Esk Valley & Schouwen-Duiveland 2014

Updated about a week ago  Taken in Zierikzee
Esk Valley & Schouwen-Duiveland LET'S MEET & EAT 2014.

The "early birds" were collected at Schiphol airport and provided with the Dutch Delight Shopping Bag.
Tonny & Jeroen were our drivers.
The bag was provided so that we could collect the ingredients for our evening meal.
On the journey South we stopped for Fish and Chips with the more adventurous ordering muscles.
At this point shellfish were purchased.
We moved on to a bakery using seawater and seaweed.
The next stop was a tomato farm with a guided tour and tasting.
Followed by a local farmstore for vegetables
Bags full we arrived at the house of Marja & Vincent. Here we meet other members of the club.
Our meal was prepared as we chatted over a few glsses of beer and wine sitting in the garden.
The meal was delicious with loads of juicy muscles.
The "workers" arrived after being collected by Dick.
Further drinks and discussion, after which we retired tour our host houses or the hotel De Wildeman.

We met for breakfast on Saturday at the office of Jeroen. A sumptuous choice of breads, fruit and sausage rolls.
There was time then for exploration of Zierikzee - a beautiful unspoilt Dutch fishing village.
After lunch in the square we collected bicycles for our afternoon entertainment.
Again the idea was to use our bags to collect food to prepare our evening meal.
We collected fruit, vegetables and seafood on our cycle. We explored the coastline of the island rewarded with a drink towards the end.
We didn't keep to schedule so some of the food was bought for us.
The cycle ended at a Restaurant/ Kitchen.
Here we split into groups to prepare the evening meal. Dutch instructions caused some confusion and hilarity.
The starter was based on diced herring with a beetroot topping( Gordon ).
The main course was beef with vegetables and cheesy mashed potato (Douglas).
Dessert - Strawberries in red wine and balsamic jus with greek yoghurt and crumble.
During the meal Marja (in tartan kilt) gave a welcoming speech and talked of the Scottish connection.
Elaine presented a book of photographs taken over the 10 years of the twinning as well as a donation to be given to the Charity of their choice.
Gordon also recounted the 10 year friendship.
Our bicycles having been collected we made our way home by car.

On Sunday we met for a "farewell" lunch at a beach restaurant with herring, smoked eel and cheese rolls.
We parted to renew our friendship in Eskbank next year.
A weekend of good food, good company and amazing hospitality.
We returned to Schiphol by car - a 2 hour journey.