Home -> Europe -> Great Britain -> Travelogue 2005 -> Saturday 20 August

With a detour to IJmuiden

It has been only three months since we last went on holiday, but these three months have been very tiring and stressfull, so we are glad we have some time to discover new things and relax abroad. In the beginning of the year we have made a list with countries we would like to visit, but there could be only one winner and that was Great Britain, although Teije would have liked to go to France, but we made a compromise and will go there next year.

Ans since Scotland is part of the UK we start there to visit some old friends. We can't help it, Scotland has stolen our hearts, so if we get the opportunity we go there. Our travel plan first brings us to the north: by ferry to Newcastle, with our own car to Beauly in the Highlands and after a couple of days there to the south, to England and Wales.

Check-in time at the harbour of IJmuiden is only at half past 4, but we want to be on our way early, so we already taste the freedom of a holiday. And so we do, we drive away from home very early and make a detour now and then, for example to Muiden where we want to have a look at the Muiderslot, one of the most famous castles in Holland.

But that costs us more time and effort than we expect, since we can't pay with coins on the parking lot. On the ticket machine is a notice that we have to walk a few hundred meters back to use a machine that accepts coins. So we walk there but on that machine is the same notice but the next machine is much further away. In the meantime we see the parking officers being very busy writing (much higher) tickets, so we have to think of another way. What they all think off, just to get us away! So, we drive up at the castle, Teije stays in the car and I take a picture and have a quick look.

Near Haarlem we decide to visit the town, since we still have lots of time. There is some festival going on and the city is teeming with life. The weather also cooperates nicely and after some time the sun starts shining. We walk through the old town with many nice houses dating back to the wealthy times of the Dutch sea-faring empire and have a drink on the central square. But when we return to the car it suddenly starts raining. Just in time...

We fill up our car with LPG and gas before we enter the harbour, since the prices are higher in the UK. Although, we are not sure about the gas price, that has really gone up quite a bit with the high oil prices of the moment (almost twice as much as a few months earlier). We are glad our car uses mostly LPG, which is much cheaper!

We have to wait for almost an hour in the harbour before we can board the ferry but finally we are inside and our journey really begins: we leave the Netherlands. I don't love boats very much, and surely not to spend a whole night on, but this way we are very close to our destination tomorrow morning. For me it is the same as with planes: I don't like flying, but it gets you somewhere very easily and quickly!

The prices on board have risen also quite a bit since we last used this ferry (2000): we have to pay € 5,20 for a can of almost undrinkable coffee! The 3 euro for a pint of lager (half a liter) isn't really exceptional, and Teije carry a few cans with him, so his glass fills up miraculously all the time.

But we are most surprised by the behaviour of the people: as if it is their last night they are dressed in costumes and dresses on high heels (very awkward on a boat we think) and dance on the rhythm of music that we abhor, but it must be popular. We probably become too old for this, we think, we better like the music from the 70's and 80's. This all seems so fake, we never see people behave like this in the 'real' world, so why would they do it now? We just sit in a corner and watch the crowd. It is not very late when we are off to our cabin to sleep.

Travel through Europe and Africa

with Elisabeth and Teije