Oh, it’s been so lovely and warm. It makes camping so much easier.

We kept going along the Rhine.

I was quite keen to go into Bonn, given its former status as the seat of government. So we had a little wander.

This weekend Cologne was the location of a massive Gamers’ Convention, so we realised (late on) that the campsites were likely to be full. We were too late to make it all the way to our friends who live near Cologne, and anyway, we knew that they’d be watching football, one of them passionately supporting Koeln, the local team, and the other equally passionately in favour of Borrusia Dortmund. So, and I am saying this in the most light hearted way, an evening of interactive fireworks might be on the cards. (We discovered later that the Cologne supporter had walked out of the pub and went home before the end of the game).

Therefore we took a certain risk going a long way off our path to find a campsite. As we arrived: “Campsite full”. Fortunately they let us in anyway. That was lovely as we ended up camping on the beach 20 meters from a small lake, which we could, and did, swim in.

From the campsite it was only a half day away from our friends. We had visited them in March but there is always a lot to catch up on. Lots of sitting in their garden, and lots to eat and drink, out for lovely Italian food in the evening.

On Sunday we went for a trip, which included crossing the Rhine by ferry. We had not done this before, so we were pleased to make up for this.

After our trip Juergen went to collect his 95 year old mother, so that she could spend some time with us. Oma, as she is addressed, is extremely mobile but her memory lets her down intermittently. However, she remembered her experiences in WWII very well and was keen to tell us about these. About the fear of bombings, the need to make sure not to let any light show from the house at night, about both her brothers dying on the battlefield. I asked her if Germans in general supported Hitler in the ‘30s and ‘40s. She was very adamant that this was not the case. Nein nein, but nobody could say this publicly. When the American army arrived at the end of the war, however, she was not sure what to think of them. She remembers seeing a lorry with black soldiers in it while she was out in the street with her sister. Not just were they the ‘enemy’, it was also the first time that she saw black people. As she related this memory to us, she visibly relived her anxiety. The story went on: The soldiers stopped the lorry and put some biscuits by the side of the road – and now, in telling this, oma was reliving her happiness. Biscuits, a whole packet of it! Her hands showed the size. It had been so difficult to find food, and they had all been so hungry.

On Monday it was time for Firjeh and Juergen to go back to work, and for us to resume our journey.

As we had already seen how much industry there is around Cologne, and especially in the whole stretch northwards, we wanted to find an alternative route. Well, that is to say, Graham and I had a brief discussion. Graham: It could be interesting to see this industry. Me: Yeah, maybe….but not in a good way. So that settled it.

Using Juergen’s local knowledge and Google, we found a lovely rural route to near the source of the river Niers. Endless open fields, with distant horizons, punctuated by trees and farms. It was great to be able to enjoy that so close to the industrial Ruhrgebiet.

The path next to the Niers was lovely in a different way, maybe even lovelier. There were trees that offered welcome shade. The river was tiny to begin with and I find that quite appealing. Until the end it remained ‘manageable’.

Now finally today. We got closer to the Dutch border and I was happy to be near the Netherlands (not Holland here). The architecture looking more and more familiar, the way streets were paved. I had to wait, though, because the Niers stays on the German side of the border until just before it flows into the Maas, which is at this stage in Holland (Netherlands feels a bit long).

Now, in the evening (Tuesday), I am VERY happy. We are sitting in a Dutch looking cafe, having delicious food, looking out over the river Maas and speaking Dutch to the waitresses. We had almost not made it though. This afternoon our path took us in a massive loop, after which there were no more signs in our direction. Google helped in a limited way but even then we found our way blocked by a fence, with no apology, explanation or alternative route. Graham thought it best to do the last 20 km along the road but I could not bear the thought and suggested we’d just camp where we were and tackle the problem in the morning. The total delay must have been about two hours and I was exhausted. In the end we found a way out of the mess and I am pleased to say we made it to the intended campsite in time to have some food locally.

Oh, and by the way, both Mischa and Kai have had their wedding anniversaries recently.