End to my Dutch trip

The main focus of my stay was family, but I would spend the last night with friends. I would go see Roelof after he would come back from work and at some point, Viking would join us. I would spend the night there, and then I could go straight to the Eurostar terminal the next morning.

On my way to Roelof

When I got there I first caught up with Roelof over a drink, on the balcony. Micha did the cooking. Spectacularly, as usual. And after dinner we returned to the balcony for more drinks. Viking was at a promotion party, so he came a bit later. Unfortunately, not before after bedtime. Oh well; I thought I would be able to cope.

In order to not keep Micha awake, who wasn't 100% and had to stick to conservative bedtimes, we went to a nearby terrace. Viking soon joined us.

Viking had been on holiday, Roelof and Micha had been away twice and would go a third time, Roelof had done things on his house and had exciting events coming up. We had all read books and seen films and listened to music. And had thoughts about climate and AI and the nuclear apocalypse. Enough to talk about!

Then the pub closed, and we all went home. Then followed one of the less successful parts of my trip: the night. Roelof asked if I wanted to the balcony door open or closed. What was more important: get fresh air in, or keep mosquitoes out? And I am not used to having to think about mosquitoes at night, and I like fresh air, so I said open. And regretted it.

I woke up a bit sleepy the next morning. The mosquitoes had had a whale of a time! I counted 14 mosquito bites on my left leg alone. That makes me appreciate my rather mosquito-free time in Wales again.

Travelling back to the UK went smoothly. I had a direct train to London, which was great. Getting to Euston was fine too. When I was at the picnic benches awaiting news of my train, some lady waved at me. She came up to me and said she recognised me from the Eisteddfod. I had never expected to have a lively conversation in Welsh in the middle of London.

Soon after that, things turned for the worse. My train, which would get to Wales via Stafford, Crewe and Chester, was delayed. Initially only by 20 minutes, but soon the sign said that getting to Crewe would be faster by a train that would leave 41 minutes after the original departure time of my train. Shit! How bad would it get?

Delightful Euston

Then there was an announcement. My train was only 20 minutes late after all. And it duly trundled all the way to Bangor. Soon I was home. And I got to sleep in my own bed, next to my own cat. It had been good to be in the Netherlands, but it was good to be home as well!

Travelling to the Netherlands

The house was spotless! At least, by my standards. And my luggage was ready to be completed. I was ready to get up early and start the long journey to Amersfoort. 

The first thing I did when the alarm went off was to check if my 7:16 train would actually run. It would! So I had my breakfast, packed the last things, said goodbye to the cat, and left. The travel to London went fine. I had a book and a newspaper and a phone. And a flask. 

In London I had some time, so I did what I do more often: sit on a bench by the British Library, and have some lunch. It’s so quiet there! In the middle of London. 

View from my lunch bench

When I was in the Eurostar terminal there was an announcement that my train had a technical issue. Oh dear! But only minutes later we could board anyway. And we departed on time. 

I already had an email saying that my Eurostar from Brussels was delayed. And then I got another. I wondered if I should wander into Brussels for a hot drink or something. The transfer time had been generous to start with! Adding delays would make it really tedious. 

I also heard an announcement that there was a train to Amsterdam leaving quite soon. Should I just jump ship and take that one? How much money was it worth to me to not have to spend two hours and fifteen minutes (at least) on Brussels South? I decided to choose the time over the money. And I got into a not very busy Dutch train onwards. 

Before my Eurostar would even leave I was in Rotterdam. And then, before I knew it, at Amsterdam South. The train to Amersfoort was a bit delayed, but I still was at my mum’s at a good time! My visit could start. Not a bad trip at all! 

The rest of our Dutch trip

Including travel, Neil and I had five days away. We could do a bit more than the family day. On the first day we already did a bit of exploration of Amersfoort. We arrived in the late afternoon, and we decided to have dinner in town. It’s beautiful there! 

