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The day started with torrential rain and hail and, being fair weather cyclists, we opted to leave the bikes in the hotel and take a trip into Rotterdam.

Kim was determined to visit the Arboretum Trompenburg, John fancied a harbour tour whilst Ken and Jacky were keen to see the Cube Houses which we’d experienced on our way back from Floriade in 2022.

It was a short walk to the nearest railway station, one stop had us in the middle of Dordrecht, straight across the platform and we were on our way into Rotterdam. After a brief debate with Tourist Information, and a helpful local, we were on a tram heading out of the city. Within an hour of leaving the hotel, we were drinking a cuppa in the arboretum cafe. All good adventurers need a cuppa when a foreign journey has been completed successfully…. and you have to admire the Dutch for their unambiguous product names

Trompenburg is a 20 acre botanic garden, established in 1820. It holds the Dutch National Collections of Oak, Beech, Holly and Hostas as well as growing 700 varieties of rhododendrons. We were a bit early to see the trees in full leaf, the rhododendrons at their best or a single hosta but it was still a fantastic experience.

Please excuse the posers on the bridge, hopefully they will soon get tired of the ‘leg forward, chin up’ approach to photos.

Having decided a harbour tour would be too wet and cold, we took a break in the Markthall in Rotterdam. It was conveniently near to our station and it seemed rude not to explore what is essentially a multicultural food hall, spotlessly clean and full of tempting smells and free samples. We started to regret that we’d eaten lunch at the arboretum. There are no photos of the amazing interior, we were too busy going ‘oooh’. Luckily Jacky thought to take one of the ceiling

The windows that you see belong to offices and apartments housed in the exterior, an incredible design.

And, as a special treat, here’s the view from the top of the water tower we currently call home. Thanks to Ken who was brave enough to venture out on the iron platform around the 7th floor.

…make lemonade. And that’s what we did, metaphorically speaking.

Today, our plan was to travel to Dordrecht via the Glider Collection at Wolfheze but it has changed its opening hours and we faced the challenge of what to do.

With a bit of research, we agreed a day of culture in Den Haag as a suitable replacement and, if lucky, we might get to the seaside.

Google, bless it, identified suitable parking a couple of miles outside the city. Underground parking, with bikes on the car, is not to be attempted under any circumstances. It’s a horror of tight turns and narrow spaces and only above ground parking will do.

Vicky Parking at Madurodam welcomed us, not the leafy forest car park Kim was expecting but visitor parking for a miniature world theme park. Further consultation with Google, told us the beach at Scheveningen was only a couple of miles away and the sun was out so that’s where we cycled to.

It was cold and coffee in a sheltered beach side restaurant was a joy, we basked in the protective warmth and enjoyed our surroundings

Next stop, the museum district in Den Haag and ‘Escher in het paleis’. The former royal palace of the Queen Mother has housed the M C Escher exhibition since 2010 and what an amazing exhibition it was. The history of Escher and his fascination with tessellation and perspective, translated onto woodcuts and linocuts was astonishing. The Queen Mother’s home together with its chandeliers was fairly spectacular too.

Finally, it was time to hit the road for our next hotel on the outskirts of Dordrecht. We hoped to be ahead of the traffic but it was awful, almost like being at home. Such a contrast to how easy our cycling had been.

Our next four nights are in a converted water tower on the outskirts of Dordrecht. Luckily it has a lift, there was panic at the thought of carrying cases up seven flights of stairs.. Since we’ve been away, there has been a lot of talk about the best way to pose for photos and John has put all this new knowledge to good use……

John’s phone reminded us that on this day last year we were in shorts and t-shirts, walking the Catalan coast under a cloudless blue sky. In contrast this year we are bundled up in four layers, complete with woolly hats and gloves.

Today we re-visited the Keukenhof. There was a lovely ride from Niuew Vennop, on dedicated cycle routes, passing some amazing houses and through the numerous tulip fields.

We made the mistake of booking morning tickets, completely forgetting the best time to visit, was early afternoon after the coach parties had gone. The place was heaving and it took a while to get used to how incredibly busy it was.

The displays were amazing, certainly there was more colour than our previous trip in March 2022 and we’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

We left mid afternoon for a coffee stop in Lisse, before heading back to our hotel. The park may have been full of people but that was nothing compared to the traffic jams outside. Cars were queuing to get into and out of the park, were we feeling smug as we cycled past them? Of course we were! And became even smugger when we left Lisse during the school run. Cars in traffic jams weren’t a problem but don’t ever try and take on a Dutch schoolchild on a bike, they are fast and fearless.

Our quote of the day? We offered to take a group photo for a group of young women. “Thank you but no. More people, less tulips’ was the reply which rather summed up our day. There were far more tulips to see, a shame about those pesky people in the way.

At 5:30, Stena Line woke us to the piped sound of Bobby McFerrin singing ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ accompanied by torrential rain and a rolling boat. Luckily, the worst was over and, as we exited customs, the sun appeared. We may have said this before, but it bears repeating – despite the early start, this is a very friendly and efficient route to access Europe.

