Travelling to England

2 Travelling to England.

Tuesday morning, they were all up early, with sandwiches to make and flasks to fill, enough for the two-day journey. They had to book in with the shipping company four hours before sailing time of seven o’clock, by four o’clock any unclaimed spaces could be sold off to any waiting casual customers.

 

They arrived at the dockside at Twelve o’clock midday, they could see people moving around in the shipping company offices.

‘I will go and see if we can book in now and then go for a walk all together, until we have to go on board’. Joshua and Beatrix left for the offices. ‘It would be better for me to ask than you, I do speak the language.’ ‘Yes dear, I will let you take over.’

She spoke in Dutch, 

 

‘Goedeaftmiddag.’ ‘Goedeaftmiddag.’ the clerk replied.

(Good Afternoon).

‘My husband and I are here for the seven o’clock sailing for Newcastle, can we book in now, then have some time with my parents before we leave. It may be some time before we return.’

‘Do you have your document with you now?

’Yes.’ They showed their passports and booking documents.

‘You have two passports; I take it you are Mrs Stubley; ah Mrs Stubley for two weeks. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Stubley, you say it may be some time before you return.’

‘Yes, we have new shop premises for me to develop.’

’Would you mind if I told the captain about your recent marriage? He will prepare a special evening meal on the shipping company.’  

‘That would be nice a final meal prepared by a Dutch man before we start work in earnest.’  

‘Here are your papers and boarding documents, you have about two hours.’  

‘Thank you.’

 

They walked along the dockside, lined with the fishermen’s homes and on the waterside their fishing boats, two with men working aboard, while a group were working on some nets which were spread out across the floor, chatting as the worked; across the way, were three men; well past fishing days, sitting on upturned fish baskets reminiscing their past exploits.’

 

Julie asked, ‘Do you live near a fishing dock?’

Joshua replied. ‘No mum, we are about sixty miles, one hundred kilometres; away from the nearest seaside; Scarborough, and about the same to Liverpool to the west; when you decide to come for a visit, we will both take some leave to take you around, perhaps to the Yorkshire Dales,’ 

‘That would be nice, to visit a place with some hills, instead of an all flat land, like Holland; perhaps next year, to let you get really settled in; are you not scared about going out in the hills, I mean is is all wild country?’

’No it isn’t all wild, there are lots of farms; like in Holland, except the land is sloping; our hills are not as high as the Alps or Pyrenees, you should like it.’

‘Isn’t it about time to return and get our bags, to go on board Husband?’

‘Yes dearest, I do think you are right, as usual.’ 

 

They walked back to the coach and collected their luggage. Joseph and Julie accompanied them back to the shipping office; the clerk looked up as they entered.

‘Ha Mr and Mrs Stubley, you have plenty of time, I have told the captain about your recent wedding, he is passing it onto the chef, they will contact you about the time of your meal; are these your parents?’

‘Yes, Joseph and Julie’

‘So, you are losing a daughter.’

‘We lost her when she left home for university, but we have gained a son; also, we know that she is in good hands and will be taken care of.’

‘Sorry mum but we must depart now, we will put our thing in our cabin and come back on deck before we leave. I want to see Holland as we sail away, but not for ever, we will return for holidays with you, Joshua travels across to the Netherland’s regularly for work.’

‘Yes, and he is welcome to stay, I will keep his bed ready for him.’ 

 

Joshua and Beatrix left the office and made their way to the boat.

At the reception they were given their cabin key, the receptionist said I have been told you should call in at the kitchen and ask to speak with the head chef to organise your meal.

‘We will put our bags in the cabin then go to see chef; we want to go on deck as we sail, thank you.’

 

‘Mr and Mrs Stubley; we are looking for the chef.’

‘You have found him, they told me that you would like a special meal; first let me congratulate you on behalf of my staff; now the captain said that you had requested a special meal.’

‘Not quite chef, the booking clerk said he would tell the captain, and we would be given a special meal; in fact, we have brought sandwiches for the two-day journey, but the offer of a warm meal was so tempting.’

‘The thing is we are mainly freight carriers and I don’t have huge resources of food; what I have is basic, mainly for the crew, I have fish, fresh from the trawlers, chips, peas, from local farms; shall we say with a parsley sauce; followed by a slice of apple pie made by one of the fisher wives in Stavoren you speak Dutch; how does that sound?’

‘Hartelijk dank,’ said Joshua.

‘Do you speak Dutch?’

