Oxford April 17

Up till now London has been chilly and occasionally wet...we emerged from the warmth of our cosy abode into the London streets with wheelie suitcases and small back packs, mine only carrying a doona and a pillow, and another pillow case (the case wouldn't fit two pillows, so I would have to suffice with rolled up towels as a pillow)...with it POURING!...so we made our way to the station with the rain bucketing down.

After getting out at Lambeth North station we walked to our destination ( Wicked camper vans) where we were to pick up our new home for the next 7 days. Before us we could see a very black van with lots of unsavoury stickers on the bumper bar. I told the young person, Leesy from Brisbane who greeted us, that I wasn't prepared to travel with the stickers. She assured me that it wasn't our car. We breathed a sigh of relief as it seemed a rather gloomy looking car, and the stickers added to its undesirability.

The Van

After some discussions with Leesy about what roads to take and how she was enjoying London, we eventually were led to our pastel-coloured car, shown its idiosyncrasies...and then were ready to go. Leaving London was harder than one would have imagined, and we did a u turn, and then another, ending up in the same direction, before we made it onto the correct route.

After a few hiccoughs we were off to Oxford. The green fields rolled by, and we were delighted to be leaving the city behind for a while. Soon we arrived at our overnight destination, and with maps in hand headed off on foot to find the Thames and Oxford.

The Thames, Oxfordshire

Ambling along the banks were many sights to take in. The banks were dotted by 'house boats', very small vessels with names like Jean Marguerite, Pia, Lily Rose, Chavorin...some adorned with potted plants on the roof...

There were also lots of ducks, some very tame, in fact so tame that we could have enjoyed duck soup for dinner.

Friendly duck



We found ourselves in Oxford, and 'The Head of the River' hotel seemed like the ideal place for lunch.

House literally on the Thames

Lunch at The Head of the River

 We ordered fish and chips (cod), which came on a small bed of slightly mashed peas, on a piece of slate! It was delicious!










Our appetites satisfied we set out exploring Oxford. The buildings were amazing...it felt as though we were moving through an historic film set...the solid buildings, beautifully made, reflected how learning had been revered.

Christchurch Oxford

Eventually we found ourselves at Blackwell's a huge book shop, and then at Cafe Nero where we were surrounded by people either intently reading, or discussing what they'd been reading. 

Library, Oxford

Out in the street there was a group of young people with a stick and a hoop, entertaining onlookers with excerpts from a play they were to perform.

We tried to find the bus back,but it was nowhere to be found, so we traced our steps back along the Thames. It was no longer the sleepy river with the odd houseboat but was now alive with crews in rowing boats,being spurred on by the cox, and by bicycle riding coaches on the bank. There were also lots of other cyclists enjoying their rides.
We braced ourselves against the cold and settled into our new bed, slightly hard, but warm.

Cotswolds and Devizes April 18

After cocopops (to put us in holiday mode) and cups of tea we headed back on the road, passing through villages in the Cotswolds. Apparently the Cotswolds is known for its chilly winds and bleak weather, and that it was. With rain pelting we headed to Woodstock, found a parking spot to walk around the village but it was too wet so we headed into the local library for shelter, then back to the car for a drive around the streets. The houses were amazing- stone with steep pitched rooves, generally opening right onto the street.

The countryside was green and gently undulating, with the odd mansion at the top of a hill, surrounded by woods enclosed by walls. Our next stop was Witney where I made an essential purchase...an umbrella, and we strolled the streets chancing upon a 99p shop, where we stocked up on all our essentials...batteries, dishcloths, tea bags, chocolate and biscuits. Again the houses were very historic, close together, steep pitched rooves and stone.

We arrived at Burford, which has a very steep main street, and a number of quaint shops.





We explored the street, finding ourselves near a very splendid home, surrounded by a huge wall...turned out that Rupert Murdoch's daughter lives there! From there was quite a long drive through the green countryside to Devizes, not far from Bath. We arrived in the nick of time as they were about to close, and after a certain amount of consternation we were allocated a site in the 'overflow area', and we settled in for the night, in anticipation of our next day.

Burford

Rupert Murdoch's daughter's house

Bath and Salisbury April 19

From here we headed to Bath, Jane Austen's town. Again a very historic town, but finding somewhere to park proved to be problematic but we chanced upon a long stay car parking area. Off we strode to explore Bath, a very old town made of lots of stone, alongside a river.

