2. the trip to Benelux

After a windy night, during which we were hit by a brief rain, we woke up to... surprisingly the same windy morning. As soon as the last supplies of perishable food were consumed at breakfast, we set off on our journey. The flat landscape, interwoven with countless small waterways, captivated us. From the vast fields, charming farmhouses surrounded by flocks of ubiquitous sheep peeked out every now and then.

Our first stop was the town of Dokkum. Here we admired the beautiful brick houses, the streets full of greenery, and the first ancient windmills. Once we spotted a cozy cafe, we immediately took possession of it. We enjoyed some excellent coffee, slightly compromised the local restrooms, stocked up on lunch supplies at a shop, and continued on our way.

After a short drive, we arrived at the Breezanddijk dam, which we chose as a place for our midday break. It would have been hard to find a windier location: trash was flying through the air, beers were falling from the car, it was just fantastic.

The next two stops took us to the towns of Hoorn and Edam. Yes, this is where the famous Edam cheese comes from! In the local cheese shop, we tasted great samples and took the opportunity to peek directly into the production area. The cold bay here then tested our courage – the only two heroes, Fila and Béďa, found enough strength to dip into the icy water.

The last destination of today's journey was the Formula 1 racetrack near the city of Zandvoort. The asphalt path nestled among the sand dunes thrilled us, especially when cars started speeding by one after another. Right next to the track, the sea tempted us for another swim, but the passing time ultimately deterred us.

We moved to our campsite near Haarlem. There was only one thing left to do: have dinner, set up the tents, call our families, and lie down to sleep.

Hanz