunch with staff from the two schools I worked in, and it was great to meet up with everyone again.   Such special friendships.

Kathy's son, daughter in law, and two grandchildren came from Poland to stay with Kathy, and it was lovely to meet up with them too, and talk about their lives in Poland.

Kathy took me for a walk around Danson Park, for old times sake.   We always enjoyed doing this walk, followed by coffee at The Stables, which was not possible this time, due to renovations.   So we had a very pleasant breakfast in Danson House.

A beautiful and popular park.

The three days sped by so rapidly, and reluctantly I left in order to return to the Netherlands.   I allowed plenty of time, to get back to Southend Airport, in case of delays on the trains and tubes.  This gave me three hours to spend at Southend Airport, and after looking at the crowds of people waiting in the departure lounge I went to the Airport Lounge and paid £20 in order to sit in comfort.  Once we had lounge passes, which we paid for through our bank, and we so miss this little luxury.

My one complaint about Southend Airport, was that the enormous bar took up a quarter of the departure lounge, and of course on a Friday night it was packed with people.   No wonder the company of Eddie Stobart are so successful, as they certainly know where to get some profits.   The Brits, off on their long boozy weekends, like to 'get tanked up' before they board the plane.    And yes, we had a few groups of them on our flight.   A reason for not visiting Amsterdam, or Dublin, and a few other destinations. 

The plane was an hour late leaving, and Easy Jet had the passengers wait in line for three quarters of that time.  In fact the plane had not even arrived, and they asked passengers to line up, except those passengers waiting at the bar, of course. 

All in all it was midnight before I arrived back at the camping ground, feeling quite weary.   The last stretch, the bike ride from the station proved to be difficult, as I did not have Walter to tighten the bungee cords around the suitcase, and it kept falling off.   And I could not get the headlight on the bike to work.   In the end I walked along the road to the camping ground.   I thought this was the safest thing to do.   No headlight and a case, that by this stage was constantly slipping off the carrier.

Unfortunately I did not see the message from Kylie to say that they were still up, in case I needed help.   One must always keep an eye on messages.   Which was easy as all Intercity trains here, the airports and all the mainline trains in Britain have excellent wifi.

My bike at the bike station, minus the suitcase, as I forgot to take a photograph before I left here.

I tried to forget about Brexit and the British government fiasco, but Kathy and I did have a few moans about it all. 

Altogether a lovely trip back to Britain.

The Hanseatic city of Zwolle

Sunshine!  A photograph taken this morning, from the same place that I took the last photograph, when it was very windy and rainy, showed we now have blue skies and sunshine plus a warm day.    Thank goodness.    

Although I am sitting inside writing this blog, my view out of the door is of the above scene.   Then I will go back to the caravan and sit outside in the sunshine.   

But back to the blog.   A visit to Zwolle, one of seven Hanseatic cities situated along the river IJssel.   These towns, during the 14th and 15th centuries, formed a traders union that lead to enormous prosperity and wealth.  They were also cities of commerce and culture.   

The cities were also part of the Hanseatic League, which was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe.   They started in the late 1100s, and dominated the Baltic and North Seas trade for many centuries.  German colonists in the 12th and 13th centuries settled in numerous cities along the Baltic and Northern coasts, which had an impact on the local languages, culture and architecture.   

A fascinating subject.

It took just over an hour to travel north by train from Utrecht to the city of Zwolle in the northern eastern part of the Netherlands.   It is also the capital of the province of Overijssel. 

The railway station was about a 12 minute walk into the town centre, which was surrounded by water, and from the town map, it looked like it was once a fortified island.

The walk in was very pleasant, through beautiful houses, built in the early 1900s, then via a path by the large canal. 

I was dressed for cooler weather, but thankfully the sun shone now and again, and it did not rain.

Views of the canals, without me in them.

Very serene.

A beautiful old house.

A view back towards the large old houses built in the early 1900s.  Many wealthy people lived in this city, by the looks of the houses.

Finally we arrived in the city centre.

I was fascinated to see the plastic urinals, which accommodated four men, outside the church.   But in fact they were put there in readiness for the half marathon taking place the following weekend.   However the same convenient pissoirs were permanently beside the skate board park yesterday.   Unfortunately for women, it was a matter of holding on!

We ate lunch at an old cafe in the centre of Zwolle.

I loved the narrow streets with well maintained houses.

The town square.

Lots of bicycles parked on the edge of square.   I was a little uncertain as to whether people were allowed to ride bicycles in the centre, and whether cars were allowed in there too.   One had to watch out for both vehicles and bicycles.   One man in a small van had no end of trouble trying to reverse in a narrow space, he nearly hit a few pedestrians and knocked over a sign.

There were definitely no cars on this street.

The buildings surrounding the Broerenkerk,  a 15th century Catholic Church, which became Protestant during the Reformation. 

