We travel again, but… in the Netherlands – October 2020

Picking up the RV at the workshop

At the beginning of October 2020 we pick up our motorhome at the Frankia dealer. Early in the morning we drive to Nederweert where we arrive around 11 am. After a cup of coffee, the mechanic shows us how our new purchase works.

Finally, after 10 years, Dick has gotten his long desired hydraulic supports. You immediately see that these levelers do their job well. We can get rid of all the boards and other ramps. In the future Dick will be able to level our Frankia with one push of a button. After admiring our new mattresses (the old one had already a hollow), we drive to Utrecht where the motorhome will get an annual safety inspection.

After a day the Fiat garage give us a call. Reflective lights along the side of the motorhome, which really should burn, don’t do that and so there cannot be an inspection approval. So again, on Monday October 5^th, we drive with our motorhome to Nederweert. Let’s hope that the dealer can quickly find the defect. Fortunately, the weather is bad, lots of rain, so we don’t feel really sorry that we cannot leave yet for our autumn holiday.

Our intention was to roam through France and get a breath of fresh air in Normandy and Brittany and until two weeks ago I managed to make a route between the red (Corona) French areas. Last week, that route was limited to Northern France and Luxembourg. But unfortunately this week, due to the large increase in Corona infections, both France and Belgium are completely red and therefore only accessible for strictly necessary travels, a holiday trip is no longer possible. In fact, traveling around in our own country would not be possible, because the Netherlands is also colored red due to the high numbers of Corona infections, but because travel is not yet prohibited in the Netherlands, we decide to travel around in our own “Frankia bubble”. The dealer replaces a new circuit board in the fuse box, causing the side reflectors to light up again, the Fiat garage takes care of our inspection certificate and the weather forecast finally shows no more incessant rainfall.

That means that on Thursday October 15^th we prepare the motorhome in front of our house and drive to Zeeland (the south-west part of the Netherlands) early afternoon. When arriving in Hansweert, all available parking spots are occupied. But even if there was a place, we could not park here. These places are built for smaller RV’s and our 26 feet Frankia is really too long. So we drive back to Brabant and find a parking near the center of the small town of Hoogerheide.

Mini library in Hoogerheide

It is not far to walk to a mini library, a book stall in the center, where we exchange some books for free. Due to the high level of Corona infections in our country, yesterday our government announced additional restrictive measures, as a result of which all restaurants and coffeehouses are closed. It gives the town of Hoogerheide, where many of these establishments are located, a deserted look.

It is cold outside and even a down jacket under my regular jacket does not provide enough warmth so, after done some shopping to cook tonight, we walk back to the motorhome, warm ourselves with a delicious cup of hot chocolate and enjoy our new books.

The dealer also took care of our propane-cooker, which is noticeable when we start cooking because flames appear immediately. How wonderful this is.
Friday October 16^th the temperature does not rise above 54 degrees Fahrenheit, but besides clouds, every now and then a ray of sun appears and there is practically no wind, so a good day to go out.

Cycling in West Brabant

Because the supermarket is within walking distance, we start the day with fresh croissants, giving a good start for our cycling tour.
It is fun cycling on the border area between Belgium and the Netherlands and we cycle through forests, moors and dune areas. When we are back at the motorhome 5 hours later, it is busy on the parking. Tonight 7 motorhomes are parked here.
We leave Hoogerheide on Saturday October 17^th.
A year ago we were able to pick up our Frankia and since then we have driven 7242 miles. Not really much. It’s caused mostly by the many travel restrictions and border closures due to Corona.

There is enough space on the esplanade of Bergen op Zoom, only 8 miles from Hoogerheide and after we have figured out where the dump place is located, we park in a spot with a view over the lake.

Angling for geocaches

It’s still early in the morning so we take our bikes because there are many caches with a high degree of difficulty hidden in this area.
All caches are located high in the trees and because the trees in question are next to a path where residents walk their dogs, Dick takes a lot of interest when he angles for the geocaches in the trees.

In the afternoon, after a few drops of rain, the gray sky gives way to blue, finally we enjoy the lovely sun.
We love it because now we cycle along the Oosterschelde (an arm of the sea in the South-Western part of our country) and we enjoy the salty air.
Late in the afternoon, just before dusk and after cycling for 18 miles, we are back at the motorhome.

Sunset in Bergen op Zoom

Unfortunately only a short time we admire the sun setting over the water before the cloud-cover closes completely.

Because there is a good Turkish eatery on the boulevard, we take out our dinner, a good choice because it tastes good.

Sunday October 18^th we don’t get up until half past eight. We are long sleepers when we travel around in our motorhome. Unfortunately the clouds are still covering the sky and it is gray outside but there is no wind so, despite the fact that it is only 52 degrees Fahrenheit, it does not feel really cold.
After a breakfast with stale bread (there is no bakery open in the Netherlands on Sunday morning) we drive to the dump place further down the esplanade where we get rid of our gray- and black water. There is also a water tap with the indication “no drinking water”, but as we already used some water, we decide to fill up with clean water anyway. Actually, we only take showers and wash up with this water, the little water we ingest when brushing our teeth is good for our bacteria resistance. At half past ten we drive on and after 72 miles we are already at our destination, a parking near the center of the town of Helmond.

RV-parking Helmond

This parking is fairly sloping and for the first time we see how our levelers lift the motorhome high above street level. How fantastic this works, Dick radiates when he straightens the motorhome with the push of a button. Even I have to admit that it is very easy and I am actually glad that the mess with boards and other aids to level is over. Despite the fact that our front wheels hang freely in the air, the motorhome stays firm and levelled. However, getting in and out is a bit more difficult because our steps are not designed for a motorhome hanging so high above the ground.

As it is still early afternoon, we take our e-bikes and explore the area, which has a high forest content. We are not the only ones who enjoy nature because everywhere it is busy with hikers. However, the forests here are very extensive so soon we leave the crowds behind and cross almost exclusively on narrow mountain bike paths. At these moments I am very happy with our cross country tires on our e-bikes.

Magic box caches

Of course, as always, our route is determined by geocaches so we can easily find our way through this vast forest.
We regularly have to worry about opening complicated cache enclosures and enjoy the colored forest.
Just before dusk we are back at the motorhome after 4 ½ hours of biking around.
We have a simple dinner with a vegan schnitzel, rösti (Swiss hash browns) and cucumber, but after our portion of fresh air that tastes fine.
Here it’s quiet outside and we will stay alone in this parking tonight.
We also stay in Helmond on Monday to cycle around. It is autumn and this is clearly noticeable in the dense forests.
Everywhere we see beautiful toadstools (those real red ones) and many trees are also covered in splendor of colors.

