Germany 2009

It was a bright sunny morning on Thursday the 25th of June 2009, as Eddie, Mags and I headed up the coast road towards Belfast to travel across to Scotland on the 07:40 HSS sailing. Our final destination was Muenster, Germany where we had been invited across to visit our friends Klaus & Mecki Lanwher.
I had been invited across to Germany the previous weekend to attend a work related event in Hamburg, but sadly circumstances in life did not allow me to attend both events and our visit to the Lanwhers had been booked well in advance, one trip away was all I was allowed!
The sailing across the Irish Sea flew in and it was not long before we were powering our way down the A75 in the direction of Dumfries. We availed of “brunch” at the Little Chef, just south of Dumfries and after filling up with fuel, headed off again towards the border and the A69 to Newcastle where we boarded the 16:00 hrs DFDS sailing to Holland.
After freshening up onboard, we headed up to the restaurant deck for the all you can eat buffet which costs 32 euro a head, if you take your time and sample all the dishes on offer it still could be classed as good value, however it was only 24 euro last year. The evening pasted quickly and before we could enjoy the evening entertainment, it was time to retire to our cabins to catch up on some much needed shut eye.
We decided to avail of breakfast locally in Holland so upon disembarking in Ijmuiden just after 9:00am , we headed straight to McDonalds’ for a bargain breakfast at only 4 euro a head and not the 20 euro each it would have been if we had decided to eat on the ferry.
Cross country traffic is very heavy in Holland, so it is advisable to blast straight for the German border to get it behind you as quickly as possible, so off we headed in the general direction of Muenster. Upon clearing the ring road in Utrecht, Eddie decided he wanted to cruise along the back roads and soak up some to the scenery so we agreed to meet up with him later on that evening in Muenster.
It was 16:30 hrs when we arrived at our destination in Muenster where we were met by Klaus & Mecki and some other friends whom Mags and I have got to know over the years. After a quick shower it was time to relax and enjoy the company. Eddie arrived just in time for tea! The party continued into the wee small hours before we all retired as we had an early start next morning.
Saturday morning arrived in all its glory with the temperature climbing quickly into the high twenties, not a cloud could be seen. Mags decided she was going shopping with the women and Eddie & I headed off for a blast on our bikes with Klaus, some of his friends and my old chum Frank Hendricks.
Around lunchtime we pulled into a clearing in the forest and were met by Frank’s parents, who had laid on a buffet lunch for us all. I was good to see them both again as I always call in to say hello when across that way. After saying our goodbyes we headed off again and arrived back in Muenster just before tea. The party was only beginning.
Sunday and Monday was spent with the Lanwhers and their friends Tom & Asheld Kristainsen from Norway who escorted us back to the Dutch border before we had to say our goodbyes and go our own way. The night was spent just outside Nijmegen in a hotel at Eddie and I have used several times. The food is excellent and is one of the reasons we keep coming back!
On Tuesday morning after breakfast we cruised back towards Ijmuiden and the afternoon sailing to Newcastle leaving ourselves plenty of time for the odd coffee break along the way. Upon getting onboard it was time to get ready for our evening buffet, after which we relaxed watching one of the shows.
Upon docking in Newcastle on the Wednesday morning, we availed of breakfast in a cafe within the Royal Quays complex prior to our high speed dash for the afternoon HSS sailing out of Stranraer and our journey home.