Eight weeks away from home (part 2)

The first week in The Netherlands, A few small projects..

After our arrival at 5 in the morning we put out tent in the garden behind my sister’s house, we didn’t really know how much space we needed, as we never had put up the tent before. We bought it secondhand and it had been laying around for a few years. It turned out be a decent size with more than enough space for a couple and their dog. After a week we concluded that the quality was as promised, very sturdy and most important waterproof! Normally we would sleep in our van, but because of the big motorcycle we took along for delivery, we took out the bed that we normally have in there. The tent turned out a good solution because the van would be in a local garage for almost a week to repair the starter engine. In contrast with Portugal, it’s a privilege in The Netherlands for some garage to repair your car, it’s a service you should be grateful for to receive and in the end be thankful that they charge an hourly rate that’s only 8 times more than in Portugal. We had to change our plans, to first deliver all the goods, because of the repair and therefor had one week to do some small projects.

One of the reasons to go to The Netherlands was the invitation to a birthday party of an aunt, one that we should not miss, one more reason for our family to sponsor our trip. We decided to give her a new fence around her garden. It was a nice family project that turned out a successful birthday present.

As day’s past we got the news that my mother would get a new apartment, she sold her little house in the North of the Netherlands to return to the area my sisters live and we all grew up in. Only thing was waiting to get the keys so we could paint walls, decorate and move furniture. But it would take at least another week, so I started on a world map for my little niece, something she wanted for some time now and already asked me to make her before we left Portugal. Luckily there’s a DIY shop in almost every place in Holland, and so finding the materials and tools wasn’t such a big hassle as it is back home. It took some time cutting out the details with a hand scroll saw, and making borders with a solder iron, but in the end she got what she wanted on the wall of her bedroom.

After a week the van was repaired and we could finally start our tour thru the country to deliver stuff and visit family and friends...

Next time: A week that actually felt like a holiday!