On our way to pick up the rental bikes. Pic by Neil

Our cabin seen from the front. Pic by Neil

The inside. Pic by Neil

On the Hof, with St George’s church in the background. Pic by Neil

On the first full day, we went to see Monique. Neil suggested we put our bikes on the train, and bike from Meppel. That sounded like fun! But I did require one thing: that the train would actually have space for our bicycles. The first train we tried did not. The second didn't either. It was a sunny Whitsun weekend! Everyone was out. 

We were fairly close to deciding to just park the bikes, and phone Monique to pick us up, when a third train actually would take us. And from then on all went smoothly.

I don't have a map of the Meppel area, so we just had to navigate on our phones. A lot of standing still and checking the route! I can't say we took. the most logical one. But we got there. It was a bit warm, but we were ok.

At Monique’s we mainly spend our time drinking tea and catching up. We had a bit of rehydration to do. Mike and Monique also thought it was a bit warm, so were quite happy to sit under the ceiling fan and not go on wild adventures. 

On the way back we found a more direct route. And we came past a cracking windmill! That was a nice bonus.
 

Neil and windmill

We wanted to see my mum that evening. We also needed food at some point. And Neil was curious about Indonesian food. And I figured we might combine these three things. There is an Indonesian takeaway right around my mum's corner, and I had never been. I love Indonesian food! So I proposed to him and my mum that we would just get some takeaway, and it eat at her place. She thought it was an excellent idea! But she didn't want to try any of it.

The advantage of eating it at my mum's place was as well that we could have a quick cold shower before dinner. After all the biking in the heat we sort of needed it.

We also had a (half) day in Amsterdam planned. But we did not want to spend all day there, so in the morning I first went for a run. You could run from our accommodation straight into the woods where I normally go for a run if I'm in the area. If I stay at my mum, I first I have to run for some 20 minutes to get there. Now I was in there instantly! And I ran a bit further east than normal, past the wind blown sands where my dad used to take us when we were small kids. 

At the Soestduinen wind blown sands

Neil went for a bike ride. I directed him towards the reclaimed land of Eemnes! And he loved it. He also went to an Amersfoort museum while I had some time together with my mum. Just the two of us. 

In Amsterdam I took him to Central Station, and then we walked past some interesting places to where I used to live in the Frans Halsstraat. And from there to Museum Square. And then back to Central Station, and then straight to the restaurant where we had agreed to meet Roelof. 

Posing (in the bright sun) with the Sluyswacht. Pic by Neil

 

Touristy picture on Leidseplein. Pic by Neil

Bitterballen with Roelof. Pic by Neil

On the day of travel we had time in the morning, so after getting up in checking out the first brought the higher bikes back, and then had it for a local cheese shop. The one on Muurhuizen had gone, but there still was one on the Langestraat. I don't think Neil has ever seen that much cheese. And then we had the last cup of coffee with my mum. 

Amersfoort cheese shop. Pic by Neil

 

Pic with some of my favourite people! Pic by Neil

As a last goodbye to Amersfoort we walked to the station via an ice cream parlour. It really was weather for that. And from there everything went smoothly again. No problems getting back to the UK, and no problems getting back to the Neil’s place. There I briefly said hi to his cat before I got into my car in order to go and see mine. And then the adventure was over!

This was the first time Neil and I travelled anywhere. We both decided it had been a great success! We had had a lovely time, and there had been no friction whatsoever. There had been moments where at least one of us I was getting a bit fragile because of the relentless heat, but we never took that out on each other. 

The customer is still young. We might get up to more things like that before autumn hits. I hope so!

To the Netherlands - with Neil

I travel to the Netherlands quite regularly, but this time it would be different. Neil was coming with me. He had been interested in meeting my family. 

Normally, I take the train, and sleep (mostly) at my mum’s. But Neil wasn’t keen on the Eurostar, and it would be a bit much to stay at my mum’s with the two of us. If only because her guest room only features a single bed. So everything would be different, including travel mode and stay location. 

We would fly, and it would make sense to fly from Manchester. I found some convenient flights, and they went to Eindhoven. That is considerably further away from Amersfoort (where I wanted to stay) than Schiphol, but I stuck with it anyway. And I had never used that airport.

