2026 - 02 Dokkum - ever heard of it?

April 16th - Thursday

The next morning, after breakfast, we pack up.

What are those water stains under the camper van? And why is water dripping from the wheel arch? It did rain last night, but that was long ago and the water has dried up.

Surely not… YES. The cabinet under the kitchen sink is full of water, and the cause seems to be the faucet. It's dripping steadily from above.

A call to the caravan dealer in Moormerland, 6 km away. We can come at 2 pm. The knowledgeable employee immediately knows the reason for the broken tap – it froze and broke. Despite draining the water and leaving the tap open, a small amount always remains in the hose, which freezes in very low temperatures and bursts the connection between the tap and the hose.

Here's a tip for everyone: Drain the water, turn on the tap, inflate a balloon and place it over the tap, so that all the water can be pushed backwards.

The tip costs €170 for the repair, including a new tap and a 3-hour waiting time.

There are worse things.

We use the waiting time to select our next destination.

Dokkum in Friesland – the northernmost city in the Netherlands, parking space right on the canal with access to the city center. So no long walks (good for S.'s knee).

The employee at the Caravan Center overheard our thoughts and confirmed that Dokkum is very beautiful and definitely worth visiting.

We'll still manage 125 km even with the late start.

Around 5 pm we reach the place, which is the northernmost city in the Netherlands and has city rights.

The 13,000 inhabitants are nowhere to be seen; everything is quiet and peaceful.

Turn off the main road at Lidl and then it's another 500 meters to the parking area right by the canal. The 10 parking spaces are 80% occupied; we get the second-to-last spot.

There is even a sanitary building with showers, toilets and waste disposal.

Let's go and explore the city.

Typical Dutch houses line the street, offering an open view into the living room, everything very tidy. Lines with small flags hang in the streets; the city is sprucing itself up. Something's definitely going to happen soon...

The national color orange is omnipresent; shop windows display orange shirts bearing the city's name and the addition of "Kenningsdei." Some even ostentatiously drape them on armchairs in living rooms.

A floating pontoon is being installed across the entire width of the central canal on the promenade – what on earth is going on here?

A quick internet search reveals that "Kenningsdei" is Frisian for King's Day, which is the national holiday in the Netherlands. It falls on April 27th, the birthday of King William Alexander. And each year, he graces a different city with his presence – this year the royal family is coming to Dokkum, causing quite a stir in the city.

It's a shame that it's not for another 10 days.

But then we certainly wouldn't have gotten a spot on the campsite.

Let's sit down on the promenade now with a beer in hand and imagine what it will look like here in 10 days.

Unfortunately, the shops in the city close at 5:30 pm, so we have no further shopping experiences apart from window shopping.

However, the shops show that even small towns can have an appealing mix of businesses in the city center. See? It can be done!

As we were about to call it a night in the campervan, a horde of teenagers nearby started playing loud bass music and talking loudly.

Opinions on this matter are very different – Simone wants to kill her, I'm not listening.

Around 2:00 a.m. it probably gets too cold outside and things quiet down.