Van troubles and silver linings...

After leaving Port Grimaud we took a slow meander along the coast of southern France. In my opinion one of the most spectacular coast lines in the world. (From what I've experienced!)

Every turn of the road yielded a new cove or lagoon to explore. Small beaches manifested themselves and a short jaunt down a steep cliff side was rewarded with the most beautiful and secluded section all to our selves.

The clunking noise we'd heard back in the Dordogne wasn't cured by replacing the wheel bearings. After a quick google I feared the worst and succumbed to taking the van to a garage. Luckily we found a local Brit who owned a garage not too far in Mouans Sartoux and after some investigative work it was deduced that the steering rack was worn on the outward bushes.

The part had to be sourced from the UK as we have a right hand drive van and so we were to wait for a few days for it to be delivered.

Mouans Sartoux itself is quite a pleasant little town with a particularly old section of narrow roadways and alleys. Some of the buildings here were 400 to 500 years old. Unfortunately we seemed to just miss the end of lunch at 2 oclock so had to resort to food in the van.

The part came a few days later and the mechanic Phil phoned to inform me, asking if I would do him a favor on the way. He had a car that he needed to move across town and he picked me up in his landrover as we finished a little walk on a strange derilict piece of land.

Phil pulled alongside this lovely white Toyota MR2 and asked whether I was ok driving left hand drive cars. Of course never having done so before in my life, but eager to drive the little sportster, I proclaimed that I was a professional! Toured year round in a left hand drive camper once! Fibbing to secure my place in the shit car. Because thats what an MR2 is in French. M - er - deux ... merde.

After I safely delivered the Toyota to Phillip's nice villa with infinity pool his mechanic set to work replacing the steering rack on our van. It was getting close to Mia's departure as she had a flight booked for the next day, Friday, and we had our van booked in for the tracking to be done the same morning so we drove the van towards Nice airport and enjoyed lunch in a roadside cafe.

10 miles later and there was a rattling under the van again. Further inspection showed that one of the retaining bolts holding the steering rack on had sheered. We couldn't move the van for fear of us losing the steering and plumeting off of one of the mountain roads to our deaths! Our new breakdown cover was to now come in handy.

After a few phone calls and about an hour and a half we were doing one of the strangest, and I suspect most dangerous, thing I've done in a long time. The recovery truck driver asked all 3 of us to jump in the back of the van whilst he whinched her up on to the flat bed and drove the 25 miles back to the garage. The combined suspension felt like we would tip over at any point. People on the pavements spotted the girls sitting in the driving and passenger seats and laughed or waved. All while I experienced the van from the back whilst moving along. Fellow motorhomers passing in the opposite direction would also greet us with the obligatory wave when they spotted the girls in the van. All while on a flat bed recovery truck!

Two new high tensile bolts and nuts were sourced from Ford and we had a 5 day wait before they'd get to us. The breakdown company, a German firm called ADAC, were fantastic. They took care of organising the recovery vehicle and advised us to get a hotel whilst we wait for the repair to be made. We had an allowance of €65 per person per night for a maximum of 3 nights as well as a €52 per day allowance for a hire car for up to 7 days.

We settled in to the hotel and its pleasures like running hot water, swimming pool and massive beds before sinking a bottle of wine with Mia and watching a few episodes of Breaking Bad.

We said our final goodbyes to Mia that evening as she had a taxi booked to the airport at 4:30am the next day. We have really enjoyed Mia's company on our jaunt through the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Now the time has come to head our own ways. It is exciting to hear of Mia's plans to build her own van and start touring. The days of questionable looks from fellow campers, bar owners, petrol pump assistants and mechanics as 2 girls and only one guy jumps out of the van are over.

Kerry and I enjoyed the hotel for the few days we were there, relaxing by the pool and using the internet to our hearts content. On the Saturday evening we took our little Toyota Yaris hire car out to crawl the streets of Monaco. The little car was a godsend. Id never dream of trying to pilot a motorhome around the small country so it gave Kerry a chance to see the decadence for herself as well.