Tonight’s hotel was only a couple of hours away so we had a mid way stop in Gouda to visit the Cheese Experience. Having misjudged our timings, we found ourselves in a cafe killing time with a cuppa and late breakfast. Traditional Dutch breakfast apparently consists largely of cheese and ham served on a dark bread and, according to the cafe owner, they serve exactly the same meal at lunchtime but pop it under the grill to melt the cheese.

Despite the spring sunshine, the wind is bitterly cold. Today was not a day for sauntering and enjoying local history, but one for a brisk walk to our destination. The Gouda Cheese Experience is exactly what it claims to be. We were met by cheery, friendly staff, handed a clipboard with a quiz and challenged to become a Cheese Master. More difficult than you’d imagine when the quiz was aimed at children and the answers scattered around the site. But, should you ever find yourselves on a quiz show with a question about Gouda, we’re your ‘phone a friend’.

Our experience finished with a cheese tasting session, we dutifully tried different types and ages of Gouda, then miraculously, the door opened and we were able to leave – visitors are controlled, from room to room, by locked doors.

We returned to the car via the Museumhaven and a cuppa in an old chocolate factory, converted into a modern library, cafe and community workspace. Once more we were greeted by polite, friendly staff and all agreed we wanted to be Dutch and live in Holland.

Next stop, Hotel De Rustende Jäger in Nieuw-Vennep. Less than an hour from Gouda on beautifully maintained roads, through pretty villages with wide vistas across fields. All was going well until we saw crowds of people and cones closing the road outside our hotel. It was all rather alarming until we noticed the cars. The hotel hosts the start and finish of the annual Venniper Koninginnerit rally. Starting in 2000 as a modest classic rally it has built a strong reputation, now attracting the attention of serious classic rally drivers, more used to the challenges of the Mille Miglia. Someone was in petrol head heaven…..

Finally, our worrying fact of the day is…… Gouda is no longer protected by a wax covering but sprayed with plastic coating instead….

…. and we are waiting to board a ferry to Holland. We haven’t been away since June 2023 and we’re ready for an adventure.

The bikes are securely attached to the back of the car, Ken and Jacky checked in ahead of us and we are set for a return visit to see tulips at Kuekenhof followed by a few days in Dordrecht which, allegedly, is the oldest city in The Netherlands. We might need to research that, although it won’t the first time we’ve given you fake facts and not worried about it.

We haven’t been on our bikes in weeks and our itinerary includes couple of long rides, the weather looks cold and wet but it feels good to be in a queue at Harwich.

There is no excuse for forgetfulness, our days felt quite leisurely. There were no early starts, we lingered over coffee and felt no pressure to pack a lot in, it’s been quite relaxing

So, we now need to tell you more about De Watertown in Dordrecht. It was a beautifully converted water tower with spacious airy rooms. The only problem was, if you would like privacy in the bathroom, it was a walk down two flights of metal, spiral stairs to a toilet with a door. We spent hours wondering why the bathroom wall was only 4 feet high and had no door. Our room was on the second floor and, anywhere in the bathroom, you were visible from at least two windows.

In our constant quest to do things so you don’t have to, we tried very hard to book a Cannabis tour in Rotterdam. It sounded fun until we realised we weren’t their target audience. Did we need to know how to choose the best hashish, avoid overpaying and get to test different varieties? Not if we wanted to return to Dordrecht, safely, on a train.

It’s our 29th wedding anniversary and so we went out for dinner. We left home at 5am on Saturday to catch Le Shuttle to France and spend the night at the Chateau des Tourelles in Le Wast, about 30 minutes south of Calais.

We had booked a meal, wine pairing and talk, hosted by Guy Boursot of Boursot’s Wine Collection based in Ardres. We discovered Boursot’s last year and, my goodness, he sells some lovely wines at very reasonable prices. We had signed up to the newsletter and fate was telling us to be adventurous when the October event fell on our wedding anniversary.

We arrived mid morning and took our time driving to Le Wast. We usually head for a motorway and a distant destination. This was our first experience of the fabulous coast road from Calais to Boulogne and it is beautiful and very reminiscent of Devon and Cornwall.

Our first stop was Wimereux, we admired interesting architecture and braved a bracing walk along the esplanade. The town was an important medical centre in World War I and Colonel John McCrae, famous for the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ served and died there – we aim to educate!

Obligatory Supermarket stop was next, closely followed by a detour into Wimille. It is home to the Column of the Grand Armee, a 53m high column with a statue of Napoleon perched on top. The column was intended to celebrate Napoleon’s successful invasion of England, sadly for Napoleon he was a little over ambitious and instead it now celebrates the first award of Imperial Legion d’honneur medals.

On to our dinner, we were a little apprehensive wondering what sort of people attend a four course dinner with wine pairings. We are not wine buffs and John is rather particular about food. He was seriously alarmed at a starter of Langoustines followed by duck cooked properly rather than his preferred burned to a crisp. We needn’t have worried, everyone was so friendly and, quite frankly, by the middle of the evening fairly drunk or asleep at the table.

We ate too much, drank too much and were relieved to get to bed about midnight.

Today was a leisurely drive home, but first a chance to explore Ardres on our bikes. The lakes on the outskirts of town provided some lovely scenery and a stop for a cuppa. our route back to Calais retraced our coastal drive where there was a brief stop to admire the statue of Hubert Latham, he was the first person to attempt to cross the channel in an aeroplane.