Through the Netherlands to Germany

It’s been a long, tiring day. I barely got any sleep last night because I’m full of cold and my sinuses were hurting, then the tannoy woke us up at 5.30 UK time (6.30 in The Netherlands). We dragged ourselves out of bed and had a drink and a croissant before going on deck to see the view as the ferry approached the Hook of Holland.

We were almost last to leave the ferry in Molly, then we joined a long queue. Since we’re no longer in the EU, UK citizens have to have their fingerprints taken and eyes scanned before entering. This took about 45 minutes!

Then the customs officers asked if we had any milk or animal products on board and we confessed that we had chicken and milk. We were pulled over and they checked the fridge and removed them although, for some reason, they left the yoghurt and butter. We have heard that meat and dairy items shouldn’t be taken into Europe. However, we’ve never been checked before on our many trips, so we assumed it was a historic rule that the EU no longer bothered about. At least the customs officers were very nice about it… they seemed to feel guilty for taking it!

Finally, on the road, we drove for about 4 hours to Bourtange, just stopping to make a coffee and hot cross bun en route. Bourtange is an ancient fortified village with walls and moats, laid out in a pretty star shape. The plan had been to get a photo from above with the drone, but a storm began just as we arrived and the wind and rain were too strong to fly it. We had some lunch and by then the rain eased so we were at least able to wander the walls and pretty cobbled streets. The fresh air was very welcome and woke me up for a while!

We’re now driving through Germany in more torrential rain. The plan is to drive for a couple more hours, pop to the supermarket to replace the confiscated supplies, then park up in a camping aire. I’ll be dosing myself up with paracetamol and having an early night, hoping to sleep well and wake up feeling better. Tomorrow, we head into Denmark… a new country for us.