We even drove through Monte Carlo, right infront of the famous casino with hundreds of people gathered round Lambo's and Porsche's,  their owners inside squandering their millions. It really is fascinating. Its a country in its own righr but only covers 0.78 square miles. 35, 000 people live there making it the most densily populated country in the world. And they all benefit from 0% income tax!

The bolts came in and it took literally minutes to replace them. We dropped the hire car back and headed out along the coast to a garage with a big enough ramp to do the Gyometry adjustments. Then a long drive up and in to Italy, aiming for Genoa or Genova (I'm not sure which is correct) for our ferry ride to Palermo...

Port Grimaud, Monaco and St Tropez... again...

After leaving Moto camping Dordogne at around 5pm we decided to drive till we were tired. We'd told David and Paul that we'd get there in 4 days, arriving mid-week on Wednesday.

Well the van engine ran alot better that evening. I think the cooler air helped the diesel so we drove until 11ish, stopping to find a place to stop for the night just after seeing Carcassonne all lit up from afar. The sat nav said that within an hours drive we could be in Montpellier and it was decided that we would wildcamp down on the beach and enjoy the sea the next day.

We had parked up to numerous other vans that seem to congregate on the spit of sand called Grand Travers and the next day I woke up needing the toilet quite desperately. Whilst I was doing my thing I smelt a faint smell of smoke but put it down to someone having a cigarette somewhere. Jumping back in to bed I could hear a peculiar noise like someone walking through the trees next to us on the sand dunes. The noise continued and I stuck my head out of the roof vent to investigate. The smell was stronger and I saw a haze in the air.

Fire plane

It was a fire. About 50 metres away in the bush by the sand dunes. We immediately packed up ready to move. The land around here was so dry and the wind was relatively strong. We were worried it would spread quickly towards us. Other van occupants were quickly packing up and we moved down the beach 100 metres and watched as the fire got bigger and bigger, seeing flames licking the tops of the trees.

Over the next hour and a half we watched as the fire brigade arrived in their trucks and a small plane circled over head before sounding a siren and dumping water on to the brush. It took the emergency services all morning to satisfactorily put the fire out and we took up our position on the beach after an eventful morning.

It was hot. Very hot. Much hotter than in the Dordogne and we had to take shelter in the van during the hottest part of the day. We knew that David and Paul were only 150 miles away and took the excuse of driving to get some wind through the van. 

Monaco by Motorbike!

4 hours later and we were driving through Grimaud and in to the aire which was conveniently located just outside Prairies de la Mar, the campsite the boys were staying in and the same campsite Kerry and I met my Dad at a few months ago.

A quick walk around the big site didn't shed any light as to their camping spot but we were determined to find them without giving away our location. It was Monday evening and we weren't due to meet them until Wednesday.  Another surprise!

Of course we found them sat in the beachside bar. I crept up behind them and asked "So does that wheel bearing job come with a warantee" to which they both laughed and turned around to welcome us. The evening was gorgeous with the setting sun illuminating the sky over the sea in purples and pinks.

David and Paul had planned a ride out on their bikes to Monaco the next day. Having one extra helmet they offered for one of us to go with them. Not being able to settle the decision amongst ourselves some straws were sought from the bar and I pulled the longest of the three.

We left the campsite around midday the next day and skirted north on the coast road, me riding pilion on Paul's Suzuki TS1000. I cant proclaim to it being the comfiest bike to sit on but I was appreciative of the opportunity to ride with the boys. As we pulled in to Monaco the Suzuki started to smell and feel very hot so I swapped over to Daves BMW and we blatted round as much of the Monaco Formula 1 race track as we could including through the world renound tunnel. All whilst dodging Ferrari's, Porsche's and other expensive cars all displaying their principality of Monaco number plates.

The sheer wealth of the place is only evident when you're there. The number and size of the boats was incredible. All of them were much larger than my 2 bedroom flat and most were the size of 6 story mansions!

Deciding against getting a €200 euro cheese sandwich we headed back to Port Grimaud and the girls for a spot of BBQd burgers and sausages until dark.

After a nice long sleep we all reconveined at the port around midday for an afternoon on the water. Dave has held a boating license for as long as I can remember, even having his own little vessel named "Boogie Nights" in Brighton Marina. So after a short orientation of our floating palace we were set loose in the Gulfe of St Tropez. Picking up speed and getting the boat planing above the water for 10 minutes until we slowed down and entered the port of St Tropez.

