Delft to Dreyfus' birthplace, it's been a ride

Well, sometimes life takes a tack you didn't expect.  We left Delft Saturday morning and motored slowly and peacefully up to a canal side spot we'd taken a few days before near Voorschoten, Delft was lovely and we were now headed north and back towards Weesp.  Then we discovered that youngest desperately needed a birth certificate, and so while it was being searched for in her town, we tore the boat apart and found one!  That's amazing, didn't think we had a copy of the kids birth certificates with us, but we do.  So, by this time it's 4pm on Saturday and everything closes as 5 so despite wanting a nap rather desperately I headed out to courier the birth certificate to Toronto.  30 min walk later, it would be 60 Euros and it might get there on Wednesday.  Sub-optimal.  I decided that I'd go into Den Haag on Monday morning, bright and early to send it off.  Big international city, should be possible.  So Sunday, we kind of mooched around, except I slept most of the day because my cold had made my ear really painful and I was all doped up on cold meds.  Nap in the morning, nap in the afternoon and early to bed.

This morning, Monday, bright and early off I headed for the train to Den Haag, google maps had a bit of a hissy fit and didn't want to give me the street directions properly to find the DHL office, despite this, I found the first one, drop off only for people with accounts.  Found the second, in a men's clothing store and opened at 12.30.  Found the 3rd one, earliest it would get there is Wednesday, but only 40 Euros.  Done and sent. 

Headed back to the train station only to discover as I was getting on the train that my sister-in-law had smashed herself up on her bike on a cycling trip in Italy. She'd been in hospital for 3 days and was being discharged to a hotel, unable to get off the bed for any reason whatsoever.  The friends from the cycling trip leave tomorrow, Tuesday.  She needed help as she has another 4 days minimum of complete bed rest. 

The man and I are driving down!!!  So, I got back to the boat, we called a marina and parked Missinaibi, about a 30 min boat ride away max.  Booked a car, got to the train station, got one stop and had to get off as the power was out on the line.  Got a tram.  Then had to walk for more than half an hour, well out of town, to the 'downtown' Europecar office. 

Ho hum

Anyway, we've driven as far as Mulhouse where I booked us a room, entirely unaware that it is the birthplace of Dreyfus who both Eldest and the Man are obsessed with. Unfortunately we've arrived her in the dark and have to leave very very early in the dark tomorrow to get down to see my sister in law, but we'll come back on the return journey!!!

The packing was a little hectic so we're missing some odd things, and we took the food that would go off and was light.  Here you can see the man enjoying his lunch of straight up iceberg lettuce.  Mmmmmmm