Short ride this morning from Leersum to Utrecht where we caught the train to Rotterdam. This means we miss the industrial parts of Holland and can get Gill to Hook by tomorrow to catch the ferry to Harwich.
The most amazing thing happened yesterday after we went through a small town called Wageningen and stopped at a really nice coffee shop. Now I dont normally write on toilet walls but this one had a blackboard and chalk in the toilet which was blank so I wrote my initials and that I had cycled from Andermatt. Anyway Frank the cyclist and Leslie who I first met at the first Hotel in Andermat, Switzerland happen to go into the same coffee shop and saw my note. They emailed and we met up again at our campsite.
Frank who origionally was a native of Holland before going to the States in the 50's told us all about Utrecht and where to go. Anyway we visited the canals and saw the restaurants on the sides of the canals.
The ride to Utrecht was pleasant going past very posh houses in huge grounds as well as some wooded areas. Unfortunately did rain abit and the tent was wet to fold up.
Got the train to Rotterdam and had a quick look round. Very modern city with some impressive buildings. Again the roads are busy with cyclists everywhere.
I will accompany Gill to the Hook on the train tomorrow and she will catch the night sailing to Harwich. I will return to Rotterdam before heading to Amsterdam the next day for the Rhinology conference.
My clothes are a right mess after 4 weeks camping so have been to a C& A store to get a business shirt and tie. The Europeans tend to wear suits for conferences so I will have to hide or pretend to be Australian. (Sorry James)
This is probably the end of the trip. I dont know how many Kilometers I have done but will work it out when I get home. Havent quite done as much as I hoped but the effort of carrying all the gear made it hard. A video may have to be done too.
Thanks to all those who have read the recent blog. Hope it wasnt too boring.
The good and the bad of the whole trip.
The good. Realising that it can be done and overcoming all the worries about food, finding somewhere to sleep and having no disasters. More importantly having the company of Sue and Gill. Thanks.
The bad, Probably the extremes of temperature. From 0 degrees in Andermatt to 39 degrees in Germany, and of course realising that camping is hard as you get older.
A special thaks to the makers of Brompton Bikes. They worked flawlessly.
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