Last night at the campground, I spoke to a great South African / Russian couple, Martin and Olga. They are interesting people who’ve travelled widely and have done some interesting things like driving an old London cab across Europe and up to the German peninsula north of Murmansk – with a rooftop tent bolted on. It was fun and I’m very lucky that I chose the spot beside them.
This morning, everything was wet and it took some time to dry out before I could get going. When I did, I didn’t get great news. The ferry to Spakenburg doesn’t run on Mondays. That meant an extra 15kms of riding. I had the choice of two bridges which were equidistant. As I’d come over the one to the east on the way here, I took the western one on the way out. It was a bit out of my way in terms of today’s route, but I’ve never been over that one, and that’s what this trip is about.
Up and over the bridge, down the other side, I found myself in a fairly new suburb. While I was stopped, checking the route for the day, an old guy, Bart, asked me where I was heading etc. Bart is amazing. He’s a trombone player. Last month he was the guest with a renaissance orchestra in Germany. He teaches, he records, he designs instruments, he’s 73 and going strong. That was an interesting conversation.
A bit of googling reveals that he’s Bart van Lier and he’s quite well known, a very famous trombone player, with a range of trombones bearing his name, many recordings etc.
A few kms down the road and there was a village just off the track. Google said there was a bakery and coffee shops, so I turned off. At one point I was checking the map and a guy on a bike asked me what I was looking for. I said, a bakery, and he said follow me, I’ll take you there. Jolly decent of him too.
The bakery was good, but all of the coffee shops were closed on Monday. I suspect the staff are all out on the Spakenburg ferry having a grand old time. Even the Lidl supermarket was shut, and I find that amazing.
As I was leaving, a Dutch guy with a posh English accent came over asking questions. It was another interesting conversation prompted purely by inquisitive people.
The next stop was Baarn, where I had my first Uitsmijter Kaas of this trip – thats eggs on toast with cheese. Another Dutch delicacy ticked off the list.
Amersfoort was next before the track took me out into the countryside and up a hill. Yes, a hill. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I hadn’t seen one in three weeks at least. When I got to the top, the summit sign was hilarious – it said it was 69 metres above sea level – just massive.
The downhill took me into Amerongen where a highly rated cyclist cafe was shut because it was Monday. I was now expecting everything to be shut.
I found a place for a cold drink and headed off again, this time to Wijk bike Duurstede where I sat down in the fantastic central area and had a local alcohol free beer.
The supermarket was next – cash required – and then I had a ride of about 5kms to the campground. It’s great, friendly, small, super clean, lots of recharging points and even a few cyclists.
There was a Dutch guy, older than me who spent 3 months in hospital last year, and is out for a week on his eBike. I find that inspirational. There was also a 40 something Italian guy following the Rhine and smashing out 100-140 kilometres per day on his XC mountain bike. He’s a great guy to talk to.
Disaster struck me tonight with a leak in my sleeping mat. Further investigation required.