I also had to sort accommodation. I hoped there would still be nice options. Amersfoort is quite beautiful, and I can imagine people go there for touristic reasons. But when I plotted options on the map, I saw that there was some sort of holiday park just outside the city. That actually looked quite good! It would only be a 15 minute bike ride from my mum. But you would have the advantage of being out in the countryside. The place rented out little cabins, and they still had availability. I could imagine us after a busy day of meeting family, sitting outside our lovely cabin, looking out over the fields and having a drink. It sounded idyllic! 

As it would be a drag to walk to our accommodation, or take the bus, it did mean we would have to rent bicycles. But I had found a nice family business in the old city centre that rented out bikes. So I suppose that meant we were sorted!

On the day of travel, I got up early, and drove to Llandudno. I jumped into Neil’s car and we were off. He had sorted airport parking.

I thought we would be on one of the standard parking lots, but instead we were booked on a park-and-ride. That was fine too! It was a bit hidden away, but it worked fine. Soon we were in the correct terminal. There was hardly anybody at security, and passport control also went smoothly. We decided to have a coffee while waiting for our gate to be announced. And we also took the time to talk about my family. I had made a little cheat sheet for him, with pictures and names of everybody I thought would be there. I had raided group pictures of earlier family gatherings.

Going to the gate went fine, and boarding, and flying. In Eindhoven we had to do quite some walking in the blazing sun; I think they are doing quite some work on that airport. But it was fine. When we got to passport control, I was through a lot quicker, being an EU citizen. I had plenty of time to refill my water bottles. Then we had to venture out into the heat again, finding a bus to the railway station. That meant walking past some bicycle parking. Neil didn't know what was happening to him! And this wasn't even a particularly big one. 

There was a bus standing ready. When we got to the railway station, there was a train about to leave in only a few minutes. Changing trains in Utrecht was easy as well. Neil was very impressed with how smooth public transport in the Netherlands was! He was also amazed by the double-decker trains. And how comfortable they are.

Bike parking in Amersfoort

 

In Amersfoort, we first went to the bike rental, as it was still open. We got ourselves two typically Dutch bikes: heavy, comfortable, and for sitting upright. And with inbuilt lights, and fixed locks. I thought they were lovely!

On these bikes we could go to our accommodation. Again, Neil didn't know what was happening to him. There were bikes everywhere! And quite a lot of them were going quite fast. And it wasn't always particularly clear to what extent they would stick to the rules. But everything went fine.

The reception of our holiday park was closed by then, but they had emailed me the code to a little key safe. We found our cabin, and were happy to put our bags down. I had had an idea of what to expect, but Neil hadn't. He was impressed! We were right on the outside of the park, with next to us fields with horses in. Very peaceful and quiet.

Neil posing on his rental bike by our cabin (the rear)

The view from our cabin

We both wanted to have a cold shower, as it had been a hot day, and we had just travelled quite a distance with five different modes of transport. And after that we were ready to face the rest of the trip. Travelling in was now over! And it could barely have gone any better!

Bike path reopened

Work on the bicycle path started yonks ago! And as long as the work was going on, the part of the path leading out of the village was closed. And that meant biking on the main road. Not my favourite! 

First they removed all the gates and replaced them with a cattle tunnel. Then the path was open for a month, but then they started replacing a pedestrian bridge. That work took a long time! 

Now the work on the bridge is still not quite finished. The new bridge is still closed. They are connecting it to the road on the other side of the river. But on this side of the river, the path is now finished! And open! 

No fence anymore! You can just bike on! 

New bridge still closed, but now you can bike past

Will this last? I struggle a bit to imagine they won’t have to close it again when they in the end remove the old bridge. But let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. 

For now it’s lovely to not have to be on the road. For most of that stretch, the speed limit is 40mph, and especially when you are going uphill, that means a big speed difference. And the path is also a lot prettier. 

I will enjoy this for now! And I trust removing an old bridge is a quicker process than building a new one…

Bridge not tidal anymore - for now

I had to bring my bike to the bicycle repair shop, so I drove. In the olden days, I would have biked in, and hitched a ride back with Susan, but given that she has moved house, I can't do that anymore. With Martin also having moved house and Chris having changed job, I have to rely on myself now! And that was ok, because it was a Tuesday, and then I have track training. I must admit I sometimes find it hard to bike all the way home after a full day of work and then track training, lugging not only my normal work luggage with me up the hill, but also my running gear.

