Wednesday 22nd July 2015

Kate and I had a quite magnificent send off from Warwick Parkway!

Bob and Wendy surprised us by turning up, as did Sally Jeffcoate. Elle, Josh and Rose and George and Charlie were also there. Jim and Caroline deserve a special mention as they not only looked after us for five days, but also took us to the train station. 

Jim's wine and beer cellar has had a bit of a hammering over the last five days! Sorry Jim!

What a fantastic and memorable send-off!

We dropped our car off at Dave and Jo's to look after for the year - thanks guys. (David, please do not use it as a tractor - or a combine!)

Our infamy spread, as we were questioned by a lady at Marylebone Station as to why we had such a big send off. Likewise by a couple at Warwick.

Eurostar is not as glamorous as we had hoped. We had visions of supping Janet and Dave's chilled Lanson Rose Champagne, but the honest truth is that it was a bit of a bun-fight. I have learned my first travelling lesson: Tolerance.

Sharing a cabin with 18 people including four children under 3 tested my patience and resolve.

We arrived at Antwerp's Number 1 Trip Advisor tourist spot - the railway station. Trains actually arrive and "park" on three different levels which is simultaneously fascinating and quite disconcerting.

Antwerp's railway station concourse

We had visions of enjoying our first meal on the continent by tucking into a hearty meal accompanied  by several Belgian beers, but unfortunately we picked the only restaurant in Antwerp that was dry. 

However, not only was the food excellent, but it was owned by a Cuban, so we listened to and discussed Buena Vista Social Club, including Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo and Ry Cooder over freshly squeezed apple juice!

Antwerp is worth a weekend's visit ... and importantly for Kate, the sun was shining.

Waffles and beer were tried, tasted and tested.

Thursday 23rd July 2015

We caught the train from Antwerp to 'sHertogenbosch, better known as Den Bosch, no doubt because no one can remember  how to pronounce the real name properly. (An odd place for an apostrophe?)

Our long-standing friends from our Cleeve Prior days picked us up from the station and took us to their lovely home in Heusden, a medieval town surrounded by a fortress wall and a moat. The view from our bedroom window was truly Dutch, complete with windmill and water.

The view from our bedroom window

We spent two invaluable days with Jackie and Martin as well as Bex, Kate's God-daughter. We spent the time chilling after the arduous task of preparing for the adventure as well as re-assessing our kit.

George had quite rightly stated that we had too much kit and so we have left some behind for Jackie to drop off with Josh when she visits England. Our zips on our rucksacks no longer struggle to close, which reduces our stress levels considerably as well as the pressure on our rucksacks.

It's surprising what becomes a priority... not surprisingly, the hair dryer has survived the first cull.

Friday 24th July 2015.

Our plan for the first two weeks, was to actually have  no plan....and this paid dividends.....