When we left the Dutch dunes, we headed to Celle in northern Germany to spend a few days there. When I was aged 9-12, my family lived in Celle and I wanted to visit and show Dave where I spent some of my formative years! (Who knows whether some of my more Germanic traits are the cause of nature or nurture.)

We arrived to Celle station in the evening and rode to a family friend’s house. Nele, her husband Jost and their two boys were regular visitors to the Heslop house in Celle and Aberdeen (not sure who was following who around). I told Nele we were going to Celle and she invited us stay with her for a few days, although the boys were away. She welcomed us into their beautiful house with open arms, a delicious stir-fry dinner, beers and a catch-up.

We had a great few days exploring where I used to hang out with my family, eating delicious food, drinking some local beers, watching movies, chatting and sleeping in a big comfy bed!! The town is just as lovely as I remember it being. The old town is characterised by gorgeously wonky timber-framed buildings, and there are lots of green spaces. The flat where we used to live has a shared garden on the river and we used to spend our summers paddling a little boat upstream and drifting home.

In town

By the river

On the last morning, we were just getting ready to go when Jost came home and we got to catch up with him for a bit too! What a delightful visit.

Dave left that morning on a train back to Amsterdam to meet some school friends for a few days. One of the boy’s parents has a boat there and they plan to spend some time hanging out on a big lake, drinking beer and gambling (probably?).

Whilst he’s off enjoying himself with the boys, I’m cycling 300 km to the next project! Second solo tour, here I come…

– Anna