It was an especially novel way of viewing the world famous mooring. Posh and expensive cars lined the dock as tanned, balding 50+ somethings swanned around with an ungarish, more stately air about them. Here in the world of French wealth it seems less is more. Except for the size of your boat!

Shark!

We shot over the bay with extra speed this time as I joined Paul up on the bow of the boat (the front) and our combined weight helped the boat get up out of and on to the waves. We headed for a lagoon the boat rental guy told us about. We dropped anchor in a patch of beautifully crystal clear water and had a lark about, diving for the bottom, drinking the beers and eating the sandwiches we'd brought along.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and I feel very privileged David was there to take us out. I couldn't thank him enough but tried to make up for it with a dinner of chili con carne and rice.

After the meal we said our fairwells. The boys were headed through Italy and in to Switzerland the next day...

Moto Camping Dordogne...

Id heard all about the place before.

My Dad had been going on his motorcycle for years, my uncle David accompanying him on the last few trips. So when I received a message from my uncle asking if we were up for the end of season party in a weeks time, I found my curiosity too great to refuse.

Spicy ribs!

Moto Camping Dordogne is just that... a campsite for motorcyclists in the Dordogne region of France. Luckily they accept 'friends' of bikers so us and the van were welcome.

Pulling in to the campsite we found my Dad supping his beer at the bar. David had invited him along for the weekend but Dad made his excuses and declined, only to get the ferry crossing a day earlier than David and surprise him.

We met the American handyman Glen, the Dutch chef Peter and the owner of the Campsite, another Dutch national, Renska and her son Gabriel. The whole atmosphere was very appealing. Constant music, constant beer and constant sun with the people working there seeming more like friends than hosts.

Fun in hats

Dad told us about the renound ribs that come in 3 different sauces, sweet, spicy and garlic and I opted for the spicy version that evening as we chatted about Dad's ride down and our meandering trip over from the Alps. We had been disturbed at 10:30 pm the previous night by 2 of France's finest national police, the Gendarmerie. They were perplexed as to how we were parked in a 2.5 metre height restricted car park. That was until they asked us to leave and we simply drove over the grass next to the height barrier.

The campsite sold bar cards of 15 drinks at a time. When you had 6 completed bar cards you received a Moto Camping Dordogne t-shirt. Well that sounded like a challenge to me! And we made a good dent in a few cards that night.

All around the bar were biking memorabilia and paraphernalia. Old bike panels, oil pumps, chains and sprockets littered the walls and I could have spent all day just looking around. About 40 different styled hats were hung up as well and it made an amusing evening trying them out and taking on the persona of the previous occupant. That was until I tried to put a pink sequined one on one of the two campsite dogs, Ollie. He proceeded to grab it in his mouth and run around the bar and terrace area with me running after him in a desperate attempt to retrieve it. The burley bikers drinking their beers seemed to find it as funny as he did.

After going to bed at 2am that night I woke up quite late and cooked a bacon and egg roll for Kerry, Mia and my Dad. All of a sudden it was beer o'clock and I started plowing through another bar card whilst taking in the sun by the pool. The second campsite dog, Vincent, is fairly young. If I ever get a dog I'd like one the same as him, a German Sheperd. His fascination with sticks was funny, especially when he found one that was too long to fit through the door.

Guess why he's called Vincent?

In the distance we heard the distinct thud thud of a BMW and the beautiful pounding of a big V-twin. David and his friend Paul were drawing near and Dad quickly ran for cover in the bar. Kerry and I greeted the biker boys with a hug and a beer and introduced everyone to Mia and vica versa. I could see Paul looking confused in the direction of Dad's bike and tent further down the site. Then out strolled Dad with the smuggest grin I've ever seem. David had been well and truly stumped. A good surprise!

That night was full of more bar cards as I proposed an arm wrestling match between the big boys, Dad and Paul, only to get thrashed by both. I need to get down the gym!

