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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nIt was a glimpse into the future, that\u2019s for sure. Cauliflowers\neverywhere, and old men with those cute and tiny circular reading glasses. Retirement\nis apparently full of delicious breakfasts and gazing at young people with\ndisdain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We stepped up to the coffee and tea bar to get the\nessentials. It was then that I felt a pair of eyes on me, and the lingering\ngaze from someone who was, in fact, a little bit in my personal space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then we met Heather (not her real name, obviously, but I\ndidn\u2019t know her real name and thought that this would be the best fake name for\nher given the circumstances).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her beady eyes were peering into my soul, I swear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My heart sank. I had done something naughty at the tea and\ncoffee bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She positioned herself between R and me. I watched him step\na little closer. He knew that I couldn\u2019t handle any Dutch words of pessimism\nfrom this woman and was ready to step in immediately (MY HERO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour hair. Is it natural? We also have a red head at home.\u201d\nOkay, absolutely not what I was expecting, but I\u2019ll take it over being scorned\nabout tea and coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, not real, I paint it myself.\u201d (I love a good Dutch to\nEnglish literal translation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh it looks beautiful; I couldn\u2019t tell that it wasn\u2019t real.\u201d\nShe smiled at me. At length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh thank you, I love it too!\u201d I always feel awkward\nreceiving and answering compliments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heather left the conversation and took her place amongst the\nother cauliflowers. I picked my breakfast and feasted like a queen (which is\nthe main reason we all love a good buffet breakfast right?!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After breakfast, the plan was to check out and head off on one last walk into Otterlo. We\u2019d picked the red route, which was a shorty; a 5km round trip which would lead us right back to the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWe headed back towards our hotel room to pick up our bags.\nOn the way up, R decided that he simply could not hold his bladder any longer,\nand relieved himself from bag duty to nip to the downstairs loo. I continued,\nand made my way to the lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the lift doors opened, who walked out? Heather of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her eyes lit up the way your eyes light up when you see a\nfriend or relative unexpectedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour hair really is beautiful, but I see now that you are\nactually dark.\u201d Damn I need to get my roots covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gosh, she really did have beady eyes. I stumbled over my\nnext sentence: \u201cAh yes, it\u2019s brown really but with red flecks in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her beady eyes had now caught onto something more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are not a Nederlander.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uh-oh, she got me. \u2018red flecks\u2019 probably isn\u2019t translatable\nin Dutch. I\u2019d slipped up. Damn it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo I am English.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA what?\u201d She seemed taken aback. Oh god. What had I done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEnglish?\u201d I offered again, apparently uncertain now of my\nown roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOH.\u201d She giggled. \u201cNot Irish?\u201d She full on laughed at her\nown witty remark. I shook my head. She stared a little longer, seemingly\nputting some new pieces together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have the pale skin for it though. And the brown eyes.\nIt is really lovely.\u201d Christ. This is far too much complimenting for my liking.\nMy skin is turning as red as my hair; I can feel it. All I can do is smile at\nher. We spend a good minute smiling awkwardly at one another before she says: \u201cWell,\ngoodbye\u201d, and promptly turns on her heels, suitcase in tow. Clearly Heather was\noff to her own red head at home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
*<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We check out and head outside, ready to let the fresh air\nfill our lungs. It\u2019s a glorious day, even nicer than yesterday. Perfect. Once\neverything is in the car we head to where we *think* the walk starts. Honestly,\nI\u2019ve never gone to a place that\u2019s been less signposted before. There\u2019s lit-er-ally\nno hint of where this walk begins or ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After about 10 minutes of wandering around the woods, we\ncome across a badminton court. Yes. In the middle of the woods. I\u2019m getting a\nvibe. There was no mention of a badminton court on the map. Ok. We continue.\nBehind the badminton court is a building, with a load of old furniture stacked\nand left to its own devices. It\u2019s dead here. I\u2019m vibing Camp Crystal Lake hard\nright now. Jason Vorhees could be in the trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, we pass through the camp without being mutilated\nby a masked murderer and head on, still absolutely not on the right track. We\u2019re\nlost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook, I don\u2019t think we\u2019re gonna find the heather.\u201d R warns\nme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know something; I\u2019m just gonna not expect anything. I\u2019m\nhappy just wandering.\u201d I mean, it was a beautiful day. I could feel the cobwebs\nshifting in my lungs now we\u2019d passed the possible mutilation zone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We walk a little further, and suddenly, out of the corner of\nour eyes, we spot what looked like purple, just a hint. But, yes, I really did\nthink it was purple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you see that?\u201d We had both spotted it. Oh my God. The\nexcitement from a few days ago was starting to rebuild itself, deep in the pit\nof my stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We pick up the pace, and head towards the hint of purple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s real heather!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n\u201cOh my GOD.\u201d I exclaim. R, as per, is one step ahead of me.\nHe\u2019d slready surveyed the area and found that THERE\u2019S HEATHER EVERYWHERE. \u201cIs\nthis a bloody joke?\u201d I continue. Memories of the 10 Euro (each!) entry fee from\nyesterday flood my overexcited skull. My own brain\u2019s mocking me! \u201cDid we really\npay to be fenced off from the heather?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe absolutely did.\u201d He\u2019s as dumbfounded as me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve only gone and wandered into a full on heather field in full bloom. Neither of us can believe it. How have we been so stupid! Why didn\u2019t we ask someone? We\u2019re about 15 minute-walk away from the hotel!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nHonestly, the view of the landscape at that moment was\nutterly stunning. It was better than the photos, because they\u2019re obviously\ntouched up. The heather there was pure, untouched, beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We spend at least an hour wandering around, soaking it up, before we have to leave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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