It’s up, oh so bright and early, to get to the ferry terminal this morning. Not a fan of an early morning start, I must say. Smacks too much of a working day.
Compared to the Dover/Calais crossing, the admin for this one is a breeze with fewer check points and a much smaller boarding scale. Interestingly though, it’s the biggest ferry we’ve been on.
Ho, hum. Seven hours, here we go. I’ve armed myself with many books but all the same I’m looking forward to it being over. Luckily for Chris the sea is a smooth as glass. He really jags these crossings – we’ve not had a rough one yet.
It takes an age to cross, but here and there are points of interest. A wind farm, triffids, as I like to call them, rise from the sea at one point. They’re everywhere here – Europe takes renewable energy very seriously. There’s also an extraordinaryly brisk shipping lane with freighters going each way. It as busy as a freeway.
Landing in the Hook of Holland is again, a simpler affair than Calais. One point of exit, one quick checkpoint. I can see that all the borders being progressively being tightened over the past few years. Brexit will be interesting to watch in this respect.
The late afternoon is a warm balm. 24 degrees, gorgeous blue sky. It’s immediately apparent we are in Holland. Canals and waterways feature heavily, waterbirds are everywhere and there are well thought out bike lanes everywhere, one lined with an avenue of red roses. At one stage a magnificent heron flys past us on a low trajectory. He’s beautiful.
We settle on a the water for the night. There’ll be no garden tomorrow. I found out on the ferry that it’s open only briefly, in tulip season, March through to May. Another thing to add to the list when time and I are better friends.
Miss Baci Travels 