What does all of this have to do with the bridge? Well! The track is on the mainland, so I have to cross a bridge to get there. I assumed the old bridge would still be tidal, but just to be on the safe side drove past it on my way to the new bridge. Lo and behold, I could just cross! The bridge was a two-way thing again! It meant I was a bit early at the track, but that is ok. And the next day, back on my bike, I could go over the road again, and didn't have to go over the footpath.

Two way bridge! 

I did notice in the local media, though, that this was only temporary relief. The week after, the bridge would go back to tidal. I don't think we are out of the woods anytime soon. But what can we do? We'll have to put up with it!

Bridge is tidal again

There has been trouble with the old bridge over the Menai Strait for years now. Recently, it had just been open in both direction for quite a while. There was clearly some work going on; there were vans of a rope access company parked near it all the time, and there were tripods from which people were hoisted up and down on the pavement. I'm not entirely sure what they were doing. But for a while, it only meant that one of the pavements was closed.

Then one day I was biking home and I noticed that the whole bridge was closed in the direction I was travelling. We had gone tidal again! In the morning, you are only allowed to drive from the island to the mainland, and in the afternoon, you can only drive the other way. So all the traffic in one of the directions has to go over the new bridge (which is an entire 16 years younger than the old one), and that causes traffic jams. This had happened before. It didn't affect me very much; I can go over the pavement with my bike. But it can be a right nuisance for car travel. 

When Dei and I tried to get back from Anglesey to main campus after our trip to Parys Mountain, It took a lot longer than normal, as we were travelling in the wrong direction at the wrong time. 

I hope it doesn't stay like this for a long time! Even though I can travel in any direction by becoming a pedestrian, it does add to your travel time if you have to walk over the bridge. And if there is no one else on the bridge I will just bike, but if there are pedestrians I do get off my bike. I don't think I'll soon have a reason to drive to work, but if I do, I am obviously going in the wrong direction. That would be annoying! But I suppose a 200-year-old bridge needs some maintenance once in a while. This is a lot better than it falling into ruin…

Travel back from the Netherlands

It would be the first time I would travel back on the direct train between Amsterdam and London. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about your connection in Brussels, but the bad news is you need to be in Amsterdam extra early, for security checks and passport control. If you change in Brussels you can just rock up at the platform in Amsterdam two minutes in advance. So I took the train from Amersfoort just before 7am, to get the 8:40 Eurostar. It was very quiet in the terminal when I got there. I had never been! But it’s just a terminal. Nothing special about it. 

Amersfoort station in the early morning 

The train left on time. But we hardly moved, or I received a text. We already had a delay; there was something wrong with the train, and it couldn’t ride at maximum speed. That would cost us some 20 minutes. That’s reasonable. 

The 20 minutes grew to 1.5 hours, for some reason. We stood still on Brussels for a long time. I was a bit fed up. My travel the other way was still fresh in my memory. But my trip had come with a generous period for changing trains in London. I managed to get the train I was booked on, even after having refilled my water bottle and buying a newspaper. The water was warm; there is a refill station at Euston, but it demanded all sorts of activities with phones and whatnot, and I couldn’t make it work. Why not just dispense water? And the toilets only yielded warm water. At least that cools down without any further input. 

Normally you can head straight for Crewe from there, but there was maintenance on the tracks, and from Euston, all trains went to Milton Keynes. From there, there were buses to Northampton. And only from there could one head for Crewe. It would be a long trip! At least I knew that in advance. 

Getting to Milton Keynes went smoothly, but there I ended up in a snaking queue for the replacement buses. That took a while. I did get a good seat, but I got to Northampton too late to get my connection. I had to take a later train. At least it was quiet in that train. And in Crewe and Chester all went fine. I was glad to finally get into a train that would actually get me to where I wanted to be! That was after 13 hours of train and bus travel. In total it was 14 hours. A lot! 