Toadstools in the forest

It is Monday, October 19^th and significantly quieter, although we still regularly encounter other two-legged living creatures while cycling along the narrow, sometimes sandy, paths. In the afternoon we are even rewarded with a little sun and it is even more pleasant to cycle around. Yet after 6 ½ hours we have had enough and cycle back to the motorhome after also surveying the neighbourhood, because we want to find a bakery and eatery. The first to get fresh bread tomorrow morning and the latter to take out food tonight. After all that outside air

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, we won’t cook ourselves.

Tuesday, after a breakfast with fresh bread from the nearby bakery, we drive to the city of Sittard. There is still no wind, but the sky is completely gray and every now and then it rains. There is sufficient parking space in Sittard. I do not recognize this parking but when we stayed here 10 years ago the pool next door burned down. Fortunately, the rain stops soon after our arrival so in the afternoon we take the bike to cycle through the Limburg hills.

Still of bikes

It is beautiful, forests alternate with pastures and arable land and the border with Germany is not far away because regularly we see on side roads signs with German texts.

However, the soil is clearly different here than in Brabant (the southern part of our country) because on some steep descents the narrow paths are quite slippery and sometimes we have to be very careful not to fall down.
Slopes also mean high plains and therefore wind, so when we return to the motorhome end of the afternoon, we feel roseate.
All motorhomes in the parking lot left, there were 7 motorhomes. Probably that is caused by the movements in this enormous parking lot. Cars drive back and forth, indicate with flashes of light where they are waiting and after a brief contact moment, cars leave again. Clearly people are dealing drugs on this parking lot. However, they do not disturb us and we sleep like marmots.

Because it is still raining on Wednesday, October 21^st, we decide to leave Sittard. Yesterday the cycle paths were already slippery and that will not improve with the rain, pouring down for hours. We set course to the North. With a detour via Nuenen.

Geocaching shop in Nuenen

In the geocache shop, located here, we buy a number of strong magnets. You regularly need magnets to angle a geocache.

Unfortunately, the store is only open for pick-up orders and Corona is not really the time to rummage so Dick goes alone inside and quickly we are on our way again and at half past two we arrive in Westervoort. We park in the last free spot.

Once again, the new levelers lift our front wheels into the air and the grin on Dick’s face never disappears. We have some time to explore the area before dark and cycle an 8 miles round trip. At one point the paths in the woods are so muddy that it’s enough and we set course back to our Frankia.

Under the watchful eye of the residents of the other motorhomes, we ride a few laps through the water puddles to get the dirty mud off our tires. When the bicycles are acceptable (a sort of clean) Dick stores them in the garage. Now I am occupied with the soles of our shoes, not an unnecessary action given the mud lumps. There is a Chinese restaurant nearby and since we haven’t eaten Chinese in centuries, we take out dinner there in the evening. Not a bad choice because it tastes good and we have food for two days.

On Thursday, October 22^nd, many clouds have disappeared and now and then the sun shines. On our way to Varsseveld we stop at the outdoor shop Obelink.

Outdoor shop Obelink

Finally, we can buy filters that absorb the odors from our toilet and after some other shopping we continue our trip. We arrive early afternoon in Varsseveld so I have the opportunity to visit the hairdresser.
Since no one is in the hair salon, I can get a haircut right away. However, with a mask on, because the number of Corona infections is also increasing in the eastern part of our country.

At the hair dresser in Varsseveld

Fortunately Dick is a master in sewing masks so it is no problem to keep my mask on. The elastic can be slid all the way into my neck and still covers my face. Dick looks disapproving when I am back home, and for good reason because although short, my haircut isn’t really nice done. Despite the fact that Dick does not like short hair, he still wants to walk around with me in town. But it could also be caused by the fact he needs glue and some other stuff.

Friday October 23^rd it is foggy outside but windless and at least 59 degrees Fahrenheit, so not cold at all. We therefore take our e-bikes to explore the surroundings of Varsseveld.
Our trip takes us through forests and along sandy paths and sometimes Dick’s navigation takes us over bumpy fields to find back a forest path. The area is beautiful, but to be honest, I think the forests in the south of the Netherlands with their beautiful red mushrooms are more beautiful.
Eventually we arrive in Aalten where the “National Onderduik museum” is located. It’s dedicated to the people who needed to hide from the occupier during WW-II. We did not know it existed. Unfortunately it is closed, we would love it to look around.
After 6 hours and 26 miles of cycling we are back at the motorhome. The sun is shining and the weather is lovely.

Restaurant Enzovoort

We walk to restaurant “Enzovoort” to check the takeout times.
These are different than before, so we order our desired meals in advance.

In the evening we pick up our meal.

The owners are clearly disappointed that their restaurant had to close again. During the weekend they cook for take-out and again we are not disappointed. The quality of the food remains as good as ever.

Saturday October 24^th, after breakfast, we drive to Aalten. Yesterday, near a geocache site, we discovered a dump site where, before continuing our trip, we want to dump our gray- and black water.  Since there is also a water tap, we fill up with water before driving north.
The shortest way takes us through a part of Germany. Great, because now we can buy the tasty German bread and also yoghurt and Pfalz wine.
Refuelling with gasoline would also be beneficial, German diesel is 12 cents (about 54 cents a gallon) lower priced per liter, but we are filled up more than three-quarters.

There is no check at the border of our countries, so apparently it is allowed to cross the border for daily shopping. Staying overnight in Germany is not allowed, due to the high number of Corona infections in the Netherlands. Only when you have a recent negative Corona test it’s allowed. And neither of us want to pay 125 euros per person for such a test.
When we arrive in the town of Emmen it is busy with parked motorhomes, but nevertheless we can find a spot. The sun regularly shines through the clouds so we take our bikes. The surroundings of Emmen are surprisingly beautiful.

The “Hondsrug”, a 44 miles long ridge created during the last ice age, about 66 feet above sea level starts close to the motorhome parking

Cycling on the Hondsrug

We climb the dune of a sand drift and enjoy the view of the colored forests surrounding this dune.
Unfortunately we do not see a Hunebed (a prehistoric megalithic tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones).

Although we can find them in these forests, we don’t have time to look for them, because we are determined (I suppose “we is me, Tita”) to visit the “Land Art” project here.
In the 1960s and 1970s, a movement arose in which artists made radical, artistic interventions in a landscape.

