Day 16 - Dutch GP Qualifying Practice

Rob wanted to be at the track as they opened so we got breakfast at 7. Rob did not eat since he was still full from last night’s feast of a dinner and fancy banana split. 

Traffic was lighter today since it was a weekend and we got to the track and in a decent parking spot by 8:20. 

The security bag search was more thorough today at check in, but we got through in 5 minutes. Rob had already scoped out where he wanted to take photos this morning at the TT World Tribune stands between the Madijk and Ossebroeken turns as the sun would be to our backs at that time. Today was more breezy than yesterday so the morning was cool until Noon. We watched the three classes of free practice 3 from this spot. This is Jorge Martin from Spain whom we hope wins on Sunday.

A big jack rabbit had a favorite spot in the middle of the track. He got tired of it and crossed the track during practice a few times, running in all directions, assessing the height of the barriers, and tiring himself out. Eventually he found a way out when a track steward urged him along so he would not cause a crash. This was one of his close calls. 

We had an hour break around Noon and got the same lunch as yesterday. The crowds were easily twice the volume today and ranged in age from little kids to a few elderly folks. A plane did really cool air tricks with corkscrews and smoke. 

Most of the commentators speak Dutch over the loud speakers. A lady spoke occasionally in English, usually to summarize the sessions. 

With our lunch in hand we walked over to a grassy berm at the De Bult Tribune on the same side but further down at the Stekkenwal corner. We stayed out there for the rest of the day to watch qualifying.

Michele tried one of the pay portable bathrooms and was pleased with its conditions. Flushing toilets and sinks with soap! Fifty cents well spent. 

The afternoon sessions were busy with Moto3 qualifying, MotoGP free practice 4 and two qualifying sessions back to back, then Moto2 qualifying. One bike caught fire! 

After MotoGP qualifying was done at least half the crowd left. We stayed for Moto2 qualifying until the last three minutes when a red flag came out from a crash. The rider was ok but the bike was on the race line so the session was halted to remove the bike safely. They restarted as we were leaving, but the results would not change with such little time left in the session. 

A few more shots from the day.

Valentino Rossi did a wheelie for the fans when he finished third in qualifying. 

We got back to the hotel without issue as Rob is now an expert at the triple multi-entrance roundabout combo on the way there. 

We both took showers immediately as we were covered in dirt from the dust being kicked up by the wind and all the people walking along the grassy area where we sat. 

We had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant again and another banana split. As we sat there, Michele saw a man on a horse go trotting by on the bicycle path in front of the hotel. She thought the wine got to her and she was seeing things. Speaking of horses, we forgot to mention that when we were at one of the D-Day beaches, these cart horses were training in the ocean. It helps to strengthen them. I had to zoom way in to capture them.

Tomorrow we check out of the hotel and head to the track early for the race in the hopes that we beat some of the traffic. After the race, we drive south to a hotel near Amsterdam airport for our last night in Europe. 

Day 15 - Dutch GP Practice

We woke at 7:00am today excited about our first MotoGP experience in Europe. We went downstairs for the hotel’s breakfast. They had a very fancy setup with both cold and hot items. They had a machine that squeezed oranges on the spot when you pulled the lever for orange juice. It was quite the contraption. You just dropped oranges in the hopper and the machine sliced them in two and then squeezed them.

After breakfast we jumped in the car for the quick 30 minute drive south to the TT Circuit in Assen. We took exit 32 off the A-28 and followed the signs right to the parking lot where attendants told us where to park. We walked over to the main entrance and looked for the “blue box with orange flame” as that was the location that would have our tickets. We found a blue box hut with orange trim and figured that was likely it. It was! We showed the guy our e-ticket and he gave us our 3 day paper tickets and we proceeded through the gate and into the track facility. Unlike the other track we have been to, Assen has all its stands on the perimeter of the track. Only if you bought paddock passes are you able to access the interior of the track.

