London, England to Bergen op Zoom, Holland

Today was pretty much a traveling day. We left our B&B (which wasn't the best of places) about 10 am to catch our ferry to Dunkirk, France. We drove for about 90 minutes enjoying the countryside and the last bit of driving on the left hand side. We'd been in England for 6 days and Dave said  driving was gettting more comfortable but it still took a lot of concentration. Since we had a bit of time, we went into Canterbury for a couple of hours. It was neat seeing familiar sites from when we were there 2 years ago.

Lunch was the first thing on the agenda. The sun was out (our warmest day yet at about 75) so we wanted to sit outside. We choose a place called The Lady Luck. It looked like a nice place to eat. The service was very slow - took over 30 minutes for a sandwich and a hamburger to arrive - but it was lovely sitting on this narrow street filled with people. While eating I felt what I thought was a leaf hit my shoulder. Turns out it was a bird doing you know what. Dave found this quite amusing. I went into the cafe to wash up and once inside I realized what kind of place it was. It was specifically for hard rockers (may not be the "in" term for them). The walls were covered in metal bands' names. I guess I should have taken a clue from the waitress and the other people at the table beside us - died hair, everything but the kitchen sink pierced, and bodies covered in colorful tattoos.

We walked up and down the streets looking at the shops. I got a few more things to take home - a beautiful tea pot with a sugar and cream set for myself. Is there a better thing to take home from England than that?

We had a bit of a cuffle at the ferry but it was quickly sorted out - new guy in the booth. We arrived at the ferry at 2:30 and got off at 6 (7 pm really because we lost an hour crossing the channel). We had booked a room in Bergen Op Zoom so we needed to get there. At home when I was making all the arrangements, the computer said it was a 2 hour drive from the ferry landing to the hotel. When we entered the hotel address into Flo, she was telling us it would take over 3 hours. By the time we got off the ferry it was 7:45. Three hours was too much at that point but what can you do?

Dave had to start driving on the right hand side again - an adjustment even after only a few days. Once as we turned onto a street he was on the left with a car coming at us. So far that's the only mistake. It didn't take long until we wanted to find a quicker way to the hotel. Long story short, we wasted about 45 minutes but did get to a better route. We traveled through England, France, Belgium, and Holland in just over 3 hours. France has just passed a law that every vechile must have a breathalizer test in it. So for the 30 minutes we were in France, we were legal. Anyone need one of these?

Flo is great but not up-to-date. Roads have changed/been built since we bought her. At one point we were driving where she didn't think there should be a road.We were lost. Dave was really tired of driving. We were going around and around in a traffic circle waiting for Flo to tell us which exit to take. She just kept saying "recaculating". We finally just took an exit and waited for her to catch up.

We arrived in Bergen op Zoom about 10:15. Flo lead us right to our hotel. It was in the city centre which had a huge public square that was filled with people sitting outside restrurants enjoying the evening. We didn't think we could drive through there so we turned around. We should have gone on through - the police who pulled us over told us the same thing. Yes, we were pulled over. It was getting dark (at 10:30!) and Dave didn't have his lights on. Apparently we were doing other things wrong but the cop never told us what they were. When he found out we were from the US, he was very helpful. It took asking one  more time after that to finally get back to where Flo had led us.

The hotel is amazing! The setting is wonderful! We paid the same for last night's B&B and this hotel. There's no comparison. I was very tired and so went to bed. Dave went out to sit on the square for a bit. Turns out holidays for the entire southern part of the country started today. It's hard to believe that "everyone" gets the same vacation time but that's how it works here. Tomorrow we're off to see the  Delta Works.

 Here are some interesting tidbits.
- In London people stand outside pubs after work drinking. They even will stand across the street. Wonderful to see.
- In downtown London, they have a "congestion zone". If you want to drive in that area, we need to pay $13/day.
- Dave isn't one to wait for lights or use crosswalks to get across the street. In London, he was walking between cars that were waiting for a light, and had to jump out of the way for a car that started to move when the light turned green. Cars have the right of way.
- We bought a key chain with a cirlce on it. It's really a token that can be used to get a shopping cart. Excellent idea!!! For anyone who shops at Aldi's, you'll know what I'm talking about.
- All the kids in England wear uniforms and are still in school.
- People in Germany get 6 weeks paid vacation. After working only 6 months they get 2 weeks paid vacation. It's the law. Something the US could learn from.

One thing I learned today:  Non-residents of Belguim can drive 10 klms over the speed limit and not get stopped. (Someone told us this.)

One new thing I experienced today: Driving through 4 countries in a few hours.

Most powerful moment of the day: Another day without one.

One pleasurable expereince: Entering Holland. It feels like a homecoming of sorts.