DAY 19
THURSDAY MAY 19 2005
Today is a quiet day for me. I am resting and relaxing at this lovely hostel. I leave fist thing in the morning and I really need to rest today just working on my bike tires and in general trying to take it easy. So, with that being said there really isn't a journal entry today. I will take this time to re-iterate some things.
To Hans and his family I went back and fixed those specific entries in full.
To all friends and my family, if I don't respond to emails right away it is because I am out of the internet zone. They call it the NIZ; no internet zone.
To all and sundry: Any time I have updated the journal log or several logs the picture on the home page will change.
Also, please be forgiving of any typos or misspellings. It is not done through ignorance of the English language, but speed of data entry and lack of time for proofing. I am finding it time consuming, as it is, to keep a daily journal.
Know that this is my first web site ever. If you, as a reader, find any problems with this web site please email me with the information and I will endeavor to fix it as soon as possible.
If you ever decide to travel and bring your own laptop, bring your own jack line too. It may give you more opportunities for internet access. I wish I had brought mine.
Here is a picture of the cycling guide not to buy:
Sucks.
Here are pictures of the cycling guides to buy:
If you want the full Rhine route there are three Rhine books. Books 1,2, and 3 are not in English. There are two Danube books only 1 is in English. Otherwise they are all in German.
Route LF3 will leave Arnhem and join up with the Rhine route in the town of Millingen a/d Rijn.
Here is the web link for them: www.esterbauer.com or just check with the Sustrans organization of England. They are a gold mine of information.
Here are pictures of the hostel:
The tv room. You can see my laptop on the far table.
The entry court yard the open window just to the right is my room.
The view from my window.
The bar. It has a easy access plug in for me to charge my laptop batteries.
The grounds.
Some things I left out of other journal entries which I wanted to mention here:
As far as hostels go this one is SWANK (for a hostel). The first night I dined buffet style at dinner with the rest of the soccer team. The second night I was one of three people in a cafeteria that seats 120 people. They had candle light and a place name holder indicating where I should sit to eat. The food was served by a waiter who checked to make sure everything was all right. Between a restaurant and this place the only difference is I don't choose my meal. I eat what they serve, plus its cheaper the meal is 10 Euro and no tipping needed. It even included desert. Gosh, better than I expected considering the flea bag hostel in Anchorage. Other people have mentioned that this is one of the nicest ones.
I almost had my bike lifted in the first five minutes arriving here. I was at the taxi and we took my bike out of the car I rolled it up to the gate and propped it there and went back to the taxi to get all the bike bags. Upon returning there was a young teenager (a kid from the soccer team) contemplating taking it. I think he would have just went on a joy ride. I could tell immediately what he was thinking, it was so obvious. I looked at him and he looked at me, and put his hands back in his pockets, and tried to look nonchalant. Failed completely and did an about face and left. All this without one word spoken between us. Sometimes body language is louder than words.
Otherwise the soccer kids from Wisconsin have been very nice to me and let me cut to the front of the line every time when it was a buffet style dinner.
I talked to Jeff about the camping issue and he says that I grew up with too many people in my family. He says he has no problems camping by himself. I find I need the activity and noise of a hostel around me.
I am finding I am a social creature and a loner, both. Is that possible? It must be because here I am. 20 minutes to an hour or so of socialization and I am set for the rest of the day, after that I just want to be alone. Perhaps I am a social loner.
There were two other cyclist were staying here at the hostel. I didn't know it until the were pulling out of the courtyard. This makes me feel like I made a good decision staying here. I rushed out to speak with them for awhile. They are also biking the Rhine, they also didn't know where they would be sleeping tonight or where they would be eating and they had no maps, either. I should have asked them it that bothered them. They were a couple. It seems to me to be a lot easier for two people than just one.
They had camping gear, and tried it one night, but said it is much to cold to be camping. I agreed wholeheartedly. They sure were lightly loaded, but they live in Germany, so maybe having easy access to their house let them tour so lightly. I wished them success and good luck on their journey.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: that coat I bought in Haarlem has been awesome and fully needed throughout these last weeks. I sure am glad I bought it.
To Jeff: thank you for the Adventure Cyclist Magazine you threw in with the straps. The feature story is of a bike journey called "When things go wrong." Very subtle, Jeff. Very funny!
Please remember that I am writing this journal for me, when I turn senile and want to remember this journey. Here is where I will come. If you, as a reader, disagree with any of my statements, well I am sorry you feel that way, but tough luck. I am not trying to be PC and I am not trying to not be PC, I am just trying to be me. I will be as honest as possible about the good things and the bad things. For instance, stay out of the city of Arnhem. It's really not worth it. Do your errands, go to the zoo, and to the open air museum, then get out. Now Haarlem and Leiden, on the other hand, is great. Spend a week there. Soak it up, enjoy it.
This a really long journal entry for not being an official journal entry.
Finally, I miss you all. Take care and be healthy.