Bath

 The Victoria Gallery was full of art by local artists, and the shops were busy providing for the many tourists. After walking around town we headed south through Wells then on to our next stop, Salisbury. On arrival we were greeted by a very friendly manager from Leicester, who pointed us in the direction of Sarum Castle, which we decided to explore. It was closed but provided us with a view of the valley, and good exercise after sitting in the car.

Sheep grazing near Sarum Castle

 Rolling green meadows

 A soccer game was being played, full of expletives, punctuated by the coach saying...'it's just a game lads. Enjoy it'. Soon afterwards sitting in the van I realised that we were a day behind...that it was time to hotfoot it to Dover to the ferry, which we had booked onto the following day. So we woke very early, and at 5am were on the road, this time on main roads to make it there by 11 am.

Dover, Brugge and Jabbeke April 20

As we drove in we saw the white cliffs of Dover. We headed up to a car park, ate breakfast and finished with a much needed cup of tea. We aired the mattresses, ready to arrive in Europe. Arriving at the port we had quite a long wait before we could board the ferry. We found ourselves some bar stools and drank a coffee as we left port, soon arriving at Dunkurque, France, where we finally found the right road to Brussels (after a few u turns including heading back to the port).

We were greeted by the most incredible hail storm, and the visibility was terrible. At this point the nearest place to settle in for the evening was Brugge, but where was the camping ground? The receptionist at a hotel was very helpful, printing out a map. Still we couldn't find it...at the service station the manager looked at my paper and said 'the camping ground closed 7 years ago' but was fortunately able to direct us to another, about 7 km away. On arrival it all seemed very inhospitable..the ground sodden, the camping area very suburban like in feel. Nearby we discovered a bar and restaurant on the banks of a lake, very picturesque and peaceful, so we sampled the local beer and feasted on chorizo and pizza. The owner said that 'Australia was his dreamland...that he would like to settle there some day'.

Amsterdam, April 21

Our next destination was Amsterdam, and we arrived at our next stopping point, a camping ground every close to Amsterdam, set in a very wooded location. Central Amsterdam was just a short walk and ferry ride away. After the ferry ride we came to the main Amsterdam station and outside there were people and bicycles everywhere.

Amsterdam Central Station

Cycling is used as transport by young and old, and the roads are designed to make cycling safe.

Bicycles everywhere

There are even traffic lights for bicycles!
 We walked through streets with shops displaying lots of tourist novelties, cheese and coffee shops serving marijuana and hash.

 We sampled a delicious waffle served with banana, maple syrup and ice cream. Superb!

Amsterdam, April 22

We set out to find the market but after much walking decided to give it a miss and found another ferry into the centre of Amsterdam. As we were having a coffee a young girl approached us. Were we staying at Camp Vliegenbos...and where did we get our camper? We chatted for a
while...the young person was from New Zealand, and was travelling around Europe, having spent a year in Germany.

After our conversation we headed to the fair, which had terrifying rides as well as gentle ones, and was very atmospheric. We sampled the fairy floss and watched the people, all enjoying what there was on offer. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

After ambling around the city looking around the canals
 we found our ferry back and on return had a beer in the warm Spring sunshine. Liz, the young person from NZ, borrowed one of our pots and we talked about her travels. Her group of friends were to hire bikes the following day to cycle to a few nearby towns.

Amsterdam, April 23

Liz returned in the morning with milk they couldn't carry and £6 which they were tired of carrying around. She insisted that she didn't want any euros and by the time we found some they had left.

Again we caught the ferry in, wandered around, found the market place, and caught trams for the first time. I'd hoped to find a hairdresser but it seems hairdressers in Amsterdam also take Mondays off! The bus ride back to the camp site was very welcome...usually it being the ferry and a long walk. Time to pack up...as the car needs to be returned tomorrow...and we fly back to London.
Dinner was pizza at the camp ground, run by a young Dutch woman and her partner from Saudi Arabia. We had quite a long discussion with them about life in Holland, languages and their working lives. They told us that Holland is the only country in the world where there is a tax to pump water away!

Amsterdam, April 24

The hairdresser across the road fitted me in, aided by another client (half Dutch, half South American) who translated what I wanted.It was good to sit back and relax, and view what each hairdresser was doing. One was taking out hair extensions, and these were to be coloured and then put back on the client. After this short interlude we were off on the road again to deliver the van and make our way to Schipol Airport Amsterdam.

Canal- central Amsterdam