Landscape and Art were inextricably linked through the digging of canals, the ordered dumping of boulders or the creation of soil or twigs deposits. Artists wanted to show that the whole of nature is included in art. In June 1971 the American artist Smithson (maker of the “Spiral Jetty” in the Great Salt Lake, Utah) realized a Land Art in a sand quarry in Emmen and that is our destination. I am very disappointed when the entrance to this “Land Art” is closed and we cannot visit the two art objects: “Broken Circle” and “Spiral Hill”. Their location is closed off by a large solid fence and rows of barbed wire.

Land Art “Spiral Hill”

Dick says it is not a problem because on the internet he saw the image of both art objects. I, on the contrary, definitely want to see them in real.

When I find a part of the henced grounds where the barbed wire barriers is laying on the ground and see ways to climb over it, I make my way through dense brushwood and trees scattered all over the place, and finally can take a look at Spiral Hill.

It is difficult to get really close from this place, but further on, again   a piece of barbed wire is lying flat and directly I find myself on (according to Dick) forbidden territory.

This time, after almost a death torment over another hidden strand of more barbed wire and thus covered with scratches and blood stains, I manage to set foot on the beach and walk towards the artwork.

Land Art “Broken Circle”

The Broken Circle is below me and after 49 years, this work of art is still intact and beautiful to see. I enjoy this Land Art for some time and then struggle again through the bushes and over the various barbed wire strands back to the road where Dick has found the geocache hidden here and waits (patiently) for me.

It is now late afternoon and slowly we cycle back to the motorhome where we arrive just before darkness falls.

As soon as our e-bikes are stored, we drink a glass of Pfalz wine, eat toasts with French cheese and later in the evening a schnitzel.
Life is good, we enjoy.

Wintertime starts tonight so we “only” slept for 11 hours when getting up at 8 am on Sunday October 25^th.
It has been raining all night and even now we still hear the drops on the roof, but when finishing breakfast the rain stops. It is gray outside and the weather does not look very appealing. We long for the sun.
Again we take our bikes to explore another part of Emmen. When we cycle past the animal park “Wildlands” it is already very busy. Although it’s Corona time and gray weather still many people visit this Zoo.
We find quiet sandy roads just outside of Emmen, the only living creatures here are the Herdwick Sheep from the Lake district.

De Dik (ste) Stien in Drenthe

Finally we are back in the woods where we find a Megalith, a 88.185 lbs heavy stone.
It is not without reason that this is called the “Dik (ste) stien” (thickest stone) of Drenthe. It is not as big as the megalith “Ayers Rock” in Central Australia. The visible circumference is of about 46 feet while its Australian counterpart is many, many miles bigger in circumference

This Dutch megalith is foreign (our soil has no rocks) and was left here by glaciers some 128,000 to 238,000 years ago. Ofcourse I have to “climb” this rock, a tricky business because the stone is very slippery.

Even though we are wearing our rain suits, the falling rain is not so pleasant to stay outside longer and we cycle back to the motorhome. When the rain stops in the afternoon I walk into town, but I find out that I don’t like shopping in Corona time, so I am back soon and the rest of the day I enjoy my exciting book: “the Seventh Scroll” by Wilbur Smith.
In the evening

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, it is already dark at 5 pm, I walk back to town to get a delicious Turkish Döner dish that tastes really good.

Monday morning the rain stopped but it is still gray weather and we decide to drive back home. Enough is enough. At the end of the morning we are back home where we empty the motorhome and clean it inside and outside. Now the weather is sunny. Great because you don’t want to unload a motorhome during rainfall. At the end of the afternoon we drive to the storage where we park the motorhome. At home a huge laundry is waiting.

Hitting the road again, September 2020

September route

Although we just returned from a nice trip through Germany with our motorhome, I am already looking for a next tour. Mid-September our diary has a few days without appointments and there is a Cito (Cache in Trash out) clean up day at the Kaarster See in Germany, so we also have a destination.
The next days I sit behind the laptop to convert our available days into a route to drive.

It works well, also because we want to go back to Appingedam in the northern part of our country, so quickly I can present Dick a nice route, with a high geocache content. Actually, Dick never study intensively my proposals.
He looks at them for a moment and mumbles something, so I’m never quite sure or Dick wants to leave again, but he (almost) never grumbles about my love of travel and travel plans, so it will be fine.

Motorhome parking

Early morning on Saturday, September 12^th, we pick up the motorhome from the storage. When we arrive the motorhome is still in the storage because a new employee cannot start the engine. Dick takes a quick look and finds out that this is caused by the power interrupter switch and when he turns this switch, the engine of the motorhome runs directly and it can be driven outside.
When we arrive at home, we can park in the parking lot, thanks to one of our neighbors who wants to move his car. The rest of the day we are busy loading stuff, clothing, books and drinks and making our bed. Dick also manufactures a support in the storage of the motorhome so our new camping table can be placed there.

Tita on the road with her aunt

Our plan is to leave on Monday morning, but Sunday September 13^th , after a pleasant day with nieces in Papendrecht, I return home at 5.15 pm. It’s still daylight so we leave now. Dick already loaded the last stuff we have to take with us, so I can board the motorhome and within 10 minutes we are on our way to Varsseveld.
It is still busy on the road, partly caused by the beautiful weather this weekend, but also because roads are closed due to roadwork, so everyone has to make a detour, but at 7.30 pm we arrive in Varsseveld.

There is only one motorhome in the parking lot, so we can stay here. It is significantly cooler now the sun is gone, so when we hear that there is still a possibility to have dinner at restaurant Enzovoort and tables inside are available, we take a seat and enjoy the spareribs, again all you can eat.
The next time I deny “all you can eat” because after two ribs I am already full.

Spare Ribs at Enzovoort

But every time we have dinner in this restaurant the quality of the food is good.
Under a clear starry sky, we walk back to the motorhome and sleep well.

After a delicious breakfast with fresh croissants on Monday morning, we drive to the outdoor shop Obelink where we look around and buy bidons. We have forgotten to take them and with the current temperatures cycling around without drinking water is not really wise.
At 1.30 pm we arrive in Appingedam where we occupy the last available spot. You still notice that people in Corona time do not really leave the country and prefer to stay close by. Besides we still  live with Corona so some places in Europe are impassable. We take quite a long time to level our motorhome because this free spot is on a slope. And I agree with Dick that the motorhome should be levelled because it really does not make you happy to stay in an inclined motorhome.