Three days later, chaos engulfed Eurostar travel. I was very glad I was back…

Big queue for the replacement buses

Christmas in the Netherlands

This year I wanted to spend time with my family, but also with Neil. I decided to book a rather short trip to the Netherlands. An advantage of that was that I didn’t need a cat sitter. For that short time, the neighbour and Chris could do the honours. And in addition to family, I would go and see Roelof and Monique. 

Seeing Roelof didn’t work, as that would take place the first evening, and that vanished into a many hour delay with Eurostar. But I could see Monique the next day, That is always lovely! 

On Christmas Day I woke up fairly early, and felt like a run. So I did a short one. It was still dark, so I stayed in town, as that was lit. It was a gorgeous morning! Then I went to my sister’s to have a bit of time with her and her family before we would all go and see my dad. There was a lot going on among them! When it was time to go I went separately, as their car was full. 

Early morning Amersfoort 

When I approached his house I saw a figure briskly walk towards me. It looked familiar. But it surely couldn't be my dad; he hadn’t walked briskly in ages. But it was him! He had a rollator now (that seems to be an English word too, even though nobody uses it) and suddenly he was fast and stable on his feet again. Amazing! 

Soon my sister and entourage arrived too. That was us complete. My sister’s father in law was not healthy enough to join us this year. We went for a little walk, and then we had drinks and nibbles. And then Christmas dinner, made by many of us. My sister’s eldest son had made the pièce de resistance. 

Christmas dinner; my sister took the picture 

After dinner my sister and family left. I stayed the night. It was nice to have some quiet time with my dad and his wife. And in the morning we had breakfast together. But then it was time to head to my mum’s for Boxing Day. 

Along the way I bought some food for in the train. It would be another long day of travel! But then I could just relax at my mum’s. With tea, and bockbier, and cheese and crackers. And another run. It was nice and relaxed! But then time came to go to bed. My visit was almost over. 

In the morning I had to get up early. I said bye to my mum, who then just went back to sleep. And I stepped into the fresh morning air, heading home again! 

Sister arrives for birthday visit

My sister would come over for my 50th birthday. That was fab! I had planned a small celebration and she would fit right in. 

She would arrive the day before. If all went well, I would pick her up from the station at 17:41, or maybe 18:20. 

She sent me a message just after noon. There was a delay! And it kept getting bigger. Oh no! Finally some progress was made, but she wouldn’t arrive in Bangor until 20:11. 

When I had finished all the work that really needed to be done before the weekend, I decided to go home and get some light dinner ready. And then I went to pick her up. Finally she was there! 

We only had a little bit of evening left to catch up before it was bedtime. Delays are annoying! But also something you just have to put up with. And the next day would not actually be my birthday, but would be the day of the celebration, as that is better done on a Saturday. I was looking forward to it!

Bridge back to normal

As quickly as the bridge first closed, and then became one way but switching which way in the middle of the day, it opened again. Both ways, at almost all times. Apparently, repairing the bolts that seem to have been the culprit were easily replaced. It opened on a Friday, and it was great to be able to use it as normal. By Monday I already barely thought about it. I hope it stays open now, for the foreseeable future! 

In the Netherlands: family

My main aim when I go to the Netherlands is always family. I almost always make a bee line to my mum when I reach the country. This time was no exception. And the day after my arrival I would have lunch with my sister and two cousins. And I would go and visit my dad. 

Visiting my mum worked out as intended. We had a nice time catching up over a cup of coffee or a glass of port. And I can use her place as a starting point for runs, which I did. 

Having lunch with my cousins was not such a success. Both of them cancelled on the day. That was sad! I had been looking forward to seeing them. But then I just had lunch with my sister. That’s nice too. And then we went to her place together, and I also got to see her husband and two of the children (who are not children). And the cat. 

Sister lunch

I also visited my dad. He was not entirely well! He had intended to pick me up from the railway station, but that hadn’t worked. His body just wasn’t having it. But he recovered, and with the three of us we could later successfully go for some ice cream. And we did a bit of practicing with modern means of communication. 

Late summer ice cream

Altogether not a spectacular story, but nice to see everyone again. And yes my parents are noticing their age. But that is to be expected. It was good to see them! 

