Cycle-Touring Western Europe

Friday, 5 June

2009-06-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

The final day of my trip went well. I got up and out only loosing track of my Passport twice; once before I was quite awake - it was in my pocket but the zip-pocket had flipped up so I could not feel upon and external search. The second time was in PDX when I accidentally put it into my backpack as I re-inserted my notebook and later was frantic looking for it.

Amsterdam cab was inexpensive and easy way to get to airport with all my bags. Check in was also very efficient. US could take a lesson. I don't ever sleep during this process so after 17 hours of flight & airports, I was happy to be back in Eugene and see Joey waiting for me as I waited for my bags came out & onto the belt. While the inspectors did go through my bike bag, it appears that the bike is in good shape. I will be putting it together next week and know then what might be needed.

I flew over Iceland but it was socked in (darn, I really wanted to see that island nation). A bit later we passed over Greenland and I got these images. There were lots of lakes, fiords, and not as much ice as I expected but it may have been the route where we passed over. There are five pictures of Greenland here...

As we passed over the northern portion of Canada I started taking five more images (below). A short time later the plane's position monitor showed that we passed over an island in the northwest of Hudson Bay. I think that my photos show the broken pack ice along the east side of that island.

Friday, 5 June

2009-06-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I made it through customs with only one small panic as I accidently placed my passport deep in my backpack as I returned the little notebook that allowed me to communicate and post this blog (exiting International flight area causes need for another security check of person and carry-on luggage). Once found, it was then just getting out of the International area at PDX and finding my way to the plane to Eugene. Again it was great to visit with a couple that have a daughter living in Seattle that will be taking, with her husband, their first international bicycle trip through Europe. Then I ran into Lisa Grey and her Dad on their way to Kelly's graduation in Arizona. I find it amazing how one finds friends in airports. Congratulations to Kelly for her persistence and hard work in reaching this goal.

I will post a couple of images of western Greenland and northern edge of the Hudson Bay here when I update this page. I need to get things done at home over the next few days and I am not sure when the final blog page for this adventure will be posted. Check back if you are interested in knowing how, what and when I will be making the final update to this and earlier blog pages for this adventure.

Thursday, 4 June

2009-06-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well folks, this is my last day in Europe. I have a taxi to get my bags and me to the airport scheduled for 7:00 tomorrow. After and 11-hour non-stop I'll be in PDX, go through customs and then my flight to Eugene. I did mail home another box so that I'd have it a bit easier packing up what little now remains. Since the box contains my panniers, I know that I will need a ride home from the airport but I know that Joey will as happy to see me as I will to see her. Once I get back, I will make a closing post. It was an epic adventure and lots of fun, few problems, and SO SO VERY MANY wonderful people along the way. I now have friends in each country I visited and a few from neighboring countries. Germany was the only country that I actually visited but didn't make such an acquaintance. I only bicycled there for a few hours the day that I spent touristing in Strasbourg. Even with that, I did meet a nice fellow on the street when I got off what I thought was a bike path loop without a map or one loaded on my GPS. He tried to assist me with his bit of English. It was a whole lot more than my almost non-existent proficiency in German.

Most people speak 3 or 4 languages. It has been amazing to me to see all the mix of cultures, languages, and backgrounds, everywhere I stopped. I hope I will hear real soon from those folks that said that they would e-mail me.

Today I met a couple of young men that moved here as kids with their family from Pakistan. They run the laundry-mat where I did a load of clothes; I didn't want to sit for that long in the clothes that I have been hand-washing in sinks for weeks. They were great to visit with and one was telling me that he hopes to visit his aunt who lives in Chicago some time soon. Amsterdam has a large Indonesian population as that area of the world was long a Dutch colony. I had a nice Indonesian dinner for my last meal in the Netherlands. Time now to get the final things into my bags so signing off.

No images, I didn't think pictures of suitcases would interest anyone.

Wednesday, 3 June

2009-06-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today I take my bike apart and put it in its suitcase. It was not bad but the bike was quite dirty after 6 weeks and lots of wet and rainy days. I got out my home-made instructions that I had created and packed in the suitcase. It went smoothly. That was done at 3:00 PM. I am now working ot finish catching up the blog.

I didn't take a picture of my open bicycle suitcase, once packed, but here are the piles of things that I have to get into that gray bag and black carry-on tomorrow.

I just love the building here in the neighborhood where I am staying here in Amsterdam. They are only a few hunderd years old.

Tuesday, 2 June

2009-06-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Final travel day after a nice breakfasts at the hotel. Since it is only a few blocks, I did not consider even bothering with use of the GPS. Plenty of time to get to Gare du Nord but of course I made a wrong turn and found that I was at a familiar side of Gare de l'Est. There is this lovely but huge two sets of stairs to climb the way I came so I backtracked and found the road that I should have taken. In the station with time to spare, I just sat down and watched the big Departures board for the Voie (platform) to come up for my train. It is interesting that my trains seem to be the ones that are not posted until just before departure time. OK, I'm off to 12 to find the velo car no. 8, on this train from Paris to Lille Flanders.

Lille Flanderes has a good station layout so changing platforms was no problem. All trains come in to a dead-end and go back out the way they came. That means it is just necessary to walk to the end of the platform, check the new one and head over there. Here I had plenty of time so left the station, crossed the street and sat down at a sidewalk table beside my bike for lunch. A Frenchman that was on his lunch hour sat down across from me at the next table and we struck up a conversation. He asked about my travels and about the US as he was quite interested in how we had managed to elect Obama as our President. I told him about grass-roots organizations like moveon.org and organizing voters using the Internet in USA. He was amazed that Clinton had not gotten the Democratic nomination. I explained that I thought it was mostly that people in the US really wanted something new and really intelligent in the White House. Obama had filled that bill and his organization had done all that it needed to do to get the votes needed. He has been a special police agent guarding one of the top military persons in France. He said it was boring. He likes his job now working in an agency that supports teachers in France. I have another friend now who promised to e-mail me. When we parted, he insisted and bought my lunch. I have had the most wonderful encounters on this adventure. I was so busy visiting that I didn't have time to take a picture.

Back at the station it was the wait for a platform number. I had plenty of time so took out my journal and started writing. I was approached by a police officer about my bike. The officer was being very kind, telling me that while I was busy writing my journal that someone might just walk away with my bike. I locked it after saying thank you. Later, one of his fellow officers came by to tell me he heard a bomb ticking in one of my panniers. We had a good laugh over that one and they went on to talk to a lovely young woman sitting near by. Again it was down to less than 5 minutes before Voie 12 came up and I was off to find my train just coming in; so now where on this one do they want bikes. The conductor saw me coming and pointed out that on this one my bike would go in the back (no, here it is the front, just behind where the driver will sit; it had backed in). The drive showed up in another minute and while he didn't speak English, he let me know that I could put my bike in a compartment that he opened for me. He asked if I wanted the compartment locked and I said no, I am going only to Tourni, an 18 minute ride.

Tourni turned out to be one of those tough stations where I had 18 minutes to take the bike down off the platform, through the tunnel and up to the next platform. Fully loaded, it is a balance and power workout for those few minutes. Glad I have been hitting the gym regularly in recent months. OK, I am on my last scheduled train for today. The conductor was again gracious enough to ask where I was headed and he then suggested that I just stay on this train till I get to Antwerpen rather than get off at Bruxelles. I took him up and road to the end of that trains route, getting that much closer to the Netherlands and Amsterdam. When I got off there I asked a conductor that I saw sitting near me when and where the next train to Amsterdam might be coming. He showed me the small on-platform Arrivals-Departures screen just around the post and I was just to wait right there until 17:00 for the train to Amsterdam. A new experience as this train had a velo area but now racks or way to secure a bike. Another cyclist got on with his bike, threw the lock through the spokes on the rear wheel and went looking for a place to sit. It turned out to be a long train ride, what I call a milk run, as it made many stops although it was running at high speed between stops. We were passing the fastest cars on the highways so I know we were moving right along.

It was about 20:00 when we finally got to Amsterdam. I was exhausted and confused as we came into an area of the station that I had not visited before. My last conductor gave me directions to the exit and told me that I was where I wanted to me at the main station in the old central part of Amsterdam. I found my way out, picked up a map as it had been six weeks and I was not real sure where I should go after the first few blocks. I was glad I did that as in my tired state, I didn't think I was heading correctly, referred to the map and still confused, asked a woman for directions. She said I am old and can not see the map to show you where you are or want to go. I had pointed to the address where I wanted to go as I knew how to find that on the map. When I told her that it was near the Vondelpark, she said “Oh, then just follow the No. 2 trolley and you'll go right to it. That was it, now I remembered that it was the trolley tracks that I needed to follow for trolleys 1, 2, or 5. I got there finally at about 20:30, quite exhausted. My landlady welcomed me, brought me to their back yard's covered deck where the three of us had a glass of wine and ate almonds while I answered their questions and told them that I had really enjoyed my many adventures.

This is one of the compartments that are at the back of trains and used to place and store bicycles. This does not have a hook or way to hang a bicycle as are in cars that are bicycle specific storage units.

I tried but failed to get any images from the moving train. This image shows what might pop up in the middle of your image.

