Maandag

Monday/ Maandag

After a long day at work on Saturday we set off from Torquay ready to catch the ferry Sunday morning at Harwich. The drive was fairly uneventful apart from I was being the DJ and keeping Dan amused with plenty of 80’s cheese and various dire songs. A few miles from Harwich we found a layby and the first of 2 horrid sleeps in the Peugeot commenced. In the morning we travelled the last few miles to the ferry port and the English drive was over. We waited in the queue for an hour or so and then cars started to get loaded, our queue took forever too move, in fact other people were over taking us and going on in front, not fair!! We decided we would try that as well and realised 2 cars infront was a van and there was no one inside, hence our lane not moving, ops….

Once we had parked up we looked for the stairs and saw a few people moving towards the “orange Trap” and figured that was the way to go, it almost acted out like an Indiana Jones scene as Dan passed through the door and it started to slide shut, figuring it had a sensor I put my leg in the way, the door continued to close and in a slight moment of panic i backed up and then thought I’m not getting locked down in the cargo hold for the entire trip and slipped through with not a lot of room spare, all I needed was a hat to lean back through and grab. Indiana Jones ain’t got nothing on me!!!

Up on deck I found Walle just chilling, it was really just one of the pay binoculars but it looked a bit like Walle if you have a creative mind…  We headed back inside and the long journey on the ferry started, we watched the news on repeat without sound for what seemed like an age. Soon enough though we had arrived in the target country HOLLAND…

 

 

About an hour into our trip we had to pass over a giant dyke, North sea on one side, a massive man-made lake the other, We pumped up the power ballads and sung on the giant dyke, like you do. Once the other side we stopped in a small town called Kimswerd hoping to find somewhere to eat, we didn’t find anything other than a hotel so we got back on the motorway and finished the last section of the drive to Leeuwarden.  After driving round Leeuwarden with no idea where to go or park we found somewhere and thought it best to stretch our legs and figure it out on foot, we had barely left the car and we had stumbled across the red light district part of the city, one guy even asked if we had any money he could have as he had just been mugged, GREAT start. As we walked past the sex shop windows Dan was really shocked to see a kids toy shop almost next door, as I had been to Amsterdam this didn’t really phase me but it was a new experience for him. We had a walk around and figured it best not to leave the car for too long so close to the seedier part of town so we got a drink in Grande Café de Bass and headed back. We found somewhere free to park, although it turned out to be right next to a nightclub and tried to get some kip in the most uncomfortable car in existence!!!

In the Morning we walked into town to find somewhere for breakfast, all we found was a statue of Tim our boss, or at least a spitting image of him made of stone. As we walked around we found that Monday/Maandag in Holland we like our Sundays everything was closed, or at least until 1pm. We eventually found a place called De Wallrus and had a really nice lunch in the sunshine taking in the fine scenery. We then had a look round for the toilets, and I seemed to remember from before you don’t exactly get toilets but an outside area. We had found the race start and the toilets that would be opened at some point later for the event but still no luck in the city, Luckily on our trip back to the car I took a chance on a building near the canal, It needed a pay to use card and it gave you access to showers and toilets etc for use for canal users, needs must so I brought a card. After we had had a shower dan was waiting for me outside and he had been approached by 2 very nice girls asking if he wanted any spliff, again a bit of a surprise to Dan, it was a shame we were there to race otherwise While in Rome would have sprung to mind. We headed back into town and I brought some clogs and some permanent markers ready for people to sign my Devon Flag if they would. It turned out most people thought it was a great idea and in fact a few were jelious they hadn’t thought of it. We got the car and drove back to the start line and relaxed on the grass while things started to take shape and competitors started to trickle in one by one. A few times people came over to ask if we were part of the starboard race team as they were expecting to drop boards off. The boats started to arrive and it soon became clear I didn’t have a room, despite the mix up we all got ready for the fancy dress tour of Leeuwarden, It helped introduce people to each other as well as give you an idea of how some of the bridges on the tour could pose some problems especially if there were a lot of paddlers wanting to go through at the same time. Todd won the fancy dress competition with his mish mash of outfits turning him into the SUP Warrior. I had no idea it was an event that could be won but still was happy enough paying tribute to WeSups Relay races going in Hawaiian Lays. After the Fancy dress, the room situation was sorted so I started the ritual of polishing my board. An early Night was on the cards as the last 2 nights in the car were horrid and along day was ahead of us, in fact a long week was ahead of us!!!