We walked over to our seats so we would know where to sit on Sunday. They are in the Winterduk Tribune, section PW, Row 11, seats 5 & 6. Great location as the seats are in front of a railing so nobody can sit in front of us. The stands are between the GP chicane and the Ramshoek corners. We expect these stands to be full on Sunday. This whole track usually gets 100k+ spectators. 

Because of the sun angle in the morning, we moved further down the track and sat on one of the large grass berms that surround much of the track and are for the general admission tickets. We sat at the Hoge Heide “corner” ( more of a high speed kink in the straight connecting the Meeuwenmer and Ramshoek corners) and took pics of the Free Practice 1 - or FP1 - session for all three classes as they came through the Meeuwenmer corner. 

Michele noticed an alarming trend for guys to pee in the woods and not really have any shame or modesty about it other than turning one’s back. There were toilets everywhere, what was the deal? Apparently they are pay to pee and were not open. 

After FP1, we walked around the remainder of the track to check out other locations. The track is very large and we estimate the perimeter is 1.5 -2 miles around. Michele found a real nice spot near the De Bult Tribune. It sits at the Stekkenwal corner and provides a nice view of the bikes exiting Steuben and running through Ruskenhoek on their way into Stekkenwal. (Michele is very impressed with Rob’s memory of the track’s turn names.) We’ll try taking pictures from there tomorrow either during FP3 or Qualifying depending on the sun angle.

We continued our way around the track until we were back at the main entrance. It was about 1:30 at this time so we got something to eat. We shared a basket of fries (hold the Mayonnaise please) and a beef croquette sandwich. It is the same type of croquette as we had back in Spain but sausage shaped in a bun. Tasty. They also had curry ketchup. Huh? We later looked this up and it is a spicy sauce. Rob thinks this is what was on our sandwich yesterday. Michele has been wondering for months what track food would be available and if it would be local foods or just burgers. Most of the food concessions were not open today to see all of the options. 

Just as we paid for our food, FP2 started up so we found a shady spot to eat standing up. After, we walked over to the Strubben Tribune and sat at the very top so Rob could get pictures of the riders braking into turn 1 (Haarbocht) and running through Madijk, Ossebroeken, and the Strubben areas of the track. The sun was hot so Michele sat under her regular rain umbrella for more shade. It was 73 today with a slight breeze, but the sun was intense in the stands. 

While sitting here, we saw Jorge Martin #88 in Moto3 go down on the entry to Strubben. He looked hurt and was carried off to the ambulance. Good news though as everything checked out at the hospital and he expects to race on Saturday. Phew. Martin is one of our favorite Moto3 riders.

Next was MotoGp practice session # 2. Maverick Vinales #25 waved at Michele when he finished. Rob said he did because he was first in timing and was in a good mood, haha. Once the MotoGP practice was over, the crowd really thinned out. We stayed and watched the last session for Moto2. That session ended around 3:50. We then walked over to a concession stand and bought shirts for us and a hat for our friend Jerry.

We got caught in a bit of Friday rush hour. The drive back took about 45 minutes. It would have been a little shorter but Rob had trouble navigating the triple roundabout and had to go around the crazy configuration about three times. It is not a normal roundabout and splits lanes during it. Around we go again! We felt a little dizzy afterwards. :-)

Rob checked his camera when we were back in the room and today’s tally of pictures was 3,194. Michele estimated he took 7,402 today so he must have been slacking off. 

We had dinner reservations at the hotel restaurant for 6:30pm this evening. We got a nice table by the neat fireplace. Rob asked the waitress for a good beer and liked her choice. Rob’s expression is not so nice.

Tomorrow we head back to the track for qualifying practice!

Day 14 - Etretat to Groningen, NL

Our clock alarm went off at 6:30 this morning and we were not too swift about getting up for the day. The morning temps were in the low 60s and there was a light fog that had settled in the valleys of Etretat.

