Tuesday morning 16th July in Reims, France, was warm and sunny. Our final destination for the day was Texel, an island in the Netherlands, and we knew that both in Belgium and in the Netherlands the weather forecast wasn’t very good – low cloud base and rain, with improvement late in the evening.
Checking the aircraft before the flight, we found a fuel leak. Vagn quickly fixed it.
We planned to make a stop in Midden-Zeeland in the Netherlands, for lunch and refuelling. The Belgian village of Bon-Secours right on the border with France:
This village has a beautiful Basilica of Notre-Dame in its centre.
Meanwhile, the weather was getting more and more misty, which didn’t spoil the spirit in the cockpit:
First leg of our tour, from Reims in France to Midden-Zeeland in the Netherlands:
In the Midden-Zeeland airport, we appreciated a Eurocopter view that taxied straight to the apron in front of the restaurant:
We had a long lunch, waiting for a better weather, reading about things to do on Texel, and considering whether to stay one night over in Middelburg instead of waiting. On the photo below Vagn is showing me the island of Texel (he didn’t want to stay!). And look at the Vagn’s desert! Traditional Dutch waffles with cherries and cream:
It was our general experience in the Netherlands that the portions were huge. It is good if you are very hungry, but it becomes heavy if you want to try several dishes; we liked the cuisine.
After a couple of hours the weather improved, and we took off.
It is impressive, how good the Dutch are in using all that water they have, and living surrounded by water:
A small cosy harbour on our way:
Port of Rotterdam, the largest in Europe:
Cargo vessel with containers:
Noorwijk aan Zee and its beach:
Port of Velsen, and a cruise ship:
Finally, Texel! There were not many aircraft on the aerodrome that day, due to poor weather:
We went to De Koog, a village on the north sea coast of the island, for dinner:
A church in the middle of De Koog:
Vagn and I had dinner in a restaurant called Orangerie’t Vogelhuis that was recommended as one of the best restaurants in De Koog. We began from a glass of prosecco, and both agreed it wasn’t as good as champagne (after a champagne tasting tour in France the day before!). We both had Texel lamb, and it was excellent.
In general, it was a good restaurant, but far from what was being advertised. Serving everything first to a man (Vagn), then to me (it could never happen in France!). Lots of staff, but forgetting to bring water, even when reminded. Small things that could make customer experience better.
After dinner, we had a stroll through the town. Vagn even had an ice-cream; there was a shop with at least 50 different kinds of them open till midnight; it was a popular place.
We were happy to reach Texel, and had big plans for the next day.