Motorhome parking Appingedam

But finally, the motorhome is levelled with the wooden levelers made by Dick. At times like this I wish to have hydraulic levelers.

We drink coffee and then walk into the old town of Appingedam. Two previous times we walked here it was considerably colder but now we enjoy the shining sun and the steel-blue sky. We stroll through the narrow streets and see canals with houses and overhanging kitchens (special to this town).

Outside kitchens

We walk 3.5 miles before going back. We sit outside in the sun for a while, watch the arriving and departing buses at this bus station and eat toasts with French cheese. As soon as the sun disappears behind the houses, it cools down and we go inside. We have eaten so much toast that we are no longer hungry and the food bought at the supermarket stays in the fridges. We only drink a coffee before going to bed.

Tuesday after breakfast, with fresh bread rolls, we take our bikes to cycle around. There is a nice cycling and geocache tour from the neighboring city of Delftzijl. This route will takes us through the Groningen landscape.

View on the river Eems

We ride partly behind the dike, partly over the dike, from where we have a beautiful view of the enormous water surface of the river Eems.
There is no wind and the water is so wide that the German bank on the other side is not visible. It is getting warmer and it is good that we can have drinks and ice cream at farms.
We enjoy the different geocaches we find along the way. There are so many geocaches that we cannot find all hidden caches so we have a good reason to return to this northern part of the country.

After 7 hours of cycling and 22 miles we are back at the motorhome. Despite the fact that it is almost 5.30 pm, it is still 81 degrees Fahrenheit so we relax outside and replenish our lack of moisture. In the evening I buy schnitzels (porc meat German art) with chips and salad in the snack bar next to the bus station. But it is a lot of food, so it is good that in the evening I have to walk back and forth over the bus-parking 8 times with watering cans to refill our clean water tank. Till late in the evening it stays warm outside

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, and again we sleep with all windows wide open.

After dumping our gray and black water on Wednesday morning, September 16^th, we leave Appingedam. Other motorhomes are waiting to take our place. We drive on narrow back roads to the border with Germany where armed police officers guard the border. A strange sight, because in the European Union is free movement of people and goods, but it’s Corona time and nothing is strange anymore. We are not stopped but are allowed to continue our drive.
Just before one pm we arrive in the town of Hagen in the Teutoburgerwald. Again the parking is busy with motorhomes but, there is still a place where we can park. Outside in the warm sun we drink a cup of coffee and then we walk to the center of town. I thought this was a historic town, but we don’t see much of it and we don’t really find it a special town.

Geocaching close to the bank

But we decided to walk around so we take a leisurely stroll through the streets, look around at a cozy market, with a mouth mask because everyone wears it, and take a seat on a terrace of a bakery where we cannot ignore the good-looking cakes.

On the way back to the motorhome we look for a few more caches in the area. One geocache is very nice, a safe in the ground under a thick steel lid, filled with old European money and of course on the grounds of a bank building.
We do not know or the bank also likes people searching around here in the evening and at night. After a 3.5 miles walk, we are back at the motorhome. Although the sun is still shining, a cold wind is blowing now so we stay inside.

Dick is cooking tonight

Dick cooks delicious food in the evening. Besides some leftover chips (from our copious meal yesterday) we have spinach, egg and meatballs. Really a feast.

On Thursday, September 17^th, we don’t wake up until 8.30 am. We always sleep long and deeply when travelling in our motorhome.
Of course, like every morning, I walk into town to get fresh bread. Only when I am close by, after a 10-minute walk, I realize that I have forgotten my mouth mask. That means that I am not allowed to enter the bakery. How sickening.
At the door of the bakery I pull the collar of my sweater over my mouth and ask or I can come inside. Fortunately

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, it’s allowed. Walking so is a bit inconvenient, because with one hand I keep the collar over my mouth and with the other hand I have to pull my wallet to pay. That clumsy behavior leads to a curious look from another customer, so I am glad when I can walk back to the motorhome with fresh rolls. We enjoy a delicious breakfast.

The next few days we will not have places to dump our gray and black water nor water taps on the parking areas, so before leaving we fill up with clean water and dump our gray and black water. Then we drive through the sun-drenched landscape. Unfortunately, it is no longer as warm as the past few days due to a cold wind. Our destination is the town of Gladbeck, but when we arrive at the enclosed spot in the middle of the forest, we see that we are too long for the spots on the sunny side. In addition, the “Platz wart” (terrain guard) does not allow us to stand where we want and actually we can only have a place on a grass strip in the shade. But we don’t like that place so we leave.

We are now in the industrial Ruhr area and drive through an “Umwelt zone” where only cars with a green Umwelt sticker are allowed. That means that older cars cannot drive in this area but we can. The town of Oberhausen is our second stop. Here is a huge parking lot between sports stadiums. Again, we are not really thrilled with the place (it’s really windy here) so after looking around we hit the road again and drive to Mülheim an der Ruhr.

It takes a bit more effort to get here due to a huge fire in the area. Traffic jam is everywhere, huge clouds of smoke are to be seen and it doesn’t smell good outside, but after half an hour we arrive at the parking near the river Ruhr. We both have the feeling that we have been here before. We have to check that at home in one of the many journals in which we write our travels. When the motorhome is parked, we walk to the Rewe supermarket around the corner.

Church tower Mühlheim ad Ruhr

It is really necessary to do some shopping. But when all food is put away, we finally can walk to the center of the town of Mülheim. It is a nice walk that takes us partly along the river Ruhr.

Of course, we look for some geocaches along the way and enjoy the warm weather. The center has a beautiful church with a tall tower but it is almost 6 pm so we want to return to the motorhome. Despite the attractive restaurants everywhere, we do not go out for dinner and again Dick prepares our food. After these 4 miles long walk, the beans and meatballs tastes good.
We both have thrilling books, Dick reads: “the Jury” by John Grisham and I read the German book “der Pferdeflüsterer” (Horse Whisperer) by Nicolas Evans, so the rest of the evening flies by.

We do notice that autumn is approaching because when we get up on Friday September 18^th it is quite cool, but during the day the temperature warms up quickly and we put on our shorts. This time I buy German carrot bread so Dick immediately tells me he is not a rabbit. But the bread doesn’t taste bad and is better than the mustard bread from our previous trip.

