Holland Trip

[Brian]

We have free WIFI at Tulip Inns!

We collected the E27N L4 on Thursday before Christmas on the trailer from Atkin Farm Machinery at Dereham and stored it in our yard until Wednesday this week when we set off for Harwich. It was cold and foggy as we headed for the port and darkness set in early on the winter afternoon. The drive through the forest on poor roads with a full load on Rover was a little interesting as with limited visibility and few road markings due to council cut backs, there could be a surprise around every corner, and there are a lot of those! These are the times when I bless the brakes on the trailer, as, when they come on, and the trailer is loaded, you hardly need the Rover brakes.

We arrived at the port safely and passed through customs. They are getting used to us now as there were no comments about our load, just a smile. We were loaded right at the back of the new Stena Britannica so we would be among the first off when we arrived at the Hook. No lying in our bunk Thursday morning as no-one could get off our deck until we moved. But it meant that we would be first through customs again at the Hook. Again, no comments as we passed through, just a passport check, laughter, and we were on the road.

If England was foggy, Holland was a bright clear winter day. It was still dark as we made our way around Rotterdam and across the Maarsluice ferry. Again a lot of stares at our load from the other passengers, and a walk round by the ferries crew, with lots of smiles. We must be making people’s lives very happy with our tractors.

The drive down to Goes, the tractors new home, was spectacular. We could not stop to take pictures as there are few stopping places, but the blue, cold winters sky and the red rising sun, low down in the sky, frames the reeds in the dykes. The reeds are black against the sky and with the white frost on them really look wonderful.

My Ann-Ann navigation system operates perfectly and we only make one error in finding our destination. We had to turn round twice on icy roads with a deep dyke on either side but we managed it without mishap. The works yard was marked with a big sign so was easy to find and Jan greeted us with a big smile. The trailer was parked and immediately people were crawling all over the load, taking excitedly. Telephone calls were made to Piet and Dies and soon they also joined us.

I think we have discovered the perfect translation tool, Fordson Tractors. As I have said many times before, my Dutch is non-existent, and the gentlemen we were with have little English, but we all make ourselves understood and have a great time. Fabian, our translator for the various e-mails that have been exchanged whilst setting up, is kept busy when we want to go into a bit more detail.

Jan, Piet and their family have a number of tractors in restoration and being restored; II am shown a Major DN, a DDN and a Dexta with an early serial number. Another tractor catches my eye, a Ford 8000. Dies tells me it has been slightly tweaked from 120hp up to 462 hp. An ideal ploughing tractor!

Henk and Jodi arrive and the chat starts again. Ann and Jodi, who are not into the technical talk, stand to one side and discuss the phenomena of six or eight grown men clustered around a heap of rusty spare parts, uttering little squeals of delight when something else comes to light. And, not all talking the same language!

More coffee and chat, everyone is delighted with the package of books that Jerry sent me to go with the tractor but by this time nearly three hours has gone since we arrived and we still have many miles to go to get to our hotel. We say our goodbyes and once more head up the motorway network towards Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

It was a beautiful sunny day when we left Goes, cold, but in shelter, almost spring like. As we reached the Amsterdam area the fog comes down and our speed drops. It is approaching 4pm when we finally cross over the Ijsselmeer/North Sea enclosure. The Ijsselmeer is frozen with large ridges of ice built up along the shore line. People were out skating even in then deepening gloom. Our friends at the hotel tell us the ice is 20cm thick so it is quite safe. We were glad to hear that as we saw young people riding cycles up and down one of the canals we past.

Our hotel is one of the best we have found in Holland. As soon as we walk into reception, the word goes out that “The Engelanders” have arrived and we are greeted with great enthusiasm. We have coffee and Friesland cake, on the house, plus a large basket of Friesland goodies. We are treated like honoured guests.

This report could become a culinary report on hotel cooking and the food from around the area. We had a wonderfully prepared and cooked venison rib-eye steak for dinner and today had a delicious Friesland onion soup and coffee at one of the bars on the canal at Harlingen, followed by apple cake and tea at Wokum, not a single tractor in sight.

Friesland is a very noisy place this time of year, everywhere there are fireworks exploding from early morning to late at night and in the streets in the towns, Occasionally there will be a series of massive bangs!

We saw young and older men with milk churns and huge fireworks exploding inside, making a deafening noise. If this went on in England, whole communities would be arrested and animal rights activists would be up in arms. But here, it is all part of everyday life. There seems to be no drunkenness or drink involved as there would be at home. In one case, children were letting of fireworks on the window ledge of a house, to the obvious delight of the very young children inside.

I thought that in the EU, we all had to abide by the same Health and Safety Regulations. The “jobs worth” at home would be doing their crusts to see youngsters running round with boxes of matches, throwing thunder flashes into canals and under bridges to increase the noise levels.

But here it seems to be done with control and in the interest of fun. You do not feel threatened by their actions. After the first few massive bangs you get used to them. Think we need to take a little less heed to the moaners in England and let life go on, on the other hand, we seem to take things like this a bit too far and celebrations develop a nasty, violence. I wish I knew the answer.

[Emiel]

Hello Brian and Ann,

Good to read that you are in Holland again. I'm very curious about the tractor you brought over. Are you taking a Güldner on the way home?

The fireworks used in the milk bungs is carbide. In our village you couldn't have a decent chat today. Only the bangs all around.

Best regards

Emiel

[henk]

Brian,

I thought you would be studying Dutch by now. Or is the loud fireworks to disturbing

Wait until 12 o clock than there will be fireworks.

Have fun