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Published: July 25th 2009
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I don't think that either of us are going to be able to describe Europe's differences in definitive terms to anyone who ever asks. Every time I think I've found the right description of it, like a detail in a dream, when you try to grasp it just falls out of view.
We've now slipped past a week of the adventure and there are certain things that we've grown so quickly accustomed to (driving on the right, bicycles everywhere, the small bricks and steep roof lines of the houses) and things that we're still just constantly seeing as different to home (the calm, a sense of culture or serenity, no huge supermarkets!)
There is so much in the Dutch and Belgian architecture etc that blends - and of course these neighbours would have many similarities - but for me personally it is the fact that the Netherlands seems to balance stunning history and culture with very forward thinking and forward looking eyes that has really impressed me (despite writing this from a very saddle sore position!)
Our favourite campsite so far has been in Belgium - in a place called Ghent and was our first stop. (We've now
stayed on three different ones so this is all clearly coming from a position of supreme knowledge!) Well, it wasn't strictly our first stop, our first stop is now a cinema complex! Maybe not the greatest confidence builder in the accuracy of the book we'd based all our European camping on! Anyway, it had a friendly sense about it and served as a great base for all the places that we sought to explore. From there we went to Brugges and Brussles on the cleanest trains either of us had ever seen! Never did I think I would utter the sentence "I´ll just wait until we're ON the train to use the toilet!!" (especially after Egypt!) Brugges was the picture postcard that you would expect. Even whenever we went off the beaten track - which was often - it was just beautiful. Brussles therefore had a lot to live up to. It did eventually - except when we found the centre although the Mannekin Pis really DID take the piss!! It was tacky! We knew that it was a replica (the original, and even several copies since have been stolen over the years) but as we followed the direction signs and the throng of tourists past all the goudy shops dedicated to the Mannekin we rounded the corner to see a tiny little statue that was dressed up in a lifeguard outfit!! Apparently the thought is to dress it up every few weeks in different outfits according to local events or issues! Tragic but hey, this is tourism!!
We were stunned when we moved on from Belgium to the Netherlands with no more border control than a sign on the motorway to describe the changes in motorway speeds and directions! (Especially considering that some people back home would consider that there should be border control between Lancashire and Yorkshire!!) Immediately the Netherlands had an atmostphere that felt more ´up tempo´ than Belgium and that continued as we continued our visit. We stayed with a lovely friend of Jo's near Amsterdam and she was an awesome hostess. If I were to describe her as a character than a name it would be that she is the living being of
The Secret in action. Finding her true purpose and chasing her dreams has provided us both with such positive and enjoyable company these last two days. I won't describe the cities in great detail here as it wouldn't do them justice anyway. The little streets where cyclists own the roads, the gorgeous canals, constrasted occassionally with vast open spaces. The main structures we visited in these countries were churches or town halls so the cycling trip to Kinderdijk provided a lovely rest from these. 19 windmills all beautifully preserved. They were originally used for pumping water and to preserve the land from floods. There's a saying in Dutch that runs roughly to the lines of
God created the earth for everyone else. The Dutch man made his own. A reference to how most of the Netherlands is below sea level.
After that we moved on to Germany to give Jo's GCSE an airing. Immediately we could both feel the tempo ... or maybe the tension, rise. We were heading to Cologne, which, according to our RoughGuide was the friendliest city in Germany. It wasn't our first impression to be fair as the grumpy man on the campsite reluctantly booked us in, but we weren't to question our hitherto accurate guide book too heavily so early in the adventure. After settling in to a very wet evening in our tent I had to speak to a friend back home about some things and remembered that his brother was in Germany. It had been over 10 years since we'd seen each other and our lives had both changed out of all proportion but we couldn't have had a more warm hearted welcome, good food and an insistence of us staying the night. To see him and his partner with their 3 month old baby was to see two people oozing love from every pore and it was fantastic! During the day we explored Cologne and I marched Jo up the 590ish steps that take you to the top of the Dom - the cities cathedral and largest ever Gothic structure ever built. It was truely huge, the most impressive we have seen so far with every corner lavishly decorated. We relaxed the afternoon eatting ice-cream by the banks of the Rhine and listening to street performers play. With all of that what had appeared to be the increased tension of Germany seemed to evolve into energy and multiculturalism - by the time we got on the tram the vibe was very much like the tube in London. Interesting and vibrant but you wouldn't relax there.
So there is the adventure started. No conclusions or serious musings yet ... just lovely memories to be taking from here to our next stop ... Denmark!
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Mr P
non-member comment
Waffles
I want one of those waffles !