The next morning we set off for the Friesmuseum where the exhibition was being held.
The exhibition was superb. It was subsequently to move to Vienna - we didn't get there - and to end up at the Leighton House Museum in Holland Park Avenue in London, where we saw it again (twice!)
Leeuwarden is a very charming little town and we liked it very much.
After an early morning walk into Leeuwarden to see it one more time we set off. Today's plan is to drive from Leeuwarden to Calais via the Afsluitdijk, Amsterdam, Breda, Antwerp and Ghent and then on to home in the UK. After leaving the
Channel Tunnel we will still have another 125 miles to cover. Of course we will not be able to stop anywhere except to buy petrol and check the oil, so it is going to be our longest ever trip in Bertha.
The Afsluitdijk seemed like a very long way from home - probably because we had a drive of nearly 700kms in front of us and we are pretty much at the
furthest point from home on the whole trip. Bertha has some work to do - she's done absolutely brilliantly so far.
250 or so kilometers later - during which a couple of people came alongside and smiled and waved! - we went through the Kennedytunnel under the Schelde...
... and on to Calais via Ghent and Ostend, stopping only for an oil top up. After an uneventful channel crossing we made our way home in the dark and rain, finally arriving safely
after yet another fuel stop. We were tired and glad to get home, but after doing 700km in one day we still felt good: this car is easy and a delight to drive, very
comfortable and, whilst not the fastest vehicle on the road, eats up the miles without any kind of stress.
In case you haven't read the first instalment of this trip here's a map of the whole route we took on the continent:
After some trepidation regarding the advisability of taking a relatively unknown thirty-something year old car on a foreign trip of over a thousand miles - no problem with the
foreign bit: it's just going to be that much harder to recover her if anything goes wrong - she has come through with flying colours and proved herself to be a great car!
The cooler weather meant that her stalling problem has not been an issue on this trip.
The return journey from Leeuwarden to home remains the longest trip we have ever done in her.
We love her.
Company for Bertha