The end of the Trip of a Lifetime

We are sitting here in the hotel a few kilometers away from Schipol Airport.  Tomorrow we will take the shuttle over there and then fly home.  The end of the trip.

The last 12 days, and especially the 7 days on the boat, have truly been a dream come true.  I thought long and hard before I decided on how to celebrate turning 75.  That won't actually happen till October, but now was the window of opportunity for all 10 of us to be able to participate.  Sham came despite being scheduled for hip replacement surgery in less than a month.  Ian came despite his coughing of the last week and ongoing back problems.  Kieran came despite having to miss the first camp session.  None of us had cycled the 40 km a day for a week, but everyone did their best and it was wonderful.

We rode together through unfamiliar countryside.  We got animal updates from Rowan all along the way.  Joanna provided music for inspiring young people.  We sailed over canals on ferries.  We stopped for stork nests, old German bunkers, dike explanations, and a crazy bike museum.  

We enjoyed ice cream, coffees, beers, waffles -- both Belgian and Stroopwafels.  We marveled at the workings of a windmill, the stained glass in a cathedral, the bells in a belfry.

We played card games and guessing games.  We started on a diamond dot craft that will need many more hours to finish.  We celebrated birthdays -- current, those past and those yet to come this summer.

And we talked -- together at dinner, in small groups on the boat, in pairs while cycling--about future plans, feelings, politics, religion, fashion, shared past experiences.  Kieran and Ian played clarinet together on the back deck a few nights.

We connected.  That was my greatest hope for the holiday, that we would all connect.  And they will all be fine when it is my time to go.  I know that and I am so thankful.  

Riding into Belgium

 We have just today of riding left on this trip and I will be sad to see the end.  I have truly enjoyed the riding along in both the Netherlands and into Belgium.  

The countryside has changed dramatically.  We started in the area of relatively new polders where there was lots of water and have gradually gone to older landscapes.  Trees are mature, and the types of wildflowers along the cycle path have changed too.  I am recognizing more of them.  There are still masses of reeds along the riverbank and a few days ago we saw a thatch roof being installed on a house using bundles of those weeds when dried.

Since leaving the Netherlands, we have not seen any more windmills and with them goes much of the uniqueness of that landscape.

But yesterday we were in Ghent.  I guess Ghent is what I imagined Amsterdam should be.  The city is clean, and well organized.  There were lots of tourists, but it did not seem to have abandoned parts to the tourists as Amsterdam has.  There was no pervasive smell of smoke-- either cigarette or cannabis.  The buildings were impressive and well maintained.  It had the elegance of an old diplomatic city.  And great ice cream!!

Guided Riding

So it turns out that this is a guided ride -- I had read that in the brochure but assumed it meant that I got a paper or digital guide, but no, it meant we got Mark.  He is a Dutch gentleman, just retired from his job with the Waterworks and now he does these tours.  

The only other guided ride that I have done was in Portugal a number of years ago.  It was great and got me to places that would have been very hard to find and rides that I certainly would not have attempted on my own.  Other than that, I have had the briefing and the map to get me from place to place on the bicycle.  I wasn't sure how I would like it.

Now, I can't stop when I want to to take a picture or have a snack, but the relief of not having to find my way is huge.  I ride along in the line and look from side to side, enjoying the scenery.  Or I can have a chat with another rider.  The stops are interesting and the pace just under 20 kmph, so entirely comfortable.  We stop for coffee in the morning, then again for lunch and if there is something unique to see, we will stop anytime.  The schedule is flexible and it has worked out for our whole gang, including the 10 year old. 

The first 2 days we cycled in newer polders where there were lots of canals and mostly fields for hay or grazing cattle.  Today the scenery changed and were into older polders, less water and therefore fields that could take heavy machinery.  Now there are all kinds of crops -- wheat, corn, sugar beets, onions, potatoes and some that I could not identify just going by.  We ride mostly on the dikes as that's where the roads were first established.

The flowers are amazing too.  Hydrangeas in all colours  line the banks of canals or decorate the fences of the homes.  Gardening is a national obsession and they are good!

Amsterdam

 Actually we left Amsterdam two days ago, but I am behind in posts.

We were actually not very impressed with the part of this city that we saw.  Being a destination for many years for tourists, it seems the locals have abandoned the downtown as almost all the people walking the streets are tourists.  And those people have very little regard for local traditions, local cleanliness, and local people.  There is a lot of litter.  There are disproportionally many stores selling cannabis and related products.  Even the high end stores that you find in any capital city are relegated to side streets so souvenir shops can take over the major walkways.  The locals are mostly irritated with the tourists not heeding the rules for bike paths and the rights of cyclists.

Having aired my negative impressions, I still want to say that the Rijksmuseum is well worth the visit even though The Night Watch is behind glass and being restored.  

But we had much more fun in the Nemo Science museum with the interactive displays and activities. 

 The canal cruise we took started sour because the boat did not arrive on time, but worked out fine with a good guide and lots to see.

But at 12:30 on Thursday, all ten of us were on the boat, the Godefridus van Aemstel, settling into our cabins and looking forward to adventures together.