27 th March Zandvoort home of Dutch Grand Prix

Dreadful night. Lumpy pillow made of little bits of styrofoam. Tried to sleep sideways on foam mattress, not successfully so writing this at 3.30 am.

Played bridge last night after another Japanese meal and walk on beach. There was nowhere to sit so balanced laptop on a cushion . No bedside light.

I just have to study the booking sites more carefully but you expect a standard plus room to be at least better than a standard. Can't open windows either. Given it one star. 

Nearest like for like was in Weymouth though there there was a live band.

Very windy this AM.

Came across the 10 year rule for passports. If it has more than 10 years on it from issuance you can't enter EU. I have 10 years and 6 months so must get a new one on return as after May I would not get in.

Huge container ship brought down an even bigger bridge in Baltimore. 

Israel ignoring UN call for ceasefire. Shows what a toothless organisation it is.

Long walks on the beach where there

 are hundreds of thousands of razor clam shells washed up. They make a satisfying crunch as you walk over the empty shells.

There are also little fragile sea urchins.

The beach is about 10k long.

That is my hotel in the background. A huge slab.

The rest of the seafront is more modest but pretty empty. Hundreds of apartments and a closed Centre Parcs.

A digger builds a huge mound then the children and dogs run up and down it.

A school party of about 7 year olds and toddlers wanting to have repeated slides just make this a holiday paradise with the safe flat sea. 

Having Argentinian tapas on the front.

Wrapped up warm .

Last night I got a fortune cookie which said a surprise awaits me at 8 tomorrow night. But I opened it today so is that tonight or tomorrow?

As I walk all sorts of things pass across my mind. Walking on this beach is very easy. Nice compact sand compared to walking with Jo at North Curl Curl where the sand is so soft it is very difficult to walk up any incline.

Then thinking about learning to ski how you traverse the slope so as not to fall.

While wars rage and people are starving across in the US a piece of wood on which Kate Winslet lay in Titanic sold for tens of thousands of dollars. I'm not sure if that is a sign of confidence in the future of the planet and homo sapiens or one of gross extravagance.

The sun came out just as evening arrived and now I can see all the wind turbines which had not been visible all day.

The surfers are out but this is not the north sea as you imagine. It is calm with only small waves.

Found a Sebastian Faulks book in Leiden so early night having finished David Lodge Therapy which was a hoot.