The heavily pregnant Marie yells 'stop' at Joop when she sees the sign Kraaiennest on the border of Heemskerk and Castricum. They are on their way, but Marie has such an uncontrollable need to walk that she tugs at Joop's arm. Startled, he parks the car. At the information panel of PWN, it's incredibly busy on this winter day. Marie pushes her impressive belly forward, bumping unsuspecting walkers aside. Joop follows hesitantly. He doesn't like it when Marie is in one of those moods. If only she wanted pickles or pizza with ice cream, but no, Marie must and will make a Christmas stroll. He prefers to look further for a hospital where they will be welcomed to give birth. They have been driving through the country for days, but everywhere is full. "We’ll follow the yellow route, it’s only 4.5 kilometers," Marie decides and turns right, then sharply left onto Elzenweg. 'Thank goodness,' thinks Joop. 'A designated route. In case of emergency, we can be found quickly.’ Just to be safe, he activates GPS on his iPhone. He can see exactly how they are walking that day. For the Leuk-for-later book. It’s cold. Marie walks briskly along a path that winds to the right. "Do you see those crooked trees?" asks Marie without waiting for an answer. Joop doesn't hear her. He gathers some wood for you-never-know-what-it’ll-be-needed-for. At a T-junction, Marie turns left, around a patch of pine trees. Suddenly she stops and takes a deep breath, her overdeveloped sense of smell in the air. "The air is pregnant with pine scent." Joop looks at her tense belly and picks some red berries. For you-never-know-what-situation-we-might-get-into. They cross the Middenweg, but for Joop, there is no middle road. He has to run to keep up with his assertive wife, who turns right onto a snowy sandy path, straight through a pine forest. Then it goes up the hill and down again. Marie bends forward, she has cramps. When she stands upright again, she points to the left. “Nice! A real Christmas tree." She looks to the right: "And there is holly! Oh Joop, take a picture with your mobile. Great for a Christmas card." Joop clicks, but Marie has already disappeared from the frame. She trots along a little road lined with even more real Christmas trees. Nervously, he follows her. Before he crosses the Zwarteweg, he sees Marie turn left. He shouts that she should be careful in her condition, but Marie is already sprinting over the slippery steps of the stairs over the Kruisberg. At the top of the hill, he catches up with her. His enthusiastic wife tries to enjoy the view, but something makes her bend double again. Joop wants to turn back, but Marie is already running down the stairs on the other side of the mountain, turns left, then at a T-junction right, and steps over a cattle grid with her muddy boots. "Well, would you look at that!" she gasps. "There's a Highlander walking by. Do you know what I'm craving?" Joop knows. She wants a Highlander burger. Together they run through the grazing area, choosing the path to the right twice at a T-junction, jumping over a cattle grid again, and then turning right to Gasterij Kruisberg, a thatched restaurant sheltered by two mighty dunes. "Two Highlander burgers," Joop orders, while Marie looks for a spot outside among the straw bales. The fire pits are burning, the patio heaters are glowing, and Marie can’t take it anymore. When Joop comes back with the burgers and a whisky-for-you-never-know, he finds Marie lying behind the straw bales. He can only see her chubby little knees sticking out above the bales. "Well," she says, emerging with a bundle in her arms. "Did you remember the tomato ketchup?" Joop is initially confused, but then sees what a miracle has occurred. He quickly assembles a little crib. After they have eaten and drunk, they resume their walk, this time at a much calmer pace. They cross through a grass field, over the Watervlakweg, and take a grassy path to the right. Just before an asphalt road, the path bends left. In the distance, the last rays of sunlight illuminate an arch of trees. They pass through an open field, straight through the forest, left on Berkenbosweg, and at a fork turn right. The sandy path bends to the left and there in the distance: the parking lot where it all began. With big smiles on their faces, Joop and Marie embark on the return journey. From the crib between them comes the sound of chirping. Outside, it begins to snow softly.