The next day everyone was suffering. A combination of the heat and too many bar cards being smashed. But after a dip in the pool, Dad, David, Paul and I took a ride out to the nearest town, Gourdon, for a couple of rescue beers and baguettes for lunches. Riding on the back of Dad's bike was brilliant. I don't like riding pilion usually but the meandering roads and the warm air in my face reminded me of how much I enjoy riding.

 

That afternoon I decided to tackle the front wheel bearings on the van. There was a distinct click noise when we were going slow over bumps and round corners and I suspected they may need changing. This was also the perfect place as the campsite has a tool shop for use by the guests and it just so happens my mobile mechanic task force was present (my Dad and Uncle!). After a bit of poking around on my part they declared I was 'painful to watch' and delved right in to help!

I had another massive rack of 'extra' spicy ribs that night, needing a few glasses of water to quench the 'extra' part! Beer flowed and stories were told of biker festivals in Portugal by my relatives and some more hardcore ones in Germany where they give you a bail of straw to put on the snow before you pitch your tent, by Case who worked at the campsite.

Glen has pool fun with Vincent

Kerry looked over the table at me around midnight with very glassy eyes. The vodka measures had taken their toll and the walk back to the van was eventful to say the least! The next day I found her curled up in the shade of the van feeling a little worse for wear!

David and Paul left early that morning to get the 350 or so miles done to their next destination in the South of France. Myself and the girls were to follow them down, much slower I may add, but the lure of the pool, bar and conversation was such that we didn't end up leaving till the evening.

Biker campsites are the best. No rules, no NIMBY neighbours and good quality people. It made me want to run a campsite...

Summer Alps...

It took us two uneventful days to get down to the French Alps, but as soon as Kerry and I started to see the peaks in the distance we both got increasingly excited. Our winter season here was so good it was like we were making a pilgrimage to a holy land... the holy land of powdery snow!

Driving through Bourg Sainte Maurice was funny as it wasn't the grey mess that snow tends to turn a town into but a fairly pristine alpine village. The sun was shining and everyone was walking about in shorts and T shirts.

Our new van hasnt let us down yet and we have put 2500 miles on her in a little under 6 weeks, but the 6km up to Sainte Foy station was painful. 2nd gear was the best we could achieve on the straight bits and we had to retreat down to 1st on the corners! But after 20 minutes of screaching and straining she finally got us there.

We had a walk around the station area, walked back up the 89 or so steps to the chalet and out on to the 'pistes' that were now just grassy fields. The first lift was completely removed and workmen were underway installing a new lift. Much needed as the old ones are very slow, but it did mean that we would be unable to go up the mountain by chairlift.

After a few pints in the Pitchouli bar the previous night it was amazing to wake up to crystal clear skies and the view we had woken up to for 4 months last winter, only this time without a trace of snow. We parked in a car park just down from our chalet and a paddock had been erected for horses and it was amusing to watch the kids have riding lessons with some pretty sturdy little horses.

Le Monal is a very small village up on the mountain which in winter is only accessable by skiing from the top of Sainte Foy and down the otherside through some off piste. We didnt try the run when we were last here in the winter as it has some up hill sections so not suitable for boarders. But now on foot and without a snowflake in sight, Kerry, Mia and I set off up the dusty mountain tracks.

Kerry and I recognised a few of the tracks as blue ski runs we had taken in the winter but now it was totally transformed and wold flowers and fruits were everywhere. The wild strawberries were my favorite with loads of flavour, even if I did have to do a bit of bouldering to get to them!

The views from the otherside of the mountain towards Tignes were breath taking and we could see the last remblances of winter clinging on in the form of a glacier high above us on the opposite mountain.

The next day we took the van down the mountain very slowly, not wanting to overheat the brakes. Once at the bottom we headed in to Bourg to book ourselves on a white water rafting expedition the next day. We pulled in to the worst aire we've been in just as the heavens opened and the rainy afternoon was used to catch up on some television serieses we've been watching.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed we arrived by the side of the river Isere at 9am ready for our raft down the river. The Isere originates at the top of Val d'Isere ski resort and is controlled by the hige dam at Tignes to give constant water throughout the summer.