Monday, 1 June 2009

2009-06-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Trains, trains, and again trains. This is the first of two days of train riding to get to Amsterdam. Today I go to Paris and it will be three trains and then I have to find my way across Paris from Gare du St-Lazare to the Ibis Hotel at Gare du l'Est. My first train from St-Malo to Dol de Bretagne is where I met a young Brazilian who is studying engineering at university in the Netherlands. We had a nice conversation and were joined by another woman from Brazil that was also in St-Malo for the Holiday weekend as her daughter, schooling in Paris, had to study. We enjoyed speaking about our adventures. He had bought the Open 6-Month Pass that allows him to travel anywhere, any time during a 6 months. As a student, he had researched what would allow him the most chance to see Europe in such a period. He just heads out every Friday after classes, rides trains all weekend, and gets back for classes next week. He promised to e-mail me as he has lots of good information on places to go. He told me that the most magnificent castle that he has seen in Europe was one that he had to hike to for some distance through forests. I want to put it on my “next time” list. We changed trains at Dol-de-Bretagne and he assisted me getting the bike off the train. On the next train I had to sit in the back near my bike but I did go find him and the woman and visited just a bit more before he jumped off at Pontorson, the closest stop to Mont-St-Michal. Darn, I really wanted to stop there but knew that it would not put me back in Amsterdam on time. I was on to Caen and again just 23 minutes until my next train; the short times always make me nervous since I had missed a connection back on 20 May. It turned out that all I had to do was to walk to the other side of the same platform. The train car from Caen to Paris was really hot but again I met a really nice young couple from Paris, returning home from their holiday weekend. We changed cars together after the conductor told us that the air was broken only in that one car. At the next stop I ran back to where my bike was and brought it forward to the velo area just behind the car we were now in and we continued our visit. He works in finance and investing for a small firm of 15 in Paris where they advise on acquisitions, mergers, and investments. He said that he was much happier in this than his last job in a big firm where he didn't have the close interactions of the small group. They like to trek and told me just a bit about their hiking in Corsica and how they had found snow unexpectedly there in June. It caused them not to be able to complete their trip and now they want to try a cycling vacation. I asked them if they had visited Croatia as I had been there many years ago (about 1986) when it was still part of Yugoslavia. No, they had not been there yet. I've seen bicycle trips written about in Adventure Cycling and wanted to know from someone that had been there recently what they thought of the country. It is supposed to be a nice place to ride and I had a wonderful time there myself. The man was interested in my GPS and I turned it on and showed him my route through Paris. He said that they'd probably get one for themselves. They said that they wanted to invite me to dinner but that they had no food in the house and I said that I should get my bike and me to the hotel and checked in but thank you very much for the offer.. Again when we got to Paris, they assisted me in getting my gear off the train and walked me to my starting point with my GPS route. It took me through the quiet side streets and only one short scary & crazy busy 2 blocks up & across a 5-lane one-way boulevard. I made that left and was back on those tiny one-lane streets that cars try to avoid. The Ibis has a special little patio tucked away and completely wrapped by building for bike parking so that was great as well.

Sunday, 31 May

2009-06-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

Got up and went looking for a cup of coffee (my only real addiction). Struck out so back to camp, ate breakfast, cleaned up and went heading off toward the sailboat marina. There I found a coffee shop and had my fix. Next I headed back to the west and stopped at la Briatais, a big park with a mansion and beautiful paths, woods, and fields & an arboretum. After that I found my to the Barrage de la Rance, another French bit of eco-intelligence. This barrier to the sea has a series of gates that control the flow of water with the huge tidal flows in the region each day. They capture the high tides, and let it out through electric generators. I happened to be there as the gates were opened to let in the high tide. It has quite a large 4-lane busy highway on top; I found a pedestrian/bicycle path across and then found a closed road that I used to get into the town of Dinard. Again I got to the TIO just before they opened after lunch (14:15) so 5 min. and I got both a local city street may and a bicycle map for the whole area. I had hoped to go to Mont St-Michal & it was on the map and didn't look quite as far as I had seen on the road maps but I didn't feel comfortable leaving everything I had off my bike in the camp for a long day of riding, touring and riding back. The maps & GPS helped me navigate to the bike path that lead south about 15 km to Dinan. After 15 km on what turned out to be more for walking or mountain bikes, I found a road and used the GPS to navigate my way through the countryside and back to Dinard, the Barrage. Rather than deal with the very heavy traffic on the highway, I put the bike on my shoulder and headed up steps mixed with steep foot path to get myself back toward St-Milo. My last day of cycling turned out to be safe, fantastic sites all along the way, with great riding and weather.

I left early and got to see the tide out and boaters working on preparation for another beautiful day.

I went to the big Parc de la Briantais and wondered through many lovely paths and the arboretum as well as the Masion de Briantais.

It was wonderful to see the arboretum signs around the park and grounds of the mansion.

You can see the huge volume of water flowing into the lake behind the Barrage.

Dinard has a beautiful beach with white sand that I happened upon in looking for maps of the city and area around Dinard.

Saturday, 30 May

2009-06-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Had a great ride from Jersey to St-Milo, now back to France. I rode with a cyclist that I met while boading. A Jersey local, he goes to France for the day, taking the morning ferry and returning with the evening ferry. He said he likes to go south over the Barrage to Dinard and then head along the coast to the west or south into the countryside. I got a lot of good information and support from him about what I might do in that area.

Once off the ferry, I headed for the TIO and to get a map but it was closed for lunch. Not wanting to wait for over an hour, I found one at the Condorferries Office and headed off to the Gare du St-Milo (local train station). When I passed several small hotels, I stopped asking if there is a room for two nights. Each said no, we're fully booked. At the third, a really nice fellow and his young son told me that this is a big French Holiday weekend (3-day) and the city is most probably fully booked.

On to la Gare where the agent was helpful and I booked trains to Paris on Monday, a hotel near the second station where I would depart Tuesday. I got bookings for me and the bike as far as Buxelles for Tuesday but not beyond. I knew that there I could easily find a train on to Amsterdam, no matter how late I ended up getting to Bruxelles or Amsterdam. With no place to stay and knowing that coastal area accommodations were fully booked I asked if there is a camp ground in St-Milo or the surrounding areas. I got directions to the campground in la Cite d'Alert, just across the harbor from the old city. I headed off there next and found a tent space (7 Euro/night for two nights). Good facilities and I soon was set up and camping there.

I spent the afternoon exploring la Cite d'Alert, fort de la Cite and then went across the harbor, along the promenade & into the old walled City of St-Milo. It was quite an amazing place. Of course it was teaming with tourists. When I got back to camp & was heading to the showers, I noticed some neighbors were unloading their food from a grocery bag so I asked them if they spoke English. Answer was yes, we are from England. The women gave me directions to the closest l'epicerre (sp? - small store). Once I was cleaned up and in my other clothes I headed off to find that store. Just as they had said, look for a small ramp that takes you up off the promenade and then look for the red painted store front. Thus I had milk, muesil, wine, cheese, a baguette, some fruit & veggies. I was set for tomorrow as well as today. The weather was fantastic and exploring was wonderful. That evening I had a wonderful vegetable dish that they called a pizza but it was more like a pie shell filled with veggies in and over a creamy sauce. A young Frenchman struck up a conversation. He was very interested in the fact that I had visited 6 countries on my bike. He told me that the city was hosting a big arts & culture celebration for the holiday and that I had to look into what was happening there. He gave me directions. It turned out that it was very near the old city so I checked it out that evening. I was plenty tired so I didn't stay long.

The first two images here are of the Solidor bay and harbor just to the south of my camp ground. The other is taken from the top of the hill, just above the campground at the fort de la cite.

You certainly see how hard the battles were on the French coast, even here. The Germans had installed Gun turrets all along the coast in preparation for the Allied Forces.

As I explored the old fort and headed toward the old city of St-Milo I saw this beautiful wooden boat just heading away; then I found a way down to the boat harbor and on to the old city.

The old city has been wonderfully rebuilt after all the wreckage of WWI fighting and bombing.

I now realize that I should have taken some more pix while inside on the streets of the old city but it was so jammed with tourists that I could not find a place that I thought would look good. There were literally thousands of folks filling every bit of that city. Maybe I should have tried to get back in the morning early, but I didn't think of it at the time. You'll just have to visit there yourself.

Friday, 29 May

2009-06-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

The Ferry from Guernsey to Jersey was a pleasant ride. This was on a much larger boat with many cars and trucks on two decks. I counted over 30 cyclists and motorbike riders that are placed in a small area on the boat. Once inside, it had three decks, two for us common folks and a special little first class area that I did wander into, not knowing that it was that special. One thing I really appreciated was that they do not permit smoking anywhere inside the ferry. Jersey was an interesting island but I had some personal issues that meant that I did not do a big ride. I did find time again to purchase some fresh fruit and vegetables and fruit, yogurt, and bread. My hotel, The Inn Jersey, there was paid in British Pounds (BP) again and although it was the cheapest place I could find, 60BP, to me is expensive. It did turn out to be an extremely nice place to stay: excellent WiFi connection, services, size and appointments in the room. There I had valet service, an excellent restaurant, and another great breakfast as part of that charge. I mailed off just over three kg of “stuff” that I had collected: mostly maps and a couple of booklets that provided me some interesting history and provide me a way to track what I did and where I traveled.

Last shots of Saint Peter Port on a wonderfully sunny day.

The harbor, breakwater and a sailboat in Jersey.

Here are a few images of the Jersey coast taken from the Ferry.

Coast of Jersey.

A final look at the Jersey coast from the Ferry to St-Milo.

Thursday, 28 May

2009-06-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

OK, political geography quiz: I'm in country # 6, how's that? See the hint? That is a wide cycle/ped. path on the right side of the road. Guernsey is a reasonably small island and not too far off the coast of France. It was just a bit further than the distance from Cartaret to Cherbourg-Octeville which is the biggest city in the area and further north on a small peninsula just west of the Normandy coast. We passed two smaller islands; Sark, the larger of the two is accessible by ferry for cycling. I decided to circumnavigate Guernsey instead. Found a nice little hotel in the heart of St-Peter Port which is a charming and bustling little city. I was surprised to lean that the big industry of Guernsey is finance and banking, not the famous Guernsey cow dairy business. It was a great place to have the GPS as the main roads are narrow and folks drive their fast cars crazy fast on those main roads. The smaller roads are really all just 1-lane winding little things but the Garmin maps had them all and I just chose to ride those that showed up as narrower and lighter on the GPS. It was an easy ride with just a couple of nice short climb of about a km. Had lunch on the other side of the island at a little pub and enjoyed a pint of Guinness along with it. Had to tell my Guinness story again. Back at a reasonable hour and found a grocery store just down the road to buy from fruit and veggies, cheese and a baguette for dinner. By afternoon the sun had come out so all together it was a really nice end to another nice day. If you didn't notice, cars drive on wrong (left side of road; so Gurensey is part of?)

