November 2020

The Camper was in Almere so a taxi ride brought us to the industrial zone of Almere Buiten where we were briefed on the workings of the camper and entrusted with the keys. Jos seemed pleasantly surprised that it drove much like a personal car. For this I was relieved because it is much bigger than your personal car.

Though it was a rush we managed to pack the camper and have a hot meal before heading off in the direction of Utrecht so that I could have my Light Therapy before we started our week away. Being a little late getting there meant we were leaving Utrecht to travel to Hengelo around 3:45pm. Fortunately the traffic was not heavy yet at least when we avoided going on the A1. The view is comprehensive from the high cabin and though the day was grey it was exciting to be on the road.

The sun sets before 5pm at the moment so we were not quite at our camper park before it became completely dark. Camps are strange places in the dark when you haven’t seen them in the daylight. Jos managed to park the camper and we set about sorting all the hastily thrown together stuff into cupboards and generally trying to organise ourselves before settling to a meal of brood. There was something very satisfying to be able to do this as if we were at the chalet and then chill out reading etc as we usually would do. The motorway was directly behind a man made hill on the other side of the back fence of the farm. It was a small diary farm with about 15 spots for campers and a tidy, clean and fairly new ablution block. The smell that greeted you as you opened the camper door in the morning left you in no doubt that you were on a farm but if you closed your eyes you could be forgiven for thinking you were standing on the edge of a busy motorway, with traffic hurtling towards you.

At this time the plans for the days were very loose. Maybe a walk or bike but probably mainly resting and that is what happened. We both just vegged out for the entire day. Jos even slept in the afternoon. Preparing the meals was simple and we were relaxing. The day outside was blue sky, white clouds, sun and a temperature of 5C - inviting until you actually went outside. So, that was Day One.

Day two dawned grey and rainy; we slept till 10am, made our porridge and chilled some more. Having all we needed on board we spent the day just reading and sleeping.

The next morning the world outside was very icy and cold. There were another couple of campers so the toilets etc were busier. We laid low for the morning and early afternoon choosing to go at the end of the afternoon to the nearest shops. We needed bread, so we off loaded the bikes and I set Google maps to the local AH, a couple of kms away. It was refreshing to bike and with only one incorrect turn, we found the supermarket and were able to purchase the few ‘essentials’ I had forgotten to take out of one particular cupboard. Yes, chocolate (dark of course) is an essential! The ride back was even prettier, as night was falling and the Xmas lights scattered around the place began to twinkle. We found the camp without any problem and set about preparing our dinner. Again, it was so lovely to be able to do this quite simply.

Each night sleep came easily and talk about being warm. It may have been 3C outside but it certainly wasn’t inside. The bed is over the heating system and seems to ooze warmth. A definite plus for the time of year.

The morning of Day Four was time to move on.