Travel Journal, 2016 April to June

24 Jun 2016

Winston would have turned in his grave at the way David Cameron gambled the country's economic future on what he thought would be a good way to shut up the rabid right wing of his party. He lost. Talk about Politics 101... But Winston makes a good point about why average voters elect representatives to a parliament that has the resources and intelligence to make informed decisions about very complex matters. To abrogate parliament's responsibilities to the tabloid-reading electorate who saw simple answers to a very complex issue was nothing short of lunacy. Cameron will thoroughly deserve the derision of historians who will judge him. More below.

24 Jun 2016

Campaigns dominated by personalities using three word slogans like "take back control". Clever, huh?

...and promises withdrawn the day after they won.

Demonstrators, young, smart and unafraid of immigrants hit the streets. They know what's best for the country's future prosperity and security.

23 Jun 2016

Same van, but this time the wheels stayed on.

Today I passed the UK practical exam to get my C1 licence. Overall, it involved a medical, a theory test, a hazard perception test, and finally the practical. The licence allows me to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes and so will cover our new motorhome when it arrives. Since 1968 I've held an Australian licence that covers rigid trucks of any weight and trailers up to 9 tonnes, but the UK regulations don't recognise this.

The wheels came off my previous preparation - see the post for April 26.

19 Jun 2016

Rediscovering hills after the Netherlands.

Kate and Vernon's farm is located in a picturesque part of Essex, within easy reach of London. It was good to get back on the tandem to experience the one thing that was missing from our Dutch cycling; hills. Just an easy 40kms returning through the ancient market town of Saffron Walden.

13 Jun 2016

The view from the breakfast stop after returning to the UK on the 13th on the overnight ferry from Hook of Holland to Harwich.

But within a few days, and back at the Little Henham Hall Farm, the rain returned.

Improved weather some days later though for the parkrun in Bushy Park, where the parkrun phenomenon started.

11 Jun 2016

Nijmegen is home to a stunning cycle museum, Velorama, with 250 exhibits from the dawn of cycling in the early 19th century. With cousin Sue and partner Wilfred, we were highly impressed.

Just a tiny sample of the mind-blowing cycling achievements, above a geared penny farthing!

Shaft drive in 1900!

11 Jun 2016

A 30 minute cycle brings you into Nijmegen where there's a free security park for your bikes.

Scenic cycling beside the Waal.

And the town centre, although heavily bombed during WWII, the main buildings have been restored.

10 Jun 2016

Found a very pleasant stopover in an apple orchard.

Today we should have been close to meeting up with Ranald and Marillyn in Sens, France, from where they planned to rent a motorhome and join us for a week or so in North Eastern France. But sadly, industrial disruption, cancelled flights and Euro 2016 conspired to ruin those plans. Next European trip perhaps.

So we headed north en route to the Hook of Holland then back to the UK. This did, fortunately, allow us to visit Nijmegen, near the German border and also meet up with cousin Sue and her partner Wilfred who drove down from Amsterdam for the day.

9 Jun 2016

Maastricht's fort of St Peter is well worth a visit.

Authentic cannon, good guided tours...

And amazing tunnels through the limestone below the fort, including art work.

9 Jun 2016

Again, the Dutch do these things so well. This 13th century Dominican church is now a bookshop with, of course, coffee and free wifi.

9 Jun 2016

The Vrijthof Square, made famous by Andre Rieu and his concerts.

And of course we had to climb the red tower in the photograph at left.

8 Jun 2016

South to Maastricht which, naturally, has a motorhome stopover site, only about 20 minutes cycle away.

Morning peak hour; few cars. Another very likeable Dutch city.

Did the walking tour; centuries of history back to Roman times and before. One of the city walls in the background.

5 Jun 2016

Our tandem companions for the last month, relaxing after David successfully disassembled and packed their Twin Air.

Not to be outdone by Pisa, Gorinchem's big church - just across the square from the coffee shop - has an impressive lean.

The last supper before J&D headed north to return their rented motorhome before jumping on to the train to Schiphol. (We try to avoid too many meal shots, but this really was a brilliant little restaurant.)

5 Jun 2016

It's not particularly easy to squeeze a tandem into one Samsonite case, but David's almost there...

...however needs some moral support from Rosemarie...

...and finally has it ready for check-in.

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