The ferry, 11.08.07

The journey to the ferry was quite short this year, as the departure point is in Ijmuiden, Netherlands (near Amsterdam). The optimal route from Cologne to the port is approximately 300 km. However, due to roadworks and somewhat unclear signage for those unfamiliar with the area, we wanted to be absolutely sure, so we systematically circled the port and ended up driving 370 km. This significantly reduced our waiting time, and we drove straight onto the ferry.

What we enjoyed most about driving on the Dutch motorway was the pleasant driving style. The speed is quite consistent, and the distance to the car in front is almost uniform, so we always found a gap to overtake without having to brake. It was almost like warming up for Scotland, only on the other side of the road. 🙂

We opted for the External link DFDS ferry from Ijmuiden and found, once again, that it's essential to stock up on food as much as possible. Even with this friendly operator, the prices for food of every category are incredibly reasonable (anyone who thinks that eating on the ferry isn't exactly cheap might be right). We also felt that the drinks could be a bit more expensive than usual, and unfortunately, Guinness was only available in cans.🙁

These trips can be booked online. Present the printout with the booking details at check-in at the port, and you'll receive your boarding pass for yourself and your motorcycle, along with directions to the appropriate lane. Be careful to have the printout with the booking details returned to you; otherwise, you'll likely lose your prepaid return trip. Next, proceed through customs (it's on the way), position yourself in the lane you were previously directed to, and wait for loading.

When loading, make sure the moped is in the correct position (the hooks are anchored in the floor) and very close to the wall. Secure it yourself (who else is going to do it?) and then off we go to the fun of finding our cabins. Either we've gotten quite good at it by now, or the signage for the decks and cabins was easy to understand. In any case, we found our respective cabins quickly and without any problems.

To our surprise, we discovered a bar on our subsequent exploration where smoking was permitted, but only there. In addition to bingo (wow!), they offered a fair amount of entertainment to keep the evening from getting boring. The service was also excellent, at least on the way there. On the way back, we apparently sat in the no-smoking zone; everyone turned off just three meters in front of us.

Even on a roughly 15-hour crossing, it's time to get some sleep and fill the cabin. On the outward journey, we again had a bunk bed, which, as always, requires some acrobatic skills to conquer the bed; moreover, getting out of the upper bunk also demands courage and agility.

Luckily, on the return trip we finally got a cabin with a double bed – fantastic, plenty of space, and a sea view (what else?). The bathroom facilities were compact and functional, although we would have preferred the shower head to be directly above the toilet instead of a meter away; that would have killed two birds with one stone. Okay, we weren't the ship's architects, so they'll just have to figure it out themselves.😉

We were definitely able to refresh and thoroughly clean ourselves on both trips and also got back to shore without any problems.