It was interesting to learn that these islands have been fought over for centuries.

The headlands and and points were dotted with towers and forts that were ment to battle square-rigged ships that would attempt to invade from all directions.

As mid-day approached, the sun really cleared the sky & it was something wonderul to ride along the many little coves and see many small fishing boats.

There were some wonderful restored forts and an excellent German Occupation Museum on the island. That one with the garfiti is a concrete bunker reinforcment to a much older stone fortification.

These are the quiet and narrow little lanes that the GPS showed and I used to avoid the busy main roads.

Here is my bike lashed down for the morning crossing, a shot back at St-Peter Port as I starting my ride and one of the walls that were very high and very sturdy. I didn't take photos but I was amazed at the large amount of residentail properties as I started my ride. When I later found how expensive houses are and how much wealth there is there, it made all those very well kept little cottages with their lower walls arouond each more understandable. The last image is the tide in on the morning's departure from Carteret. I thought that I had taken an image of the ferry boat sitting on the bottom; you'll have to look back a day to see what I saw just an hour before my ferry departed. That last shot is the break-water wall now almost completely submerged. Big and very fast tidal changes; nothing like this in Oregon.

Wednesday, 27 May

2009-06-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

It is Wednesday, market day and the streets were packed with sellers and buyers as I departed La Haye-du-Puits for Carteret in the morning. I had a short ride to Carteret where I would catch the ferry to Guernsey on Thursday. That was good, as soon as I got there the rain started to pick up along with the wind. It was an afternoon in the little hotel there but no WiFi in the hotel. The local TIO did have an open antenna across the street but it was pointed the wrong direction and in the high wind and rain, I could not get a signal to hold. I did go down to the port and the Ferry Terminal Office. WOW, was I surprised at what I saw. I spent the evening going through my gear,visiting with the locals, and watching the storm while thinking about what the crossing might be like tomorrow and what the weather might bring.

It is interesting to see the whole center of the small towns turn into one big market and what we might call a yard or garage sale.

This little dairy farm was so beautiful that I had to stop and take a phote but it was really big so there are four images to get it all in and that is just the front portion of the property.

Another little house that I passed taking the quiet side roads and getting to pass farms and small villages that were not on the maps.

Once into Carteret there was a bit of a break in the rain and wind was only blowing about 20 knots so I headed down to the Ferry Terminal so I would know where to go in the morning. I had to be there early. But, oh, OH, it was not what I expected at all; the tides here must be huge compared to the Oregon coast.

Tuesday, 26 May

2009-05-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

I toured the western beaches of Normandy, and then headed off across the peninsula with Charbourg at the northern tip. Wanting to see some of the coast and beaches of the Allied Invasion of German Europe in 1944, I stopped at sites with monuments and small museums. It was late afternoon when I left the coast and I first headed south a ways to get to one of the few roads that didn't go north. I stopped in a town that had a TIO and asked about lodging as I headed west. I was told that there are no B&B or Hotels until you get all the way across the to the west coast. I said thanks and thought that there must be some that are just not listed, since there had been so many earlier in the day. I was surprised after pedaling for some time that the signs had vanished from what I had seen in the past. I finally got to the first of three villages that were between me and the larger town on the coast. It was deserted and I was beginning to realize that maybe I had quite a bot more riding to do. I found a young man in his yard and asked him if he spoke and English - “No” - so I gave him my best French “Do you know where I can find a room and breakfast for tonight?” It only caused him to run into the house and bring out two elderly couples. I think one were his grand parents. Now I had four older folks telling me something or many things in French, all speaking at once, together and fast. I did get that maybe there was a B&B or a store or something in the next village. Other than that I was lost, said thank you very much and headed back to the road leading west. The next village had a tiny store where I bought a nice little cheese quiche and an fresh baked apple treat. Now with a bit of food in me, I was fueled to get on over to the coast. I got in late with not much but a sprinkling of rain. The local butcher gave me directions to the hotel once he got off the phone. The room was very cheap and a bit funky. While they said that they had WiFi, I think I was the first customer to try to use it and they did have it for their own computer but not for guests. Oh well, they tried.

Monday, 25 May 2009

2009-05-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

I started today in Strasbourg and ended it in a tiny village, Longues-sur-Mer, just north of Bayeux on the Normandy coast. Having to get up at 5:30 so I could get myself together means it was a long day. I had to get myself ready, pack the things that had dried from my in-room laundry (I've learned and now can wash several things efficiently.) I was ready by 6:00 and after finishing packing the last two panniers, I loaded all the gear down stairs. In Strasbourg the hotel was kind enough to allow me to park my bike in the lobby; my paranoia had me decide that for safety, I'd keep my front wheel in my room, disconnect my back brake and lock my bike. After putting all that together, loading my panniers, tent, locks, spare tire, I was off to the Gare du Strasbourg. Had tome to grab a coffee and flounder around looking for the way to my platform. Some stations have elevators to the tunnels to platforms, some have just stairs or escalators. After two false starts I was following the obvious – go straight into the platform area. Similar to the Paris platforms, they all end at the station so you are in a hall and numbered isles stretch out across one side of the hall. Each isle goes along one side of a track and you've entered from one end. For most passengers it is a scramble to find a good seat. Those in first class have to make a reservation a day or two in advance but you get an assigned seat in a specific car. The biggest thing I learned was that they have first class bicycle cars with their own bike racks. AND you can take a bicycle on a TGV (fast train) in France, contrary to what I was told in the Netherlands. On some trains the bikes go in a special car.

I changed trains in Paris and that turned out to be a piece of cake. I found the ticket information window in the Gare de l'Est (I came from the east) and was given a basic central Paris street map and the kind woman circled where I was and where I had to get to – Gare St-Lazare. I really like the fact that the GPS keeps me oriented and has the street names at better resolution than the map. I had plenty of time but I always try to be there early enough that little missteps won't bite me. I did stop at a huge church north of Galleries Lafayette and took a picture in Paris so you'd know I wasn't fibbing. Met interesting Americans in the station; first was a family from Japan, the dad work forHDD maker there; next is was two retired school teachers that were going to get on the same train as me. They told me that they were getting off at the stop after Caen. I looked at the map and decided that I would ride onto that same town, Bayoux. It was much smaller and nearer the coast that I wanted to visit anyway. I had been very impressed with all train company folks until I got there. Small towns don;t have elevators or escalators but stairs to get to/from platforms. They actually have a paved path way down at the end of the platforms and I had been escorted to those in the past so as to easily get self, bike, gear across to the station. This fellow said no; use the stairs. Unpacked the bike got all the gear over, and returned for the bike. I asked in the station for the Tourist Information Office and was given a map that was pretty useless. I took off just heading in what I thought was the correct direction.

It was worth the small hassle. By asking folks on the street I found my way to the TIO and got a list of hotels and B&Bs in town, and along the coast which was just a few km from town. I took the most direct route and found Longues-sur-Mer which is small enough not to be on my France map from Michelin. Again, as Frank had warned, I was hungry before the only restaurant in town opened. I found a B&B owned by folks that speak no English what so ever. It was a bit challenging to tell him what I wanted to eat for breakfast when the little French phrase book didn't have any word that I looked up. I washed up, combed my now long hair, and headed back to the restaurant. Too early still; back to B&B, set up the PC to examine the possible routes I might consider to get an idea of how many days it will take to see all I want to here. It would be a hard two days riding (no side steps or touristing) to the places to the west that I want to see. Then I found on the local TIO map that there is another ferry to the Jersey & Guernsey Islands. That is a 1-day ride so my new plan is to head west Wednesday. Ferry & explore the islands on Thursday and Friday, then the coast from St-Malo to Le Mont-St-Michel on Saturday. Sunday I'll be heading back to Brugge or Delft, depening on what trains are like. I willride as much as I can from there to Amsterdam. I need to be back there on Tuesday, 2 June to get reorganized and packed by 4 June for a morning flight home on 5th.

Finally at 18:30 I walked back to the restaurant and OH MY GOSH, it was worth the wait. I have had one other really exceptional meal hear in Europe, that was in Durbuy with Gert & Annet, my B&B hosts there. This one beat it, hands down. I had a Kir Normandy (bubbly) and ordered one of their special meals. I could tell it was going to be something when with that came two tiny bread sticks that were melt-in-your mouth pastry with some very light but fine seasoning. Again, since the restaurant folks only spoke French and I could not really read the menu, I took my guesses with great pleasure. The first turned out to be 9 oysters on half-shell with a delicate balsamic sauce. That was followed by a surprise scoop of kiwi (I think) ice with a dash of a wonderful liquor that I could not distinguish. Then my second course, a flat fish like sole fried in a wonderful butter & spices sauce, together with a delicate buttered zucchini slices baked in a tiny pastry base, 2 florets of broccoli and a creamy rice with a subtle cheese sauce. Next came a cart full of cheeses! But first the waitress brought out a tiny silver dust pan and a little dust broom and proceeded to clean the crumbs from the wonderful bread that I had been served. I am not exactly sure what I got but they were all soft and the waitress graciously gave me 4 different selections and very kindly suggested in what order I should eat them. First was a Bree. Each was a bit richer and stronger than the last but none were any too strong. The last was dipped in a red ground spice that I thought might be a pepper but it was very mild and gave the cheese a wonderful complexity. By the time I had coffee and paid my very reasonable bill it was getting toward 21:00 and I was so happy and so satiated. Restaurant La Chaumiere is to die for!

The best restaurant in Europe, in my experience. My B&B's sign just further up teh road toward the coast.

