Hampshire Classic - Hotel Van Eyck Genk

... section which was through a separate set of glass doors. I sat down and had a pipe while I drank my water. Shortly after this I was joined by a couple who sat across from me and struck up a conversation (I think it was Dutch). I stoked another pipe and, not knowing the protocol in a coffee shop I did what we do in the UK - if you are smoking with peeps u don't know, pass it round. Both abstained (pipes are notoriously unpopular but I hate tobacco ...

... to reach the train in around 8 days as the weather forecasts the first snow (other than showers) around the 18th (almost universally at this longitude it seems). On the way I will make a day trip to Luxembourg although not spend the night there as it is apparently very expensive - what else do you expect from the only Grand Duchy in the world?
Everything looked solid, until as I was arranging my stuff it started raining, this was not unexpected as today was ...

... I discovered that progress slowed because it was up hill all the way; obviously this is the Netherlands so we are only talking about a gentle incline, but I do mean ALL the way and this made a real difference. Also getting lost in s'-H had not only lost time, but added miles and today was supposed to be an easy day after yesterday. One more stretch stop in a sheltered tunnel and it was time to get the hammer down for the final leg.

I had already resolved to stop ...

De voorbereidingen zijn in volle gang en verlopen voorspoedig. De reisroute is vastgesteld (althans, voor zover dat kan bij een trip als deze), de tickets zijn er, inclusief tickets voor alle treintrajecten. Het zal straks in de praktijk vast wel anders gaan, maar ze zijn niet zo duur en we hebben nu in elk geval een gereserveerde plaats. Meestal is het 2nd AC, op de eerste trajecten 3rd AC. Ook het visum hebben we nu. Volgende week krijgen we de typhusvaccinate, de rest was nog in orde.

... for another hour and 3/4! An English woman called Liz, who was waiting for the bus to the carpark, took pity on me and offered me a lift - she actually was able to give me a lift to right outside Uncle Peter and Aunty Joyce's door in Puerto Banus, which was unexpected and totally fantastic!

I had a lovely, relaxing long weekend with Aunty Joyce and Uncle Peter. I didn't end up venturing further afield, but I really needed some rest and was quite happy to sleep late each day. I ...

... for some hay. On the way home we dropped by a bakery and picked up some traditional dutch pies (apple, custard and berry) which looked exactly like the pies grandma makes! I had multiple pieces of each.
The next day was a Saturday so we headed into Valkenburg for lunch and We all had a go on the Rodelbahn (think go carts mixed with bobsledding) and went on a tour of an old coal mine - one of the last to be closed in the area and now only open for tours. My ...

... between noon and six but it must have been at least 60 or 70. By 6 o'clock most of the guests had left and the party turned into a family affair. The group slowly dwindled until by midnight it was me, Welmoed, Pepi, Bogusia and Marc endlessly telling jokes. Wow! 80 years old and she partied for 12 hours!

... time and yet go away with a feeling of having been a part of the life there, whereas in Amsterdam you leave after a short stay feeling you were no more significant to the city than the tides...actually a lot less important given the nature of the cities perilous position. In any case, Maastricht has turned out to be really pleasant. It is packed with Medieval Gothic architecture, the old city walls and very good food. In fact today has been a strain on a stomach ...

... to all that Dutch colonial imperialism in the then Dutch East Indies a few centuries ago, spotting Indonesian restuarants in the Netherlands was about as difficult as spotting druggies at a rave party. And if this particular restuarant is indicative of the others then finding a superb meal is no more difficult – even though the Dutch menu didn’t give us too many hints on exactly what we were choosing.

Dit is de start van een nieuw leven! Een jaar lang weg uit de omgeving die voor mij gedurende 18 jaar zo bekend is geworden. Die bekende omgeving ga ik nu verlaten en ga nieuwe horizonten opzoeken. Spannend? Eng? Ik denk een beetje van beiden. Maar dat wil niet zeggen dat ik het niet meer zie zitten.

De laatste dagen zijn hier wel wat vreemd geweest, de dag komt ook zo dichtbij. Afscheidsfeestje is geweest voor vrienden en familie. Want ik ga ...