German-Dutch Border

Weather looking up again today - a very sunny and warm morning as we made tracks south along the German-Dutch border.

Crossing the Rhine at Emmerich

We crossed the Rhine at Emmerich before traveling through some serious agricultural countryside. No just the cropping variety but serious hothouses, hundreds of acres of pot-plants being developed and other market garden produce. This went on for kilometres!

Large market gardens for nurseries

Stopped for coffees at Kavelaer  and to have a look at he town - but we got a little more than we had anticipated. For where we parked - near the centre of the town- we noticed a number of other motorhomes and caravans and so thought this MUST be a good place to park and a town worth seeing. 

No sooner had we parked when we heard and saw a commotion a couple of hundred metres further along the parking area - people rushing etc. I wandered along a little way to see what the fuss was about when a young  fellow turn to me and said something in an Irish accent. Immediately the penny dropped - we were in the middle of a large number of 'Travellers'! I immediately got the picture - and the message that I was not one of them - where is the welcoming of a fellow traveler!

 Soon the young girls started to emerge from the caravans and motorhomes dressed to the nines in all the fluro gear and made up to the nth degree. We were at a 'travellers' meet! The further we looked around the more vans we saw - all along the other side of the railway line too! Hundreds!

 Kavelaer

A little research seems to indicate that Kevelaer is a centre where the gypsies do a pilgrimage to on a regular basis.

Yes we did finish our coffee but we didn't want to leave the van to look at the town - so we moved on to Straelen for the afternoon  and evening.

Straelen