Taking a few days off.
By Motormeisje on June 21, 2006 at 15:00

Sometimes you get lucky and you get an opportunity thrown in your lap. My husband is at work in Germany at the moment and he stays with 2 of his collegues in a large house. Room enough for yet another person to sleep over. So I get invited to pass by in the village of Dertern.

Monday.
This morning I have to do my job at the Mrs. I really get cracking and finish nice and early. The air is getting a nasty colour and the Mrs sends me home earlier, so that I can get home dry. When I'm nearly at home the first drops are falling. Once inside it starts pooring, combined with thunder. I'd better check the internet of what is to be expected. On the site of "buienradar" I find out, that there is yet just one more shower coming and that's it. So I'd better start getting my things together. In about one hour I can leave. So I pack my things on the bike. Put a map in my tankbag, have some lunch and leave home. Between the Elbe-tunnel and Leer, I open the throttle and my spedometre reaches 180 km/h. Then I need to leave the Autobahn for the exit Filsum. I find Detern without any detour and pass right through it. Where the road turns away from the water, I can see the men at work. I hunk the horn and wave at them, so they know I've arrived. Just outside Detern, there is Holtgast, where I can find the largest biker-motel in Northeren Germany. I need to see the biker-motel myself. Since I've driven the whole trip in one go, I could use a large cola. Meaning that it is 0,5 litres, but I can use that.

My overnight adress.
I have a pleasant stay at the biker-motel, but I mount the bike again, in order to find the house, where the men "live", during this job. In Detern itself I take a right turn at the "Denkmal" (nice curve, can push my bike down nicely) and then passed the railroad I find the house. The owners are busy in the garden. I park my bike near the backdoor on the terrace. The woman gives me a tour around the house. So I dump my stuff and wait for the men to arrive home. By 18.30 the men come back from work, take a shower and then we go out for dinner in the “Deterner Krug”. The German kitchen is of a good quality. The men know their way around by now, they've been here for a few weeks already. After dinner we go to the Culture-café in Stickhausen, belonging to Frans Epping, called “Alte Zollstation". Nice and cosy place. In the back Frans has a permanent exhibition about Calligraphy. Examples, books, inkwells, penns. Even pen-holders in different shapes and sizes. Chinese block-ink, that you sand down and dilute it with water. Never seen it before, now I could hold it in my hand, because I got a personal tour.

Tuesday.
First thing I did this morning, is drive to the information-office in Stickhausen. I bought a map of the area. Then I start driving, can't get lost now. This day I drive just about 100 miles, when I find myself again at the biker-motel. I drink a few cups of coffee and have a chat with other bikers. That evening we choose to have dinner in another location and it is already late by the time we get back at the house. So we have a drink in the house and turn in reasonably early, as the men have to rise early. On wednesdaymorning I tie my stuff back on the bike and start the homeward journey. On arrival in the Netherlands, I get the first droplets on my visor. On the parkinglot behind the servicestation “oude Riet”, I stop to get my rain-overall on. No more nice weather, but I can menage again for a while.

Betty Smit.
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