3 musketeers, became 2 today, my bro' returning home. Phil and I continued on our quest to visit more memorials. The day had started dry, but at our first memorial stop, we noticed some threatening rain clouds moving in our direction. I was quickly into my waterproofs, getting my last glove on, just as the drops began to fall, and the heavens opened!
Moving on, we took a road that crosses open water, effectively separating, Ijsselmeer and Markemeer. Halfway across is an island with a car park, a cafe (Checkpoint Charlie), which was closed, and loads of feckin mosquitoes! After a brief stop, we headed north to Den Helder, an interesting looking seafaring town, with a large nautical museum. From there, we took the ferry to Texel Island, where we visited another couple of memorials. After returning to the mainland, we made our way down towards our overnight stop, in Aalsmeer, not far from Schiphol airport.
Our last memorial of the day was one of the best. The site was once that of a farmhouse, housing a couple and 4 young boys. Unfortunately, a Lanc was shot down and crashed into the farmhouse, killing the family and all crew. To mark the deaths, 13 trees have been planted. What is remarkable, is that each tree is the native tree to the land of the deceased. For the crew, that meant 3 oaks, 2 maple and 2 eucalyptus. A very well thought out memorial.
Arriving at the hotel, we were able to park the bikes bang in front of the hotel. One chap took a great deal of interest, as we unloaded our gear.
We had dinner in the hotel bar/restaurant. The owner/manager, obliging us by giving us a table where we could see the tv. I think it was France v someone. A forgettable match. The food was really nice and we washed it down with 2 glasses of Texel beer.
Weather forecast for tomorrow doesn't look great, so I'll be prepared for the waterproofs again.
Beer count = 10
