Alkmaar was on our original list to visit, however it’s best to visit on a Friday to take in the weekly cheese market, which is held between March & November. Typical that we were unable to visit on a Friday but decided to have an overnight stop so we could take a quick look to say we’d been there. We dumped “The Ranch” on the site & took a walk down to the city & wasn’t disappointed, very nice place & imagine it would be lovely in the summer with all the outside seating/bars & restaurants. The Wag building was pretty impressive too. We picked up a bottle of the local advocaat to try. But no cheese!
We booked a camping spot back in November, chosen so we were able to cycle to all three of these on our “To Do” list. Looking back now we think it was more luck than judgement of our chosen location as it was closer than we thought. It was perfect & we hadn’t realised that we would be treated to an extra early bird look at the parade on the Friday evening in Noordwijkhout. It was a day of flowers, Keukenhof to visit the gardens & admire the amazing displays of flowers. The cycle was pretty good too as we cycled through the bulbfields to & from the gardens. 10/10 for the whole experience.
The longest we have stayed in one place! This was to give us 3 full days in Amsterdam. Location of the site was great, just a 20 minute walk to the free ferry straight over to the city. Day 1 we had tickets to the Anne Frank house. The museum is simply done, with an accompanying audio tour. How 8 people were able to hide for 2 years in that annexe is mind-blowing. Had a very civilised canal side drink stop before going in search of a Stroop Waffle! We decided to share as it was a decent size & complete sugar overload. We had the “Smarties” topping. Day 2 we had a slow morning before heading back over to the city in the afternoon. We tried to organise a walking tour but were too late, so we arranged for the Wednesday. We spent time exploring new districts with all the different architecture, bridges & canals. We must have seen ever bridge in Amsterdam! Headed off to the flower market, which is allegedly the world’s only floating flower market. Founded in 1862 it made up of houseboat greenhouses. The reality didn’t actually meet the expectations. It’s more of a bulb market & reminded us of garden centres at home. A few had flowers for sale but we were expecting floor to ceiling of flowers. Lot’s of wooden tulips though, an everlasting gift from Amsterdam. Day 3 & our tour was booked for 1.30pm & we were to meet in Dam Square, the guide would be carrying a white umbrella. We had a really good 2 hour tour with Gerben & learnt lots about the history of The Netherlands, Amsterdam & interesting facts about the city. We were lucky to be shown a small bit of green oasis in the middle of the city! The houses were originally occupied by nuns but due to the dwindling nun population the houses are rented out to women only, no men allowed.
No trip to Amsterdam would be complete with a wander through De Wallen, we found a couple of bars & had a few drinks whilst people watching. Human curiosity & all that. Anyway tried some Frites with cheese/topping & have to admit they were better than the Belgian equivalent. Followed by Churros with cinnamon sugar & chocco sauce. Back for a few more drinks before catching the late ferry back. In 3 days we clocked up 72,000 steps – about 36 miles.
First up Kinderdjik Windmills, 19 of them built in 1797, to prevent flooding. The area lies below sea level. It has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1997. You can tour the inside of two of the windmills & the other 17 are lived in by tenants! To apply to live there you must be a qualified miller.
Royal Delft has been in existence since 1653. Originally there were over 30 pottery factories in Delft. Porceleyne Fles is now the last remaining one. The designs were inspired by Chinese pottery. In 1746 baking clay was invented in England & Royal Delft purchased this from Devon! The clay was superior to what Delft was using & the items didn’t need to be glazed with white opaque. The craftsmen that decorate the items train for 10 years & can create 50 shades of blue! The decoration is painted in black cobalt which turns blue during the firing process.
We’d booked to stay in a YOUTH HOSTEL! Well their carpark, which is literally a stones throw from the city centre. Had to apply for a LEZ permit as well, which was all relatively easy online. We reached the city & this is where the panic set in, good job G was driving. You have to have 360 degree vision to see everything, bike/moped lanes, pedestrian lanes, bus lanes & our absolute favourite trams tracks. Parked up in the secure carpark, which had all usual moho facilities. Was in the city within 15 minutes, we hadn’t even had a chance to plan what we were going to do. All we really knew about Brussels was the Manneken Pis, so he was on the list. We spent around 6 hours on our feet, exploring the different area’s of the city. Really big cafe/bar culture around the many squares. We wouldn’t have overlooked Brussels however it wasn’t our favourite city. Would we return, probably not.
