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19/07/07Well our entry into and travel up through the Netherlands was not so pleasant, as the smog was at ground level. Neither of us has seen it like that before but it looked like the fog which hangs low over the Waikato River. It was sitting right on the ground. This was at 1pm and it stayed like that all the way up to Ede where we were staying with friends. The motorways were also lined by trees so it was quite boring with nothing to look at. Nothing for it but to sleep, so I did. The next 2 days there was no evidence of the smog though as it was bright and sunny. Eric tells us it is often like that and comes in from England. I guess it is nice to be able to pass your smog onto your neighbours. A bit like burning rubbish or having a bar b q and having the smoke go on to their washing and not yours. It was great to see Eric again and to meet Anne. Thank you both so much for your hospitality and for giving up your bed for us. We will be back.Ingel said the bike needed a new front tyre so Eric called a BMW bike shop about 30 minutes away and checked they had a Metzler for the K1200LT and said we would be there in an hour. Sure enough right on an hour later we pulled into the service area of the BMW shop as they were all sitting outside having lunch. No-one moved to speak to us and we wandered around the shop looking at the bikes and gear for sale for 5 minutes before we were approached. “Oh yes, you are the ones who called. They will get to your bike when they have had their sandwich.” We waited another 20 minutes before they rolled the bike into the service area and then we wandered down the road to have something to eat. When we returned an hour later we were greeted with “Oh, we have a problem. The tyre I thought we had in stock is not the right size for your bike so would a Michelin do?” After some questions about a Michelin working with a Metzler, Ingel said yes it would be fine. So then they started working on the bike. The next thing we knew they were stopping for afternoon tea. No-one mentioned our bike until I spied it out the front presumably completed and Ingel went over to the counter. The man we had been dealing with, with perfect English, then began to discuss how good the Michelin was etc. After a good few minutes he walked to the computer and told us how much and we paid and left, 2 ½ hours after arriving! Obviously business is done in a casual round about way there. So our planned trip across to Den Haag and Mudurodam had to be aborted for that day. Hmmpf. The visits to Ingel’s cousins and Oma amd Opa’s friends went very well. All were very surprised and delighted to see us. We had lots of laughs with the cousins and lots of interesting stories from the friends. The cousins cried when we left and we promised to return and look forward to doing so once we are back in England.The campground we are staying in just south of Reuver (where Ingel’s dad was born) is on a farm and has 7 baby bambis still feeding from their mums and the field next to our tent is full of Shetland ponies. The deer make a noise rather like the bark of a dog with a very bad cough, something I didn’t know. It was well set out with huge sites and all hedged off from their neighbour. Very quiet - nice.As we left the Netherlands and travelled further into Germany the smog lessened and the day brightened considerably. We love the autobahns in Germany because we can travel at good speeds, see things and not pay any money, although apparently they are trying to bring toll roads in to Germany. Leave well enough alone, I say. Travelling towards Hannover we passed many industrial towns with smoke billowing into the sky. Hmmmm. We are constantly amazed at the sheer volume of trucks on these autobahns – convoys of thousands of them. I wonder at the numbers and the amount of fuel emissions they are putting into the air. I also hope the rail transport is being fully utilised otherwise some of these trucks are polluting for no reason. The motorway systems throughout Europe are incredible. Many have 2 or 4 360 degree off and on ramps at their intersections. From the air it must look like giant snails have slimed their way over the countryside in indiscriminate patterns and stopped every now and then for a ritual, circular dance. Oh dear, the last 6 days have spoiled us as just as we finished erecting the tent and unloading the trailer the thunder came rolling over the hills, the lightning followed and we had an hour of thunderstorms. What a terrible summer Europe is having and they are expecting more rain. We are heading towards Berlin then Czech Republic and then south so hopefully we will be heading towards better weather. Ren tells us daily that London is having awful weather. This camp ground in Vlotho is very big but very nicely set out. We are overlooking a small man-made lake and can sit and watch the young people swimming in it. Strangely, at 4pm today the lake emptied of people – just before the thunderstorm. The facilities block is well set out with cooking elements and a small dishwasher. This is the first camp ground we have been in so far that has provided cooking facilities. This one also provides a dog washing area! Every camp ground we have been in has had many dogs with their owners. This one even provides drinking bowls at the reception area for newly arrived dogs. We have also seen drinking bowls and food at service stations for travelling pets. A nice touch.
