For our holiday this year, we were playing with the idea of going to Croatia, we had heard such great things about it and we did have a week where all of us were free from work and school! However, when we looked into the flights, it appeared that all the flights that were in our budget left at bad times of the week for us, and if we were to take then , we would only end up with a few days in Croatia.... and so we had to go with a plan B.

England

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Well, seeing as the United Kingdom is going to secede soon from the European Union, we thought it might be nice to visit a country where we could actually understand the language and read the signs... and so this became our plan B!

We had been to London a couple of times before on holiday, and we didn't want to go back to the capital of the black snotty nose, we were more keen on exploring the English countryside. After some research (mostly from my wife), we ended up settling on the picturesque countryside of the Cotswolds.

It seemed to be the sort of area where a car was essential, and so we decided to take the ferry (Stena Hollandica) from Hoek van Holland over to Harwich, which would give us access to a car whilst we were in England.

Unfortunately, the only car that we have is a little Peugeot 107, which is best lovingly described as a "tuna can on wheels". It is a great city car, but if there is more than one adult (such as 2 adults and 2 kids and luggage) you really feel the lack of power! Again, in The Netherlands where there are no hills of any sort, it is okay, but in the Cotswolds we were often needing a bit of gravity assist to get up speed for the uphills!

Boarding

I've never been on a ferry before, so the thought of getting on board a ship was a new experience, let along getting on board with a car in the company of some huge trucks and semi-trailers!

After doing the check-in and passport check (which is the weirdest thing to be dong in a car!), there was an extended waiting time in line whilst the ship was being prepared for the boarding of the cars and trucks (and people via the footbridge).

Driving into the ship was strange experience, but the ship was huge, it was a bit like driving into a car park traffic jam.

The experience was complete with multi level parking, to simulate the experience of forgetting where you parked the car! Right after taking this photo, I saw that you were supposed to have parked the car in gear (something that you really aren't used to in The Netherlands...), so I had to run back and fix that.

Exploring the Ship!

Getting up to the lounge deck, we had lots of intresting things to look at! Firstly, the map was good rough guide as to how much space we had to explore in!

You can book cabins for sleeping or just privacy, but seeing as we were travelling in the daytime, we didn't book them. However, on the return back to Netherlands, we will be taking the overnight ferry, and so we booked a sleeping cabin for the family. Hopefully, there will not be too much screaming from the little one...

My oldest daughter had first dibs on where we were going to start exploring. These things were easy when she couldn't read, I could choose first...

Finding a spot

Seeing as we didn't have a cabin to while away the time, we needed to find a cosy spot where we could just stretch out and make ourselves comfortable for the journey.

... and we did find a nice little cosy corner with a good deal of space, easy access to the children's area and the bistro for food. We even had a great window view of the outside, which the kids loved (they could sit in the window and just watch the boats and the sea, or just slide around and worry the hell out of their mother...).

Real Exploration

With a home base conquered and settled, we could do a proper exploration of the ship. Most of the areas were off limits, we couldn't go back down to the car and the "hotel" part was being cleaned. So it was pretty much staying on the same deck, going back and forth.

Even though we were pretty much confined to one deck, there was more than enough room. There was a cinema (which you had to pay for, but they were screening The Incredibles 2), a bistro and a restaurant, multiple areas for sitting around, a little basketball court, and outdoor area, several games areas and even a couple of casino tables!

If you ask me, the entire ship was a bit reminiscent of the luxury space liner from the Fifth Element... which is a great film, that I still need to make my wife watch!

Soon enough it was time to farewell The Netherlands, we had been sitting around for about an hour after boarding before the ship started to get moving!

Travelling

Actually, the best thing to say about the travel was that it was uneventful! There were a couple of moments of movement from the waves, but all in all it was a pretty calm ride! My wife had miscalculated the length of time (due to the time change between Europe and the UK) at 4 hours, when it was in fact 6 hours. So, I definitely recommend bringing lots of stuff to do or watch.

It is a great way to catch up on a game or two, or a Steemit post. Although, don't use the internet (or your phone data), there is a maritime rate that is completely throught the roof expensive, so turn your phones onto airplane mode!

Arrival

Many hours later, lots of food, and one Steemit post about crypto we arrived. Our first sight was an industrial part of the port, but it soon became a very nice view!

After landing, it was a passport check (where we managed to be the last car out of the port..., before heading off on a 3 hour drive to our final destination!

Holiday Time!