Holland

Well, Lelystad is an interesting place. It was like a ghost town on Sunday. Lucky if we saw 20 people other than those working in the very few places that were open (the pub and a restaurant)
Today (Monday 2nd Feb) I hit the shops at 9am and the only places that were open were the supermarkets. Nothing else opened until 10 and most places 11. Some shops didn’t open until 1. I bought a few groceries so I had something to eat (chips, chocolate and yogurt were my main purchases), and bought a toothbrush, toothpaste and some deodorant for one of the guys who lost a bag on the way over, and came back to the hotel for a read and rest.

The hotel doesn’t have any tea or coffee making facilities in the rooms and the lighting is very dim. The bathroom is the only place with plenty of light and it is very nice and clean. The beds are very comfy and very warm even though the cover is very thin, I’m not sure what they are made from but they are warm. The heating here is much more like we have at home. It’s not over hot and you don’t pass out from the heat when you walk into a shop.

Went out again about 1 and the place was quite lively and there were people around. Not much English spoken so had a very quiet afternoon. Nothing is written in English and it’s really a funny feeling going into a book store and all the books are in Dutch. Even the tourist information is all in Dutch

One nice lady in a shop who had a bit of English has pointed me in the direction of a museum and interesting area. I am going to put it into the GPS and see if I might be able to walk, otherwise I will catch the bus tomorrow. I think it will be much safer to stay around the local area, I don’t fancy heading off to Amsterdam on my own.. There is talk that we might go there the night before we had off to Stuttgart. We’ll see what happens.

There are lots of TV channels, but only the occasional show in English.

Tuesday 3rd February
Had a great dinner last night at the “Tasty Wok” They cooked everything as you wanted and it was the best food I’ve had so far. They just cooked mine with oil and garlic and everyone had a great night.
Caught a bus to Batviastad – a huge factory outlet village a few kilometres from Lelystad. Didn’t buy anything but there were some good bargains. A beautiful pair of boots for walking in the snow!! Couldn’t justify the expense when it is so hot at home!! Got a few essentials for the others who are struggling to get to the shops to buy lip balm, toothpaste etc. The village was very quaint. Each outlet was in a little house and you walked around it just like a village. They must build the big wooden boats there. There was one in the water, and one being built in a yard, very impressive and very old fashioned. Craig has had the camera for most of the time and there is really nothing interesting to look at here, so no great photos.