A ‘Stodyssey’ (ie, a Stoner’s Odyssey) with Matt & Will
We had a really enjoyable trip and everything apart from the return journey was a great success. We set off around 8am on Monday morning and made it to Tilburg by 5pm, an hour earlier than planned. I had done some research before we left so had a map of the city with places to visit marked on the map. After dropping off our bags, we headed to the first establishment on the map and each bought a bag of Holland’s finest. We went on to two more coffeeshops and bought a few different varieties at each place. We meant to make a note of which type we got at which shop but by the time we left the third one, we had lost the ability to keep track so even now, we have no idea what variety is in what bag. That’s either a testament to the superior quality of the Dutch product or the effect it has on the short-term memory of its users. After our shopping, we visited the local gay bar for a drink and then we had dinner at casual restaurant where we both had excellent meals.
The next day we went back out to the three other coffeeshops on my list where we bought another few bags. After lunch, we went back to the hotel to drop off our purchases which included about a dozen new pair of socks for me. I’m particular to those sold at the WE clothing stores which are mostly located in the Netherlands so it means buying a bunch every time I’m there. Next we went to the central station where we got a train to Eindhoven. Tilburg is a small city, easily walkable and very friendly. We spent less time in Eindhoven so it’s hard to compare but it felt a lot bigger and had even fewer nice old buildings to look at.
Anyway, that didn’t prevent us from doing more shopping so we hit another four or five coffeeshops and purchased another few bags. We had thought of having dinner in Eindhoven but after walking around both cities all day, we figured it best to get back to Tilburg so we’d be that much closer to home afterward. We ended up having dinner in a Greek restaurant which was delicious. I should say at this point that all of the meals we had in the Netherlands were really excellent. It didn’t really matter they type of restaurant or the prices, each dish was cooked to perfection and all of the food was fresh and well presented. Yet another reason to visit.
On Wednesday, we said good-bye to Holland and headed to Bruges by way of Antwerp. Our plan was to stop there for lunch but we got as far as the center of town and realised that having a car was a big liability at this point. We could have parked and got public transport further into town but since we didn’t have a destination in mind, that seemed a bit pointless. So we changed plans and headed straight to Bruges and I’m very glad we did. Even the brief driving in Antwerp was enough to remind me how much I dislike city living at the moment.
We got to Bruges around 1:30, checked into the hotel and then headed into town. The weather was nice enough to have lunch outside – I had moules et frites and Will had cheese krokets. For those of you not familiar, the kroket is a Dutch treat – basically meat or cheese dumplings that are breaded and fried. Normally, we get them from the Febo, an automat that is prevalent in Holland, but the one in Tilburg closed in the early evening. Since we normally eat them around midnight when we’re good and hungry, we had to skip it this trip. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and getting re-acquainted with the town. We’d both forgotten what a lovely place it is. Tons of picturesque buildings, mostly from the 15th and 16th century as well as lots of canals and squares. It’s very reminiscent of Amsterdam except that it’s smaller and in Belgium. We concluded that the combination of the weed from Tilburg plus the beauty of Bruges made the trip almost as if we’d just gone to Amsterdam instead.
For dinner that night, we asked the hotel manager to recommend something foreign since we don’t get much besides french food out here in the Dordogne. We decided on a Japanese place since the last time we had sushi was disastrous. I had a plate each of sushi and sashimi that were both incredible. Will had chicken satay and tempura noodles. The former was good, the latter was made in a fish-broth and hence, not edible for Will. Fortunately for him, I’ve now satisfied my sushi jones for a long while so I’ve promised him I won’t subject him to it again for many months (not that there’s an opportunity to do so out here anyway). We finished the evening with a cleansing Belgian ale or two and then went home.
We set off on Thursday around 10:30am so planned to be home around 6:30 that night. We decided to stop at a supermarket in Belgium figuring that prices had to be at least somewhat cheaper in there than in the Dordogne. So we asked Natalie (the sat nav) to find us a store and she complied. We got off the expressway and followed her instructions and just as we got within a few kilometres of the store, crossed the border from Belgium into France. Doh! So we decided to go anyway since we wanted to get some supplies for the journey and in a way, this was good since it meant making the crossing where there is no border control whatsoever, unlike the motorway where you actually have to drive through an unmanned barrier. So we got back on the road around midday and things were going fine. It was at this point that Will commented that our trip was much like the story of Odysseus, i.e. a long odyssey. Yes, I agreed, except without the trials. How I wish I hadn’t mentioned the trials…
We were about 100Km from Paris when Lola’s engine light came on and she would no longer accelerate without juddering. So we pulled over at the next rest stop to decide what to do. Now I remember from driving lessons that you really shouldn’t drive when the engine light comes on since you could be doing irreparable damage to the motor. So we decided we should have the car towed to a garage where they could tell us what the problem was.
First, we called the insurance company since they provide breakdown repair but since we were on the motorway, we first had to call the local gendarmes and they would call out the tow truck. Great, we thought, we’ve got a bunch of weed in the boot and this guy wants us to call the police! Having little choice, we did just that and thankfully, they just sent the tow truck which arrived in < 30 minutes. He towed us to the nearest garage which was fairly close but by this time it was about 3:30 in the afternoon and although they did look at the car and diagnose the fault, they wanted €1000 to fix it and they couldn’t do it until the next day. They also advised us that we weren’t likely to make it to the Dordogne and that we would almost certainly break down again on the way home.
Against our better judgment, we decided the closer to home, the better, so got back on the road. Lola was drivable but not happy to go much more than 60mph so the going was a bit slow. Will phoned his dad, told him the story and he agreed that it was best to press on and take it slow so that was reassuring. With few exceptions, it’s unavoidable to drive across France without going through Paris and we had planned to do so during mid-afternoon. With the change in plans, we now had that joy around 5pm, aka the height of rush hour. If that weren’t enough, the sky, which had looked threatening all day, decided to open up with torrential rains just as we hit the outskirts. We hit some traffic on the way in and also on the way out but managed to reach the other side in just over an hour so we were pleased with that, all things considered. From there on, the rain didn’t really let up and if anything, got worse with high winds and fog for the rest of the journey.
We made a few stops for snacks and fuel and to give Lola a rest but mostly just pressed on best we could under the adverse conditions. We finally arrived back at our place around 11:30pm, a mere 13 hours from when we set off. I guess that doesn’t quite stack up to the ten years it took old Odysseus to get home but I think things took longer in ancient times so that must make us even. On a happy note, we were able to take Lola to a Toyota garage in Perigueux today where they diagnosed and fixed the problem. It was the same one that the cowboy mechanic on the motorway told us about, except they only charged us €400 for the pleasure of fixing it. Sharon was kind enough to accompany us to the garage and it turns out, the chief mechanic is a guy that used to work on her Mercedes so we knew we were in good hands.
We bought a guarantee when we purchased the car so there’s some chance the repair will be covered under that but we’re not holding our breath. In conclusion, we had a very fruitful and enjoyable journey, even if it turned out to be a bit more costly than planned. We’ve now got enough weed to last us for a number of months (we don’t smoke very much these days, not because we bought shitloads!) and got to see new parts of the Netherlands and Belgium.