I walked 300 m to the gate of my B&B, then beyond the entrance another 200 m and found the batteries allemandes, German long-range gun batteries just 200 meters back from the edge of the cliffs of Normandy where D-Day invasion took place in 1944. I am practically staying at the batteries. I will take photos tomorrow as I explore this area.

Sunday, 24 May

2009-05-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

Tourist day but first I go to the la Gare du Strasbourg and ask about trains to Normandy. It is just 14.50 Euro total for me & the bike, make a reservation & you are off. I will take an early fast train to Paris in the morning, thus have plenty of time to find may once my bike is loaded with my gear, and get to the other station that I must depart from to get to Caen. Now I am off the see Strasbourg. First is visit to the Cathedral. It is one of the tallest, if not the tallest cathedrals in Europe. When I first saw it I was blown away. Once close I was amazed at the amount of carving and relief work, hundreds of statues and scenes carved in to the front walls and spires. Many stories above the ground there are life-size horses and riders, and then it goes up three times that until you get to the towers. Behind the church which is very long, I think at least 200 m from the back of the church to the priests serving mass. Outside it is much longer, with flying buttresses and an amazing structure. And then there is another huge Frieree (sp? - the home for the priests, nuns & other members of the church). It was an immense building as well but fairly simple in design.

Next I was off the take a canal tour boat. That was very educational & took me through several areas of the city that I didn't know were there. I found that Mozart & Vogner (sp? - too bad Katharine isn't hear to help me with this) both had worked composing and performing here. Another thing that I got to see from the tour boat was the EU headquarters. The EU assembly hall and Offices are big complexes and so very modern. Late in the day I cycled past them. We went through two lock systems that raised or lowered the boat 1.8 m. The tours are in something like 15 languages; you dial in the one you want to listen to. I leaned here that the Alsatian language is a mix of all the cultures that merge and mix here (German, French, Yidish, Hebrew, Latin) and it is still spoken in the small villages here. We passed on of the dorms for Strasbourg University; the University has over 40.000 students.

Lots more images of the cathedral's exterior coming later. None on inside as it was Sunday Mass. I did go in and observe for some time; quite interesting in a church that is a very long block to the priest.

Tour cicled the central part of the city first and particularly the oldest part of the city, the French Quarters.

The EU Assembly Hall on the left and their offices on the right.

Right image from the center of the Rhine, on the Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge that connects to big parks. On the left is an image of the logs that I found when I went south of the park in Germany into some woods. Industrious Germans. That was country number 5!

Saturday, 23 May

2009-05-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

NOTE: First I want to let you know that I am going to post some of the backlog of text and images that I have prepared. While a lot better than US in general, in the country side the availability of WiFi is often spotty or non-existent. I will catch up by first posting the text and just a few images. Later I will go back and add images from the catalog that I have for each day.

I got into Strasbourg, France today, my 4th day in the Alsace wine region following the Route du Vins first, and then a velo route into Strasbourg. On the route was a village, Heiligenstein that was not even on the wine route map but was as beautiful as the rest and I had to take pix of two lovely caves (wine cellars) there. When I got to Rosheim at 12:00, I stopped under the shade of a small tree and ate my lunch. I then took a few pictures of Eglise Saints-Pierrre-et-Paul, another wonderful XII s church. By 15:00 I was off the roads and onto bike paths permanently. I have found that Garmin MapSource has found a few wonderful paths that take me off the roads but I still struggle with how to easily adjust a route. Gert showed me that one can drag the route to another near-by road or path that it knows is there, and you have a new route. I can get that to work only once in a great while; I am hoping once home and with consistent Internet, I will get Garmin to give me the secret process. I found that the bike path into Strasbourg was excellent and of course crowded with cyclists, runners and walker. It followed a canal and a river and the closer I got to Strasbourg, the more crowded it was. Plenty wide enough for the traffic though. I found a nice reasonably priced little hotel just a door off the park in front of la Gare du Strasbourg; got my bike placed right there in the back of the lobby, my bags in the room and went to the station to check on trains. I had not picked an exact location nor remembered to dig out my map which frustrated the person that I dealt with. We settled on Caen, a large city in the north central part of the region. I found that it is possible to take a fast train in France, not what I was told in Amsterdam. I was told that I should book a reservation the next day so I went back to the hotel to review the maps & prepare for being a tourist tomorrow.

Heiligerstein Caves

Rosheim City Gate (old towns were walled, this was one of the gates into town.

The path tat started 20 km from center of Strasbourg was well signed, paved and had more and more riders, in-line-skaters, hikers and walkers as Strasbourg drew nearer. The last image is of the castle above Barr in the morning sun, just as I left for Strasbourg.

Friday, 22 May

2009-05-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

The town of Barr on the wine route and one of the many rows of grapes; they use a number on lines of heavy wire (from 8 to 12 and wooden or these concrete posts.

This was a wonderfully easy & exciting day. I headed north & ended the day in Barr. This village on the wine route has a hotel that is ~2.5 km west up the hill from town. Got there about 16:00, unloaded the bike (here they allowed me to take it into my room. I asked and the hostess said the castle remains that can be seen from my room door are about 5-7 km up the road, take the first left turn I find. I decided that I should go there. It turned out to be a 5-6 km climb on the road where hotel is located. It was plenty steep; I am guessing that it was 12-15 % so it was a great workout. I was dreading the next section, after the turn but that turned to mostly follow the contour with minimal rise over another 2 km. Once at the ruins, I found the path, walked down as it was packed course sand and as I braked, I started skidding. The ruins were only partly accessible (lower sections) but I got a great look down upon Barr. The path was quite climbable as the compressed sand was solid and the few water bars and obstacles gave me some mtn bike type climbing practice. The puffy clouds that I had been watching all day have gone and now it is beautiful blue skies. I had a wonderfully fast return to town, showered out and asked again at the desk about where I should eat? The hostess said “We have a restaurant in town so I decided to try it. Great little deck but I continue to be amazed at the proportion of folks that smoke. It is now looking like nearer 80% than I had thought. So glad to be on an open-air deck. I took a picture from here as the sun disappeared behind the buildings. I ordered La Tarte a l'Oignon salade and La Tarte Flambee aux chambigones. The first dish was a fine French pastry crust under a cheese custard with onions and bits of fine ham (jambon) or bacon. It was light and very tasty. The next dish was what we would call a thin-crust pizza but it is topped with a light sour cream cheese and onions and I ordered the added chambigones (mushrooms). These are a very traditional dishes here. I had a local wine with it that I can not spell (Sylvaner, I think) but it was another great meal. I highly recommend the hotel and restaurant to any cycle tourist that is traveling this region. But understand that this one is still not what I had with Gert and Annet in Durbuy. That still remains the best in the four weeks to date. Bells pealing near and far add a golden touch to the evening. I am off to find the local Internet Cafe to check in with home. The IC is a Turkish proprietors, I think, it now crowded with 5 tables of men, all smoking and playing either cards or a game I should recall the name of; the one with numbered square chips. The object is to get matching 3- or more of a kind or runs (e.g., 4-5-6-7-8, etc.) and these fellows play with gusto slapping down cards or chips with lots of talk and noises all around. I had to stay there for a few minutes, have a coffee and take that in. Very interesting end to a great day.

Thursday, 21 May

2009-05-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

Did a loop west and a bit south of where I was yesterday afternoon, went to small villages high up the wine growing slopes. Wine is grown below forested mountains that often have a castle, ruins, or a huge estate mansion from centuries past. Because these villages are so tiny, there was no food service of any kind in the first and the only thing in the next one higher up was a large tourist place for the wealthy. I didn't get up there till 14:00 and just as my friend Frank Geller (Netherlander that has spent almost all his life in Canada) had warned me, they said lunch is over and we will not serve you. I was then really hungry and had to just go on down and further south to the next village where I did see one restaurant but there was a tour bus out front and every table was taken. I finally found in the next village a restaurant that was still serving. I went inside & by this time I must have looked bad; sweat, flushed, and starving. The server took one look at me and said no, we are not serving any more. (Boy, am I a winer!) I went outside, thought for a moment, went back in and found her with another woman in an area that was for food prep and take outs. When I asked the two of them where was the closest place that sold food of any kind, the second woman gave a puzzled look and said that she could make me a salad. So finally I had a wonderful salad and a glass of local wine. After eating, I looked at my maps and decided that I should head down out of the vineyards and head toward the Rhine to an ancient walled fortress called Neuf-Brisach with a mote around it. By the time I got out there it was 16:30 and the clouds that had been staying to the south were finally over me. As I got there the sprinkles turned to a light rain. I did not have any cover, wearing only a jersey and shorts. I stayed just a few minutes as the sky had turned very dark. I was fortunate to have found a bicycle route & path that I could go full out on most of the way back. At one point it went into a deep canopy cover forest and I got turned around some in there. When I came out I thought I was heading north and did not look at the GPS, I made a right. Since I was heading west that took me south, back to the town that I had come through when I came down off the vineyards, Darn, 7 km down and 7 km back to where I made the wrong turn but I did get back to my hotel in Colmar before it got really dark.

My first up-close look at the spring vines. Lots of shoots.

I knew that I had climbed some really steep pitches on my way up but until I saw that 15% on my way back down I didn't realize how steep those ups must have been (they were definitely steeper; I did a test).

Neuf-Brisach was something but due to the rain, I did not take but these quick three images. Then I headed back to Colmar, sorta...

NOTE: I don't seem to have the control of layout that I want; the comments for particular images or groups of images appear elsewhere than where I place them. This and the paragraph above are below the images from Neuf-Brisach. Sorry!

