Zwolle, Netherlands

We are in Germany – to some sense of normalcy and logic!

We made it to Berlin in plenty of time to get to our accommodation and then across town to my sister’s place as I was booked to cook dinner for my sister, her husband (Kate & Dave) as well as the daughter of a friend, Moana Bischof. We managed it all but not without a bit of stress for me – will we find their place ok? will we have any trouble with public transport? etc, etc, etc. But all the fuss was for no purpose – we found their place without any trouble, dinner was cooked and eaten, wine was drunk, and a good night was had by all. The only downside was the rain! It was like an Australian thunderstorm – very hot and then the thunder started, the rain came down and so did the temperature. But this meant that when we left to go home, we had to walk to the S-Bahn station in the rain.

As we had stayed longer in Poland than we had originally planned, we decided to stay a bit longer in Berlin and then drive direct to Oldenburg, so that meant that on Friday and Saturday, we could do some more exploring in Berlin. We were staying in the old East Berlin at The Generator, which is a hostel that caters for young people. I have to say that it is very focussed on young people and therefore, a bit uncomfortable for older travellers like us. But we had a double room with a bathroom – ok, so you couldn’t swing a cat in the room, but…

We found a couple of new museums to explore – the DDR Museum and the Deutsches Historisches Museum. I can thoroughly recommend both museums, but especially the DDR Museum, because it is very hands-on. Nick was happy because he got to sit in a Trabbi! We could also see the results of recent renovation work but there was still lots of scaffolding around! We did a lot of walking around town, just to see the sights, and as everything was so close, there was no need to try and negotiate the buses or trains. My sister, Kate, and I had a night without our husbands and met for dinner so that we could have a girls’ catch-up, as we hadn’t seen each other since I left Australia in mid-March. Kate & Dave had spent the day in Wittenburg (think Martin Luther) and Dave was a bit worn out from all his sightseeing (and possibly beer sampling?), so when they got home from their day-trip, Dave went back to their accommodation and Kate & I met up, found a restaurant for dinner, had a few drinks and a lovely long catch-up. In all, a very pleasant day. In fact, we spent 2 days in Berlin (3 nights) and which gave me the chance for me to show Nick things that he hadn’t seen before and also for both of us to see what was new since my last visit in 2008.

We were also very lucky with the weather, as it was glorious summer weather whilst we were there. Thankfully, due to the thunderstorm, we missed the high temperatures that had been experienced on the days just before our arrival. And we also missed all the traffic chaos courtesy of Mr Obama’s visit to Berlin.

After 3 nights in Berlin, it was time to drive to Oldenburg in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) – look at a map, that’s across nearly the entire German country! But we couldn’t have chosen a better day to travel – Sunday. For those of you who don’t know – trucks can’t travel on German highways on a Sunday, so we had a great run without any large lorries on the road. Oldenburg holds a spot in MJ’s heart because that is where she did a six-month exchange as part of her studies in 2008. So it was a good chance to catch up with friends, visit some shops, stock up on Haribo and also buy a couple of eBikes.

Yes, we have 2 new eBikes! It is all part of our plan for exploring Europe without running up massive fuel bills. As many of you may know, our vehicle is a Toyota Troopcarrier which is quite a large vehicle. Now try and imagine driving into some of the old German or Dutch towns or villages, and trying to find somewhere to park! Are you cringing? Because we were. So we decided to buy a couple of eBikes (“e” because of MJ’s knees) so that when we set up camp somewhere, we won’t have to take our car into town to go exploring. If it’s a long way, then we can catch trains or buses and if it’s close by, then we can use our bikes – we’ll be saving the environment and helping our general health. Oh, I’ve come over all warm & fuzzy!!

But seriously, in northern Germany and in the Netherlands, there isn’t any better place for riding a bicycle – bike paths, separate cycle paths and flat landscape all around you. It is all very civilised. So far, we have cycled to the University (Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg) along the Drogen Hasen Weg, explored (remembered) some of the back roads around OL, MJ has cycled in Groningen (the city), we did a circumnavigation of the local lake and yesterday, we went into Appingedam along the Ems Canal. If we had gone by road, it would have been about 9kms or so, but via the Canal, it is only about 6.5kms.

Whilst MJ was cycling around Groningen, I went to the Dutch TT at Assen. For non-motorcyclists, that is the Dutch round of the MotoGP which is held at Assen track every year. Transport was easy – train from Groningen to Assen and then a bus to the track. I watched 4 races with Valentino Rossi winning the most important race. There were a couple of Aussies racing in the Moto 3 Race (125cc) and the atmosphere was fantastic. I am really pleased that I finally managed to visit the Dutch TT, especially after going to the Australian round of the MotoGP at Phillip Island last year. Everything was very well organised and there were hundreds and hundreds of bikes there.

For the past week, we are been relaxing in the Netherlands, with some friends we met in Moree last year. Gertie and Evart have a wheat farm in Groningen and have been very relaxing hosts. We have had ample opportunity to sleep in, enjoy Dutch breakfasts (lots of Hagel), ride our bicycles.

On Thursday (4 July), we attended the wedding of Nick’s niece (cousin?) in Appingedam. Suzanne married Thomas who she met at University in Groningen. The wedding activities lasted all day, from photos at the bride’s home before the wedding to the post-wedding party which finished at midnight. Like many countries in Europe, you are required to be married by the State (ie at the local Town Hall) and may choose to have a ceremony at the Church afterwards. Suuz & Thomas dispensed with the Church service and only had the Civil marriage. The wedding party sit at tables which form a circle around the couple – I’m not sure if it’s like that so that they can’t escape before it’s all over. After the wedding ceremony, we all headed back to the groom’s parent’s home (farm) for lunch, then Suuz & Thomas disappeared for more photos before we joined them at the Reception Place (Landgoed Ekenstein) where we had more photos, coffee & cake, then drinks & nibbles, followed by dinner (for the Wedding Party) and finally, a party with family and friends. Suuz was a gorgeous bride and Thomas managed to fill the role of handsome groom, too! We had a great day and really enjoyed joining Nick’s family for this special day. Thanks to Suuz & Thomas, Dick & Karen as well as Thomas’ family.

And now, we can relax for a few days – weddings are exhausting! This weekend (post wedding) we are relaxing with Dick & Karen. This is something that I’ve not had to deal with yet – the wedding of a daughter, but apparently it is exhausting. It involves repainting of the house (in preparation for photos) and many other secret things that I might find out about one day! The most hectic thing we’ve done all weekend was go for a couple of walks (Nick) and throw the ball for the dog! Phew! I’m exhausted!!

Our last day in Groningen, before heading towards Nijmegen, was a bike tour of Groningen and we visited all of the addresses when Nick’s grandfather and father had lived. Sometimes, it was quite funny, such as finding the last address of his Grandfather is now an Albert Heijn (supermarket chain commonly called “AHa”), to the address where his father lived when he was born (1 Walstraat), where we were invited to come inside and have a look at it! We had a fun day, thanks to Evart & Gertie who were kind enough to guide us around, using their local knowledge. On Tuesday, we headed down to Ter Apel to spend a few days visiting Nick’s Aunty Ann. We had fun listening to her stories about Nick’s mother and also about her own life in both Australia and Netherlands. We had a chance to catch up with two of her three daughters (Yolanda & Patricia).

And tomorrow, we are off to Nijmegen! Yes, our next blog entry will be about the trials and tribulations of completing the Four-Days Marches (Vierdaagse).