We made our way to the Dormy House hotel restaurant for breakfast at around 7:45. They had a large selection of breads, cheese, yogurt, fruits, jams and eggs. The scrambled eggs were too runny for Michele so she asked Rob to cook one of the fresh eggs available in the little pot of hot water just for that purpose. Michele also had two croissants with fig jam and mentioned that they would never taste as good anywhere else but here in France. We finished packing, checked out and were in the car by 8:20am. (The black cat from yesterday was out on the prowl, but we learned it is a boy and usually stays outside.)

We drove on small country roads for 50km or so before we got to the highway. We then took a series of toll roads eastward across France before eventually driving a more northerly route. 

As we went further north, the traffic increased as did the rudeness of the drivers. Basically the drivers’ behavior felt more and more like home as the day progressed. Despite this, most everyone stays right unless passing. It is very bad manners to sit in the fast lane here and you will be tailgated mercilessly. We started to see more varied license plates in Belgium, as far as Poland and Czech Republic, mostly on the commercial trucks. Only one other car was from Spain like us. 

By 12:30 pm we were in Belgium and ready for lunch. 

We stopped at a Total gas station. They had two options: one place had sandwiches and hot dogs and the other was more of a cafeteria style spot. We opted for the sandwich since it would be quicker. We got a ham and cheese sandwich which was warmed up to a piping hot temperature. We had to wait 5 minutes for it to cool off enough to handle so we could cut it in half. The sandwich was good. It had a slightly spicy sauce on it.

The restrooms at this place cost .50 Euros. You pay to pee. When you use them, you got a .50 Euro voucher as a discount on any item purchased at the food or convenience store. We did not know this at first since Dutch is the primary signage in the place. Michele took advantage of the voucher and purchased some drinks and snacks for the rest of the day’s trip. Rob said the men’s bathroom had different height urinals in individual cubicles. He said they were from ankle height to face height. This might be a slight exaggeration. And there is no picture. 

We continued north for a few Km and hit a big traffic jam. They look the same here as home. 

Michele looked it up on her phone and it was a one hour delay with a crash near Antwerp, so we plotted an alternate route that was supposed to save us nearly an hour. It took us through some little towns and routed us around the western part of Antwerp versus the eastern side we had originally planned. The architecture is opposite France - it is modern and utilitarian. After the old world flourishes of France it was a culture shock for us. 

This trike was very unique and its riders did not wear helmets. 

We crossed into the Netherlands without realizing it until the sign passed by, and with about 200km to go we stopped to refuel. Rob says this tank had 564km on it and we put in 35.9 liters at 1.46 Euro/liter. (About .10 Euros less than regular gasoline or .40 dollars less per gallon.) It is amazing how much less diesel is than regular gas, anywhere from 10-40 cents/ litre. We only got 37.6 mpg on that tank. 

We saw a lot of windmills today. 

And these giant cement elephants.

We drove beside a huge dike and were technically below sea level at negative 3 metres, and thought it was cool. 

A pretty sight.

Fuzzy little horses in a very blurry shot. We have seen more animals here in the Netherlands than elsewhere. Horses, cows and sheep mostly. 

We arrived at the hotel in the outskirts of Groningen at 7:00pm. It was a really long day with heavy traffic. We are in the northern part of the country with Germany just to our right and Denmark above that. Michele commented how this trip would be so much more difficult by motorcycle. She likes the comfort of the Fiat. We checked in and went down to the hotel restaurant to get dinner. We had a spetzel salad (a type of wheat with other veggies mixed in, it was tasty) and schnitzel that we shared. It came with two types of fries, a mystery dish under cheese and ham, and some pickled stuff with raisins that Michele really liked. The portions were huge. We were unable to finish all of it despite sharing.

We went back to the room and watched World Cup soccer. Today we drove 766km over 11.5 hours. Tomorrow we will spend all day at the TT Assen track just 20 minutes away, watching Friday practice for MotoGP.