Mini Cruising like a Sleb - Part 2

Usually our journey back to the UK takes about 6 hours at most.

As we were travelling to Newcastle it would take us 18 hours. We decided to treat it like a mini cruise.

We treated ourselves to a massage (albeit on a massage chair) and took a stroll around the different restaurants.

For the first couple of hours it was all fun and exciting....

Then realisation hit, we had no entertainment, no access to wifi (so we couldn't download a film) and the room had one temperature, hot!

Slowly it dawned on me we had another SIXTEEN hours left.

By half five we had "dinner", sandwiches and crisps and then with nothing else to do we went to bed.

GO can sleep anywhere and was soon stacking up the z's.  I find it more difficult to sleep in a new bed so I struggled.

Forty five minutes laters feeling hot and bothered I went for a walk, it may have been hot in the cabin but in the deck was

Freezing.

On my return to the cabin, I tried to give it another go.  This time I lay as still as possible when the sea is rough as heck.

I lay on my back and within seconds I was on my side facing the wall.  I somehow managed to let the rhythm lull me to sleep.  I was finally getting to sleep when the people in the neighbouring cabin began chatting very loudly in Dutch!

I couldn't take it anymore, I got up read my book, had a snack and just fidgeted.

I was about to take another solo stroll when GO woke up.

I manage to convince him to join me on my wander, we hit the deck.

After a bracing wander outside we headed back inside.  

We heard music, we followed it and it led to a bar.  There was a guy on a guitar playing classic Neil Diamond, cheese ball!  I was about to leave when a waiter ran across the floor and began the most awesome tap dance routine I have ever seen.  We were mesmerised and found a seat, we enjoyed the show.  An hour later we headed back to the cabin all tuckered out and finally ready for bed.

Mini Cruising Like a Sleb - Part 1

"You have to leave early... 9am should do it.  Give you of plenty of time."  Papichen said emphatically.

I wasn't convinced, leaving at 9am meant we would get there at 12pm and our ferry was at 5pm!

Never the less in the end we actually left at half eight and after a teary first half and hour. I always hate leaving the "rentals".  This time we'd had two fantastic weeks.  We made excellent time, arriving with five hours to kill.

As is the norm for me my priority was food.  I was starving and I knew we wouldn't be eating on the ferry (£30 each for dinner, I think not, we had rolls), so we headed into the Amsterdam suburbs to find something to eat.

We went into Ijmuiden town (there's nothing there we were wrongly informed) and began by looking for a supermarket.  Jackpot, Albert Hjeine, not only could we pick up some food the had free coffee.

After a stroll past the giant crabs and fishermen tribute we spotted Subway, I was tempted but sandwich for lunch and tea was a bit much.

Just as I was about to give up we found a cool little bistro that served burgers and Frikadellen and pommes (no horse meat here, hopefully).

After filling our tums we made our way back to the port.  

We wasted a bit more time at the docks watching the ships arrive and making friends with the seagulls.

We decided to find out where we were supposed to be, we drove past a long queue of cars.  They must be on an earlier ferry I mused.  Nope that was the queue for our ferry, and we were at the back.  Bit of a theme for the journey.