Wednesday, 20 May

2009-05-21T01:31:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to report that I am in Colmar. Great day and easy to get onto train. It is right in the middle of the Alsace. I had a wonderful ride down here on the train from Luxembourg with absolutely no hassles or even the anticipated 10 Euro bicycle fee. French customs and conductor were very nice to me. He said "No, we in France love cyclists and do not charge them for taking their bicycles on trains." On the train I met a young cyclist from Bessel Switzerland and an American that lives in Paris. We had a nice visit and it was the cyclist that suggested that, if I wanted to start in a smaller town in the center of the Alsace, get off at Colmar, two stops past Strasbourg. Luxembourg was crazy expensive while here it is clean, small room but just 37.20 Euro for locked bike garage, room with sink, shower just across hall and WC next door. Plus free WiFi, 24X7. I did a quick late afternoon ride to the closest town on the wine road, Turckheim. Twenty km on nice roads and a wonderful bottle of the local winery's Pinot Noir.

I will stay here at the center of area and ride south first, stay for couple days and then decide whether to take train to west in France or back into Belgium and Netherlands. I mapped out just a few days here, then a few in Normandy, then similar in Brugge and Delft. Now I may just skip Normandy and leave here for Brugge to see some of that part of Belgium & Holland. I will call too in just a few moments.

A first for me, a stork on the nest with at least two young. You might make out one tiny head.

Wednesday, 20 May

2009-05-21T00:52:00.000-07:00

Left: the old fortifications wall I am now on top of is the same that I went under as I entered the city yesterday. Crane is working to reconstruct and perserve some of the oldest buildings in the city.

Today I spent the day wandering the streets, trails and paths of Luxembourg. It is a remarkable city with so much to see and so many wonder places to visit. I started in the area where I stayed. While lodging and food eating at restaurants are expensive, I found grocery & fruit/veg. Stores and bakeries to be all around me. I went to the National Museum of History & Art but was told not to take images. I will post more on this day later but now I need to get going...

The recently constructed legal and court buildings on left were kept in the traditional style while the Chambre du Deputies was also very much in fitting into the part of the city where it is located.

From the top of the wall where I entered Luxembourg you can see the 1800's rail bridge of bricks and the remains of a much earlier tower, bridge and walk that are part of the oldest settled area from VIII-XI s.

Monday, 18 May

2009-05-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

The tunnel-bridge to the left was my gateway into Luxebourg City. It was something; you'll see more tomorrow too.

I selected a winding back-roads route following the river south to Luxembourg City. Luxembourg is the city to see for any tourist coming to Europe. There are so many things here to see and do. I could be here a week and not see it all. It is a magic place with ancient items in many images along with all-glass skyscrapers. I spent taking another full day on the streets and the History & Arts Museum of Luxembourg. There will be another big collection of images and a bit of text to describe them.

Highway not traveled (raised bridge to right) across the local railroad tracks that I followed. The tree lined road had but few cars.

. .

The last bike path was entered on a steep street that ended at a steeper path straight up the hill. That is correct, a 20% grade that I could not do without a short pushing section.

End of trail leading to the tunnel that opened me to the city. Below are more of what I saw when I got through that tunnel (bridge).

Sunday, 17 May

2009-05-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Bastogne to Ettelbruck, Luxembourg: It was pouring rain as I went to breakfast. By the time I left it was just very light. I crossed in to Luxembourg on a really nice highway, found a restaurant for coffee late morning and later ate the banana and bit of food that I had pocketed at breakfast. I thought Holland & Belgium were clean but the roads and that little restaurant were something. It took a bit to drink my coffee and by the time I left they had move and set all the tables for what must be a tour or big group coming very soon. I got to see the wait-staff have a quick meal as I was leaving. It hardly rained on me and then SUN! I got into Ettelbruck early, changed, ate a bite at the hotel's restaurant, and then took a stroll. I didn't know the custom here but they had a big street fair in the main shopping area. Mostly beer and sausages, baked goods, and lots more beer gardens. I found both a good rock & roll band playing Buddy Holly, Paul Revere and a young woman singing great country and western standards. There were two groups of a few young women doing the line dances you see at CW clubs.

Something else that I didn't expect was the pet tent. There were so many many dogs around the fair but here I found only chickens and rabbits for sale; many varieties of each. I went back to my room as it started to sprinkle. Since I was starting to get a bit hungry at about 18:00, I went looking for a place to get food and that is when I discovered that all shops and restaurants were closed (Sunday evenings).

I have to add one thing here: The Hotel Central in Ettelbruck was REALLY BAD. It was dirty with cigarette burns in the rug, dirty floors, totally dingy and stinky; at 60 Euro, way overpriced. The breakfast was as bad as the rest, minimal and stale or outdated goods. I did really enjoy getting to wander through the down town outdoor shopping mall area with all the vendors.

The new and the old wall border between Belgim and Luxembourg. I was on a nice highway with a margin wide enough most of the time to keep me out of the traffic lanes. Very nice asphault too.

Saturday, 16 May

2009-05-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Luxembourg here I come: Started my journey today: Durbuy to Bastogne. I took some extra time to clean up & lube the bike so I didn't get too early a start. The weather was really clear in the morning so I was very happy. La Roche-en-Ardenne is a place one could spend at least a day but I just took a few pix and tried to leave. That took three tries because of the tight little streets. I first missed a left and then overshot on may way back into town. Thanks to the GPS telling me to make adjustments, I did not go very far before I was on the right road out of town.
I took some great little side roads and passed through villages plus one wild down on a 1-lane sorta paved road. Just after that exciting bit, I was back on a main highway and up from behind came a team in training. The leader slowed and chatted. They are from Holland down in this part of Belgium to train for a big fund-raiser ride on a Tour-de-France stage. They are to climb one of the highest peaks on the Tour 6 time in one day, I think.

I was happy to make my last climb into Bastogne, find a hotel, get cleaned up, eat and get to bed. I chose a restaurant that appeared to be full of locals and that it was. I had two house specialties, an appetizer and a salad. That was plenty as the first had about 5 different hams and 8 different sausages that were all great and the salad was very Ardennes with different things I can not describe but they were all really good.

If I had known how early I would have gotten into a hotel in Bastogne I would have stopped, had a bite and looked more at the ruins.

Again the back roads and small villages showed me wonderful scenery; today for the first time I got to see how all the ham I have been eating gets it's start. Look closely at those little quonset huts. Of couse, as soon as I put the camera back in the bag, closed up and started to ride again, all the piglets came out to play.

Friday, 15 May

2009-05-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Museum pieces, direct gear drives (crank-shafts) form the 1930's

I was ready to ride again today. I went about 50 km to Stavelot because it has a museum at the Abbaye de Stavelot. It was cloudy but did not rain until just after I got inside the Abbaye. The heavy rain did not allow me to take pictures outside the Abby or on the way back.

As I rode back to Villa Roma. I did stop in Trois-Ponts, at a nice Gyro shop, got myself fueled up and as I was getting cold, changed into rain gear. Of course as soon as I started my first of three big climbs the rain stopped and I got too hot. Switching among jersey, long-sleeve undershirt, windbreaker, & raincoat combinations I discovered that the great REI long-sleeve undershirt & nylon windbreaker is the perfect combination under that REI rain jacket. No sweating, not too hot or cold. I'm still learning

The lady on left with child is late XIV or early XV s, while the Carte Belgii Inferiori by Gerard Mercator is XVII s.

Left is Monk in cerimonial dress carved in 1300 by Jean de Reuland; right is Engraving done in 1743 of the Abbaye by Remarcke le Loup.

Heating stove and image of opposite end of a recital room - stucco walls were not dated. Reflectiore des Moins

The museum also had a car show that was heavily weighted to the formala-1 cars from past 50 years, what a transformation. Then there was a bit of motor bike history, Gert could tell us a lot about these (they are nothing like his beautiful new BMW - so fast just sitting at rest).

Thursday, 14 May

2009-05-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

This lovely old house here has had the stable door bricked in; if you look closely you can see the sagging stones. It allowss them to save this wonderful place. Homes here have lasted for centuries. Even modern buildings use stone or brick over a cinder-block core. Amazingly sturdy and so well kept.

After the mess yesterday I have decided to stay here for another day, do an easier ride today, get up early tomorrow and go to Stavelot (46 km), which has another huge Abby that is now a museum (Abbaye de Stavelot). I will design a route there this evening to do that distance, have a visit, and return in one day. This afternoon I took a nice ride to Hamoir through Tohogne. Had a wonderful treat from the bakery in Hamoir and took a more northerly route back to Durbuy. On that leg I met a Belgian man that caught up and rode with me for several kilometers. We had a nice chat and parted when nearly back to Durbuy as he was heading north, home to the north. My hosts, having taken such good care of me and treating me as family, I took them to dinner last night. The place I had hoped to go was closed and that was fortunate. We went to le foi du Roy and it was a king's dinner. I have never had a better meal. Europeans know how to cook and they know how to eat. It was leisurely and such dishes! Surprises and incredible flavors, sauces, and then a leisurely coffee with Gert and Annet. They also thought it was excellent; there first time there but they told me of another very special place that is north of Barvaux that is just as good if not better. I told them that I have to bring Joey back to stay with them and we will eat there. I may get here late tomorrow and the next day I will leave for Luxembourg, a 4-day ride, so I may not be able to blog again for a few days.

The dog at this farm's barn did bark but never came off the straw where he was sleeping when I stopped. There was a rouster in the other doorway but it went in before I could get my camera out. Typical of the farms here and in the Netherlands is to have the house connected to the barn. I was again amazed to have come 10 km off the main roads on a very rural road to see that when it was straigh and they could allow cars & trucks to increase their speed, they also have bicycle lanes. I certainly haven't seen anything like that in Oregon yet.

I thought as I came back into town that I should get these shots of the Castle, Bridge, and Church here in Durbuy. I will not be coming back this way again.