Antwerp
Ready for our final day in Belgium, we awoke to the sun shining & big blue skies. Quickly checked emails before leaving & panic set in. Our application for a LEZ permit for Antwerp had been refused (the email was from 3 days prior & was in junk). I emailed back with copies of the V5 for “The Ranch” to prove it was Euro 6 & then decided to call. Spoke to a very nice efficient lady, who found our email, checked it over & said that she would send over the permit confirmation within 2 minutes – she did! Now back on track, we had to find somewhere to stay, we had seen a nice parking area just across the water from the city. The traffic on the approach to Antwerp was mental, lorry after lorry after lorry, nose to tail. Luckily we were on the opposite side of the ring road. We found a parking space exactly where we had planned & it was a quiet/peaceful spot. Off we went on the river shuttle, which landed a stones throw from the main Grote Markt. What a beautiful city, it had everything & more. To name just a few of the highlights, stunning architecture – both modern & traditional, the train station was like a museum, a 1930’s tunnel under the river with the original wooden escalators & art deco touches. We skirted very quickly around the diamond district, there was so many jewellery shops & the windows were full to brimming with diamonds of every shape/size/colour/cost! We found out later on that there used to be over 9,000 diamond cutters in Antwerp & this number has now dwindled to around 800. The main event was going to see a friend’s cousin! George & Elaine run the Highlander in the city, so we popped in for a quick drink to say hello from Annie. We left 4 hours later! Even though we didn’t know them before we went in, we certainly do now. Walked back to the river shuttle & back to “The Ranch” we raided our precious Belgian choccies for our daily fix, before climbing in to bed absolutely shattered.
We arrived in Ghent just at the right time – the marathon was on. Fought our way through the crowds to get to our camping spot, on the edge of the city. Got parked up, went to plug in the electric cable & found it was too short! The electric point was over 50 metres away, a world record distance. Reception kindly lent us an extension cable. Without further ado, we were on our bikes to cycle into Ghent for a pre-inspection visit!
The Main Event – decided to walk to the city centre which is around a 45 minute walk. Lovely sunny day but a slight chill in the air. Took a different route to our cycle yesterday, but a pleasant flat walk. The architecture is something else. We saw a few construction sites where they have to leave the original facade in place, propped up & bolted to the building next door whilst creating a modern building behind. We headed for Graffiti Street, where the artist have free reign to do whatever they like on the walls. Occasionally the city paint over the walls, to create a blank canvas for them to start again. We could smell freshly sprayed paint! We have a love of big views, so then headed to the Belfry to climb up to the top. Started to walk up the narrow stone spiral staircase & on the first level there was a lift to take us to the top! Lift up, walk down. Big views over the City. Ever 15 minutes the bells play, we couldn’t believe our ears when Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody started playing. Went in search of the elusive Belgian Frites, one with samurai sauce (supposedly hot) & the other with pepper. Sat on the side of the canal, watched the world go by eating our frites. We had planned to get a Belgium waffle, but had to pass due to over indulgence. Took at look at St Bavo’s cathedral & St Nicholas’ church. Then decided to head back, due to a national bus/trains strike & limited service we decided to walk back! Just under 20k steps clocked up.
