Last Days on the Continent

Sun.1^st September :  The drive to Brugge this morning was a bumpy one, due to the roads, including a motorway, being less than good, so it was also slower than it should have been, not that we were in a hurry.  On leaving Eeklo, we noticed that one of the side streets was closed off for a ‘flea’ market so we stopped to have a look…didn’t buy anything but it was interesting to see what people had to sell.  We arrived in Brugge and settled in to the camp site, just behind Mark and Mireille from Melbourne who have been travelling in Europe since April and we enjoyed swapping stories with them before cycling into town, a short distance away.  It was very busy, many tourists but we happily strolled around taking photos of the lovely old buildings, canals etc.

We also visited Historium Brugge, a clever recreation of Brugge in the middle ages.  We swapped more stories with Mireille and Mark in the evening, they’ve been to places we haven’t visited yet and vice versa so we were able to exchange information. 

Mon.2^nd September :  We were hoping for a better road out of Brugge this morning and it was, but only marginally…until we reached the Netherlands border when as if by magic it was smooth and comfortable.  We travelled about 120 kms today, driving through the 6.6km long Westerscheldetunnel into Zeeland, over the Zandkreekdam, across the Zeelandbrug causeway

and then across the Brouwersdam to our resting place for our last night in Europe, a camping place near Ouddorp.  Holland has a series of dams, dikes, bridges, tunnels, car ferries and canals which bring the country together and help to make travelling here interesting and we have a couple more to cross tomorrow on our way to Hook of Holland where we will board the afternoon ferry to Harwich.  From there, we plan to head north to Scotland, via the Norfolk Broads and wherever else takes our fancy.  We’re looking forward to being in an English speaking country again, although the Brits and Scots are sometimes hard to understand…and they sometimes have a little difficulty with our Australian accents would you believe?  Still, we’ll be able to read the signs and the menus!