Wednesday, 13 May

2009-05-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Today I followed a 111 km loop through the Ardennes. This is the rolling forests and farms of the southeastern area in Belgium. It had rained for two day so the rivers were quite swollen and there was water streaming across the roads along the route I took in several places. But for the most part, the roads were dry, clear, and there was amazingly little traffic. I went to the southeast and then south through the small towns of Erezee, Amonines (you don't see old houses like that in North America) and Douchams on my way to La Roche-en-Ardenne. From there I followed the rivers Ourthe and Ourthe orientalle upstream to Houffalize, going through the villages of Maboge, Berismenil, Nadrin (where to get to these last two I climbed out of the river valley to the top of the Ardennes), and then down through Mormont along the way. I then started heading north, paralleling what we would call a freeway (E25) on a smaller two lane road when I passed a short gravel drive from a small house. The road was quite steep so I was going slow when two dogs came out from the brushy yard and started to bark. I did not think too much and said my normal “Bad Dog, go home” line but I guess they didn't speak English. I did not get bitten but the large dog did take hold of my wind pants and as he charged and bit, knocked me down off my bike into the middle of the road. It happened fast and since I saw a small truck pulling a trailer heading up toward me in that lane, I got up, kept the bike between me and the dogs, and got to the side of the road. As quickly as possible, I headed on up the road away from the dogs that were still there barking and growling, with lots of teeth showing. Once I got a ways up the road I stopped to check myself and my bike. I had one small cut, the whole in my pants (very minor) but then I noticed that I had a broken shifter cable adjuster as the fall had knocked the left shift-break leaver to the right a few centimeters. While it was not causing an immediate problem, the threaded shaft was both bent about 30 degrees and broken. I knew it had to be fixed and as my host had told me to be sure to call if I ran into problems, I did stop up the road another 200 meters at a Q8 filling station combined with a Toyota Dealership (efficient Europeans). My few words of French, some pointing and gesturing, and the nice woman at the desk dialed my host's number and handed me the phone. Gert made record time in coming to pick me up, we stopped in Barvaux at a bicycle shop where the mechanic came up with a new barrel for the adjuster. Replaced for 5 Euro, we were back at Villa Roma by 17:30. At least I got in a60 60 km of the bike ride and a few photos along the way that I now share.

The stone conglomerates above were not built in modern time but have been in this part of Belgium of centuries. No really knows how they were brought here or by whom. There is one group that forms a small room or tomb. Near the distant trees in the left photo are four more of these stones. On careful inspection, they appear to be river rocks or glacial till that has been incorporated into fine clay sediment that over time was compressed like some of the local sandstone. My roadside (not educated) guess...

Across from the graveyard of the Nadrin Church was a memorial to the folks from this tiny village that were lost in WW-I and WW-II. As I have been seeing so ofter here, the ravages of war is with them always.

Typical road signs that lead one throught the quite farms and forests of this wonderful area, the Ardennes.

Tuesday, 12 May

2009-05-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Heavy rain again today so I a visiting the Harri Krishna Center of Radhadesh at the Chateau de Petite Somme. I did not bring my camera so no images today. It is located at the small village of Septon that is just a short distance west of Durbuy. While all of the tour of the chateau was given in Dutch, the person that was our guide did say “Please take off your shoes” to me in English as were to enter the room in the Chateau that serves as their temple. He asked me a couple of quick questions just before the tour started; first he asked me where I was from in USA and after I told him that I lived in Eugene, Oregon, he asked if that was where the Mormon Church is. When I said that there were Mormon churches in Oregon but that the religion's main temple is in Utah, he got a glazed look and walked away without anymore English spoken. I don't think the fellow has much of a clue about the geography of North America. Since the tour was all in Dutch, I did not learn much about this Hindu center or the founder, Shrila Prabhupada, of the consciousness of Krishna. I did get to see their temple room in the chateau with the doll-like statues that they prey to many times each day. The tour took me through a long spiral stone staircase to the top of one wing of the chateau where I got a bird's-eye view of the surrounding forests and farms. The fact that it was not raining at that moment was fortunate and the mist raising from the canopy made the limited view quite beautiful.

Monday, 11 May

2009-05-14T03:01:00.000-07:00

Today it rained but I went to the Grottes de Hotton. It was about 20 km there and that same distance back. Raining on the way there but cleared on the way back. Stopped and picked up a bit of fresh fruit and veggies; those were just what I needed.

The caves were very interesting to visit but I should have kept my helmet with rain cover on as I got lots of water dripping on me in the early part of the tour. The caves were discovered by workers blasting at a rock quarry that is just to the south of the current entrance. The tour took us to just a small area of the total cave system much of which is too narrow to squeeze into and has water that would require special gear to traverse. We saw new (few thousand) and million year old formations. About 40,000 years ago an earthquake opened one large room that while a few meters wide, is over 20 meters to the ceiling. There we saw a small but currently rushing river. Our guide told me that the level might rise as much as 1.5 meters from low flow to high flow when heavy rains fall for sufficient periods. With just two days of rain it was ripping along at quite a rate.

To the right and left you can see the cave walls that the earthquake opened.

Below left you see the cage to protect the young (just few thousand-year old) spaggetti (hollow tube) formations above the caged walk.

Rushing river (left) in the bottom of the largest cavern.

Wonderful hosts here had me to dinner here at their house; I am the only guest staying with them at this time so I am being treated more like family. I bought/brought a bottle of wine for our dinner but they already had one open; a lovely French Boussielle.

Here are a couple of images from my balcony; they have lovely grounds, gardens, and the view to the southwest is spectacular.

Sunday, 10 May

2009-05-12T02:52:00.000-07:00

The ride from Huy to Durbuy took me through seven villages and beautiful rolling country. It was punctuated by a stop at the Chateau de Modave. The chateau is on a granite rock base, going up from 60 meters above the River Hoyoux, was orginally built in the middle ages. The chateau was occupied and destroyed by the “troupes lorraines” in 1651 and the comte de Marchin restored it to the current form between 1655-1673. It is surround by a 450 hectare (1100 acre) natural reserve. The entry ceiling contains the 17th Century Coats-of-Arms of comte de Marchin & five generations of ancestry to the 15th Century. At the bottom of this family tree are 32 coats-of-arms that attest to the lineage of the family in French aristocracy. It has all kinds of interesting art in the furnishing and especially the tapestries and wall/ceiling stucco decorations. The tour of the Chateau & grounds took me a couple of hours in the late morning as it was not far from Huy. It was just after a long climb out from Huy on the River Meuse (Fr.; Maas in Dutch). A very interesting bit of tech-history was seen at the fountain as I entered. It is operated by a hydraulic pump system that works off a huge paddle wheel in the river Hoyoux. It's inventor, Renkin Sualem was summoned to Versailles and his system was expanded to pump from Marly to support all the water needs of the fountains, buildings and gardens of Versailles.

The trip on to Durbuy took me through several small villages and nice quiet country roads. I was still trying to figure out why my GPS was not seeing the routes that I had created and downloaded from my computer but the GPS did really help dealing with the tiny back roads, the routes and many conflicting signs. Once I found my down into the town, it was a spectacular first view. I know now why this tiniest town in Belgium is such a tourist attraction. The original Walled town has a perimeter of but 550 meters and covers just 2 hectares. I learned earlier that it is when a village is given permission to become a town that walls are built, markets are open, and tolls may be charged. The current town is mostly outside the walls but is very quaint and has some wonderful sites and this is the gateway to the Ardennes. It's earliest construction was as a fortress in 889 and became a feudal castle in the 11th century. It has a rich history until the 17th century when the area fell into serious economic decline, medal-working disappeared (remind you of anything today?). The 1636 plague wiped out about 2/3 of the households; in 1673 the French destroyed many houses and razed the castle towers and walls. In 1689 Louis XIV had the castle destroyed completely. The d'Ursel family became the lords of the castle in 1756 and had it transformed and reconstructed (1880-1882).

That sign on the right was hidden behind the safety mirror until I went around the corner.

I am staying with Gart & Annet Schuttevaer, the owners of Villa Roma (Tier de Rome 27, 6940 Durbuy, Belgium; http://www.villaroma.be/) and I have been welcomed as a member of the family, having my breakfasts and also dinners with them. They have been here for four years; from Holland, they designed and had the place built. We shared discussions of building homes, contractors, and all the trials and tribulations of going through the building process. But I did not have to have all my plans and contract documents translated to another language (Dutch to French here). It has been very nice and I will make this place my center of operations for several days. Gert has a beautiful new BMW motorbike in the garage a well as half dozen mountain bikes for guests to rent.

Here on the right you see the town from across the river; I took this shot as I was coming into town from the north and WOW, what a view. Later, in the evening while taking a stroll after dinner, I took the picture from a walking bridge that is down stream from the old bridge.

Outside the walls of the original town walls there are just a few wonderful narrow streets with great smells from fine restaurants, bakeries, and shops.

To the left and right you can see the walls of the original fortified tiny town.

Saturday, 9 May

2009-05-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well, that was bad – misspelled title was/is really telling. Thankfully, I can edit a post. I am updating this post on Monday, 11 May. Great day and 83 images taken but the WiFi here has gone sour so I may not get much more done than to say Huy is a wonderful place to visit. Saw many local bikers, from single riders to small groups and one of about 20 riders or so. Almost all on high-end road bikes and all are wearing road shorts & jerseys. Not like Holland at all. In the image to left, from the old fort on the Left Bank (on right in image). [The river is flowing toward me as I took this shot; right/left is determined by the direction of flow. Drift with current and what is on your left is Left Bank.] My hotel is beyond that second bridge on the Right Bank. The oldest part of town is behind the bit of the fort that you can see in right of image. The lighter colored roof sticking up is the top of the church that I visited in the afternoon.

I wasn't sure that I would even get this little bit posted tonight. I will try to get back to this after I pack my panniers so I can get going early tomorrow. Well that didn't happen; while the hotel was really nice room and food (complete breakfast that kept me till dinner) for 80 Euro, the WiFi sucked...

These images are not coming into position as I'd hoped and I really got to get ready to go tomorrow. Look at the cooling towers; I'm sure you all know what that is just south of town. Right? Answer: Atomic Energy - Electric Power Generating Plant. That small road is the Rue des Freres Mineurs and to the right is the old fountain in the town square and that building behind is the City Hall. It is late again, here in Durbuy so I won't add but a few more images and a couple sentences... I will post tomorrow, Tuesday, about Sunday's trip down & Monday's ride.