Motorhome parking Liedberg

At 9.30 am we leave Mülheim and drive on the autobahn towards Düsseldorf. At the Ikea store is a place where we can park, but this parking lot in front of the entrance is not really attractive, so we drive on to Liedberg with a parking lot in the middle of fields, on the edge of this old town.
It is only 11 am so we have plenty of time to look around the area and get our bikes. Of course, we first ride up the slope to the old town of Liedberg. It is picturesque and has narrow streets, beautiful old houses, an old tower and impressive castle. But the town of Korschenbroich further up the road is also nice to wander through and we cannot resist a lovely, sun-drenched terrace right in the center nor the lure of a huge ice cream.

Logging geocaches at Geocaching.com

After 5 hours of cycling around we are back at the motorhome and sit outside in the sun for a few hours. It is 83 degrees and because we stay high on a hilltop, we can follow the Tour de France over the radio. While I read my book, Dick has to log the 16 found geocaches on the laptop. Yes, one of us has to work.
At 7 pm when the sun disappears behind the horizon it cools down and we go inside. We only eat some toast with French cheese and yogurt. That’s what happens when you enjoy a huge ice cream at 3pm. The parking lot is now completely deserted and it is quiet here.

The alarm clock calls at 7 am on Saturday morning and after showering we immediately leave and drive to the parking lot at the Kaarster See. Although it’s a huge parking, the bulk of it is closed with huge boulders so we want to arrive early to be sure of a parking place. After Dick parked the motorhome, at this time there are only two other cars, we first have breakfast before looking around.

Cache In Trash Out

At 10 am the organizer of the CITO arrives and we help (with 6 feet distance and wearing a facemask) to set up the tent and soon afterwards the first participants in the cleanup day arrive.

After we have registered our names and address details (on Corona sheets of the municipality and in the logbook of Geocaching) we get garbage bags, gloves and tongs and we fan out over the huge parking lot and along the shores of the lake. There is a lot of garbage. I am more for the big waste and am overjoyed when I discover some large air mattresses in the bushes, Dick also looks for cigarette butts and soon has a bottle full of them. We brought rain gear and boots, but they can stay in the motorhome because the weather is beautiful. Although it’s still morning the temperature is already 83 degrees Fahrenheit and the sun shines in a steel blue sky. We change into shorts and a T-shirt and continue searching for waste.
Around 1 pm the 40 participants collected so much waste and garbage that the area is clean again and after some talking, we leave the Kaarster See.

Stately old trees in Kamp Lintfort

We like to stay in Oedt, but the parking here is overcrowded so we drive on to the city of Kamp Lintfort.
Here in the parking of the swimming pool is enough place. As the weather is still good and warm, we walk through a beautiful park with stately trees to the center of town. It is busy but there is enough space to keep  distance and we enjoy the beautiful weather. We get some food in the supermarket and after a few hours walk back to the motorhome where we sit inside because it is cooling down considerably. It will come as no surprise to anyone that we go early to our bed and sleep like marmots.

Sunday September 20^th, we get up at 8 am. Outside it is still cool, only 59 degrees, but there is no wind and the sky is steel blue. Unfortunately, there is still no place in Oedt, so we leave Germany and drive to the city of Bakel in the Netherlands. Here we park the motorhome in an empty parking lot near a sports hall. Of course, we unload our e-bikes and start a cycle tour. We ride through meadows, forests and fields.

Geocache puzzle in Bospark Bakel

Geocaches bring us to the “Bospark Bakel”, a 35 hectares park with trees, lots of hiking trails and surprising corners. Next to a forest with many, many gnomes, there is a railway emplacement with toy trains, which can be heard from afar by the honking of trains and of course there is also a nice chapel in the middle of the forest. As always we burn a candle.

To find all caches in this park a puzzle has to be solved. Dick is always good at this and works at it while sitting on a bench in the woods. When he completes the puzzle, we can fill in the missing data using clues from other geocaches. This park is a good place to ride around and we enjoy it immensely. We are back at the motorhome at 5.30 pm after a good 15 mile ride. Nearby is a Greek eatery where I buy food. It looks delicious but the meat is tough and not tasty so most of this meal ends up in the trash. We will never buy food here again.

Breakfast with carrot bread

It is unbelievable cause it’s really Autumn, but Monday September 21^st the weather is beautiful again and the sun shines in a steel blue sky. We have breakfast with our carrot bread (still good to eat) and then drive to the town of Zaltbommel.
Here, at the edge of town, is a nice parking with large, wide spaces close to the center.

Because we arrive at 10 am we still have a choice of free spots, but soon the remaining spots are full and not only a dilapidated Polish caravan is parked on the motorhome spot, but also a very old motorhome forces itself between our motorhome and this caravan, so little remains of our spacious spot.

View on the river Waal

We are not the only ones attracted by the beautiful weather, also many day trippers (all elderly people) arrive in great numbers with their car and lift their e-bikes from the bicycle rack.

A little later we understand the influx of this gray wave on electric bicycles because cycling on this dike with a magnificent view of the river Waal is beautiful.

On the computer we printed a map with geocaches and we spend the rest of the day searching for them. We only stop once during our 5 hours of cycling to have an ice cream on a terrace.

Church tower in Zaltbommel

Of course we also drive around in the town of Zaltbommel, which turns out to be unexpected interesting. Next to old fortifications near the river, there are nice narrow streets with old houses and above all you can see the large, blunt tower of the church in Zaltbommel, which is narrated in songs. After a trip of 23 miles we are back at the motorhome where we stay in the sun, of course reading a book. This is one place we will certainly return to.

On Tuesday, September 22^nd , we first enjoy fresh croissants before we drive back home. Again we can park in the parking lot behind our house and start unloading the motorhome. We want to unload as much stuff as possible because tomorrow we will bring the motorhome to our dealer in Nederweert. After a few hours our job is done and we can clean the motorhome inside and outside. That’s not a bad  job because it is still warm and the sun shines brightly.

Just at home and again we leave home – Part Two

Germany August 2020

Breakfast with huge
croissants

The month of August starts with beautiful weather, the sun is shining and the sky is steel blue. Early in the morning it is already 75 degrees. After a breakfast with really huge croissants, we dump our black- and gray water and leave Weimar. We are on our way to the city of Ilmenau, where we find an enormous car-park next to the sports hall (closed due to Corona) on the skirt of the town.
It is really hot, 92 degrees, but of course we want to walk around in Ilmenau.
Fortunately, it’s only a 10 minute walk to thecenter of this pleasant town. Unfortunately, it is Saturday afternoon and that means that almost all shops are closed and we can only shop the windows. After a few miles we take a seat on a terrace to enjoy a delicious ice cream with lots of fruit. This terrace is very busy and it is the first terrace where the tables are closer together than 6 inches. But we sit at the side of the terrace and try to stay with our back to the other visitors. Of course, we have to fill out a form with personal information as name, phone-number and e-mail. It’s an obligation all over Germany (in case there is an outbreak) and we are already used to it.