After putting on our very glamorous and skin tight wet suits and a short safety brief we were carrying the raft down to the rivers edge with our instructor. Just the 4 of us in the boat. A good thing or not I couldnt decipher! But we seemed to get the hang of it fairly easily and I was amazed at how manouverable the raft could be just by having people move their position in the boat.

We were meant to paddle in unison to get the best propulsion, however it seemed too hard for us, especially as we came in to the rapid section and all I could see was a wetsuit cladded Kerry bouncing around laughing her head off.

20km later and we were dragging the raft out for the van ride back. A brilliant way to see the alps and its gorges.

Now we are off for some party times... the Dordogne awaits!

Antwerp and South...

Cruising further South we crossed the border in to Belgium and the first main city, Antwerp.

We stopped on an out of town campsite next to a large exposition complex. The fee was small. Just 10 euro for the 3 of us per night. But there was only toilet emptying facilities and fresh water so I checked www.wildcamping.co.uk to see if there was any local free camping spots.

We saw a forum post for a place near the centre of town on the quay side and headed straight for it the next day. Turns out its a lovely dock area that had been laid waste to vans, cars and motorhome all parked for free.

The next few days were spent in Antwerp centre itself. Kerry and I have managed to wear one pair of flip flops each for the whole of the time we have been back from the ski season. These flip flops have seen better days, so my mission was to find a suitable pair. Unfortunately it was a Sunday so everywhere was shut bar an art museum named after a belgian art collector.

As far as I know he was only famous for collecting art. When he died his mother put all of these pieces of art work in his house on display and so its been ever since. I dont understand art, especially from the 1500s so I struggled to find any merit in my 1 euro admission but Kerry and Mia seemed to enjoy it.

We ate a nice pizza each in an italian restaurant before heading back for a few movies and a lovely river view by the van.

The next day I found success as an Xtreme-sports shop had a pair of Quicksilver flippers for a reasonable price. There seemed to be a sort of festival in town with girls dancing outside of a huge building in the main square. Kerry bought some Belgian chocolate and Mia and I enjoyed some belgian beer.

Kerry and I have had our hearts set on going back to the French alps, namely Sainte Foy, ever since we left. And so after a quick discussions we were headed South through the rest of Belgium and Northern France

Magic Mushrooms and Efteling...

After our last success at Parc Asterix, we thought it a good idea to check out whether there were any Dutch Theme Parks.

Turns out the oldest in the Netherlands is a short drive away so we set off and are pulling in to a campsite a few ours later. The rates were very reasonable and the park just a kilometre down the road where it costs 10 euros to park.

We settled in to the campsite which had electricity and wifi included in the 15 euro a night fee.

Now here is where you(we) have to leave our opinions on drugs behind. The fact is that I enjoy altering my mind. I think is a very interesting and enjoyable experience. And we were in no better place to try psilocybin containing mushrooms, or rather truffles as the law now allows. Its the same as a mushroom it just hasn't been given conditions to fruit in to one and so grows underground.

They had a very unique taste with the texture of a nut. The advice said to chew well so the absorption occurs more through the mouth than the stomach. They seemed to let out a chemical taste that didnt disappear when I drank water.

After about an hour I started to get some weird wavy like movements on the peripheral of my vision. I couldn't help but laugh at things. I just wanted to smile. The whole trip lasted about 4 hours after that first hour and everything was interesting. The wood grain on the cupboards would move like a fluid and the different grass colours would morph and merge in to each other. Patterns were more prominant and I couldn't help but think about the construction of things to their smallest molecule.

My perspective on the world was a lot different. I thought about how many people it took to deliver the smallest thing to my world. Like the plastic milk bottle we bought for tea and coffee. Every single person in its supply chain was there just to give me the experience of pouring milk out of it. In short it was amazing.

I am intrigued by psilocybin and psyclobin as they are normally occuring substances within our brains. Not an alien chemical, just one you play with the quantities of in your brain. Its not toxic and I feel could be beneficial for learning and definately self discovery of some sort.

The visions and thoughts faded away slowly and I felt relaxed, enlightened and somehow closer to the world. Be careful if you choose to experiment, but I'd also say don't be scared. As with most drugs the effects fade away and if you are conscious that the different things that are happening are a manifestation of the drug you'll be fine.