Here just a couple of images from inside the large church in Huy. It made me stop, sit & meditate on what I was doing there.

Hotel de la Cloche on left and the tourist information office's building on right; both date back to centuries before there was a USA. Below I'll show a couple of images from the War Memorials and War Museum that all speak to the terrible tragedies that happened here as this is the frontier between the German, French, and Dutch-Scandinavian areas of Europe. Many wars, many battles and hundreds of thousands lost.

Thursday-Friday, 7-8 May

2009-05-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

With all the catch-up blog entries posted yesterday, 7 May, I didn't mention anything about that day. It was mostly spent getting my wits about me. I know that the hotel was bad but until today I didn't realize just how bad that had been. I did find a real grocery store and bought muesli, fresh fruit and veggies,. I have not found granola or anything like a Clif or Power Bar here in Europe. For that matter, the best bike store that I found in Amsterdam doesn't carry those or electrolyte powders like we have in the US. I did find a Chinese restaurant near the hotel that was quite good and earlier I found a real nice little bakery that had a wonderful baguette and a delicious little custard pie treat. Those together with a wonderful bottle of French wine for just 5 Euro (less than $7) and the fruit was my lunch yesterday. Before I left this morning I ate all but the frozen lettuce (the room did have a small frig but it must have been set to max cooling. Tomatoes for breakfasts with fruit and the muesli that I found was great.

By the end of the day I had found a map of the city of Mouscrons and the nearby area but not at a scale that I was happy with. So today after repacking everything and making a list of which pannier held what, I was off looking for a better way to use in navigating my way out of the area. The more I rode around there, the more I realized that it was a very industrial and commercial area and I decided that I did not want to head to Lille, the big town about 20 km to the south, in France. Well, luck be with me, I found no one in the reception area of the town hall spoke any English but I spoke to a man who happened by that spoke a few words of English and a young associate of his came along and the older fellow suggested to the young guy that he help me out locating a good map. The next thing I knew he was escorting me to the little store that sold cigarettes and magazines. There was a map of Belgium there of good scale even if it took a large table top to spread it out. I bought it. He then to give me instructions on how to get trains, one transfer, to Huy (pronounced “way”) and where to go from there. I will go to the smallest town in Belgium, Durbuy. It is supposed to be a great but hilly ride as this is rolling farms, woods and some lovely little villages that I will go through on the way there. He recommended that I go on SE to Luxembourg and from there, take a train to Strasbourg, France, to visit the wine country in that part of France. That is now my plan...

I am now in Huy and will spend tomorrow doing a walking tour of this wonderful little city and so you can expect lots of great photos. When I went to dinner, I got a glimpse of all there is to see here. I am sure it will be a great day. I didn't find room in the recommended restaurant but made a reservation for tomorrow night (another reason to stay).

Oh yeah, there was this one problem with the changing of trains; a fully loaded bike can not be taken down and up stairs between train platforms in less than 10 minutes. As I came to the top of the stairs with the bike, having left two larger panniers on the last level, the conductor said he couldn't wait and the connecting train left. Just another hour and I was on my way to Hey again.

After I take pictures and explore tomorrow, I will post again. The next day, Sunday, I will leave early for Durbuy and points south.

Wednesday, 6 May

2009-05-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

Trains, trains, trains! I caught the 13:04 train to Amsterdam. It cost me 6.50 Euro to take a bike on the train (no charge for a folding bike – go Bike Friday; I saw lots of folding bikes on the trains). The very polite conductor explained to me that the Station Agent should have stamped my Eurail Pass and that I have to go to the International Ticket counter in Amsterdam and get that done and they can help me with finding a train to go south. I will not be able to take a bike on a high-speed train unless it is boxed in a suitcase. OK, now what do I do. Oh yea, while I was at the ticket counter I had to leave my bike parked behind the door; an agent said that it would be fine there and that he'd try to keep an eye on it for me. Another really nice fellow. After finding that it is not possible to take a bike on a high-speed train, I found that one can not take a bike on ANY train over an international border. So now what? Getting nervous as the very polite ticket agent was searching for a way to get me south, I said please let me go look to check on my bike (I had to walk 25 step back from counter). Huh-oh, it was not there. In a panic, I left the counter after she quickly, efficiently, refunded that high-speed train ticket surcharge that I could not use (Eurail doesn't work on all trains – another new one). I ran out of there and ran into the fellow that was watching my bike. He said while his back was turned for a few moments, the police had confiscated it and it was at the Lost-&-Found office at the far end of the Amsterdam Station. I ran down there and filled out a ticket, signed it, and then, while the agent there held my bike I went back to International Ticket Office and found my best train south. I paid another 12 Euro charge to take my bike to Belgium. Once I had a plan on paper, I went back after my bike and ran into that nice guy who was trying to watch it for me. He went to the Lost-&-Found with me, helped me get my bike and told them to tell the police to please drop the ticket charges as he had asked me to leave the bike where I had parked and locked it.
Finally, it was nearing 15:30 and I might be able to catch a 15:56 train south. I found my way to the correct platform but found that that train was canceled and I'd have to wait for the 16:56 train on the same platform. That would take me to Brussels where I'd take a train to Mones, near the border with France. I could then ride into France and get on trains south from there. Once in Brussels, I asked a pair of Security guys that I ran into how to get my loaded bike to the train platform (I didn't see an elevator & I had seen in Amsterdam that they had posts to stop big things like bike from using the escalators). He said that it is OK to bring the bike on the escalators there and he with his partner escorted me to the platform for another train. He explained to me that there was some kind of an incident on the tracks for the train to Mones. He got me on a really nice train that I could take to Ath, transfer, and get to Mones. Again, very nice conductor helped me put my bike in a deluxe baggage area behind the first class car. Once there in a secure 1st class car, I got to thinking, why change trains. Again, a very nice passenger answered my questions and then even came back to where I was sitting with a train map of Belgium. He explained to me that if I rode all the way to the end, to Mouscrons, that I would be near the border (10 km) with France and within 20 km of Lille, a large French city where I could find help getting French trains south. One final short delay was that the train didn't quite make it there but was slowed substantially so they stopped it at Tournai. I waited another 20 minutes there to get the next train on to Mouscrons. My train-day ended happily at 10:30 when I went around the Station (no escalators here!) after negotiating the down-up stairs with the bike. Here in front of me was a small hotel with restaurant still open for business. I settled in for the night.

LESSONS LEARNED
Train Station Personnel and Conductors are all WONDERUL POLITE PEOPLE
It costs extra to put a bike on a train.
No bikes go across International Borders unless in a suitcase/bag.
No bikes on High-speed trains unless in a suitcase/bag.
Watch out for pickpockets in Stations and on Trains (I am sure I saw some)

Tuesday, 5 May

2009-05-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

I spent the day staying in and around Den Helder today. Rain & high winds again now and predicted for next several days here. The lighthouse is just down the road behind the dike from my B&B and a wonderful landmark for this place. Jaap, the husband/father here is quite a builder. He has rebuilt this house, added a sun porch where I eat my breakfasts AND he turned his garage into a Bar. He had me in today for some sampling of his full stock. He has a multi-functional machine which he showed me that includes a table saw, a surface plane, a milling head, and a router head. Quite the tool to have built all this. Below you'll see their little sunken patio table w/ umbrella in the back of the yard. There is a nice fish pond, cloths line, and lovely flowers. Now he has to build a bigger bicycle garage since they have 4 or 5 plus two scooters, and then there are the needs of the guests.
I took my cook stove, fuel & water bottle, plus the pot/pan set to the post office today and found what I think might have been my first encounter with a rip-off. The woman short-changed me but she also made me pay priority rates for mailing something to US. Thinking back, it might have been cheaper to have given them away and replaced at home. No, all I sent was well over the 44 Euro in postage. Joey was right, I don't find it reasonable to cook for one while camping. I find grocery and eat fresh food and cheese/meat or look for an interesting restaurant. My bike is lighter and it packs easier.

In the yard is a hidden patio, sheltered from winds by being set down into the ground. As are found on almost all houses, the gardens, flowers, and here a fish pond with a fountain.

Want to have a private party, just bring all your friends, they have three guest rooms and can sleep loads of folks. Jaap will tap a keg for a crowd.

On the wall near the door is a wonderful old sign that used to be hung on a building just south of their house; it was a dairy products store. There is also a very early photo of the original dike that was just north of this area. The history everywhere is just incredible.

Monday, 4 May

2009-05-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

Got out after some house keeping and this time the wind was down so I headed north along the dike, around the small town of Den Helder and got the ferry terminal just in time to catch the next ferry to Texel (pronounced Tessel). Passed on going the opposite direction on the short, smooth 20 min. trip across. Once there I passed the rental bike shop – I'll bet they have 2,000 rentals in and around that warehouse. Prices for a day were reasonable – from 5.5 Euro for single speed to 17 for a tandem. I headed up the west side of the island (about 12 km wide by 22 km long) to Oudeschild. The roads are very quiet and wonderfully maintained. Saw food at farms, on the honor system (what do you think a Bloemkool is?). Had to stop at the tiny church and then looked at the quaint building next door which is a B&B that is For Sale (how do you say that in Dutch?). I stopped at the local harbor, took a quick look at a modern steel-hull reconstruction of an old square-rigger before heading over to the restaurant for lunch. I ordered the fish soup and WOW, it was soooo buttery good with 3 fish, clams, shrimp, squid, and lots of tasty mussels. Then I was off north again. Found the tiny ferry to the next island to the northeast. They will take bikes but only once a day at 17:30 and you need a reservation for the bike. They only run that service Tues-Wed-Thurs so I didn't go much further, only to the trail to the lighthouse, then west and southwest along the west side of the island, returning to the Ferry in time to catch the 18:00 ride back to Den Helder. That loop is a nice 70 km ride.

