Week 3 - A awful beginning but a (very) slightly better end.

This the third week of our Adventure No 10, it (the adventure) was conceived in enthusiasm and optimism but so far has been disappointment and pain, lots and lots of pain.

Fortunately the antibiotics started to work and the jibbering jelly started to turn back into not a rufty tufty bloke - I think he must be hiding somewhere - but a bloke.

We had our first tourist outing of the entire trip today (Wednesday) we were in Valkenburg to get a bit of shopping when we noticed a chair lift up the side of a steep hill, yes I know that sounds strange - a steep hill, or any hill come to that in The Netherlands - but there it was with a chair lift to the top and a strange looking tower on the summit. A return ticket was just €4.00 pp for the pleasant 5 minute ride to the top where there was the strange looking tower with a restaurant on the ground floor but with no apparent way to access the tower itself. Mind you, the number of steps that would obviously need to be climbed . . . 

Still the views were stunning and for the young at heart there was also a toboggan run and an “adventure golf” game.

Back to the doctor today with my little pot of fresh piddle and have been declared infection free - Hurraahhhhhh!!

The plan was to move straight on after the appointment but, what a surprise, the weather has changed, it’s blowing a “hoooley” and no-one who doesn’t have to is likely to tow a caravan today and certainly not a light(ish) single axle job.

Oh dear, the folks next door are just leaving. They are booked in till tomorrow but he says the forecast wind is a lot lighter today than either Saturday, Sunday or Monday. We will keep a close eye but it looks as if we will be leaving here Tuesday nearly a month later than planned and we are still to visit Maastricht.

That visit to Maastricht actually happened today (Saturday), despite the appalling weather forecast the day started warm and still so, directly after breakfast we toddled of to the “park and ride north” from where we caught the €2.00 pp return fare bus to the town centre.

What a huge disappointment. We had visited the town in 2011 and were very impressed but today it was like any other market town, although to be fair by the time we had walked to the town centre and found our first tourist visit, a church, closed for the day and then walked almost back to the bus stop to find the tourist information office which appeared extensive but interested only in those that speak German as a first language - we had had enough.

We did not visit the caves which were high on our list but perhaps one day when I’m feeling less of a grouch . . . .

(beginning of) Week 4 - It’s all gone Pete Tong!!

We were so excited at the start of week 3, I was clear of the lurgie, the sun was back, and we had planned a three day route through Germany into Austria all was well - except for the cough that I was certain had started half way through my course of antibiotics but that Sue says has been driving her nuts for a long time.

After a few very bad days (and nights) of constant coughing we very reluctantly decided to return to UK and see a doctor.

Adventure No 10 has ended almost before it started.

Weeks 5 to 13 - It’s hateful getting old, but what’s the alternative?

When we returned home we were hoping that a quick visit to the doc’ and a course of tablets would settle everything and we would be back on track. 

© S W Ghost 2018