Day 4
Distance for the day 39.33kms
Total distance : 178.93
Sidetracked again ....
Our first leg of today took along a pretty but not very direct route to Doorweth Castle.
Our first stop was to the bike shop next door to the hotel to see if we could pick up a map of where we were heading. It was HUGE! with so much stuff. The Dutch really know how to do bikes!
Tempted to get a wider & more cushioned seat and then pannier envy - this place had so mny styles and colours ...
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| The workshop was pretty spectacular as well.. |
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On the road again ... there is a castle somewhere behind those trees. |
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| Poppies were growing everywhere on the side of the road. |
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| One of the lovely tree lined streets we rode down. |
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| One of the lovely mansions we rode past ... |
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| The signs we were trying to follow around town .... |
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| Other cyclists who were taking their dog for a ride in the trailer (and were pretty much as lost as we were for a while) - this couple set a cracking pace.. |
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| Pannier envy |
This was the biggest castle by far we have seen. It had been almost totally destroyed in the battle of Arnhem as some Germans were holed up inside and the allies tried to get them out, however the castle suffered extensive damage. It took 37 years to restore. Originally built in 1200's & extended on over the centuries. We went inside - it has over 80 rooms, & we didn't see most of them. This castle is also part of the Liberation route
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| My knight in shining armour |
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| New style bike helmet perhaps |
After this we rode into Arnhem & found accommodation at a cute B&B
We then headed off to the Airborne War Museum to learn more about the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. The movie - A bridge too far was based on the conflict.
Next to he museum gardens was a small deer sanctuary.
We had a lovely dinner in the restaurant close to the museum as we hadn't eaten since breakfast. Yes, he is ignoring my pleas for food ....
We then visited the cemetery where most of the allies killed during the Battle of Arhem are buried. This was my first time in such a place. It is such a sombre & sobering reminder of the destruction of lives & families that war has. Most of those buried were between 19 & 24 years of age. I was moved to tears. It was overwhelming.
We then rode back to our B&b for R&R as this route had quite a few long hills. This day was the toughest for me - although it wasn't that many kilometres, I think a combination of jet lag and fatigue from riding so far so often had kicked in. A hot bath and a good nights sleep seemed to sort it out.
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