Sitting on the Stena Line ferry at Hoek van Holland ready to leave for Harwich, we’re both a touch tearful at leaving mainland Europe after more than 5000 kilometres on Daisy all around Germany.
At 80 days on the continent – 10 short of what I (Mark) am allowed in any 180 period under the stupidity of Brexit – we’ve both reimmersed ourselves in what it means to be European, speaking the languages, having the conversations, remembering the belonging.
It’s been particularly powerful for Jutta, personally and deeply hurt by Britain turning its back on Europe and Europeans with the 2016 referendum and the manner in which the execrable Boris Johnson and his cabal choose to interpret a 52:48 vote to leave.
We’ll of course, with time, be back in Europe, and from so many conversations and kindnesses on this tandem journey around Germany, with a dash of Poland, France, Belgium and The Netherlands, we know we’ll be warmly welcomed.
In the meantime, Caroline (van Diest), our very dear EMDR trainer colleague now based in Dutch Breda with whom (and Rene and Cali) we spent our last night on mainland Euro-soil, tells me my blog posts have too many words.
So as ever, let some pictures of Daisy’s final four-day swing from Siegburg to The Hoek tell some last fragments of a story unlikely now to be repeated in the years, at 73 and 72, left to us.
Tomorrow we call in on sister Carol near Cambridge, then it’s a final two days back to Sheringham by Tuesday evening, with so many wonderful memories to savour as long as we have them (remembering of course that my mother Audrey lost the lot with Alzheimers in her early 80s, just a few short years away for us now.)
Reminisce now while stocks last.