There must have been a billion bikes to rent!

Great opportunity for a retired couple to have a bit of income; Guess what Te Koop means?

Roads and bike paths are great to travel and rarely do you have a car pass without taking great care.

The lighthouse is on the northern tip of the island and almost all of the west side is either natuureservaat (closed area; what's that mean?) or national park land which is open to explore.

Sunday, 3 May

2009-05-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Sunday, it was foggy and then rained as I made my way to Den Helder so few photos but tomorrow it is supposed to be nice again. Leaving Vatrop was difficult as I had really enjoyed my stay. I stopped to deal with a loose S&S coupler and noticed that the new home construction was going with the thatched roof of old. Being a building buff, I had to have a look. The finished roof is really substantial by our standards. The finished end shows the ~ 30 cm thick roof. While no workers were present, the partially completed portion of one side provided me a good photo of the construction process. I headed on and got wetter as the rains increased. I found shelter in a petrol station along the highway to change into my full rain gear. Another hour and I was in Den Helder, only to find the VVV (Tourist Info) closed. I stopped into a hotel near by and got a bit of information. Heading down the road, I stopped at another hotel where the receptionist was very nice and helped me find my way to a B&B where I took up residence. I tried to explore a bit but the wind off the North Sea is fierce here. I tried to ride up onto the dike but was just about blown off my bike. Tomorrow I will go to Texel (pronounced Tessel by the Dutch), the island just north of here and be a tourist again.

Saturday, May 2nd

2009-05-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Den Oever Hrbor statue and another of Vikings' going to rest at sea (found in front of the local VVV).

My B&B in Vatrop has a thatched roof and a bicycle garage (many do). This was my first view of the North Sea and it was very serene. I followed the dike to Den Oever's port, had a look at the fishing fleet (BIG BOATS), processing plants and then headed off across the Afsluitdijk (that is NOT misspelled) in the afternoon. I ran into the start of a kick-bike race & was told that this is a big racing sport here in Holland. I saw the flood gates, shipping gates, and was off the monument about half way across. I stopped there and took a few photos before heading back into town for some more sight seeing and a bite to eat. I first stopped at the 1654 A0 “de Hoop” windmill & then found a wonderful little Chinese restaurant for my meal of the day.

In the Den Oever harbor there is a small stone monument and off in the distance is a tall ship in sale.

West end of the Afsluitdijk - site of the kick-bike race.

The old windmill and in the distance a modern one; they are everywhere.

Lely - 1854-1929, the man that held back the North Sea (here called the Waddenzee) - what a marvel.

The 4-lane auto/truck and 2-lane bicycle highways; map shows the Waddenzee; the IJsselmeer and Markermeer to the south and the grey areas are reclaimed seabed that are now rich farm lands that I rode through.

Friday, 1 May 2009

2009-05-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

I headed north along the Markermeer to Enkhuizen in the morning. I stopped for a coffee and thought of what Chris had described to me. It was even better than I had imagined. While drinking my coffee a lady sat down next to me and asked where I was from & what I am doing in Holland. When she found I hadn't found it easy to find Internet Cafes or WiFi to blog, she offered to at least e-mail Joey so she would not worry. There had been a tragic attempt on the Queens party the day before and it had really shocked this country. When she left a couple joined me and again we struck up a conversation. Before I knew it I got a tour of Shunyam's studio and her husband was touring me around the city on his bicycle. It is simply wonderful how one is treated here. After seeing the outdoor museum and following the ancient wall, I was heading north for Den Oever in the NE corner of North Holland. Again, when I got lost in a maze of residential streets in the village of Wieringerwerf a man working in his front garden dropped his tool and got on his bike to take me well beyond the north edge of town to show me the service road entrance that would take me most efficiently to Den Oever and the neighboring village of Vatrop where I had made reservations in a B&B.

There appear to be nice small farms as well as big agra-business growers in this area.

Queen's Day in Holland - 30 April

2009-05-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

The next day, 30 April was Queen's Day, one of if not the biggest national holidays in Holland. Marken does it up royally with music and parade, all decked out in centuries old traditional dress for kids, adults, and all. I spent the night in a camp ground just south of Marken, called Jachthaven. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw an advertisement for a bike ride in the window of one of the cabins there. It really looked familiar. In the morning I returned to Marken, stopping along the way to get a few pictures. The island was submerged many times in it's early inhabitation as sea, tides and ice. Now the water is behind dikes that keep the water at bay so while the houses were all built on raised plots or on pilings; they now have closed in those areas to make “ground” floors. After watching the morning festivities I took the ferry to Volendam in time to see their traditional dress in their band. Queen's Day is not like any US holiday, all over Holland folks use the streets this day to have a country-wide flea market. I rode north along the Markermeer until I cam to an organic dairy farm that offers camp sites. That is where I saw my first field of tulips, a white wonder.

- -

When I left Marken for Volendam it was about 11:00 and the party had started. In the little harbor it was tourists having their morning beers. Another tradition is to wear as much orange as possible.

29 April, Wednesday

2009-05-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Leaving Amsterdam was quite a challenge as my GPS worked fine but it did not show the route that I had installed the night before. I went by looking at the street names & referring to my map. When lost (3 times), I asked another cyclist, got good help but one pedestrian had me back-track when the street I was looking for was just a left turn (across the road). I certainly could understand that a person living there might not know the name her/his street turns into just a block to the east, west, north, or south. They seem to change names that often. Once I got onto the highway, it was a bit smoother sailing, barges passing under me, trees, parks, camps, and the country in just half a kilometer. Cyclists to the rescue on the final looping around to get onto the road to Marken. Not far and it was following the brick road, houses lining the left side, sail boats and the Markermeer to the right; hard to get lost here. Once I found my way to Marken I went to the museum and was greeted by a wonderful gentleman about my age that was quite happy to give me a private tour of his museum & explain the traditions and history of the island, the town, and it's people. I backtracked to a campground where I spent the night.

April 28 - Getting ready to go...

2009-05-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

After packing my panniers and thinking I was just about ready to hit the road on Tuesday I found that the elastic strap that keeps a front pannier in position had broken at the mount point. A bag flapping would not work safely. Get to camping store first thing tomorrow, Wednesday, and buy a set of front panniers. Was I lucky to have that just around the corner in this block! While I had a bit of time Tuesday night I could get the Garmin maps loaded on the GPS & route myself from apartment out of Amsterdam & over to Marken on the Markermeer (southern chunk of inland water to NE of Amsterdam that once was part of North Sea). Marken is a small village that is on a little island in the Markermeer. By noon on Wednesday I had the bike all loaded. Now it is just finding my way out of Amsterdam's maze of streets, canals & bridges to get on the road to Marken. GPS route should make it a lot easier.

First, a last look at the apartment, that single window above the third floor of the house behind the red door at Vandelstraat 32. That old house was something – huge with a back yard & basement besides. I had to get a shot of their unique (I've never seen such) bike racks in a tight residential street just loaded with bikes.

In my 3-day rented apartment

2009-04-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it here to Amsterdam. It is now Sunday but I am still not all here. I hope to be not so zoned out by tomorrow when I will attempt to put my bike together and have a test ride. I spent my first night here at the Cosmos (Youth) Hostel. The nice young Rumanian fellow that checked me in warned me that I might not like the your wild and noisy crowd. It certainly didn't both be as I was exhausted. The coffee shop keeper across asked if I wanted a smoke with my coffee (that green stuff) but I said no thank you, I was having enough trouble just walking. I wandered the oldest part of Amsterdam as the hostel is very close to the center of the oldest part of Amsterdam. There are some wider streets and many small alley ways that only bicycles and pedestrians use. My wandering this I found a new construction crane working in the midst of the 14th Century town. I saw one building that was leaning so much, it looked like it could fall at any time. In the image below right, it is the brick on the corner. The fourth floor is blocking the more errect building just behind it. See the windows of that darker building next door.

Today I moved to just across the 17th Century boundary at Leidens Plein to Vondelstraat 32. This is a beautiful neighborhood in a house built in 1869. I am so happy to be staying with a family that rents their attic apartment. It is huge by European standards with two bedrooms, large living room and bathroom, sky-lights and charming views both north and south. Now that I have unpacked my bags and started to prepare to assemble my bike, I know that I will have a wonderful time here. They have agreed to hold my empty bags and let me stay with them in early June when I put all this back in the bags. That is great to have such a nice place to return to as I get ready to head back home.

From my living room window, looking south, I have a great view of the buildings and little side street that takes off of Vandelstraat. The big old building with all the towers is now a shopping mall on the insides but the old architecture is wonderfully preserved. That's the blue and white tram (articulated busses with up to four cars long that are packed all the time. I was told that soon they will not allow any car traffic in the old center of Amsterdam. Public transportation, bicycles, and pedertrians only.

Leaving Eugene

2009-04-24T09:10:00.001-07:00

Leaving Eugene, got up early and to the airport here in Eugene with plenty of time. Found that the local TSA bag scanner will not take the Co-Motion bag so they opened and searched it right off. That was a bit scarry but the only thing they made me take our was my chain lube. I am through security and gate. The gate check had me take out my scures and put them through separately. All is on the way now. Amsterdam, here I come!

Getting ready to go...

2009-04-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

It is two weeks from departure and I have lots to do and figure out before I go. Today I got a blog set up, replaced a bottom bracket on my road bike and got it ready for the late June Tour of Colorado, when I get back.

I did get my MP3 player updated and found the manual for it – an Acrobat (pdf) file. Now that is one more thing to learn how to operate. Gadgets! I do like having tunes as I think that I will be traveling alone most of the time. I’ve been told that I can expect to meet other cycle-tourists along the way. I look forward to meeting other cyclists and folks in the communities that I will visit along my travels.

I'll check in again in a couple days and keep you posted as I get my act together. Tomorrow I will start to disassemble my bike and pack it for the flight to Amsterdam on 25-26 April.