After a good few years of waiting, and anticipation building over the last few months, the time was finally here to set off for 3 months in Europe and 2 years of travel. We couldn't quite believe it. It was made even more ridiculous by the fact that we were setting off on a motorcycle tour even though Dave only passed his final test in January!
Our first housesit was due to start in Berlin on 8th March so we had a few days to travel from Nottinghamshire to Berlin. The plan was to take the overnight ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, then travel from there to Zwolle in Netherlands, then to an Airbnb in Nordstemmen and then onwards from there to Berlin. That meant some quite long days, 4-5 hours of driving each day as we were trying to avoid motorways.
Unfortunately the weather was very wet and rainy for our first full day on the bike. But we put on our waterproofs and packed up the bike leaving Kirton in Nottingham from our friends Sam and Dan's around 9am. The only thing left in our way that was stopping us was an antigen tested needed for the ferry for Holland. So the first leg of the journey was to Boots in Peterborough to have an antigen test. Thankfully for the first couple of hours the weather held out ok and we enjoyed the freedom of being on the bike and seeing the countryside from the A roads. Arriving at Peterborough we had our test and then got some lunch from Turtle Bay sitting in disbelief that we were actually doing this. Then our test results came through and we were all negative, which meant we were actually doing this!!
With a feeling of relief we headed back into the rain for the rest of the drive down to Harwich. We drove through the windy, but very windy fens and were very grateful to stop briefly at a Tesco. However the rain was getting worse and we were starting to fight the light so we pushed on to Harwich where we arrived at the Waterfront pub just as the sun went down. Very wet and cold we warmed up in the pub having coffees and gourmet burgers.
After wasting some time in the pub we headed over to the port for check in at 8pm all tests and paperwork in hand. It was nerve wracking waiting in line as people in front kept getting turned away, we believe for having done self tests that weren't allowed. Thankfully our documents were quickly checked and we sailed through before loading onto the ferry. With a bit of help from the staff we got the bike strapped up and then found our cabin. It was a decent size with bunk beds and a bathroom. We were exhausted from the ride and the stress of the day but managed to muster up enough energy to quickly explore the boat and grab a celebratory beer. After nearly falling asleep whilst drinking it though we headed back to the cabin for the night.
The journey was very smooth and after being woken up by the ship call alarm at 5.30am we were pulling into the Hook of Holland. After 45 mins waiting in the queue in passport control and then we were in, finally into a different country after a couple of years! We grabbed a quick and easy McDonald's breakfast before setting off in the sunshine and Dave getting used to driving on the right side of the road.
The roads in Holland were incredibly smooth and well marked though, with the scenery being very Dutch lots of windmills, canals and flat expanses of farm land. After a couple of hours we stopped at Ottenhome restaurant on a gorgeous lake. We were treated to great views alongside our coffee. From here we drove through a more forested area, with quaint old towns with wooden architecture before getting to our lunch stop in Zewolde. Restaurant Fika was basking in the sun on the shores of a swimming lake, that would be amazing in the summer. As it was still March though we grabbed drinks and some lunch- where I tried a local dish that was beef croquettes and bread which was delicious! After another hour, where we were quite tired and the wind whipping across the fields we made it to our hotel in Zwolle. Despite being exhausted we were determined to see a bit of the town so went for a wonder to the old town admiring the old architecture and cobbled streets before finding a local restaurant for a schnitzel dinner and a beer.
The next morning we woke up early as we had a long 5 hour drive day ahead of us to get to Nordstemmen in Germany. When we got to the bike it was iced up, so needed a scrap- it was a very cold drive to start with. We stopped after a few hours at a local bakery (it being Sunday no shops were open). We thawed out with coffees and pastries in our first German bakery. We had also gone from no covid restrictions to having to wear specific FFP2 masks inside and show covid passes for entering places. Germany was very different to the Netherlands. We stopped a couple more times at fuel stations and a little market to get food shopping to eat at our Airbnb that evening before camping out in a McDonald's for a bit as our Airbnb wasn't available until 5pm. We arrived at the farm where our Airbnb was just on time and had a very cute little flat to relax in for the evening.
The next day was the final long day to get to Berlin. Packing up seemed to go smoother that day and we were on the road nice and early. After a few hours we warmed up with a coffee in a McDonald's, then made a few stops for fuel and at a nice lake but majorly just pushed through to get to the Campanile in Berlin. We treated ourselves to dinner at Ristorante Albergo-aldo for some needed Italian food before crashing at the hotel. We didn't need to check out until 12 so we took full advantage of that and our included breakfast.
Next we were off to meet Bruno the dog we would be house-sitting and see where we would be living in Berlin for the few weeks.
Thanks
Alex
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