Amsterdam, Netherlands

Where do I start with Amsterdam? The last few days have been so much fun after I was adopted by a ladies football team and their friends for the Dutch celebrations of Queens Day. I hope I have made some life-long friends and I am so thankful to them for showing me how the people of Amsterdam like to party in style.

I arrived at my campsite in the southern region of Amsterdamse Bos which is a beautiful area of rivers, green parks and forests. It is also within biking distance of the centre of the city. I spent the first day visiting a couple of the museums and attractions and getting lost in the maze of streets and canals.

My second day in Amsterdam was Queens Night, the warm up for Queens Day the following day (April 30), and celebrates the Queen of The Netherlands birthday (even though hers is actually in January). The bars serve drinks out on the pavements and the people drink in the street. It is a great atmosphere with bands, singers and entertainment. Boats fill the canal and if you are lucky enough to have one, you can fill the boat with friends and some beer and have a great time. I met the girls outside at one of these gatherings and (as former backpackers themselves) I think they must have taken pity on me being on my own in Amsterdam. I was offered a beer and the next thing I knew, I was planning to spend Queens Day with them the following day.

Queens Day is the biggest social day in the Dutch calander, and people flock from all over the country to be at the centre in Amsterdam. Museum Square hosts a huge outdoor concert but most of the locals prefer to enjoy the day outside of the very centre of the city where it gets very crowded. I met with the others (around 30 of us in total) at Cafe Oranje - the football team sponsors - and the party begins. On Queens Day there is a "Free Market" where people can sell things on the street for free and there are car-boot-sale style stalls across town. We were joined by Sesame Street Burt and Ernie stuffed toys from last years Free Market. In the local park the children have their stalls to sell things or they have their own made-up games that you can play them at. The other rule of Quens Day is wear Orange! After a long day of sun, fun, and Heineken, we returned to Cafe Oranje to drink some more and dance the night away.

The following day was much more chilled out but I had to return to Cafe Oranje first to collect my camera which I had lost (twice) the previous night. The Ajax game was on TV so the bar was crammed full of people and smoke. I then met the others in the park for a barbecue and to enjoy the weather. It is certainly sad to be leaving Amsterdam, one of the most magical cities I have ever been to and made all the more special by the people I have met here. I have added a dutch sticker to the van as a reminder of my time in Holland, I don't think I will ever forget it though!

Now I am off to Luxembourg. 

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Second Stop, Rotterdam. My campsite was definately better than the first with a nice green field and power hook-up. It also meant I could get the awning up for the first time on the trip. I have added a third pole, extra metal ringlet and another guy-line to help it keep its shape better in the wind. It all works great.

Rotterdam is a cultural city with beautiful areas of canals, artwork and sculptures (although the one below with Santa holding a rather suspicious gift might give the children nightmares). The roads are a dangerous mix with cycle lanes, trams and trains disecting the roads at all angles and giving plenty for any crossing pedestrians to think about. The financial district is made up of huge modern buildings which light up the skyline at night. The central shopping area is a little delapidated and in need of redevopment though.

I spent a large portion of my one full day in Rotterdam in the excellent Boijmans van Beuningen Museum which has some great art installations and an impressive gallery. Later on, I was able to watch the Man United v Shalke game in an Irish pub before heading to the nearest bar for a quiet drink. Little did I know it was a student night and a huge thanks goes to the two dutch guys studying medicine and the lady behind the bar at "Bed" for being massively welcoming and giving me a great night out until the small hours.

Amsterdam is next up, and I hope the people are as friendly as they are here.

Westende/Brugge, Belgium

After reaching Dover early I was able to get the 9.05pm ferry instead of the 10.15. Without a campsite to go to when I got off at Calais, I set the sat-nav for Belgium, stopping at the the first Aire (a free roadside camping spot) I could find. I stopped in the Dunkirque Aire with one other campervan at 12.30am and got my head down. I must have slept well as the carpark was full in the morning.

After struggling before I left to find a campsite in Bruge that wasnt fully booked, I headed to the coast just north of the city to Westende Camping in the town of Westende. After bauking at the high-season price of 34 Euros/night, I was shown to an unfinished static caravan pitch for just 21 Euros/night. I took it. The town is clearly a Belgian favorite for holidays - like Devon and Cornwall are in England - as it was packed with locals, I didnt see a single English numberplate.

The beach is sandy and the weather is hot but unfortunately most of the the kooky Belgian architecture is becoming hidden under cranes and concrete hotels which spoils the place a bit for me. I took a bike ride on the second day from Westende (in the West), through Middelkerke (in the middle) to Oostende (in the east). All three towns are in the same mould, getting bigger as you head East, with concrete hotels lining the seafront and lots of giftshops. The sea must not be safe for swimming though as the locals all stayed on the beach with just the odd few paddling in the shallows.

I got the train to Bruge and back for under 5 Euros, National Rail could learn a thing or two. Bruge is a famously medievil city although it plays to that stereotype a lot and is rammed with tourists. The Markt (central marketsquare) is in the middle of the city with great arcitecture lining two sides and the Belfry tower rising up from one corner. Annoyingly, the traditional market had been replaced by horse and carridge rides and a funfair. The museum in the square was holding a Salvador Dali exhibition, one of my favorite artists, and although it was interesting there were none of his more famous paintings from his peak, only a few sketches and early works. Not a melting clock or Lobster Telephone in sight. The city is stunning though, and also has a wall made from one of every Belgian beer.

I picked up a sticker to go on the wall in the campervan (an idea I had before I left) to show where I have been. Belgium, done. Next stop, Rotterdam.