Enough of all the hippie talk. After a good nights sleep we walked to Efteling, a fairytale theme park set in some ancient woodland. It is said that Walt Disney visited Efteling many times in the years before opening Disney World for inspiration. The park was very beautiful with old trees and lakes with pathways meandering through and around them.

The main rides were well thought out as well. My favorite being the wooden 2 tracked 'race coaster' called Joris and the Dragon. The wooden construction gives the ride a very scary and organic feel and they always seem to be faster than their steel counter parts.

I managed to get on the front of the indoor roller coaster called Vogel Rok and enjoyed wizzing round in the pitch black. Much better than X No Way Out at Thorpe Park.

We finished the day with a show about the rising of a huge 5 headed raven beast and 4 knighted friends on horse back as they tried to slay it. The story wasn't anything to write home about but the anamatronix on the massive beats was impressive.  Id like to work on equipment like that at some point.

The 3rd best water jet show is also at Efteling. 3rd behind the Belaggio display in Vegas and one in Dubai. We waited next to the big lake just before the start time and was disappointed to hear that it had gone tech.

All in all it was a good day. If I had to pit it against Parc Asterix I'd say that Asterix was better. But only by a whisker.

Rotterdam and Nan's house..

After a drive down from Amsterdam where we took a bit of a divertion across the country to East of Utrecht. Our friend Alec was traveling back to his army camp in Germany and was able to meet up for some dinner and wine.

Windmill in Rotterdam

The next day we parked up in a lovely area of Rotterdam called Scheidam. The aire was under one of 5 beautiful windmills that lit up at night.

We had a stroll around the local area which seemed to have a long past of being a distillery with warehouses and large buildings dotted along the canals. We fed the ducks in the canal metres from the van.

My Dad and his brother lived in the Netherlands with their parents when they were little and I thought it'd be nice to see the area where they lived and get a picture of the old house for my Nan. So we drove West towards the coast and the small town of Oostvorne. Its a typical small Dutch town with decent cycle paths on every road and small quaint closes and cul de sacs. We found the house which had a nice little lake at the back where my Dad said he played as a kid.

Further around the coast we pulled in to a lovely campsite to celebrate my 25th Birthday, cycling in to town and around the battlement at Hellevoetsluis. That evening we saw a few Persied meteors as we star gazed.

Nan's house

I caught my first fish with my telescopic rod in a canal and got some lovely photos of the wildlife using just my phone camera.

We headed back in to Rotterdam for a few nights relaxing before heading to the biggest Dutch theme park, Eftling...

Mia's arrival in the 'Dam

I was excited when Mia first said she had quit her job. I was even more excited when she asked if it would be possible to join Kerry and I in our van for a bit.

Kerry and Mia on the river

So we setup a rendezvous. Schipol Airport at 10am, just as Mia got off her plane. What a disaster that turned in to with Mia unable to text. Kerry and I were getting messages from friends back home saying Mia couldn't find us! Eventually we spotted our old flat-mate waving as she walked towards us.

First stop, of course, Amsterdam and all its glorious sights! Ive been to Amsterdam a few times before, twice with Kerry, but Mia had surprisingly not been. Next mission was to find a campsite. We had stayed at a campsite just out of town the previous night but it was like a tourist farm with no personality and as it turns out we would have had to get the metro system in to town anyway.

We looked for somewhere nearer the centre and found a small campsite just to the North of the city on the otherside of the river Ij. Trying to navigate to the campsite however, we stumbled upon a small industrial area where a few other vans had parked up and within 20 minutes we were galiantly walking down the road to the free ferry to the Centrum.

We sampled some of the wares in the coffee shops and had a walk around the canals, heading back quite early as Mia had travelled early morning.

The nexy day we booked ourselves on a very pleasant canal tour. An hour and a half expedition around the canals on a canal boat. There was a commentary on the PA system that highlighted places of note and some of the history of the city.