Travel to the Netherlands

Travelling to the Netherlands by train is a bit of a gamble. It can go smoothly! But you can have frustrating delays as well. I was hoping that this time, all would be well. Obviously.

It started well! The direct train to London wasn’t cancelled, and just ran on time. I toot the opportunity to have lunch on the courtyard of the National Library. After a 3:20 hr train journey I wanted some fresh air! And I found out the Eurostar terminal has a water bottle filling tap. And I had a nice chat with a fellow passenger.

My lunch view

The trains to Brussels and Amsterdam were fine. I had decided to get out in Schiphol; that’s quicker. But then the next train to Amersfoort was cancelled. Bugger! But I just took the next one to Utrecht, and that worked out too, with not too much delay. I was at my mum’s so early I drank a beer with her before going to bed. That means something! I had got up at 5am. A successful trip! 

This should have been my train to Amersfoort. The doors did not open. 

Taking all day to marshal for half an hour

When I was car sharing with Anna, who is heavily involved in the organisation of the Eryri Harriers, she asked if I was available for the Welsh Castles Relay. It would be in early June. I doubted it. At the time, it wasn't quite clear when the annual family reunion would be, but that weekend was a serious contender, and in addition, that would also be the weekend in which Jaco would turn 60. These two things in combination were already worrying me! And plans for Jaco’s birthday hadn't been made yet, but it was very likely it would get in the way. So I said no.

The family reunion in the end was the weekend before. And while I was in the Netherlands for that, I received a message from Marjan: the birthday dinner she had planned was cancelled for reasons of a funeral. Oh no!

With all that, I certainly was available that weekend, but it was too late to register to run. But then a message came through from the Harriers. Two marshals had had to pull out. They desperately needed replacements. So I volunteered. And it would be all day, but well, so be it. 

The marshalling came with car sharing with one of our two chairpersons: James. I didn't know him very well. I figured that might change that day…

At 7:30 I was ready to roll. So was James, who picked me up from home. So we set off. It's a long way! We had to go all the way to Merthyr Tydfil. And that took about 3.5 hours. A lot of talking about running took place. And about a few other things. Time went by quite quickly! 

We were heading for the start of the leg of the relay race we would be marshalling. We had been given a postcode and a 'what three words' code. We got to a rather full car park, but it didn’t seem the right one. There was another one down the hill where we found a spot. It didn’t have the right name, though. But we were deep in the Bannau Brycheiniog and there was no signal of any kind. We walked to the other parking lot to see if that helped. And then we just settled on the other one, waiting for the others to turn up. 

It was a long time since breakfast and I was ravenous. I sat down for combined elevensies and lunch. James went to the other car park again to catch any Harrier ending up there. I would stay put and catch those coming my way. 

Making myself comfortable while waiting for the other marshals

By the time everyone had reached ‘our’ car park the race was about to begin. We had to hurry! And we got an escort from a local. Probably just as well. We dropped the various marshals at their stations. James and I were towards the end. We would guide the runners over a T-junction. They would come charging down a tiny sloping road onto a flat, much bigger road. We were there mainly for safety, but also for showing the way, and general encouragement. 

After a while we saw the first runner. It had begun! We cheered and clapped and pointed. We barely had any traffic to deal with. 

We were about a mile from the finish, so the field was quite spread out. And there was one runner we actually knew: Eryri Harrier Sam. There were only 61 runners in the race, so even spread out it didn't take very long for all of them to pass. I think we were only on station for half an hour! And then our job was done again. We had driven 160 miles for that.

Sam coming around the corner 

We convened with the other nearby marshals. There was some handing out of T-shirts and thank-you presents. The latter from Anna! That was very sweet of her. I got some lovely chocolates.

Then we all had it off. We obviously had a long way to drive back. And it was even longer than the way down, as there was more traffic on the road. I got a rather yawny, and James said he would've struggled if he wouldn't have had a passenger. That made me feel a bit better about having sacrificed my entire day to half an hour of clapping.

