Day 7: Camping, cycling and building catapults

This morning we slowly crawled out of our tents between eight and nine. For the first night we had deliberately agreed on no fixed wake-up time – a small luxury after arriving. So we all got some extra sleep. Well, almost all: Mrs. Angebrandt and Mr. Bock were already enjoying their morning coffee. The sun was shining, but the tents were still damp with dew – honestly, not the nicest way to wake up.

Breakfast was in groups, though calling it “breakfast” might be a stretch – for example, there was some very bland rice porridge cooked on the gas stove (thanks, Liam). Still, it was enough to wake us up.

It took a while until everyone was truly “ready.” Some wanted one last shower at the marina, others were still getting used to tent life, and some were simply too sleepy. Around 11 we finally got going – or at least tried. We quickly split into two groups: the speedy riders and the slower ones who preferred their own pace. And of course, the first breakdown didn’t take long: Cedrik’s bike broke down, and he and Mr. Bock spent ages fixing it. It wasn’t ready until the afternoon.

So we set off without them, around half past eleven. The fast group arrived at the destination by 2:30 pm, while the rest rolled in gradually until 4.

The sun was kind to us.

Still, on arrival we were briefly confused: the supposed scouts Johanna had contacted turned out to be some very dazed stoners. Luckily, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up (maybe also thanks to their “altered states”), and we finally found the real scouts. Once there, we settled in, then cycled to Emmeloord in small groups to get food before heading back to the scout site where we would spend the night. In the evening Cedrik and Mr. Bock finally made it, though Cedrik looked exhausted – no wonder, he had to ride the whole stretch at Mr. Bock’s pace.

After freshening up, we spent the evening together: playing games, chatting with the scouts, and soaking up the cozy atmosphere. Our hosts were super friendly and immediately made us feel welcome.

And then came the highlight of the day: the scouts had built catapults and organized a real catapult shooting competition! It was hilarious to watch – especially since Mr. Bock launched some spectacular misfires that completely missed the targets. We laughed until we cried. In the end, Jasper’s group took the win. A perfect finish to our second day!