DAY 21
SATURDAY MAY 21 2005
Well I stayed at the Best Western again. It was nice knowing that I had a good shower head and breakfast coming, plus internet access. I was packed and ready to go by 11 am. I woke up knowing that this would be my last day in Holland. If all goes well by this evening I will be in Germany.
I lost my map of the LF3 route but had found the signage for it yesterday. So I voted for continuing on the LF3 (Holland Long Distance Route 3) anyway. The day was warm, beautiful, and sunny. The first day I did not have to wear a jacket. Here is a picture of the Rhine as I was crossing the bridge to LF3.
Rhine River Arnhem.
This little town is where I stopped for lunch.
My first ferry crossing of the Rhine River.
I am up to board next.
This was pretty much my view all day.
Conditions of the road varied, but this was the nicest.
I biked through fields like these all day long. Fields full of horses. Fields full of cows. Fields full of sheep. Fields full of flowers. It was a quietly lovely rural ride today.
The whole field of horses were running to the other end of the field, someone must have put out food. One second after I took this picture all the black birds you see on the ground took off flying.
Sometimes I would bike on the main roads, sometimes on foot trails, sometimes on bike paths. It varied considerably through the day. The roads over here are very dinky. I would be biking along and hear a car coming thinking there is in no way enough room for both of us, I would get all tensed up, and this dinky little car would pass. I would be thinking, there was plenty of room! Plenty of room. A little later another car would pass and the whole scenario would repeat itself. If it were an American car there would not be enough room, but I can't seem to adjust to the idea that the next car that will pass me will not be a huge road hog.
This was a dinky little path that I had to take to get to the second ferry crossing of the day.
Then it turned into this.
I am really proud of this picture! My fully loaded bike and I have made it to the official Rhine Route. You can tell by reading the sign above the bike.
At the end of the ferry jetty. Waiting for the 3:30 ferry.
Here it comes.
A dog in the basket on the back of his bike. Cute. They truly do all everything.
Hello!
At one point I passed a whole passel of ladies who were out for a day ride and I took pictures for them. They were celebrating two birthdays and what a lovely day to celebrate it. The sun was shining all day long with just the right amount of breeze to make it comfortable. We ended up crossing the Rhine on the ferry together and that is where this picture of me was taken.
One of the ladies said isn't hard/scary going alone. I answered yes. It is hard to not know where I will end up at the end of the day. Will night time catch me on the road? Where will I sleep tonight? Will they speak English even a little bit? Enough so that I can get my request across? If the first world is so hard what will the third world be like? So many things I couldn't list them all. She didn't know quite how to respond when I said yes, but it is the truth.
All in all it was a lovely, peaceful ride through the back roads and bike paths of Holland. This is what I imagined it would be like, back before I left. Finally!
After getting lost several times, I finally made it to Germany.
I made it to Germany! I made it! I made it! Hurrah! :-) Did I mention I made it to Germany?! :-)
The border crossing was such a non-event that I don't even know when it happened. After five hours of cycling I made it to the city of Cleve.
Thank you to all the generous people who helped me. The old racer guy who, without a word of English, stopped his exercise routine cold, and explained that I had bypassed the town of Cleve by many, many kilometers and I was heading out into the middle of nowhere with night coming on. Thanks man! And thanks for your patience.
Thanks to the couple, whose husband spoke English, and let me follow them 3 kilometers to the outskirts of the city Cleve.
Thanks to the guy who directed me to the hotel area and kept me in sight until I went down the right streets and then kindly took off so I wouldn't feel worried about him following me to my hotel. That was a considerate gesture on his part. Then I promptly got lost again, as soon as he left as a matter of fact.
I asked a woman who had her four year old daughter on the back of her bike where a hotel might be. She pulled an older couple over and the three of them spoke rapid German over my head. No one knew where one might be. I said thank you and pushed my weary way up this never ending hill to find a hotel only to have the woman hunt me down a few minutes later and start making calls on her cell phone for a hotel.
She had thought of one for me, but while she was calling the old couple hunted me down, too, and there we all were again. :-) Their genuine concern really touched me.
To often I consider myself a second rate citizen because I am so fat, but on this trip the only person that has treated me that way is myself. We were all quite happy that the woman had thought of a place. Without a word of English she gave me the directions. I couldn't follow any of it, but I said Thank yous and oh sures, anyway. I felt I had imposed enough.
She went on her way on the other side of the road. We were both pushing our bikes up this godforsaken long ass hill. She got way ahead of me and I was silently following her because I thought that was the way she meant I should go. Every so often she would stop and play with her daughter until I caught up. How kind of her. Talk about not trying to put pressure on me! I lost her a couple of times and she always came back. She was leading me ever so subtly, from the other side of the road, just so she wouldn't impose on me! What genuine concern.
Just when I was about to give up and cry there was a huge hotel sign staring me in the face. She was on the other side of the street and stayed there playing with her daughter (trying to look like that was what she intended all along) till she knew I got settled in. What a gracious lady. Woman, whoever you are, I will always remember your kindness from this day! Thank you.
So after five solid hours of biking and then another hour long ride battling up a long ass hill looking for a hotel I found the very one that was listed in my cycling map book. Neither the woman nor I was expecting that, I don't think. It was a happy accident.
So after a very peaceful, but full, day of cycling I reached my hotel totally exhausted and wiped out. This bedraggled, sadly sunburned, cyclist got settled in, ate dinner, and undressed for bed.
I immediately gasped as I took off my shirt. Where was my money belt? Oh God, where was my passport? Where was the 325 American dollars I had stashed in it for emergencies. Could it have come undone and fallen off while I was riding? Could I have forgotten it at last nights hotel? Could it be in one of my bags by accident?
I immediately turned every bag I had inside out. Nothing! Oh, no.
Tomorrow I will have to train back to Holland, if I can, and go to the Best Western and see if it is there. So much for sightseeing!
So I end such a lovely day in exhaustion and worry.
What will tomorrow bring?