We left Arromanches in the morning of June 6 (the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings) and headed north. Our plan was to swing over to Étretat on the coast. I had read about a place with lovely gardens on the cliffside above the town. However, due to the tiny country roads that led up the coast, it was nearly a 2.5 hour side trip that we couldn’t really afford as we needed to be in Bladel, The Netherlands latest by 9 pm. When we got to Étretat, it was sunny and beautiful, and while parking the car near the beachfront, we could hear a loud roaring that turned out to be the waves pounding on the other side of the wall along the rocky beach. We could see two of the three natural chalk arches that the town is famous for and which Claude Monet painted. We walked down to the water and then realized that the gardens were up a huge high stairway up the cliff, and wasn’t accessible by driving up and parking near it.
That’s the cliff we would have had to climb to the Gardens. NOPE!
My knees, which I had thoroughly abused at Mont-Saint-Michel 2 days before, noped out, and we ended up just having lunch in town, before heading back out through the peaceful French countryside on our way north. We drove all the way through Belgium and then had to call the B&B and let them know we were going to be really late, as our detour had delayed us so badly. If we had actually climbed up to the gardens and toured them, we would never have made it. As it was, we got to the tiny town of Bladel near Eindhoven just after 9 pm. The B&B was named “De Verloren Sinjoor” which translates to “The lost Señor” and was run by a Dutch man and his wife, with help from their child. They were so pleasant and accommodating and easy to talk to and not at all upset that we had arrived so late. The place was SUPER cozy, a little farmyard with a beautiful tree-draped pergola in the center, and horses, and lots of cabins and outbuildings for those staying in the round wooden trailer cabins along the sides of the garden. Our room was also cozy and decorated with peacocks and I would have loved to have spent more than just one night there. We filled out a little order form for our breakfasts which included, of course, croissants, and went to bed.
HORSE BOOP!
The next morning breakfast was served outdoors under the pergola, and we greeted the horses and then packed up and left again. I have to say that I LOVE The Netherlands. I don’t know exactly what it is about it: the air seems fresher, the people seem nicer, the landscape is tidy and neat and clean. It’s my second favorite country on Earth, after Sweden (and secretly, it might be the other way around). Holland really has my heart. It’s kind of like the way I feel about Michigan. Something in the air just breathes “home” to me.
The road out of Bladel
The day was a long one with a little too much driving in it, but pretty countryside, kind people, good music on the stereo, and Anders being the absolute best driver and roadtrip buddy. But we stopped and had Belgian/Dutch frikandells for dinner, so it was a good day, regardless! One last night coming up, in Lübeck, Germany!
Mood: happy
Music: Vera Blue—Go Lucky