Tuesday 28th March 2023 We anticipated that there could be some continued disruption following the strike so Robert went down to reception early to ensure he could sort out the issues with our extended hotel stay. Once again it seemed to take three members of staff to unravel what one person on reception had done. Eventually it transpired that the receptionist had cancelled our first booking for two days and then reinstated a booking for the wrong date. This went some way to explaining why the hotel thought we had checked out when we hadn’t. When all was under control and good relations restored we set off for Maastricht. Most of the trains were running but we would need to take a bus for part of the journey. Although staff on the railway were telling passengers that their tickets were valid on the bus, the bus driver did not seem to have been informed of this fact. Eventually he became tired of repeating himself and simply allowed passengers with train tickets to board unchallenged. The last time we were in Maastricht was in the autumn of 2018. For our first trip after Matilda retired we took our Lakeland Terrier, Ralf, away […]
Netherlands
From the UK by Ferry – Sunday 3rd February 2019 Although Eurostar trains now run direct to Amsterdam regular readers will have realised that, whenever possible, Robert likes to maximise the number of different forms of transport he can use on any one journey. Therefore, endorsed by our fellow travellers, instead of a direct train from St Pancras International we are travelling by overnight ferry from Harwich. We were informed a few days before departure via email that part of our train route to Harwich has been replaced by a bus service. So our outward journey now includes a car, a train and a tube to get us to our rendezvous with Belinda and John at one of our favourite old London haunts – the Hamilton Hall. This elegant pub is named after Lord Claud Hamilton who was chairman of the Great Eastern Railway Company from 1893 to 1923. The Company originally built Liverpool Street Station and the pub is in the former ballroom of the Great Eastern Hotel. It retains some of the original painted decorative plasterwork detail on the walls and ceiling. For Robert and Matilda it was also on their commuter route home to East Ham in […]
Thursday, 25th – Friday 26th October 2018 Our heartfelt thanks to Richard and Mandie who kindly welcomed the Travelling Herd back to Königspad for two nights on our journey homewards. Even though Richard had work the next day and Mandie had a serious dental appointment, they took us to their local and joined us in raising several glasses to Ian, Robert’s big brother, who had been treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for the last two years and sadly died in the early hours of Wednesday and hence the reason why we are cutting this trip short and returning to the UK earlier than originally planned. Matilda and Robert were both impressed by the Dutch system of running a tab – the barman simply drew lines and five bar gates on a bar mat to record the number of drinks consumed. Although Ralf has a passport, he still had to be de-wormed a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of five days before returning to the UK. So, on Friday morning we walked him to the local vet. Matilda was pleased that her knowledge of German allowed her to identify the Dierenkliniek. We are not sure what cues Ralf picked up […]
Sunday, 14th October 2018 On arrival at Maastricht Marina a sign told us to phone a number to gain entry. The gates swung open and we were told to pick our spot in this very peaceful and civilised aire. Having visited the harbour office to pay and get instructions for using the facilities we decided to walk into Maastricht. This proved to be slightly further away than expected at 2.63 miles and Ralf – having already had a lovely stroll along the banks of the Maas in Steyl in the morning – became slightly reluctant in the heat. Ralf is definitely a country dog. Maastricht itself is lovely – an historic city with lots of pedestrianised streets and old buildings as well as interesting, independent shops rather than being dominated by large international chains. Robert and Matilda both agree that Maastricht is on the list of places to return to on a train trip without Ralf so they can see the sights, browse the shops and, of course, the bars. This is the start of a week’s holiday in Holland and the streets were busy with people enjoying the prospect of an extended break. There was also a jazz festival under way […]
Friday, 12th October to Saturday, 13th 2018 Robert was very pleased with the new domain he had created the day before and if Ralf’s concern when it was being packed up is any kind of indicator, he was also happy to have his territory clearly marked out. Matilda used her DryRobe for the walk to and from the showers. A hugely practical item, even if it does make her look like Tinky Winky. Having been undisturbed by falling acorns, packing up proved to be a much swifter process than setting up, taking about half the time. Robert has been known to berate his family for “faffing” however Matilda believes he took this to hitherto unscaled heights when he left for his “morning run” at 13:30. In his defence we did try out the washing machine for the first time and managed to wash and dry our clothes before we left. We drove on to Steyl to stay with friends for the week-end in the lovely peaceful grounds of an old monastery which has been converted into accommodation within a gated estate close to the river Maas. Saturday morning’s dog walk included a ferry across to the sunny side of the river […]
Thursday, 11th October 2018 Having carefully selected a campsite, based largely on Matilda’s requirement for a pool in which she could swim for exercise, we set off from Brugge heading towards Bladel at 10:00. We were due to arrive at 12:50: this was a longer journey than Robert usually plans to undertake but in the interests of a healthier lifestyle he was prepared to extend his driving time. Unfortunately Matilda had been so focused on the pool that she failed to notice the site was effectively closed. We could have stayed but as all the facilities – pool, restaurants and shops – were out of action for the winter we decided to move on to another site. We arrived at campsite number two, also with a pool, approximately 30 minutes later to be told they were open but dogs were not allowed. It is just as well that Ralf always protests loudly to be let out whenever we stop otherwise we might not have taken him into reception and found out this crucial piece of information. Consequently, Robert looked up the relevant symbol in the key for future reference before he identified a third option which had a pool AND allowed dogs. […]