I was home by about 6 pm. But I did find good news when I got there; there was a WhatsApp group with people involved in the race, and Nia-Meleri, the other chairperson, had talked to the race organisation, and negotiated that next year, the Eryri Harriers can do all their marshalling tasks in the north. That will save us the soul-destroying and climate-destroying slog all the way down to South Wales! Excellent. 

So what about next year? Well! If our family reunion ends up in that weekend I will probably be ok with that. But if it isn't, I'd like to run. And that doesn't exclude marshalling; you can do both. I think there are six legs on each day, so as long as they are not consecutive, you can run one leg and marshal another. But we'll see! It is a long way away. But I must admit I have been slightly bitten by this bug…

Back to Wales

By the time I booked, the trains at reasonable times had sold out. I could get a ticket for the 7:10 from Amsterdam. That would have to do! 

My last activity would be my sister’s birthday, so it would make sense to sleep there. And one of her sons would leave that night for his student digs in Amsterdam anyway, so there was a bed free. I would need to get the 6:15 train, and it’s only just short of half an hour’s walk to the station. So I was just going to get up and sneak out of the house. I would have breakfast in the train or something.

It worked out that way! I didn’t sleep well, as is typical for someone who knows they have to get up exceptionally early, with unpleasant repercussions if that fails. I woke up even earlier than planned, and decided to just go. 

I had a coffee on the platform, and ate a sandwich. In Amsterdam I used a public water tap point for filling up my water bottles. And then I went on a wild goose chase. Eurostar says you should go to the UK terminal, which is on the south end of the station, whether you travel via Brussels or not. An information sign at the (then closed) terminal said that no, the Eurostar to Brussels leaves from platform 15a, on the north end of the station. Platform 15a said the train would leave from platform 8. Is this a practical joke or something.

The rather new UK terminal

Once I was at the right platform things became more straightforward. The train arrived on time, and wasn’t too busy. I got some work done in comfort, and got to Brussels on time. There I got through security and passport control without issues. I had cheese in my bag (oops, had forgot that isn’t allowed anymore) but they didn’t notice. And I didn’t have to prove my settled status. 

The train left some 10 minutes late. That still allowed for catching my connection in Euston. Easy! I also went to the loo and bought a newspaper. I could have done a lot more; the train from Euston ended up half an hour late. Annoying! But at least the train was comfortable. And the train terminated in Crewe rather than Chester. Altogether I had a 1 hour delay, bringing travel time to just over 12 hour. Not too bad, really! But I was really glad to be home again…

Rest of trip to the Netherlands

That was it again! My spring visit to the Netherlands. In addition to the family day I also visited my mother, Monique, and Roelof, and I went to my sister’s birthday. At my mum’s I did a nice run. And we did the usual catching up over coffee and wine.

When I was at Monique’s, her (our) old friend Jasper was there too. He lives in Amsterdam, but they joke he has a holiday home in Drenthe. He’s at their place so often!

At Roelof’s we had an additional Erik. And we started thinking about the next swamp hike, the previous edition of which Erik couldn’t make. It looks like we at least have a date! Not quite yet a destination. 

My sister’s birthday was lovely. I know her friends (and relatives of her husband) a bit so I am not among strangers. And the ones I don’t know always turn out nice as well. So that was good! And an outdoor occasion. The weather was lovely. 

My sister’s cat. I didn’t take many pictures while I was in the Netherlands! 

That was it again for this spring! And the next thing to do once home is booking my next trip… 

Getting to the Netherlands

Taking the train to the Netherlands is a bit of a gamble. Often it all works smoothly. Sometimes it doesn’t.

This time my trip started in an unusual way. I first met up with my cat-sitter. She didn’t mind that meant having to show up at 7am. I showed her the house and the cat, then we had a cuppa, and then I left. 

All went well to London. I read some book, read some newspaper, did some marking. And spent quite some time on email, sorting out dissertation marking-related issues. And that way I also got to Brussels. And then it stopped going well. My onwards train was delayed! Bummer. First by a bit. Then more. And more.

