CnC: Day 03 - We Saw Some Cars and Bikes

19 Aug

Our route shows us having about five or so hours of driving today. We declined the hotel breakfast, having coffee and juice in our room instead. The GPS was set to scenic again and we were taken on a tour through the city and suburban areas.

We travelled along tree-lined avenues, past some rather impressive houses in some places and generally had a good look at what would not have been seen from the highways.

We pulled up to a block of shops in Hees. We were looking for a cafe to has some brunch. No cafes were open on a Saturday morning (?), so we opted for a Starbuck’s coffee latte from the supermarket and ham cheese croissants and mini apple turnovers from the bakery. We ate in the car again as there wasn't anywhere to sit outside.

We had used a third of a tank of fuel and the windscreen was dirty inside and out. (Remember, the car hire people didn't have time to prepare the car?) It's difficult taking photos through the sticky finger marks and bug splats. We pulled in to a fuel station to refuel and clean the windscreen. The car took on 26 litres for 503km. The trip estimator now shows we can do 1,100km before then refuel.

Trouble with that is our bladders aren't designed to hold for that long. This is something different again. When travelling at home, we have access to public amenities in parks and shopping centres. Doesn't seem to be the case here. After pulling into a park, searching for a McDonalds, we found a group of shops. We walked around and couldn't find anything. So we asked at the service desk of the rather large supermarket. The lady behind the counter kindly arranged for a staff member to escort us to the staff toilet. Much relieved, we then set about shopping for a couple of coffee mugs for our in room coffees. We tried using the self serve check out, but we struck trouble with using the travel card. We had to ask for assistance, cancel the transaction and use the check operated by a person and pay with cash.
Two minutes back on the road we drove by a Maccas.

On another observational side note, the push bike lanes are well set out mostly away from the road. There doesn't seem to be a requirement to wear a helmet. Motorised scooters can also use the bikeways, also with no requirement to wear a helmet.

In Hees, Netherlands, this is how to ride.

Back on track, we were cruising along a main road and spotted a car park with stylish old cars. A quick decision had us turn back at the next roundabout to find out more about the cars. It was a dealership Gallery Aaldering. Every now and then the are rare gems found by chance. This was one. I'll let the photos do the talking. (See below)

After our little side tour we decided to reinstate fast mode on the GPS. This would save us about an hour forty minutes on our ETA. We crossed into Germany on the A1(E30) where the speed limit was 130kph for a while, then the no limit sign showed. Clint couldn't resist checking the performance of the S90 and wound it up to 160kph or the old ton for those who can remember that far back. There were other road users passing us like we were standing still. The Volvo still had plenty to spare but that was fast enough for us for today.

Despite the high speed run, our ETA at the hotel didn't change greatly, probably due to a few kilometres of roadworks that slowed us considerably for a while.

Tonight we are in Stade. The hotel is on the riverside and a short walk into the town centre. We walked over and found a lovely restaurant for dinner. Again our poor language skills were saved by one of the wait staff. The meal was delightful and the German beers were very tasty.

Our Hotel in Stade, Germany

Lovely Olde Worlde town centre.

The food was good too.

And now for the Automobile Enthusiasts, here's a sample of what we found in Gallery Aaldering. All the ones not already marked sold had the keys in them ready to go - just as soon as you part with the required dough.