It was restored in 1983 and was now a huge bookstore, opened around 2007, with heaps of atmosphere.  Fascinating place.

The inside of one wall of the church, with levels for different genres of books. 

We walked back to the main square, to the Grote of St Michaelskerk, which was no longer a Protestant Church, but was still used by different denominations for services. 

A huge building with heaps of character.   It was a Gothic hall Church dating back to 1370-1446.   Another Catholic church which became Protestant during the Reformation. 

Of course there was a Primark, right beside Grote of St Michaelskerk.   I could not help but briefly visit in order to buy a raincoat, just in case. 

The museum de Fundatie, which was situated inside the former Palace of Justice.   Another building, beautifully renovated, which housed a museum.

A view from the top level of the dome.

We viewed some wonderful art exhibitions on the lower floors, Michael Triegel and Charlotte van Pallandt being two of the well known Dutch artists with work exhibited there.

The most fascinating, for me, was the temporary exhibition on the top two floors.    The Europa Zomer Expo19 exhibition.   This year the theme was on artists' impressions of the European Union, an important year due to the elections and the UK withdrawing from the Union.   Well the latter did not happen of course, and there had been an extension until October, 31st. 

Theresa May did not fare so well, as there was a very unflattering small painting of her, looking very grim.   And the painting underneath with May riding a bull.  (Europa en de stier).

And the following one, which said it all. 

After being enlightened by a wonderful museum, we walked back to the train station, via a park.

Sadly we did not visit a very important building, the Our Lady of the Assumption Basilica, which was built between 1463-1481, and housed relics, and images, and a 17th century painting.  The Basilica also had a tower, called the Peperbus, which looked like a pepper shaker.   You will just have to imagine what this tower looked like, or look it up on the internet.   Too late to go back and take a photograph now.

A view of the harbour side of the canal, which was once a busy Hansard port.

Altogether a very interesting city.

Birthday celebrations - a trip to Rotterdam

Yesterday was my birthday, another year older but perhaps not another year wiser.   This is decidedly just a fallacy, for me anyway. Today I tried to ride a fully laden bike around some rubbish bins, which were on the edge of the footpath that I was trying to ride up on to.  The bike tipped over, and I landed on my bottom.    And the Taco shells I bought for dinner were crushed, but not by my bottom.   They were in the panniers.   It was altogether not a wise decision as I should have got off the bike and wheeled it up onto the footpath.   

But back to yesterday.  We decided that a perfect way to celebrate my birthday was to visit the city of Rotterdam.  And it turned out to be a sunny day too, well mostly sunny, and it certainly helped set the mood.    So off we went, with Aaron, Kylie, Abi and Raphy, to first catch a train to Utrecht and then catch the intercity from Utrecht to Rotterdam.

As we all know, Germany bombed Rotterdam during World War II, as a way of making the Dutch Government surrender to them.   So in May 1940 it was bombed to the point of obliteration.    Total destruction.  And of course it worked, and Holland capitulated to Germany.  

Before 1940 Rotterdam was a very old and historic city, a medieval city, with a thriving port, although I have been told that there were many slums in the oldest part of the city.   

Consequently Rotterdam was rebuilt as a modern city, much of it following a brutalist approach to architecture, which I think was popular in the 1950s and 1960s.    The latter buildings, are modern in their design, and sleeker.   However one cannot say that Rotterdam has the atmosphere or character, that abounds in the old towns and city centres in the Netherlands, rather it has a functional and practical approach to modern living.   

There are many interesting buildings, and we spent quite a bit of time looking up at them and commenting on their architectural styles.   The main shopping street has wide streets and low buildings, almost like some of the buildings that were established in Christchurch after the earthquakes.   

When we first stepped out of the railway station we saw these huge shiny giants in front of us.

Plus a long skinny building.   Rotterdam Central Railway Station on the right of the photograph below has solar panels over the railway tracks plus a very shiny roof coming out from the side.  One has to be very careful crossing the large expanse outside the railway station as there are silent trams everywhere.   A bit scary.

There is plenty of room in this city, for small boys to run around in.   Raphy getting ready to jump off a seat.

A view of the medieval church, Laurenskerk, which was the only building left standing after the 1940 bombing of Rotterdam.

Our first stop was at the Markthal.   This very iconic indoor food hall is different from any other that we have visited because there are luxury apartments arched over the hall.  Inside the hall there are food stalls, plus restaurants, and underneath there is a four level carpark.   It was opened in 2014.   Quite an amazing piece of architectural work.

The massive artwork across the ceiling of the hall, is called the 'Horn of Plenty'   It is possible to see buildings through the glass at either end of the hall.

The area around the Markthal was extremely busy, and it appeared that there was a sporting fixture on, either a run or a walk, as there was plenty of cheering and people wearing lycra.   Heaps of atmosphere though.

