Amsterdam, NE to Calais, FR to Dover, UK!

Only in Europe can you travel to 3 countries within 5 hours and involve a lorry and a ferry! Courtesy of Parker's International and Sea France, we uneventfully crossed the sea and arrived in the UK.

Unfortunately, during this journey, I had to ride in the living of the lorry which did not communicate with the drivers, so Tate and I had some serious quality time together. I also finished a second book which left me several hours to contemplate life and its greater meanings :).

Tate became bored also, and started to make music. I captured it on video, but can't manage to post it. I will get it posted soon as it's quite entertaining (or it could've just been funny in the moment as I was terribly bored and lonely!!). We've always known he marches to the beat of his own drummer, but now I have proof!

Once on the ferry, though, the drivers and I left the horses in the cargo hold with all of the other 18 wheelers and cars, and headed upstairs for the short (1 ½ hour) crossing to the UK. I went on a journey about the ship and found 4 different restauarants, several pubs, and about 10 coke machines, all of which were out of Diet Coke! Grr! So, a coke it was, with some peanut M & Ms, and a new book from the on board shop.

Upon arrival in Dover, we disembarked, the horses cleared customs (so, this is a bit of a joke as their paperwork was checked, but the horses, nor the freight (i.e. my equipment) was even looked at by the customs officials) and we proceeded to the Parker's International stabling. Tate settled in nicely with his new buddies (a mare and foal who were picked up in Calais just before boarding the ferry) next door. He greedily ate another warm slurry and enjoyed 5, yes that's 25 gal!, of water over the next 12 hours!!

I spent the night in a Nepalese pub in town where I had a lovely English breakfast. I've always known that Englishmen are hardcore about their coffee and tea, but I had no idea that a Nepalese bartender could be so offended that someone didn't want his coffee with her breakfaast. As a result, I did finish my breakfast with a coffee... when in Rome...

I was then picked up by the driver from Amsterdam in town, whisked to Parker's where Tate had another warm slurry and his ulcergard. We then headed to our final destination, New Barn Farm, in Chedworth, Gloucestershire, UK with a team of Czechloslovakian drivers. Once again, I sat in the living, but thankfully, this one communicated with the drivers, so I had a view of where we were headed.

 After a brief stop at a roadside cafe in the woods (seriously, in order to access this place, the guys parked the lorry on the side of the road, and ambled along a deer trail through the woods to a cute little tradestand. I should've taken a picture, but I'd left my camera in the lorry :(), we were on our way to New Barn Farm with a total trip time of about 4 hours.