Goethe’s cabin in the forest

Fully strengthened again by the fruit (and some ice) we continue our walk. Some caches are hidden in the woods just outside the center of Ilmenau. The prevailing temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as the fact that we just had a calorie bomb, makes us want to search for these caches. To get into the woods we have to climb steep streets and mountain slopes. But it is worth it and when we reach the trees, we enjoy the relative coolness in the dense forests above Ilmenau. These forests are located on steep slopes and in the time that Goethe lived and worked here (late 18th century) these existing forest paths were used as ditches to carry water along. But when we want to descend to the motorhome, after almost 5 miles of walking (climbing) around, we notice that the paths downhill still look like ditches and going down steeply. Not really conducive to Dick’s knee, but with the help of thick branches and foot by foot, we manage to return unharmed to the motorhome. The beginning of the evening a cool breeze blow, so we eat our delicious kebab meal inside and that’s good because soon a heavy rain starts. But late in the evening the sky bright up and we admire a beautiful full moon. We are not the only ones to look at this moon because from the hills next to us we hear regular gunshots echoing.

Narrow roads in Thüringen

Sunday morning the weather is still upset because dry periods alternate with heavy rainfall and heavy thunderclaps can be heard regularly. Through the beautiful hilly landscape of Thuringia, we drive on narrow roads further south.
We regularly pass through small villages where even the walls of the houses are covered with slate.
In contrast to 1990, the time immediately after the fall of the wall, when Dick worked in this part of Germany, as contractor at a roofing company, the houses are now painted in different colors and the gray veil that covered the houses at that time is nowhere to be seen.

Sign at the side of the road

After passing a sign on the roadside, which alerts us to the former presence of the wall that separated East and West Germany, the mountains around us become higher and the houses are picturesque with balconies and many flowers. We arrived in Bavaria. In Naila, in a car-park next to the train station, we park the Frankia. Unfortunately, it starts to rain again so we stay inside, drink coffee and read our books. The rain stops at 3 pm. Time to explore the town on foot.

Using the poncho’s again

Unfortunately at 5 pm the rain start again, heavy rain and not a few drops and we are happy to have our thin plastic ponchos with us. They serve well and feel considerably better than when we wear them on our bike a few days ago. During the evening the weather clears up and without getting wet

Buy Nolvadex UK

, we walk to the Greek restaurant on the market. A good choice to have dinner here because the food is really tasty. For the first time in Corona time we eat inside a restaurant, but it is not full and there is a lot of space between the tables. When we walk back to the motorhome in the evening it cooled down to 64 degrees and for the first time, we are happy to put on a jacket.

Monday August 3-rd, we get up early and although it is no longer raining, it is cloudy and we decide to continue our trip. We only have to drive 25 miles and therefore arrive early in the small town of Marktschorgast where we park our motorhome next to the Frankia factory. It’s a pity, it is vacation time, the factory has “betriebsferien” and is therefore closed.

Steep hills to ride on

But even if that was not the case we would not have been able to take a look inside. Also now, Corona is a spoil-sport. Because the town-center is not nearby, we take our bikes to explore the area. For the first time in ages we wear a jacket. The temperature took a downward plunge, it is only 60 degrees and a chilly wind is blowing. We notice that Bavaria clearly has more mountains because one 19% slope after another awaits us and when the mountains level, the percentages of the slopes are still between 14% and 16%.

How wonderful it is to have an e-bike now. If it gets too steep, we just put on our turbo mode and in our low gear we fly up the slopes. The bicycles have a hard time in the descents because the bicycle creaks and squeaks audibly. I think I wear out more than a brake disc and brakes.

How to pass this river?

But we have a beautiful trip in the area. We love the ride on the forest paths of the Schortal, despite the steep descents on sometimes slippery sandy paths and the urge of crossing a river. It’s more pleasant than climbing or descending on the normal roads where we are constantly overtaken by speeding cars.

After 4 hours of cycling around and covering more than 15 miles, we also take a look in the town of Marktschorgast. But it consists of only some streets and the shops are closed, so after a glimpse, we return to the motorhome. After a gloomy day, end of the afternoon the clouds are breaking and some sunrays appear, so we can sit outside in a corner, protected by the wind. There is no shop or restaurant around and we cook a simple meal ourselves. Our tomatoes are mouldy so it’s just rösti and sausages.

With complements of the Frankia factory

When we wake up on Tuesday, a bag of fresh bread rolls is hanging on the doorhandle. Compliments from the Frankia factory. And they taste great so before we leave this place, I go to the workshop to thank. We have already adjusted our itinerary several times and yesterday we decided we will also visit the city of Bayreuth. Again, a place that is very close by, only 15 miles away, so before 10 am we arrive at the large car-park, close to the center. We park our motorhome, not on the places intended for motorhomes, as our Frankia cannot stay there (places are too short) but between the parked cars.

Our laundry bag filled up considerable and since Bayreuth is also a student town, we think we have opportunities to do laundry again and we are looking for a laundromat. We do indeed find a washing facility not far from our car park. However, we cannot park our motorhome here, so we take our bikes, attach our pannier-bag, load all our laundry in it and cycle to the laundromat.

Laundry in Bayreuth

This one is significantly smaller than the one in Erfurt and also busier, but we find just enough empty machines to wash all our laundry. While Dick cycles back to the motorhome to return our detergent, I wait in the laundromat. And Dick is back when the laundry leave the dryers and together we fold up everything and cycle back to the motorhome at 3pm.

After everything is unloaded we cycle back into town, now looking for a supermarket because we need water. After crossing half the city, we find what we need. On the way back it turns out that Dick’s brake no longer works. Yesterday’s tough descents have taken their toll. Since you won’t get far in this mountainous environment without proper brakes, Dick look for a bicycle repair-shop. We are lucky because there is one less than 1000 feet away. While I put away our clean clothes and cover our beds with fresh linen

puttygen

, Dick cycles over to the repair-shop and walk back and forth and end of the afternoon he has a well-functioning bike with new brakes and brake disc.