For a while I just sat on an open air part of the platform, reading. The good thing about a delay in Brussels on the way out is that you are free to suffer it wherever you want. On the way back it doesn’t work like that; once you’ve gone through passport control you are legally, but not physically, in the UK, and they can’t let you roam free on Belgian territory anymore. Only some airless lightless waiting room is at your disposal. Later I went to an information screen to keep an eye on progress. My mailbox and the screen didn’t agree! 

Riding through cloudy Wales

Too much time to admire Brussels

I got chatting with a family from Colorado who were even more confused than me. At least I could understand the platform announcements. They were on their way to Amsterdam and appreciated some (outdated) insider information. And in the end the screen admitted defeat, agreed with the mail, and announced our train. It appeared 1:20 h late.  

Things had been a bit tight as they were. I would initially get to Amsterdam at about 9. Then I can be at my mum’s at about 10. And I would already have to be in the train towards the family reunion at 9 AM the next day. With the delay I had I knew it would be WAY beyond my bedtime by the time I got to a bed. Oh well! 

Hollands Diep from the train

I made good use of the rest of the journey as well. And apart from realising I had forgot my train card, bought an online ticket, and totally failed to import that into the Dutch Railways app, all went well from there. And my mum was still up when I walked in. Delayed success, but success anyway! 

Bridge: being painted or not?

In 2026, the Telford Bridge to Anglesey will be 200 years old. I think that especially since the safety scare in 2022, when there were rumours of acute danger of collapse, nobody can take that for granted. It took a long time for the repair work to sort out the issues to be done, and while it was ongoing, there was only one lane available for traffic. That means traffic lights, queues, and a nuisance. But for its 200th birthday, it was said it would be painted, and that would bring back the single lane traffic and all that comes with it. The local newspaper said they would start in the beginning of March. And a sign appeared saying the work would take place between March 3rd and December 19th or so. 

March came and nothing happened. The sign had its starting date changed to March 17. And then March 31. April came and nothing happened. But then the traffic lights started reappearing! Sporadically at first, but more consistently later. 

Traffic lights again!

No obvious work was done. And the lights were always gone by the late afternoon. But something was clearly in preparation! 

I don’t know what the situation is now. The morning traffic lights have become standard now. Will it stay mornings only? How much will the project overrun? One way to find out! But the blissful time of no traffic lights at all is clearly over now, and for at least the rest of the year…

Getting the new passport

On January 16th, I went to Birmingham to apply for a new passport. On February 10th, I received a message saying it was ready and I could come and pick it up. And that meant I needed a day with few or no teaching commitments to fit in the long journey there and back. And I found that the Monday after. So I booked another long train journey. 

Picking-up times are later than applying times, so I didn’t have an early start this time, but it would be evening before I would get home. So I packed a tub with pasta for on the way.

I got there without issue. There was no central reception so it was unclear where I was expected to go. I was sent a bit from pillar to post, but once I was where I needed to be things proceeded quickly. I had got out of the train at 15:09, and by 15:34 I was back at the railway station, with my new passport. Success! 

The view coming out of the railway station 

The trip back went well. No train snags. So with that I’m sorted again for ten years. And who knows what the world will look like in 2035…

Result

Applying for a new passport

The nearest place I could apply for a new passport was Birmingham, so that’s where I booked an appointment. They were only available in the morning, and Birmingham is still quite far away, so by 7:15 I was in the train. I had plenty of time and space to get some work done. And in Wolverhampton I found out I had been travelling with a man from the food co-op, and his dog. That was a nice surprise!

View from the train 

View in the train

I got to the venue, which is an Indian visa centre, without problems. And there was quite a queue! It was a cold day to loiter outside, but there was little choice. And I was let in at the time I had my appointment.

Being inside was warmer, but not more reassuring. I ended up in a queue for a desk where you could get a number. The queue was long! But after a while a desk lady called out of there was anyone for a Dutch document. Me! And she gave me my number, and told me to sit down in the waiting room dedicated for people wanting Dutch documents. 

It wasn’t a long wait. And the man who dealt with my request was friendly. He processed my request, and in not much time I was done. Great! 

In a few weeks’ time I’ll have to do it all again, to pick up the new one. I don’t want to be without passport altogether! But in spite of the unpromising start, it went smoothly. One more trip and I’m sorted again for ten years!