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Crash...
It seemed I was too late to catch the ferry, because I was still half an hour away from the Royal Quays. The battery of my mobile phone was dead and so Alex booked the ferry to IJmuiden for the next day for me. On my question if he could give me directions to a Bed & Breakfast, he asked if I had no objections to sleep on the sofa. He called home and asked his wife June, if she agreed and I could crash at their house. I got along with June, the kids and even the dogs. Since then we keep in touch from time to time via mail and msn.
Week in Germany.
Alex told me at the beginning of this year, that he would come with his bikerclub to the main land of Europe and spend a week in Germany. On his way back he intended to visit me. He would come all the way up north with 2 of his bikerfriends and he asked if I had an adress for a B&B in the area. When I offered the sleepingmats and -bags, he was enthousiastic. Then we could talk all evening. He was really looking forward to meet me again. So we exchanged phonenumbers and waited of what was to come next. Word was they would arrive late in the afternoon.
Tuesdayafternoon.
At a quarter past two the phone rings. They are standing at a servicestation on the A6. By four-thirty they gentlemen arrive. After a week of rain they had enjoyed the sun for a while laying in the grass. Then they had missed the right exit and made a detour. I opened the garagedoor and they could put their bikes inside. It was good to see Alex again and I got aquainted to Mick and John. A nice bunch. Coffee was ready and while talking at the kitchentable, I heated up the soup and cooked dinner. Simple Dutch food, thought they could use that after a week of junkfood. After dinner, we sat in the livingroom to let the food go down for a while. Then I suggested to get the stuff of their bikes inside and they could settle in the bedroom. Then an evening with smalltalk and jokes. We make plans for the next day. Of course it is getting late. I'm made an honorary member of their bikerclub. When they were touring Germany the year before, they had been lost so many times and had to make the same amount of U-turns, that they called themselves the "U-turn-motorcycleclub". Because I was lost in New Castle last year, I got a T-shirt with that printed on. Underneath it says: "Lost in Europe 2006".
Wednesday.
The men sleep in and at nine-thirty we drink coffee. Last night we've decided to have a look at the woodshoe-museum in Noardburgum. Alex would love to take some real clogs for June, so we can combine that. On arrival home everything is tied back on the bikes and after lunch we start for the harbour of Harlingen. Just having a look around and then we have the next stop at the “stienen man” (stone man) on the seadike. We keep driving on the secundary road all the way to Breezandijk. There we have to go on the highway. Naturally we stop at the monument on the Afsluitdijk. They have been to Europe before, but have never crossed the "long bridge" as they call it. Would never think of it that way. In the harbour of IJmuiden we eat "fish and chips" together. Then by four-thirty the men leave into the direction of the ferry and I leave for home on my own. In 2 months time I hope to see them again in New Castle, during my vacation. I shouldn't forget to pack that T-shirt.
Betty Smit.
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