Tales From The Road

phew...Its been a while since the last entry. We've got a lot of catching up to do! We've not really had any Internet Access since we left Peggy's in Amsterdam and in the short time we did I only had time to check emails & banking etc. Amsterdam was cool, im having a hard time remembering what we did though it seems like so long ago and we've done so much since. We walked into the city which is about 15 mins from Peggy's flat. We went an Earth From The Air gallery by Yann Arthus-Bertrand which was free (we're still travelling on the cheap) then basically just wandered around the city taking in the sights untiul it was time to head back for tea. It was nice to have some home cooked meals, we chatted and drunk lots of wine which was nice. We walked back into the city in the evening for the customary walk round the red light district. This was fun as always but there didnt seem to be as many girls as last time, maybe as it was Sunday. We ended up in nice small bar and caught the end of a live Jazz act over some drinks before heading back. At some point over the few days we were there (I cant remember now) we went to the 'Jordaan Festival' in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam. I've never seen anything so cheesy in all my life! Uber cheesy europop and traditional Dutch songs, it all got a bit too much and we left after about half an hour!

We left Peggy's and headed to the biggest national park in Holland called Hoge Veluwe. Chloe drove us there, which was her first time driving on the continent. She did really well and got us there with no hiccups (not that there was any doubt of course..) It was really nice to have a change from the cities and be somewhere quieter surrounded by nature. We camped for two nights and spent most of the days cycling around the park on the free bikes - we covered 18km in total!

we had sore bums the next day...it was all good though and we saw lots of wildlife including deer, stags, bats, lizards, hornets and all manner of strange looking beasties.

From there on we headed into Germany. The second country on our list.

By Matt

The reality of shoestring travel hits home... We walk into Rotterdam all geared up for the day.. but shit! wait! we've got no money! What are we going to do? Wander the streets all day? That was my initial thoughts as we walked through Rotterdam. Then I came to realise that it's not all about going to all the 'attractions' and doing the tours - it's about absorbing what's around you, watching the world, a different world than what you're accustomed to go by, and it's about finding the good free or cheap things to do. It's these things that are the most rewarding things you can experience.

There were two highlights of my day, the first came from a tip off in a student budget guide about Rotterdam. It stated that the World Trade Centre is a public building and because of this anyone can walk in, take the elevator to the top floor and admire the panoramic bird's eye view of the city. So we did - and what a view! - breathtaking some might say. But it was all very strange, we stepped out into some business conference suite with red carpet, office chairs and tea, coffee & biscuits, it felt as though any minute a group of high powered executives would walk in and start discussing the current trade routes from Holland. Either that or several security guards would come in and turf us out by the scruff of our necks. But they didn't and we enjoyed the views unspoilt. As we were leaving the plate of biscuits caught my eye so I dashed over picked one up & started munching it. As we got to the lift - Chloe turns round to see me munching on a continental tasty treat - she started laughing, which made me laugh and we both giggled all the way back to the ground floor.

What did suprise me was the lack of security. I walked in with a rucksack, which could have been filled with God knows what & got in the lift & went wherever I wanted. Perhaps in the UK we are just over obsessed with security - influenced by the US. It would be interesting to know what the crime rates are over here - perhaps a relaxed society and relaxed laws actually reduce the amount of crimes commited - whereas a strictly controlled society gives people a desire to break the law or somehow break free from this 'Social oppresion'. I don't know maybe I'm rambling - I'm sure in principal it makes sense.

The other highlight was watching a street performer - not that seeing someone busking is anything out of the ordinary but this was different. A man playing djembe and singing proper ragga/dancehall style in the vein of Capleton etc. It was really good - he played with a passion that you don't always see in a busker - he was an entertainer & a musician. We watched for a while and I gave him a few euros. It felt better to give my money to someone who deserved it and not a fat cat attraction owner.

It was a rewarding day which encompassed a long hard walk. I don't know how many miles we walked but it was a lot! and now my feet are hurting. But all is not lost as Chloe is massaging them for me - what a star! City walking is a good start in the training process, as we move away from the cities we will be able to do some hill walking which I am looking forward to.

Also got some photos up now as we are staying with an aunt in Amsterdam now. Ive edited some of the previous entries so it all looks a bit nicer now.

By Matt.

We arrived in the only campsite in Rotterdam yesterday we found it very quickly and were here within about 15 mins from leaving Delft. I was not that impressed with the campsite when we arrived as it was much more expensive than the last campsite & does not have as many facilities, you even have to pay for toilet roll! Matt set up the awning in the afternoon & then we relaxed in the evening.

Today we ventured out to Rotterdam, we walked rather than getting the bus so we got to see lots of interesting people on the way. There are lots of bike & cycle paths everywhere and mopeds use the same paths which can be quite scary!

We have walked around the town all day & are now very tired. There is lots to see but not much to do without much money! We went to see the Cube Houses which are very interesting & we went inside the show cube which was really cool. Matt liked it a lot!

We also went to the World Trade Centre as we had a tip that you could go up to the top & get good views, much like the euromast but for free, as it is a public building. We thought we would give it a go and walked in & took the lift up to the 23rd floor. We walked in to a room called 'town hall room' which was empty & led to a conference room which seemed very business like and a bit strange, it didnt seem like we should have been allowed in there! There were amazing views over the whole of Rotterdam & there was no one around. Just as we were going back to the lift Matt took a biscuit from a table and munched it on the way back down which made us both laugh! We used some very nice toilets there aswell for free as you have to pay to use most of the toilets & there are not many around.

We are now going to have a cheap dinner at a place that does vegetarian falafel with as much salad as you can eat for 3 euros then go to a bar for a couple of drinks.

Tomorrow we are going to go to Amsterdam & then to Hog Veluwe, which is a national park with free bikes you can ride and then on to Germany. It has been really warm the last few days, almost like Summer!

By Chloe

Well we're finally here...after a long ferry crossing and an even longer drive trying to find the campsite we arrived in Delft. It should have taken us 30 mins to find it but we were driving round for 3 hours!! With the help of some friendly locals we eventually worked out where we were and where we needed to get to. The good feeling of contentment I experienced whilst looking out over the North Sea on the way was pushed to the limit but returned once we had settled on the site.

The site is nice, but a little to fancy for my taste - I think we're gonna look out for something a bit more rural next time, although it is hard to find them when you're near bigger towns. We explored the main town of Delft this morning and spyed out the local area - it's quite nice, lots of canals etc but not much else. Im quite glad this is just a stopover as I dont think I'd like to spend too much time here. This afternoon we're going to hire some bikes and go for a ride round the lake which is behind where we are camping and get some much needed exercise (and check out the nudist beach ;-) ). I hope this time away travelling will give me the opportunity to build my fitness levels back up as they are severely lacking!

Anyway on to Rotterdam tomorrow for a couple of nights then to Amsterdam for a couple more. Lets hope I dont get lost on the way!

By Matt

Today is the day that our house sale finally went through! We slept at the beach last night & when I woke up this morning and went for a walk along the beach it hit me that I can now do whatever I want when I want for a long time! Matt was still in bed of course as I couldn't get him up that early even to walk along the beach!

We packed up the last few bits from the house & left the keys. We were a bit sad but we cheered up when we saw our bank balance later in the day! The van is all packed up & ready to go & all the stuff we are hanging on to is in Matt's parents loft!

We now have a week or so to hang around until our last injections on the 7th September and then we are off. We are getting the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland & then wherever we feel like going after that.

I am also really excited about a European winter & hopefully some snow. We have plenty of warm clothes & blankets which should sort us out.

By Chloe