Memo to self – when you think it might be a good idea to break up an otherwise long flight from Kelowna to Amsterdam with a few stops en route, think again ! What could’ve been done in 12 hours stretched out to almost 20, meaning we arrived in Amsterdam absolutely exhausted. Lounge passes, we thought, would make things easier, but that of course assumes you can get into the airport lounge….not when they are full, you can’t ! We just should have known better – chalk that one up to a case of “seemed like a good idea at the time” 🙄.

While the return flight did not go so well, things did get better on arrival – initially. The good news was that when our van was collected it was as sparkling clean as we had left it, very well cared for, and started up immediately. May seem rather obvious but one does worry about that when the vehicle has been stored for over three months. Very happy with that. We then drove straight to the same campground we had stayed in just before leaving Holland, checked in and had a pretty good night’s sleep. So far, so good.

The next day we had a previously scheduled appointment with Mercedes Benz Amsterdam to replace the front brake pads ( routine ) and to ( very likely ) replace the EGR – an emission component, under warranty, that has plagued us ( and thousands of other Sprinter owners around the world ) before and was acting up again. We’d planned all this before leaving Amsterdam in May and had asked that they ensure the parts would be available when we got back. Let’s just say it did not go as planned ( no parts on hand ) and cost us two unnecessarily wasted days. Worse, they found an unexpected ( and serious ) issue with the rear passenger side shock absorber – I’ll spare casual readers the blow by blow of what happened but for those more curious about mechanical malfunctions I’ve added relevant detail at the end of the blog; not what you want happening on your first days back in Europe !

One must make the best of a bad situation ( always ) so we used the unexpected time in Amsterdam to further explore the city. Having hit the major tourist sites on two previous visits, this time we split our days between wandering the canals and sampling all the cheese and pancakes on offer ( when in Holland…..) as well as taking in the amazing sights of “Sail 2025” a 4 day expo of famous tall ships and other assorted marine vessels which happened to be on right when we were there. Made for a couple of extremely busy days ( the city was packed ) but certainly helped us take our mind off the delays with the vehicle. The entertainment was amazing !

With only one of three vehicle tasks completed while in Amsterdam ( the shock absorber problem fortunately, as it was the most urgent) we pushed on from Amsterdam on our intended route south, first destination being the historic and beautifully maintained town of Troyes, in France. This took us through Belgium, via Antwerp but skirting Brussels, and on through the areas of France known as The Marne and Ardennes ( famous battle areas from WW1 and WW2 respectively – I can recall my grandfather, who fought in WW1, speaking about the Marne). As the day went on we passed monuments to those battles and many others, along with the very sad sight of thousands of white crosses marking the graves of young soldiers who died in the conflicts. Heartbreaking to see so many of them – their lives tragically cut so short.

This time we passed through Belgium – no sightseeing but we did buy, what else, some chocolate !

As it turned out we never got to Troyes that day – between stop offs in Gouda and Breda ( Holland – for the cheese, of course ! ) and requisite stops at some French battlefields we only got as far as Vouziers where we stumbled on a great municipal camp site, and, purely by happenstance, the gravesite of Roland Garros – tennis fans will know him for his name adorning the stadium which hosts the French Open. Sadly, Garros, a fighter pilot, was shot down just one month before the Armistice was signed in November, 1918. He was famed for a revolutionary invention – the “through the propeller” machine gun which made him a legend at the time.

Just a few hours further south is the small city of Troyes. While there was much damage in the surrounding area, Troyes escaped it during the two wars and as such its old town retains some of the best classical urban French architecture in the country. The cobbled streets, narrow alleys and colorful facades made for an enchanting visit. Not a place either of us knew about before but want to extend a big thanks to reader,Tjalle, for the tip – well worth the stopover !

From Troyes we continued exploring some of the classic small, traditional French towns in the region. After the predominantly wood style buildings in Troyes, it was interesting to see the contrast with the almost exclusively stone buildings in historic Flavigny sur Ozerain. Flavigny sits up on a mountaintop with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Typically French and very picturesque, we look forward to exploring more places like it in the coming week.

Till next week…….

Appendix 1: The Dealership Visit Fiasco:

The brake pad check and EGR inspection revealed exactly what we had expected ( no surprise there ), but then things went totally pear shaped – not only were the parts NOT on hand, they could not give a firm date for when they would be available. Incredibly frustrating, but it got worse. While doing a quick visual inspection of the van they noticed that the passenger side rear shock absorber had sheered off from its top mount and was ( literally ) dangling loose from the other end in the wheel well. This was bad enough news but on closer inspection the bolt had not just come loose and fallen off, it had actually snapped inside the chassis rail and could be ( we were advised ) very difficult to remove. Yes, this is when you hear yourself saying, “For the love of god, why my van !”.

The intended one day dealership visit ( “and it should all be done” ) notion turned into three consecutive days of visits ( a power outage in the area causing additional delays ) with the only positive outcome being that the bolt was successfully drilled out from the chassis rail and the new bolts were ordered and installed ( as a preventative measure I asked that the other side bolt also be replaced figuring it may soon succumb to the same metal fatigue that did its partner in ). Bolts, of course, are cheap – Mercedes hourly rates in Holland, are not; $710 ( CAD ) later, we had the van back and the rear shocks, at least, were now all good. Brake pad replacement and EGR install would need to be done elsewhere due to parts availability ( or should I say, lack of ). Apparently, according to my Canadian installer/supplier, the shock bolt snapping is not uncommon ( yes, I was assured, it can and does happen even though one has upgraded suspension to handle the extra weight ). At this point, after three days in and out of the dealer, we decided to move on. Never a dull moment on the road. I will provide an update on both the brakes and EGR matter when they are dealt with.