{"id":341,"date":"2015-05-26T19:55:52","date_gmt":"2015-05-26T19:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kiwihoods.com\/?p=341"},"modified":"2015-05-26T20:15:51","modified_gmt":"2015-05-26T20:15:51","slug":"on-to-netherlands-and-maastricht","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.kiwihoods.com\/?p=341","title":{"rendered":"On to Netherlands and Maastricht"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rest is seemingly an over rated thing (that I am having trouble managing to get) so whilst in Clervaux we still had a look around the local area to check out the things we had missed.\u00a0 On Saturday we walked up to the Abbey to have a look around.\u00a0 It is still an active Abbey and they make and bottle apple juice to sell and they have a shop with religious artefacts for sale.\u00a0 We bought some juice but didn\u2019t feel the need for any religious paraphernalia.\u00a0 It was quite interesting to see the Monk behind the counter in the shop \u2013 who was quite elderly \u2013 had a teenage boy who looked like he was teaching him to use a Brother electronic typewriter (or the boy might have been just watching in wonderment at the ancient machine he had never seen before).\u00a0 This was the type of typewriter that I learnt to type on back in about 1980.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s hard to keep up with the times as a Monk and the typewriter serves its purpose for their store.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know where they would be able to buy ribbon for a typewriter of that age though as most would be in museums now.\u00a0 We decided to treat ourselves out to dinner Saturday night as there were no supermarkets close by and we were getting low on food.\u00a0 I can\u2019t say I was impressed and the menu didn\u2019t have an English translation as most of them do have so it was hard to know what you were ordering.\u00a0 I got a whole truite (trout) which was quite small really and we saw them swimming in the river beside our van.\u00a0 I decided Scots meals were far better and so he now has to cook all the time.<\/p>\n

On Sunday we went into the village for a coffee as we had done each day \u2013 and get a baguette for lunch.\u00a0 On our way into the village we came across a group of 4 people playing what looked like bagpipes and drums but they were very Celtic looking and obviously had a different sound than bagpipes.\u00a0 We watched them for a bit \u2013 they were very good.\u00a0 Then a couple started up music in the main square where the coffee shop was and we ended up sitting listening to them enjoying the sunshine and people watching whilst having a couple of drinks.\u00a0 It has been quite amazing to see how many people are touring on their motorbikes \u2013 they are absolutely everywhere.\u00a0 What we didn\u2019t know at this point was that it was a long weekend in Luxembourg, Belgium and Netherlands and Monday was a holiday so we think that is why there were so many.\u00a0 When I say a lot I mean probably a few hundred bikes we saw and heard over the day.\u00a0 Bikes of all types, but lots of BMW\u2019s.\u00a0 Scot was quite jealous that he couldn\u2019t join the bike riding as well, so looks like we may have to hire a bike somewhere on our travels so he can enjoy a ride.<\/p>\n

Whilst sitting in the caf\u00e9 \u2013 called Au Chocolat \u2013 we spoke with some lovely people sitting at the table beside us \u2013 we think they were German – and they had a black Labrador called Mandy that I had a pat with (although she licked me death) and got a photo below.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t speak much English but we communicated quite well with our hand gestures and movements and we got a typical French farewell when they left (kiss each side of the cheeks).\u00a0 It was just lovely meeting them.\u00a0 Scot never misses out on anything going on \u2013 so when we spotted a group of girls who were obviously on a hens day out \u2013 he approached them to find out what was going on.\u00a0 It is a tradition in Luxembourg that they take a trolley of little inexpensive items and sell them off to well wishers as they walk around drinking. So Scot bought a pink telescopic fly swat!<\/p>\n

We went back to the van and had a swim in the pool as it was still reasonably warm.\u00a0 Nice to have a swim as we don\u2019t see pools very much.<\/p>\n

Monday morning and we went to take off and found a fuse had blown in the van.\u00a0 We had no spare fuses as all the ones in the glove box were already blown ones \u00a0– crap.\u00a0 So we left Clervaux without any indicators or any working dash gauges (poor people who were travelling behind us L.)\u00a0 We travelled up through the top part of Luxembourg, back into Belgium, past the Spa race track and into Netherlands.\u00a0 We couldn\u2019t figure out why everything was closed \u2013 but obviously it was a public holiday so no shopping for us this day either.\u00a0 We struck a bit of a storm on the way through Belgium which had hail again in it and we got stuck in a traffic jam for a bit.\u00a0 We tried to find a camping ground in Maastricht but ended up managing to stay in a marina park which has electricity and showers.\u00a0 Only 17 euro a night which is a good price.\u00a0 We were able to bike into the city centre of Maastricht today from the marina and buy fuses for the van and another phone card which hopefully will be able to be used in Scandinavia.\u00a0 We saw sheep feeding on the side\u00a0of the road in the middle of suburbia and they get moved along as they eat the grass.\u00a0 Quite\u00a0a strange sight\u00a0and as Scot started picking grass and feeding a few – I freaked as the masses all started getting up and rushing over to get fresh grass too.\u00a0 Maastricht is a lovely city which we spent the day having a look around.\u00a0 There are large market squares and lots and lots of cafes bordering each of them.\u00a0 We did a quick stop at a supermarket as we biked home for essential tea things this afternoon and tomorrow we will head off for the bottom of the west coast of Netherlands.<\/p>\n