The side of the Markthal, with a ferris wheel and a tall building in the centre.   There was a bit too much paving around the Markthal, but then the trees were still small so perhaps in a few more years the area will look less stark.

We all purchased something different for lunch, either Italian, Chinese or Indian, and managed to find some bench space in which to sit and eat our lunch.   It was all delicious.   I chose a vegetarian biryani.

We then starting walking to our next destination which was only a few metres away.   The Cube Houses (Piet Blom 1984).   The architect wanted to design a kind of village within the city and saw the houses as trees and the whole area as a wood.   The cube houses were tipped to one side, so that three sides faced the ground and three sides faced the sky.

The above description was copied from a brochure, but I could not see the connection with trees and a wood.   They looked, to me, like a lot of boxes tipped on their side.   As fascinating as they were to look at on the outside, I did not like being inside the show cube. 

After climbing very narrow stairs, which were at an odd angle, I was more than ready to sit down on the couch.  The cube house really messed up my sense of balance.

There were three floors in the cube house, the lounge, dining and kitchen floor, the bedroom, bathroom and study floor, and the conservatory at the top.   You may notice in the photograph below that I am sitting again.   Thanks to Kylie, who took quite a few photographs, mostly with me in them.

But I did manage to take a photograph,

looking down at the cube houses on the level below the one we were in. 

After the cube houses we returned to the railway station via the Laurenskerk, with a band in front of it.

A view of the church tower.

The final stop was at a museum, but first we visited the cafe next door for coffee, tea and cold drinks.   However it was very warm there and noisy as well so not overly restful.   Abi and Raphy both look very tired in this photograph.

There were large displays in the museum, with before 1940 and after 1940 pictures, and models of the city.   There was a temporary exhibition which focussed on musical events, especially rap music and dancing.   We had trouble getting Raphy out of the museum as he is into rap music at the moment.   He said it was the best museum he had ever been too.

A quick look inside the old town hall, with its lovely ornate hall. 

Finally we made it back to the station, where we avoided the silent trams, and managed to get straight onto a train.

It was a lovely day out with the family and so much appreciated by me.   Such precious times.

The Netherlands

As I write this blog, I can hear the rain pelting down on the roof of the recreation room at the campsite.   And soon I will have to ride my bike back to Aaron and Kylie's house.   Terrible weather.

Right at this moment I long for the warmth and sunshine of Camping Manjastre.

However, it is lovely to be here with Aaron, Kylie, Mia, Abi and Raphy, and we are enjoying seeing them again, and spending time with them.   The three youngsters have grown so much in the year since we saw them last.   

In order to make it all perfect, I wish for some lovely calm and sunny weather and some warm days too.    

 Since we arrived we have experienced two nights of thunderstorms, with flash lightning that lit up the night sky.   It was like a light bulb flickering on and off.   In the end we closed every blind in the caravan.  Then last night the wind started blowing very strongly, almost gale force, and today there has been heavy rain as well.   It is also quite cold.

A view out of the front window of Aaron and Kylie's house, just before I got on my bike, which was the one under the tree, and rode it back to the campsite.  

We are staying in our old caravan, the one that we sold to Camping de Vliert, before we went back to Australia.   Of course we now have to pay for the hire of the caravan as well as the camping fees.   Still it is great to be back in our old touring caravan, and nothing has changed, in that all the pots, pans, crockery, cutlery etc are still in the van.   Even the three bottles of caravan cleaner we left behind are still in the front of the van.   Amazing.   So deja vu. 

Inside our old van, all is as it should be, and thank goodness for the toaster we left behind.

Walter is riding my old bike and I am riding the bike we hired from the campsite.   Very strange handlebars at the front.   But a lovely bike to ride.   My new panniers are on the back of the bike.

The beautiful view from the back window of Aaron and Kylie's house.   It looks magnificent, especially the white roses growing over the sheet.

It takes about ten minutes to ride from the campsite to Aaron and Kylie's house, and the first few minutes takes us through farmland.    I love looking at the sheep and their lambs resting under the trees.   They seem to be always sleeping.   A sheep's life.

I love the display of raffia baskets and trays on the wall of the recreation room.   

The toilets and showers, plus the recreation area were once the cow sheds for the farm.   It is no longer a dairy farm, although they still grow crops. 

The room I am sitting in, has a lounge, a television plus tables and chairs.   I only put a few lights on which is why the photograph is a bit blurry.   A very comfortable room though, although a little dark.   There is a small flat above, so no skylights.

 The room next to this one, has sinks for washing up, plus washing machines.   It also has a table tennis table, a pool table and a small football game table.   There are skelters (go karts) outside for children to use, plus a playground.   Except for the washing machines everything is free to use.   A very child friendly campsite.

The rain has now stopped so time to get back on my bike and head off back to the house.