3D action in Prix D'ami

In the evening we found a great coffeeshop called Prix D'ami, just down from the central station on the Damrak. For 8 Euros we got a drink, a big burger and 3D glasses so we could lounge on bed like sofas and watch iRobot on one of the 3D screens. We spent hours there as waitresses came round and tended to everyones needs. The perfect coffeeshop!

That night Mia got her first taste of the red light district. We wandered aimlessly looking at scantily clad prostitutes try and lure in their weekly shopping money. Its always weird. But I did get to see some scantily clad prostitutes in a way thats largely accepted by other halfs.... so thats a bonus.

A morning in the Amsterdam dungeons followed the next day. I've never been to the London dungeons but have been to the Amsterdam ones before and its great. The live actors and anamatronix tell such good stories and some of the jumpy surprises can really scare you. Then the strange mini roller coaster at the end just freaks you out as the first thing it does is go up a floor like an elevator!

The weather got really nice that afternoon and we found a lovely park just south of the main city. The water in all of the little lakes and ponds seemed really high and it was nice to listen to some guys playing bongos near us.

Of course we had our fair share of feebo!

OHM2013 in the Nederlands...

After a pretty groggy drive from Global Gathering music festival in Stratford-upon-avon we arrived in the ferry port of Harwich late Sunday and immediately battened down the hatches ready for sleep and the sailing at 8am. 

The journey was fairly non-descript. We chose the Harwich - Hoek of Holland crossing rather than Dover or Felixstow purley because it was shorter in distance. 6 hours later and we were driving through beautiful Dutch countryside next to meandering canals. Instantly both Kerry and I proclaimed "I could live here", as if thats some sort of acceptance of a place.

Main Big Top lecture hall

The roads were great. Not a hill or even slight incline in sight and what seemed like endless, untouched motorway. It appears to be a fusion between German efficiency and French flair ... but next to a canal. We made quick time up the A4 for 50 miles and I swear there wasn't the slightest crack, bump or repair in the road.

It is nice to see the Netherlands for what it is. Ive only ever seen 'Hollande' through the stoned and hungry eyes of a pot tourist relishing in the fact they aren't criminalised for partaking. But to see the real Netherlands, it's landscape, flora, Industry, everything. Its all so much prettier.

OHM2013 was our destination. A Dutch 'hacker camp' held roughly every 4 years. The acronym stands for Observe, Hack, Make and does well to describe what the festival is about. Technology, software, gadgets, demonstrations, political figures and A LOT of geeks. It was nuts. Its the only place I've seen a guy scripting in Python on his mac sitting next to another guy playing connect 4 by himself. 

10's of Thousands of LEDS

The festival was a big experiment in itself. Every one of the attendees was classed as a volunteer. Everyone at the festival ran the festival. A system was setup online for people to volunteer for different jobs from cleaning the toilets and litter picking to hosting a talk or tweaking the code for the 30,000 individually addressable LEDs around the campsite. The only organisational structure was a relatively small group of core volunteers.

Now this all sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Well, when we pulled in to the festival site I was amazed. There were big top tents just like at a big festival, food stands, LED street lighting, scaffold towers with lazers on, a full blacksmithery.

Static experiment

There were 5 or 6 huge generators to power the whole thing. Every lecture tent had mood lighting, projectors and seating. Campers could run power to their tents/vehicles and there was a 10 G bit internet connection to keep everyone happy, wired and wireless.

Some of the talks were totally lost on me. 'hands on SIM card exploitation' for instance sounded fun but you needed to know how to code in java, C and have knowledge in round rainbow encryption cracking. All things I have no idea about!

But there were other talks on broadly different subjects. There was a wide representation of global whistleblowers and ex-three letter organisation employees speaking on drugs, terrorism, foreign policy and the implications of standing up and speaking against keeping quiet. Many of these people had been on the run from their old agencies and it was interesting to hear their views on the Bradley Manning case that was playing out whilst we were at the festival. 

Light show at night

There was even a very special live video link from Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He spoke for 45 minutes on the state of whilstleblowing, what help was needed, how we can support the Edward Snowdons of this world. 

I was particularly interested in the subjects more pertinant to me like the war on drugs and the damage it has caused as well as the hardware hacking talks using open source hardware such as the arduino microcontroller and the imbeddable linux computer the Raspberry Pi.

