The bedroom of son Felix offered me a good night. It has frozen, but the sky was blue. Mignon and Felix offered me to stay a couple more nights at their place. I could then walk today without luggage, Hengelo, Oldenzaal to Bad Bentheim in Germany. Because Serge works near Germany’s Osnabruck, he can pick me up after work, on the way back home, when he passes Bad Bentheim, and take me back to their house in Hengelo. Tomorrow morning, on his way to his work in Germany, Serge can drop me off in Bad Bentheim for my next walking stage. I had already told them: je refuse rien, I refuse nothing on this trip (by analogy with french singer Edith Piaf’s “je ne regrette rien”)
Many placenames here end in -ing or -ink. Also at the German side of the border. Through a beautiful scenic landscape, more or less flat, high windbreaks between, I enter the beautiful Oldenzaal, with its beautiful church and cozy center, I have a coffee along the street and I cross the German border to go on to Bad Bentheim. Unfortunately I do not have time anough to go to the thermal baths here with salty thermal water. Yes, one can not get everything one wants.
The blister on the left heel is much better now after nine days, and the one on the right heel gets better too. How much more pleasant it is walking in good weather. I practice my voice, stimulated by the concert of friend Siep, a few days ago in Doetinchem and the mood is top best. At 4 p.m. I arrived in the center of Bad Bentheim, sitting down on a sunny terrace and updating my blog while Tosca is getting excited by running passing children. His barking seems to scare people, because I stay alone on the terrace and the waitress does not come outside. O.K., I’ll go inside to order a Brötchen und eine Tasse Kaffee. When I get outside again with my coffee and pastry Tosca, in her eagerness to play with the ball of the children, had broken her chain. Holy, holy, where do I quickly find a new one? Well, as long as I have to deal with such a small niggles, it’s still o.k. Tonight begins the daily infrastructuring again. Searching for a place for tomorrow night. Seek and thou shallt find. I hope it just does not take too long.
I find myself much ahead of my schedule again. I intended to walk the Dutch Pieterpad from South to North, until I would meet the international Handelsweg, running from west to east. The angled bending eastward that I was going to make in Overijssel, I abbreviated.
Moreover, I walk faster without horse. I had made commitments with two friends who were going to join me by byciscle for a few days. I am considering to build in a break of several days. In doing so I could possibly go home and spend the “resting days” to join the family reunion at our house at Eastern and a few days later I could join a reunion of Sonja’s family, in Nijmegen. That will also make clear that I do not leave my family in law definitely. And also that out of sight does not mean out of mind. Also, the dates that I agreed on cyclists-along remain more or less as planned. On the other hand if according to my schedule I would arrive at the North Cape on October 18 th, it will be completely winter there, so one cannot get through. Moreover the majority of cabins on my route will be closed from mid September. So the coming months I’ll have to catch up on my schedule at least four weeks, preferably more. But a bit of laughter I find essential. That stimulates. And the faster I walk now, the quieter I can walk with my companions. So what should I do? We’ll see. on verra. It’ll work out somehow.
Serge picks me up in Bad Bentheim and proposes me to stay a few more nights at their house, while I walk my daytime stages. Too much credit, but yes, following the principle “je ne refuse rien”, I am very glad, after careful deliberation, to simply accept his offer.
Before dinner (yummy casserole made by Gonny) Laurens 4 y old, wants to ask me something shy? If I want to hug him. That has no adult asked me the last few years
Laurens and Felix too) Of course , Laurens . So that’s what I did .
Nice center Oldenzaal 
Marskramerpad, part of the long distance path handelsweg” handelsweg
Bad Bentheim
Castle Bad Bentheim 
Clothes in the laundry. Drinking a beer and starting planning for the next few days .
March 24 th 2015. Hengelo – Bad Bentheim. 27 km
