Canterbury to Eindhoven

Not a lot happened yesterday (Saturday). We really just traveled all day. We left our hotel in Canterbury, after the best breakfast we've had yet - bangers and all that, and told Flo we wanted to go to Dover and the ferry. It became apparent that she was confused as she was taking us in circles. So we ignored her and tried to figure it out by ourselves. She literally pouted as she shut herself down in protest. We did get to see a little more of the countryside as we tried to get to the ferry. We finally arrived in Dover and was able to catch an earlier ferry. (The ferry was huge! There were several restaurants, lots of shopping, arcades, cafes, gambling etc. I guess this is a very small taste of a cruise ship.)

One thing I want to mention about the hotel in England. Whenever you go into a hotel room, there's a coffee pot with coffee and the odd time a tea bag. Anyone who is a true tea drinker knows you can't make tea, or even heat water for tea, in a coffee maker. It tastes awful. Well for the first time in my life I was welcomed by a kettle, cup and saucer, and a variety of teas. What a treat! The kettle was on within minutes!

The trip across the channel was a little rough. Dave and I staggered down the alley-ways. Not the best experience for someone who gets nauseous bending over to tie her shoes. The unloading of the ferry went surprising quickly.

The plan was to go to the Detla Works and then head to Eindhoven. We landed in France about 3:30 and it was clear we didn't have time for the Delta Works. It was 3 1/2 hours to Eindhoven. We got gas right away - learned our lesson about traveling with less than half a
tank of gas! We only made one stop long the way - just before we headed into Belgium. I thought we had seen wonderful pastry shops in Paris. Laura, THIS was a pastry shop! I took some pictures for you. I've never seen such beautiful pastries before. Yes, we bought something and both of us ended up with cream on our shirts.

The drive was uneventful although it was a bit of an adjustment driving on the righthand side of the road again. The cows here are very content - and fat. Dave saw cows with thick leather straps and bells around their necks in Belgium. He tends to look at the scenery a little more than I'd like so I watch the road - a lot! He points out all the combines we pass and gives the model numbers of the tractors. He's proudly noted a couple of John Deere dealers.

We arrived in Eindhoven about 7 pm. As soon as we drove into the city, it had a familiar feel for me. Crazy I know since I was only here for a couple of weeks, 40 years ago (incredible!). Flo got us to our hotel which isn't really a hotel but rooms in several houses. We have finally come to a place where we're sharing a toilet (on the first floor where we are) and a shower (on the second floor). Good thing I brought the pool shoes!

We're surrounded by restaurants here. We walked a few blocks and chose one with "all you can eat ribs" for 10 euros. A cheap meal! Again we finished supper after 9 pm. We wandered back to our room and settled in for the night. The bed is really a futon but surprisingly comfy. There's free wifi with the room but we can't get the password until the office opens - which is at 11 am. We'll be long gone by then. So right now I'm sitting in the car, getting a signal from the pub beside it. This is the second time we've "borrowed" a signal. The other time was in France outside a hotel.

I have a few more things I want to share about bathrooms. Strange topic perhaps but I find unique things (wherever they're found) interesting. Flushing a toilet:
- in Amsterdam it was a large (bigger than my hand) "button" on the wall above the toilet
- in France there were 2 much smaller buttons (you figure out why they were 2) on the top of tank
- in England there was a "regular" handle but on the righthand side of the tank
- in our current room, the tank is above my head and you pull a rope. I remember this from Oma's house when I was here last.

In Normandy, there were public bathrooms for men with a barely there parition (spelling?). Anyone walking by would have a full view of a guy standing there. Why?

It's rained everyday we've been here but most days it's just sprinkles. I don't think we've had 8 hours of sun yet. Today it's suppose to get into the 80s. I don't care what the weather is today, I'm wearing a sundress! We're off to spend the day with some of my family. Really looking forward to it. Hopefully it goes well and it's not awkward.

One thing I learned today - Eindhoven paints checkerboards on the curbs of traffic circles
One new thing I experienced today - being in a very crowded pub getting the key (and info) for our room
One powerful moment - driving in 4 countries within a few hours. Amazing!
One pleasant thing - the street on which our room is located. It's so "Dutch". :)

I hear Elaine is calling Mom and Dad everyday and reading the posts to them. I hope you are enjoying them. So hi to mom and dad, and anyone else who may be following the blog and I don't know about. Until tomorrow.