Saturday, October 2, 2010

Germany

To Germany! A planned start time of 7.30 am and by 7.44 we were off! We were heading to Paul and Lynda's friend Ulla's house where Paul, Remy and Harry were staying. I tagged along for the ride so i could see Germany and keep Wim company on the drive back.
It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining through i light mist as we headed for the border.
It was about 2 hours til we reached Germany and we took the dijk that ran from Hoorn right across the water, the houtribdijk. It runs for 26km with nothing but water on either side

We drove through stunning countryside, completely different to anything i have seen of Holland so far

Just before the border we stopped on the side of the road so all the boys could stretch their legs

Finally we reached the border. In the back Harry, Remy and I had all had a nap so we were glad to get out, stretch our legs and look around and even help ourselves to some pringles....

After that it was no more stops, Germany all the way! It was another 2 hours of driving before we got to Ullas. I entertained the boys by going through girlie magazines with them and showing them all the clothes i liked, and in turn they showed me all the girls they liked. Once we got on the German motorway there were long stretches of open speed limit road which Wim took advantage of, reaching a top speed of 195 at one point. I must admit even i found it a little bit fun. All to soon our road trip was over and after a slight hiccup with the sat nav we arrived at Ulla and Alex's house. Just incase we werent sure which house was theirs they even decoratd it for Paul and the boys
 Beerfest 2010 started straight away for Paul, who was served a beer as soon as he sat down.

Wim and i stayed for lunch which is something i soon regretted. Don't get me wrong, Ulla and Alex were lovely, lovely, lovely people. They were very welcoming and opened there house up to us, but the minute i walked inside i could smell it. Sauerkraut. No offence to Alex, everyone said he cooked a wonderful lunch but it was the most horrific meal i have ever seen. Not only sauerkraut but some kind of boiled pork, which was pink and smelt so strong, when they served everything up and put it on the table it was all i could do not to throw up. I politely let them know that i wasn't very keen on sauerkrat and boiled meat, but i would have a roll that we had brought from instead. Even this tasted horrible, as if the scent of the sauerkraut and pork had permeated my roll and everytime i opened my mouth i could almost taste it. It was a very traumatic experience for me. Everyone else loved it and all took seconds though. Luckily after lunch Paul suggested i go for a walk with Remy and Harry to see a bit of the German countryside before we headed back to Holland. We headed off to see what Germany had to offer.

Cigarettes? Why not. A strange place for a cigarette machine, in the middle of no where, but there they were!
We didn't want to get lost because, unlike Holland, Germnay actually has hills and inclines, so we were in risk of not being able to see the house if we strayed more than 2 km's. I wanted to take some pictures that would prove i had been in Germany so i found the most German things i could, a funny brown house, a german sign, and the word 'Heinrich'


Wim and I left once we got back to Ulla's so that we could try and miss some of the traffic. It was a short visit to Germany, but i must it is very beautiful, and surprisingly different to Holland. A lot of the countryside reminds me of the Adelaide Hills, around, say, Hahndorf. Coincidence?
It was a good thing i came with Wim, if it wasn't for my snoring in the front next to him he may not have made the return trip home. I didn't sleep the whole way, i managed to wake up before we crossed the border, leaving sauerkraut far behind us.
(that isn't really true, people in Holland like sauerkraut too for some reason)
On the way home i tried to spot as many different number plates as i could, i saw Dutch, German, Italian, Polish and even one ominious Russian in his big black car. Me and Wim both agreed he was probably heading to the red light district.


So that was Germany, we pulled into the drive at 7pm, 12 hours after we set off. It was short but sweet and a good chance to see some different things while i'm here.

Tomorrow i am going to Amsterdm for National Glamour Day.

If anyone see's my boyfriend tell him i love him

6 comments:

  1. I'm getting greener and greener with envy as i read your posts. Although i don't envy the sauerkraut experience, you poor thing, i would have been the same :( Back here in SA it's the October long weekend and the weather is absolutely gorgeous! I sent Mum and Dad off on their trip to KI yesterday. Today I'm gearing up for another big grand final day GO SAINTS!!!!! Then I'm off to volunteer at the slowdown (NAB is a major sponsor) should be fun. And you will be excited about this, I'm going to a wedding tomorrow. Then i think Monday will just be for recovering and relaxing.
    Can't wait to see the next installment of the Adventures of Lily and Helena. Love AJ xoxoxo

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  2. i DO ENJOY YOUR BLOG IT MAKES ME SOMETIMES A BIT HOMESICK BUT STILL IT IS WONDERFUL TO SEE THOSE PHOTO,S i HOPE THE COMMENT WILL REACH YOU BUT i AM STILL NOT VERY LUCKY WITH COMMENTS

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  3. i haven't seen dale around, but i'm happy to flag him down and give him a big kiss for you ;-)
    i'm with you on the whole sauerkraut thing - yucko. can't stand the smell, which pretty much means i shouldn't like the taste (but don't tell anyone i haven't tried it yet).
    l
    x

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  4. I would say I was envious of your roadtrip, but I've almost had my fill of long car rides recently! The idea of going through the girlie mags sounds like fun though - wish I could have been there too (not that I would have fitted into the car with the 5 of you). IF I ever see Dale, I'll tell him he's had a shout-out. I've got to go now though - the kitchen's been over-run by ants, so I need to reinstate my authority over them by doing the dishes :-(
    Love you

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  5. Stumbling onto your blog: It was about sauerkraut. The bane of my life. I am Dutch and everyone seems to enjoy the stuff. Luckily someone else (an Ausi no less) does hate the stinking, sour, smelly strips of cabbage! . Ooh, something you should definitely try while here is Erwtensoep or Snert (same thing, thick pea soup). It is really delicious. You see, there is good food in The Netherlands too!Thank you and have loads of fun in The Netherlands.
    Heleen

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  6. It really does look beautiful in Germany! Hope you had a good time in Amsterdam too. National Glamour day sounds brilliant!
    I think that it is so cool that you can just drive for a few hours and end up in a completely different country, with different scenery, language and food. Very jealous. Keep posting! ;)

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