We latched on to a particular stand that gave away Melon and Meat Loaf (a sausage type meat with curry sauce) as well as a free .ml domain name. All weekend giving away free food... in the Netherlands!

Careful of the Crocs!

It was a real experience. The people definately made it though. Everyone rallied together to turn a bland field in a recreational ground in to, what felt like, the heart of the maker movement at that moment. 

The Festival was near to the town of Alkmaar and Kerry and I took a cycle in to the town for some groceries. The shear beauty of the place was hard to fathom. Every canal corner had an old windmill on it and I think we managed to cycle 5 miles round trip riding on cycle paths and not the road. 

I very much like the Northern end of the Netherlands. Even if it is a bit windy...

Drones!

Fablabtruck and makerlab

Laser party

Up North...

Not wanting to drive around the M25 early Saturday morning we left Home at Lunch time Friday. The journey seemed to take forever as well. The M1/A1 is a long road!

But we made it safely and arrived at Kerry's cousin Katie's house with just enough time to run out for fish and chips. I did notice something new on the menu. Scratching and chips. I think its all the bits of batter left over from frying a fish, with chips. 

We'd travelled to Bishop Auckland, County Durham because of a big party that was being laid on for Kerry's Dad, Mike, and his two twin sisters. 50 years old (even though Mike protests his youthful good looks and still with a full head of hair!)

Brass-band day in Durham

The day of the party and everyone from 'down South' arrived early afternoon for a quick beer and a tidy up before heading to the social centre where the doo was being held. There were a lot of people there. Mike is one of 11 children and it was really nice to see such a big family all together, of all generations.

I'd been promised a good pissup. And a good pissup I got! Threw some groovy shapes to some pop music that I actually quite appreciate at the moment. All in all it was a brilliant night and I finished off my last pint in the back seat of the taxi back to Katie's and the van.

Tom, Kerry's sisters partner, and I woke up with the imaginary smell of fryup wafting through the air. It was now our mission! We contemplated going to a greasy spoon but I was adamant that a home cook-up is the only way forward. 20 minutes in Asda and we were chefing it up for everyone. Sausages, bacon, black pudding, tomatos, beans, mushrooms. KABAM!

Then I remembered

Kerry enjoys eating too!

"Come round empty tomorrow Adam, there's tons of food in the fridge for the Barbie!"

From Katies mum, Mikes sister Barbara.

Oops.

We waddled in to Barbara's garden to find a load of the people from the party the night before, a bin full of beer and ice and Ian, Katie's Dad, whipping up a feast on the Barbecue. 

The afternoon was really brilliant. The food just kept coming and everyone was so nice to talk to. It felt as if I knew everybody from a long time ago, when really I'd only just met them that weekend. Kerry and I had brought the new van over to the BBQ and as the last of the family said their goodbyes and departed we only had to walk a few steps before we were home. 

I used the next day to install the 120W solar panel and controller that got delivered the week before. Im glad I did it at Barbara and Ians as I had to use Ian's jigsaw to alter the panel. Early indications are good. Ive never had a controller display the Current being put out by the panel before so it is very interesting to see how different weather conditions affect electrical output. 

Keswick and Derwent Water

The festivities, however, had still not stopped! With another Birthday meal for a different sibling a few days later. I have never, ever... ever. Eaten so much in my whole life. Constant eating for 4 days. It was awesome! But I'm feeling it now. 

We spent the day over at Derwent Water in Keswick where I was able to get a landing net to accompany my fishing rod.

After a quick one night pit stop in Snowdonia, Wales to collect our refillable petroleum gas canister from the supplier we headed to our 5th dose of Global Gathering music festival in as many years.

Most of our good friends were there this year. Unfortunately some couldn't make it but it was an awesome festival none the less. Id er on it being the best we've been to. It was handy having the van in the car park. On the last night we had some really torrential rain from about 9pm till 2am. It stopped raining just as we got back to the tents.

Mine and kerry's tent had managed to fill up with water, so we grabbed the few things we take in to festivals now and retreated to the van. We needed the sleep as our ferry sailing to the Netherlands was at 8am Monday morning.