Thais eten bij Hua Hin

This morning, when we were on our way to the laundromat, we saw a Thai restaurant in town and as we actually have an appetite for Thai food, we walk there early in the evening.
A 15 minute walk brings us in the center of Bayreuth and not long after, we take a seat on the garden terrace of Hua Hin. We are well protected against the wind in this courtyard so we can stay outside to have dinner, with our jacket on.
The food tastes excellent and we stay on the terrace for a long time.

Wednesday, August 5th , we don’t get up until half past eight.
The heavy clouds have disappeared, the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Really a day to go out again by bike after yesterday’s household worries. That’s why, after having a delicious breakfast, of course with fresh bread rolls, we take our bikes.

Statue’s in the waterbassin

Dick read yesterday about the “Eremitage”, a park created in 1715 with beautiful buildings, old palaces, various fountains and springs.

And that park is within cycling distance of our car-park. As the crow flies, it is no longer than a 6,5 miles ride. Bayreuth has beautiful cycle paths along the Roter Main and it is a pleasure to cycle along this river and soon a geocache leads to a beautiful water basin of one of the old palaces in the park of the Eremitage. It is truly beautiful and many people agree with us because as we cycle deeper into this park, it gets busier.

Palace in the Eremitage

At the Sun Temple, the walls and pillars are so beautifully constructed that we can’t get enough of taking pictures. But it is also warm and therefore we disappear deeper into the woods. That the grounds of the Eremitage also have very steep slopes becomes clear when we descend a more than 20% steep forest path. People climbing up ask us or we really dare to decent. Again our brakes are working in overtime. It is fortunate that our bikes have fat tires so we have more grip on the sandy and gravel trails. But the time comes we have to leave the park and after 17 miles of cycling we are back at the motorhome at 3 pm.
The rest of the afternoon we don’t do much, well I do nothing but reading a book. Dick has yet to log all our found caches. Because the weather continues to be good, early in the evening we walk to the center of Bayreuth where again, we have dinner at our Thai restaurant. It is much busier than yesterday, but we still find a vacant table. We do not know if they forgot it yesterday or the registration of data only takes place when it is very busy, but now we have to leave our address details. The food in this restaurant, already existing for 23 years, is again excellent and more than satisfied we walk along the river Roter Main back to our motorhome. It’s late in the evening.

Before 7 am we are already awake on Thursday August 6th and after an early breakfast, we drive to the autobahn. Our friends Marjo and Wim have informed us that the town of Dinkelsbuhl is more than worth paying a visit, so that will be our next goal. At 11 am we arrive at the car park close to town and as a German motorhome just left, we can occupy the last spot (suitable for us) in this car park. As it is often the case in Europe, motorhome spots in car parks are more suitable for shorter cars and our almost 27 feet long motorhome can therefore not be parked everywhere.

Colored houses in Dinkelsbühl

But now we have a spot and soon we walk through the city gate into Dinkelsbuhl. Marjo and Wim have not exaggerated. It definitely is a beautiful medieval place. Immediately upon entering this walled town we are surprised. All the houses are painted in different colors and we enjoy walking street after street. Definitely this city is worth seeing and famous because lots of people walk everywhere and the terraces are crowded. Actually it is not a temperature to walk around, the thermometer already passed 78 degrees. Entering the 15th century Gothic church feels good. It’s cool inside and of course we light a candle. After some reflection we walk along and over large parts of the city walls. After 6.5 miles we call it a day and go back to the car-park where it is much quieter. It appears that many day trippers use this car-park during the day and do not spend the night. The next day we decide to stay another day. This time we want explore the area, a good choice because it seems that today the temperature is skyrocketing high.

Geocachen in the forest

We print out the route that takes us to the surrounding forests and leave. It is pleasant between the trees and we enjoy the narrow forest paths. However, the hilly terrain demands again the utmost from our brakes. After 4 hours, we  crossed the entire forest and found the necessary geocaches, we return to Dinkelsbuhl. Between the houses in town it is 92 degrees and the heat simply falls on us. We take a seat on a terrace in the shade to enjoy another delicious ice cream. After an hour, it is now 5 pm, we slowly cycle back to the motorhome where we sit outside and enjoy the evening. We don’t eat something until late in the evening.
Saturday August 8th we get up in time and after dumping our gray and black water and filling up our fresh water tank, we take the autobahn to Karlsruhe from where a narrow road takes us through the vine-covered mountain slopes to the town of Wissembourg in France.
There is enough space in the parking lot at the local swimming pool to park our motorhome. As everywhere in Europe, the pools and lakes work with time slots so that, at the same time, only a limited number of people are allowed to enter. It is a pity of course that you cannot stay in the water indefinitely because the temperature exceeds 94 degrees, but Corona times require drastic measures.
Dick takes my bike from the back garage and I cycle to a supermarket. It takes a while to find it, but eventually I find one on the outskirts of the city and I can load my panniers with Perrier, the famous French sparkling water and the reason why we came to France.
Unfortunately, my panniers have a maximum capacity so when I unload the Perrier at the Frankia where Dick gives it a place inside, I cycle again to the supermarket, now a different one, to buy another load of Perrier. You cannot have enough water with this temperatures. Because it is too hot outside (in the afternoon the 95 degrees is exceeded) we stay in the shade and don’t walk into town before 5.30 pm.
It is always great to wander through the narrow streets of this beautiful town, but with these temperatures we have less an eye for the beautiful houses and are more interesting in the terraces with cool drinks.

Diner in Wissenbourg

Due to Corona, there is no menu and we have to place our food order by looking at blackboards where the available dishes are listed. We are in the middle of a wine region and of course order a carafe of wine and while we sip our glass, we agree that sitting here is a better place to be than walking around town. The food is a bit disappointing, but that is also because we have been spoiled with German food. The wine is more than excellent. It has to, because if we look at the bill, we see that we have to pay 20 euros for this half liter (0.13 gallon) of wine. It cools down a little by some wind so when we return to the motorhome, where the thermometer inside indicate 103 degrees, we stay outside for a long time. Of course we sleep again with all windows and shutters wide open.

When I walk into Wissembourg early Sunday morning, all three bakers I know are closed. Incomprehensible for France where everyone gets fresh baguette every morning, but it’s reality and we have breakfast with old German bread. After stowing everything away, we drive back to Germany.

Monument at St. Germanshof

Near Wissembourg, we cross the border of St. Germanshof. Here is a monument for Europe.
On August 6, 1950, students from all over Europe destroyed the border barrier at this historic site. The students stated that for the first time in history they did not march to the borders to kill each other but they wanted to be known that only a European state, without borders, could bring security and prosperity. However, this federal European state never materialized and we will have to live with an European Union. After some pictures we slowly drive north and arrive in Mettlach at the end of the morning. It is very busy with guests on the terrace of the brewery, but there is no one in the sunny car-park. Although no shade at all is found here, we park our motorhome and take our bikes to drive to the forest. During our previous stay here, at the end of June, it was not accessible due to logging work.