‘No Beatrix is a Dutch lady; I am a commercial traveller going all over the continent and have a limited understanding of many languages; I do speak Dutch at times with Beatrix, like in a closed space with unknown people in order to have a private conversation.’

‘You are on a two-day journey; may I ask your destination?’ 

‘Newcastle with you; then a day to the West Riding of Yorkshire near Leeds, with two changes of coach, but that is normal for me.’

‘I will stick to sailing; I will go now and get started on your meal, shall we say one half hour after cast off?’

‘That would be fine.’ 

Beatrix added, ‘I would like to watch the town as we leave, then my life will change.

They returned to their cabin to put on a warm coat then out on deck.

Beatrix picked out her grandparents and waved, they waved back.

Looking out from the boat, over all the town roofs. With only church spires and windmill sails above them. Joshua remarked, how unusual to see a town like that, all the roofs the same height.

Beatrix informed him that it is a law in Holland that no building can be built higher than the windmill balcony to take the wind from the windmill sails.

 

The ships engines were started. Two rowing boats came round with a crew of eight rowers in each; ropes were thrown down to them and made secure at both ends. A crewman came to oven them back ‘just in case one of the cables broke �"it would cut you in two stay here with us’

 The rope holding the ship to the dockside., was released, The two rowing boats pulled the boat out of the harbour, into the Zuider Zee where the engines were started.

Joshua and Beatrix walked to the back of the ship, to wave to her grandparents.

 

Beatrix said

I am leaving you Holland.

My homeland

To go and live with this.

Man, my husband

To care for him

Share his life

In his homeland

 

But I will return at times.

To see my family

And bring my children

To see their heritage

Until that time comes

It is goodbye.

 My

HOLLAND

 

‘Chef will be having our meal ready soon, let's go down.’

‘That’s it now B, it’s just us, you and me; It’s up to us to make our life together.

Tomorrow we will be in England, on the coach to my parents, then hopefully the following day we will be sorting out our shop.’

‘Yes, I know, I think we will be having the best start than most people, I mean my grand pop has given us the best start ever, with the building all paid for, and I can do the accounts, and as the accounts become too much, we can develop an accounts department, then your gran pop paying for the fixtures and fittings; We must make it work not squander it like the ‘Lady of Stavoren.’

 

 

‘Chef has given you a table by the stern window so that you can see out, not that there will be much to see once we get out of the Zuider Zee, we pass through the Wadden Islands into the Noord Zee. Then across to Newcastle for breakfast.’   

 

 

After the meal they went to the bar, where they were sat next to, the only other passengers, a couple from the south of England.

‘Did we see you having a meal, we were told there were no meals on this trip, because it is a freight carrier?

‘Oh, my grandpapa booked it for us, he is an old friend of the shipping line owner.’

‘This is a Dutch registered ship, isn’t it?’

‘Yes and all my family, except for my husband, are from Holland, I married an English man, we are returning from a business trip, my husband travels extensively on the continent, and at times I accompany him.’

The ship’s captain intervened. ‘May I ask a favour? I have a need to travel to the same town as you in Yorkshire. Could I share your carriage, I do understand if you say no, but I have never travelled outside Holland.’

‘Yes! captain you may join us; but it is a long nonstop journey, a tedious one that I have taken several times one full day instead of three.’ was Joshuas reply.

‘Thank you, sir. I am told that your carriage will be dockside as soon as we are tied up.’

 

As the ship docked at seven thirty. A carriage with two horses drew up alongside.

Two crew members carried out their luggage and secured it on the carriage roof. Captain Thomas came out with a small parcel. My   food for the journey he informed them.

The driver alighted from his seat

‘I am taking you as far as Durham, where they will change horses and driver, the next stops should be Leeming Bar; then Boroughbridge; Wetherby; Leeds and your final stop at your destination; if we are all on board I will be on the road.

After Durham the next stop was Leeming Bar on ‘The Great North Road.

It was a short faster drive to Boroughbridge; another quick change of horses, for a fast drive to Wetherby.

The road between Wetherby and Leeds was hilly and slower.

They took the Halifax ‘Whitehall’ Road. Turning off at Gomersal for Upper Batley; arriving at 9.30 pm.

We have brought another visitor for you. Captain Thom from the boat.

 we are having problems to find the space to carry it all. There is a sister

boat just come into dry dock at Hellevoetsluis, with a full crew on extended shore leave.’

‘Thank you, captain; Mr Straus had already told me that you are sailing overloaded, but I knew nothing about the boat in dry dock. I will contact him today to put in word for it. Between use we hold over fifty percent of the votes.