Today was expected to have a few showers but recently, that’s become the norm. Light shower, dry out, etc. so it hasn’t been a major hassle. I was intending to make it to Monschau in Germany but that was weather dependent.
The hotel was great. As always, I dried my tent in the bathroom overnight. I was tired, so I slept in and went for a walk around Maastricht. I have to say it was fairly uninspiring. The old bridge is nice and I walked through the old town which was full of high end shops. It’s nice though.
Back at the hotel, I repacked my bike and left at checkout time – 11am. I was undecided about leaving. The weather wasn’t going to be great today but better the next day. But it was going to get worse after that, so I thought I may as well get going.
As I walked out the front door of the hotel, it started to rain and it got steadily heavier. So I parked the bike and sat in the hotel’s coffee shop for about an hour. When I thought the worst was over, I headed out. I’d worked out my last chance to stock upon stroopwafels and drop, was at the Albert Heijn on the way out of the city. I got a big bag of each – yum.
Goodies in the bag, I left Maastricht along some easy bike paths, but the rain was ever present. Knowing it wasn’t going to be great today, I took the most direct route and I’m glad I did. After about 30kms, I had my lunch in a bus shelter beside a busy road and watched the rain put down. I decided there and then to stop in Aachen, and booked a hotel. It would have been too wet to camp anywhere.
This is a border area between Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, so it’s interesting to see the language change in a few short kms. I made it to the hotel, but they insisted that the bike stay outside, so I unpacked in the rain, checked in and went in search of some secure bike parking.
If you are ever in Aachen and want to park your bike, then maybe there’ll be some in six months time. There’s none right now. The hotel said there was some at the station. Nope.a cyclist suggested another place. It’s there but it’s not yet working properly. They sent me to another place. Nope. I asked at a bike shop and they sent me to another spot where again, it’s not yet finished. I then rang the hotel and pleaded with them after wasting two hours. They relented and This Moment and I shared the room.
On the bright side, I’ve been all around Aachen.
I had a simple meal at a nearby restaurant and settled in to binge watch most of the first series of Ted Lasso. I just love stories about coaches. I’d intended to have an early night but it didn’t happen. I blame Ted.
I was surprised by the number of homeless people in the city. I was also surprised by their desperation too. People sitting in the outdoor restaurants became a smorgasbord for beggars who looked to be doing laps of the main marketplace. It’s a bit sad in such an historical and nice city that this life is their only option.