📍 Location:

Winsum, The Netherlands

🗓️ Episode Date:

September 24th

📝 Episode Notes:

September 24th came around, and I woke up at the beautiful Wolfskuil, ready to move north toward Winsum—just above Groningen—so I’d be close when the long-awaited registration card finally arrived. That was the plan, at least.

Along the way, I stopped in Steenwijk to pick up some supplies, then took the small backroads through the Dutch countryside. I hadn’t driven those kinds of roads since 1983, and it reminded me how special they are—you’re surrounded by open space but never far from a village or a café.

Winsum turned out to be a lovely little town, full of charm, with places to eat, walk, and even paddle around at Marin Land, where I stayed the night at a nearby campsite. The next morning, I finally got word that the registration card was arriving that afternoon. I met up with my friend Reinout near Groningen to say farewell before heading to my nephew Gert-jan's place to wrap up the paperwork.

By evening, I was making my way south again, stopping in Nieuwmoer—or something close to that spelling—at a quiet campsite in the countryside. It was the perfect stop before what I knew would be my true day of departure from the Netherlands on September 26th.

It’s funny how plans and reality don’t always match, but somehow things always seem to fall into place. Thanks for coming along—this journey is only just beginning.

⏱️ Key Moments:

• 00:45 — Morning at the Wolfskuil
• 02:10 — Stocking Up in Steenwijk
• 03:30 — Rediscovering Dutch Backroads
• 05:15 — Arriving in Winsum
• 07:00 — A Night at Marin Land Campsite
• 08:45 — The Registration Card Finally Arrives
• 10:00 — Farewell to Reinout in Groningen
• 11:30 — Wrapping Up and Heading South
• 13:00 — Evening at the Countryside Campsite
• 14:00 — Looking Ahead to Departure Day