Prepare to be annoyed just about sums it up ... The Dutch idea of free flowing traffic SUCKS ... Especially if you have to negotiate the Eindhoven ring road!


Last Thursday afternoon my appointment ran a tad overtime which left me with a huge dilemma ..... Stay in Belgium for a couple of extra hours and shop for fireworks or go directly home and run the risk of the evening Dutch rush hour chaos.

My choice was simple ...... no cash, as it was not yet pay day, and no credit card (which was confiscated by Cloggy after a previous such dilemma resulted in a huge addition to my shoe collection) ......
I got in my car, set the navigation system to 'Home', took a deep breath and drove out of the car park.

2 hours later I had driven 60 kms, was bustin for a pee and stuck fast in the evening traffic on the Eindhoven ring road which can only be described as Dante's 7th circle of Hell!

The Eindhoven ring road has been undergoing "improvements" by the Dutch Highway Authority since before Noah realised it was not a good idea to bunk the Tigers in with the tasty Chickens on his Ark. "Authority" my arse!

As you approach the ring signs tell you to turn off your navigation and follow the signs ... thereafter THERE ARE NO BLOODY SIGNS and all the exit roads lead back onto the Eindhoven ring!
 
In sheer desperation and in danger of flooding my car I called Cloggy for help;
"How the hell do I get off of this road?"
His answer was simple;
"Find a truck with a German licence plate and follow it, you'll either end up in Spain or on the right road home"!

Luckily, or unluckily, for Cloggy (depending on if you are a friend of his or a friend of mine) I followed a German truck that was heading back to the Fatherland. 4 hours later I staggered in through my kitchen door and collapsed. Cloggy administered wine, bless him, after a cheap bottle of plonk later I had forgotten about my nightmare journey and was ready for my next sortie around the Eindhoven ring road.

Well ... maybe not ...  but by January I will have figured out how to get my credit card back.