Piles of tree trunks

We took some extra water with us, not a bad decision with the current temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit and we climb the slopes in the forest with our bike in turbo mode. Huge piles of tree trunks show that this forest road was rightly closed last time and we enjoy the slightly lower temperature between the trees. Here it’s only 89 degrees. The forest is extremely hilly, one steep forest slope after another appears and that means that once again the utmost is demanded of our brakes and accelerations. We are pouring with perspiration.

Geocache powertrail Mettlach

Sometimes we drive between huge pines, at other times all the trees are thickly overgrown with mosses and another part of the forest consists only of deciduous trees, while large ferns and blackberry bushes form the foundation. We find all the 35 caches hidden on this Powertrail and at 4 pm, after 3 hours of climbing and descending and covered 10 miles, we are back at the car-park where the temperature inside has reached 109 degrees. I assure you that in the evening the excellent meal and the delicious draft beer on the terrace of the brewery tastes very good and despite the heat inside (fortunately it cooled down to 95 degrees) we fall asleep like a block of concrete.

When we get up at 7:30 on Monday morning, August 10th , it is only 77 degrees. It feels wonderfully cool and gives a great start to a new day. Of course, we dump and fill our tank with fresh water before heading north.

View at the river Moselle

We are not far from Luxembourg where fuel is cheap so we fill up with diesel and drive along the river Moselle straight through Luxembourg to Echternach where we want to spend the night and visit the Teufelsschlucht. However when we arrive there at 11 am, it is extremely busy and the parking space is overcrowded so we leave and drive on to Deudesfeld where we park next to a water source. However, the town is boring, everything is closed and no shops, so after sitting in the shadow for a while, we drive to Kelberg at the end of the afternoon. Here is a large car-park at the local swimming pool with enough space. The temperature is less suffocating (82 degrees) and we relax outside. We do have to close all windows of our motorhome because our neighbor motorhome is having a barbecue and extensively smoke is detected. All though this behaviour does not belong in a car-park, it takes place with these temperatures.

Tuesday August 11th we don’t get up until 8 am, it cooled down a lot because inside it is only 77 degrees. After a good breakfast we drive to a supermarket to hand in our empty (returnable) bottles. Unlike other European countries, there is a deposit on every bottle and can in Germany. When we are at the machine, it returns our bottles and cans and with the same full bag we walk back to the motorhome.
Later in Nideggen we will try it again at another supermarket. But there the struggle to return our bottles starts again. One bottle after another is spit out and we don’t understand what’s going on until Dick, who always looks around, better than I do, discovers that there are two types of hand-in machines, for “Mehrweg and Einweg flaschen”. All the time we were at the wrong machine.

Camperplace Nideggen

Discovering this, all our bottles are now quickly returned and with an empty bag we can drive to the carpark next to town, on the edge of high rocks. We arrived in the Eifel. There is only one other motorhome here, but many cars are parked, so it takes a while to find a place where we can park and stay straight.
At noon we grab the bikes and ride to town where we want to order that delicious “Teufels ice cream”. Unfortunately, the ice cream restaurant has “Ruhetag” and is therefore closed, so no ice and we continue cycling. Several caches are hidden on the plateau next to town, which we can trace one by one by riding between the corn and wheat fields. It is a nice route, sometimes with steep descents over the grassland between the corn fields. But we are already used to descend steep slopes.

Lake close to the RV

As the sky is increasingly threatening, we decide to cycle back to the motorhome at 4 pm. A good decision because as soon as Dick has stowed away the e-bikes, a heavy rain starts. Late in the evening the rain stop and it brighten up. The sun shines again, but a small lake formed around the motrohome. While driving to the town of Brüggen over back roads on Wednesday morning, the temperature rises quickly.
There are only two motorhomes parked and we can choice a site. Very special because normally it is completely full here. The heat clearly scares people.
After a good cup of coffee, we take the bikes to have some exercise. Actually, we have to leave because it is much too hot to hang out here.
As we cycle in the direction of a few lakes, I take our swimming gear with me, just to be sure. After a few detours, almost every path we pick is blocked by a river, Dick manage to find a right way and we arrive in the forest around the lakes. The water of this lake doesn’t look tempting, it’s  brown and full of leaves, so the chance we will put on our swimsuits is minimal, although with the current temperature of 92 degrees I would like to make a cool dip. But there are some nice geocaches hidden so we are off the street and stay in the relative coolness of the woods.

Cleaning the bike’s

At 4 pm we are back at the car-park where at least 6 motorhomes arrived. Because my bike shows signs of malfunction and creaks and squeaks a lot, Dick clean the bikes in the shade of a tree. In the meantime, I walk to the shop across the street to get some food and cookies. In the evening we buy a Kebab meal from Aladdin restaurant next door. As always, it tastes delicious. When we drink our coffee outside, we look with utter amazement at our neighbors, taking a shower outside their motorhome (now the shower does not need to be cleaned). This is really  behavior you never ever see in a car-park for motorhomes. It belongs to a campground.

Later in the evening it cools down a bit and when we go to sleep the temperature is fallen from 104 to 77 degrees.

After breakfast on Thursday, August 13th , we leave Brüggen. On our way home we stop at an outdoor shop in Schijndel, where, again, we look for a new table but we don’t find what we are looking for so we drive on. Before arriving at home we stop in Moordrecht and unload my e-bike, at the bicycle shop. It need to be inspected because it is certainly not in good shape.

Cleaning before returning the RV to the storage

The rest of the afternoon we clear out our stuff and clean the inside. Not an unnecessary luxury because the heat and dusty conditions we met, left a thick layer of dirt behind. There is a nice welcome card from Hannah and Henk with an image of a woman on a huge pile of laundry and the text: “even after enlightment you still have to do the laundry”. Very appropriate because when all our laundry is carried to the attic, it turns out to be a real mountain. Because we run out of time we park our motorhome at the back of our home and the next day we clean the outside of the motorhome. A lot of work because some dirt left stains offering a stubborn resistance when we try to remove it. But finally we can bring our polished and shiny motorhome at the storage. It’s Friday afternoon.
When travelling again, we don’t know. Unfortunately it’s Corona who rules the world.