Brugge
Took a bus down to the City to save our legs! Only a quick 10 minute hop & we were there. Surprised at how busy it was, even though it was only 10.30am. We hadn’t really planned in advance & didn’t have a map so decided to wing it! On our “to do” list was Belgian Waffles & Belgian Chocolates (for us). We stopped for a cuppa & watched the world go by, the city is hosting “The Tour of Flanders” cycle event at the weekend so the whole of the square was being set up for that, hampering the views somewhat. We went in to the Provincial Palace which housed the West Flanders provincial government for over a hundred years until 2000. It currently has a cycling exhibition which we had a wander round, G had a go on a penny farthing. We were lucky enough to find another Belfry to climb – this one only had 366 steps up to the top! Unfortunately there was no lift up this time or oxygen at the top. The staircase was both stone/wooden & was challenging due to how narrow the spiral was. It was also two way traffic! We then went to the Basilica of The Holy Blood which dates back to 1134. The lower chapel remains virtually unchanged. The upper chapel has a phial said to contain a cloth with blood of Jesus, brought to the city after the 12th century. You could view the phial but no photo’s. Now it was time for a pitstop, waffles & chocolate buying. With everything ticked off our list, that was our whistle stop day in Brugge.
Left Koerich mid morning, headed for 2 nights in Bastogne. We crossed the border between Luxembourg & Belgium & found ourselves driving through the “Fuel Eldorado”- Martelange, which has 11 fuel stations in less than a 2km stretch! All of them on the Luxembourg side of the village, as duty is less in Luxembourg, therefore fuel is around 15 cents a litre cheaper. No photo proof, but it was a sight. Bastogne is famous for the “Battle of the Bulge” & there are many museums dedicated to it. One of us (guess who) visited two of the museums, Bastogne War & the Airborne! We both went to the War Rooms! The town is also a nice place, with plenty of independent shops and a fine selection of charcuterie’s, patisserie’s & bars’s/restaurant’s. No time to hang around, we set off for Waterloo! Unfortunately we arrived too late to visit the museum. We asked if we could stay in the carpark overnight, to get in the museum first thing so not to disrupt our onward plan. OK to stay but only one night & the police may knock to check we aren’t up to no good. Just before 10am G set off like a greyhound to the museum, to be first in! Not only first in but the first up the 226 steps to the Butte De Lion.
Next stop, a quick hop in to Luxembourg! Found an amazing Aire to the West of Luxembourg City & the race was on to get one of the four spaces. You can stay for up to 48 hours free of charge, with all the facilities. Bus from right outside the Aire to the city within 25 minutes & all transport in Luxembourg is FREE. We headed for the Place De La Constitution, explored the Casemates (underground passages) & the Cathedral Notre Dame. Headed back to the “Ranch” Decided to walk through the village/commune of Koerich to find the remains of the 13th century castle & the church. Day 2 Luxembourg City – we found the Old City of Luxembourg (Ville Haute) What a beautiful place & just a stones throw from the City Centre & a UNESCO world heritage site. We visited the oldest holy building in Luxembourg, St Michaels, which replaced the castle chapel back in 987! Over the years the church has been destroyed but always rebuilt. The church as it is today dates back to 1688. Enjoyed a pitstop at a small boulangerie, had our first eclair of the trip & a cappuccino. Rives de Clausen is an old brewery that has been converted in to a restaurant/bar district with the original chimney still in situ! Anyway the photo’s will probably do it more justice, a photographers paradise indeed.
After 3 nights in Durnal, it was time to leave. First though off to collect the “Parcel”. Oh yes it was there as promised. A point to note is that the roads in Belgium are as bad as the UK. Anyway, first stop was Dinant, on arrival it was smaller than we anticipated! Dinant was the birth place of Adolphe Sax who invented the saxophone, there was a very small museum on the site of his birthplace & the town had saxophones everywhere. The citadel cable car wasn’t open, so we opted not to walk up the hundreds of steps! We had petite dejuener overlooking the river. We had intended to stay overnight at an Aire not far from Dinant, however with time to spare decided to go to Namur (which is the capital of the Wallonia region) We were able to park up on a free Aire in the city, so spent the night there! Namur too has a Citadel, but guess what? The cable car wasn’t open. We would have liked to visit the underground passages but were too late in the day. Took a walk along the river & explored the old part of the city, found a refreshment spot and watched the world go by. Went back out in the evening to try a bar called Barnabeer, which has a selection of over 300 beers & 40 or so on tap!
We had plan A-D to deal with the gas situation. Our destination depended on which plan we implemented! However an added factor is that G has a really bad back pain, so we are going to include a few “down” days to let him rest and recover. Plan A worked – back to the local LPG garage and the very kind & helpful lady there lent us the correct part and we were able to fill up. Total Cost £7.22. We opted to cover off a fair distance to get us across Belgium and in position to visit Dinant, which is on our wish list. Site is quirky but been absolutely fine, apart from the owner thinking M was GERMAN! Much to G’s delight. Only been as far as the local village, however had our first BBQ, did some laundry & spent time planning our stops right through until we reach Amsterdam on the 6th of April.
Woke this morning to another gorgeous bright day – perfect for a birthday. Headed in to Ypres for a breakfast of coffee & croissants at a restaurant overlooking the square (which has currently been taken over by a fairground) Spent a couple of hours at the In Flanders Field Museum, we opted to pay the extra few euro’s to climb up the Belfry for big panoramic views of the city and surrounding area. Amazing views & perfect weather for it. Back down we completed the audio tour & agreed that we were both museum’d out. Fortunately just across the road was a waffle stop! Yes Please! Popped in to a bar for a quick drink in their garden before back to the “Ranch” for a siesta. Went out in the evening for birthday drinks/food. Where to tomorrow? Not sure, we may continue in Belgium if we can get the LPG adapter sorted, but if not then back to France to fill up. Our tank is now completely empty.
Our journey began with a mix of emotions – excitement, nerves! Stayed overnight in Canterbury at the park and ride carpark, which was perfectly fine however we realised we had much better things to come. Bucket list No 1. Le Shuttle – after a smooth check in, we drove on to the train at Folkestone and just 35 minutes later we were in Calais. Not wanting to pick up a hitch hiker, we put our foot down and exited quickly. We decided to stop for a quick look at the beaches in Dunkirk, we had a brisk walk then set off for our first campsite. A family run farm campsite just outside of Bailleul. We stopped for some groceries to get us through the next couple of days and arriving at La Ferme Des Saules mid afternoon. We poured ourselves a glass of wine and attempted to get the WiFi in the van sorted.
Settling In!
We woke up to a lovely sunrise and a crisp fresh morning. Decided to walk to the local commonwealth war graves, then on to Mont Noir on the French-Belgian border, we walked one of the trails before heading to the small town that is sandwiched between the two countries. We crossed the border by foot and then back again. On the way back down we stopped off to explore a block house from the first world war and formed part of the Maginot Line. Back at the “Ranch” we decided to cycle down to Bailleul for a quick look around. Out come the bikes and G’s had a flat rear wheel. Luckily we had a pump and hoped it was only a flat. It wasn’t! We googled and found a local velo garage and set off in search of it. The guy there was an absolute star and saved the day with a puncture repair, whilst we waited! After all that we needed some refreshment, so headed back to the town for a drink. Back up the hill, we bumped in to our English neighbour and he invited round to his Moho for a glass of wine! How civilised and British. Each evening we have a “meeting” to discuss our next plans, write our blog and do budget and administrative tasks.
France To Belgium
No road trip is complete without a few surprises! We left Ballieul and our satnav took us the long way round (we need to check the settings) Got to Belgium and whilst on our way to Ypres stumbled on a family run museum that is dedicated to WWI – Hooge Crater Museum. Well worth a visit if in the area. We needed to get LPG before going to our stop for the night. Following the satnav, it took us right through the Menin Gate, so that was our first view of it. We couldn’t fill up as the LPG adaptor we have for Belgium is faulty! One more conundrum for us to solve. Checked in to the site and we were given a lovely large and sunny pitch, at this point we decided to stay an extra night to do some other bits in Ypres. In the evening we went off to have a look around the town, then back to the Menin Gate. At 8pm every evening the Last Post is played in honour of the Allied Soldiers who died defending Belgium in the Great War. Back to the “Ranch” to plan our next move.
The time has finally come. After years (14 to be precise) of dreaming of it, our bags are packed, our van (The Ranch) is ready and Europe is calling. We’re about to start our six month road trip. With just two more days until we hit the road, the excitement (and a little bit of nervousness) is building. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing photo’s of our adventures and updates on the places we’ve stumbled across. Enjoy the ride!
