Trying to get home ....

As always on our adventures, travelling is never without its issues. This last day on our holiday was no exception. 

We travel on standby tickets. We had planned to travel out of Amsterdam, but the one flight a day was very full for a number of days. So we had to look elsewhere for flights. Frankfurt has two flights a day, and there were a few flights that had a few seats. So we needed to plan to get to Frankfurt. In most cases this would be an easy 3 hour ICE train from Amsterdam, or a 4 hour Flix bus ride. However, we had massive bike bags which were not allowed on the ICE trains, and Flix buses could not guarantee us a place with our bikes on the bus. So we needed to look at getting to Frankfurt using regional trains that we could take our bikes on.

We had spent quite a bit of time planning our route and trains to catch and ensuring it all lined up. 

We had a good plan, and for the first 30 minutes, everything went to plan. Then the booked taxi VAN did not turn up at the requested time, 15 minutes later, a Mercedes sedan turned up which was not going to fit in 2 bike boxes and 2 suitcases and a 3 people.

After a quick appraisal of the situation, the driver contacted the company and a VAN would be on its way - in 15 minutes. We had a train to catch in 20 minutes... we did not make the planned for train ... and so the days plans were thwarted from then on. We spent longer waiting for trains than we should have and if the plane out of Frankfurt had not been delayed by 2 hours ... we would not have made that either.... 

The plan was to catch the 8:21 train from Amsterdam Zuid to Venlo. We missed that, and we knew this was going to mess up the carefully calculated plan we had created the evening before, so we went to the ticket counter to see what we could do ... they played with the timetables and really could not find anything that was going to work, and could sell us tickets for about 250Euro to get us through the Frankfurt. Wayne had seen that the German Trains have a special all day deal for 52euro - but we could only buy it in Germany. So we bought a ticket for ourselves and ur bikes and got on the 8:51 train to Venlo. 

This lef of the journey was quite pleasant, our bikes in boxes took up quite a bit of space, and the Netherlands trains are not very good for transporting many bikes, There were three other people with bikes on our carriage, one was standing in the entry and exit with her bike. the Ticket people came along and told her she had to get off at the next stop as the bike was impeding traffic. It wasn't, but as much as the Dutch like bikes, they do not like them on trains. The next stop was quite a way, but it was still earlier than the stop she wanted to get to. I felt a bit bad about that. We had a chat about our trip to the other cyclists and got some top tips for next time.

Amsterdam Zuid - > Venlo train 2:42:00

Wait on Venlo station  - 1:00:00

We arrived in Venlo, waiting an hour for the next train. After boarding the train to Mönchengladbach hbf and crossing the border, we got online and bought our day tripping, unlimited regional train rides ticket for two people for 52euro - we certainly got our money's worth on this ticket.

Train to Mönchengladbach hbf 00:30:00

The train to Mönchengladbach hbf was packed as it was a beautiful Sunday and people were out and about. it was on this train we learned that the plane we had given up on catching was delayed by at least 2 hours.  We were still in with a chance!

On arrival in Mönchengladbach hbf we needed to cross the platform to get on the train to Koblenz. This train was also packed. It was a bit tricky moving across the platform and then finding space for all our bags and ourselves. Sunday probably was not the best day to do this sort of travelling.

There were many tired looking young people on the train who had been staging a huge protest at one of the mines in Germany. 

Train to Koblenz -> 2:32:00

Wait on Koblenz station  - 2:00:00

At Koblenz we needed to catch a train to Frankfurt airport. These only ran every 2 hours on a Sunday and we had just missed the last one by 3 minutes. So we sat on the platform in the warm sun people watching. 

A very old train turned up a couple of times on the same platform and we discovered it was the tourist train to take people to the local train museum in Koblenz. Maybe next time. 

The train journey from Koblenz to Frankfurt was filled with cyclists who had been out enjoying the beautiful weather. German trains are so much better at carrying bikes. 

Koblenz to  Frankfurt Airport-> 2:00:00.

We turned up at the airport after 4 trains, & 11 hours traveling and waiting for connections at stations, (think the butterfly effect of public transport) we check in. It was supposed to be 4 trains and 7 hours travelling in the original plan.

We managed to get to the check in counter within 10 minutes of our check in limit time, the bags were checked and we were able to board the flight - hurried through the check in zone as there was a bomb scare in the departure area of the terminal, and the area was being cleared. We then set on the relatively trouble free journey home. 

Waiting at Hong Kong airport for our connection to Sydney on 24 June, we got home on 25 June at about 2pm after leaving Amsterdam 8am on Sunday 23rd June.

Amsterdam Bos (forest) & the Amstel

June 22 - Day 17 - Last of the riding days

Distance 43.13kms

Total distance on the trip **** 1012.97 km ****

Moving time 2:45:00 

                                  

Todays elevation 48m                                  

Total elevation 1363

It was a beautiful sunny day, so after breakfast we  took our bikes unloaded into the Amsterdam Bos (or Forest) for a slow exploration of a wonderfully huge green space very close to the city. 

There were many large open spaces in the forest like the one above in the left photo,  to give an idea of how large this forest is - those dots in the centre are people.

We stopped to watch a secondary school rowing regatta for a little while. This was quite entertaining with the students cheering on the side while riding bikes along the path, not really focussing on where they were riding. 

We came across this high line adventure park / obstacle course with young people swinging from the ropes and wires. They were all hooked up with safety devices, but they were moving around the course with minimal adult supervision. The course was very interesting too with chairs and everyday objects suspended as part of the platforms to use. It even went over a small creek. The young ones were having a fabulous time.

After a few more kilometres in the forest we headed over to the Amstel river to ride along that for a few kilometres.

We stopped for lunch at an Indian restaurant on the banks of the Amstel and watched the flotilla of boats go past as people were out enjoying the gorgeous weather. It was also a Saturday.  

After lunch we headed north along the Amstel toward Amsterdam with the thousands of others who wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day. 

We finished our day ride and set about cleaning the bikes to clear Australian customs after all the farms and sheep paddocks we rode through. A scrubbing brush and Dettol did the trick.

They were then sadly packed away in their boxes ready for transporting in planes, trains and automobiles tomorrow.

The tracks and bikes at Sood Amstermdam Station

Our complete riding route around the Netherlands with a brief sojourn into Germany. There is so much left to explore. 1012.97 km

Onderdijk to Amstelveen / Amsterdam

June 21 - Day 16

Distance 78.3

Total distance on the trip 969.84 km

Moving time 4:34:00

                                  

Todays elevation 38m                                  

Total elevation 1368

Weather : 13-19 C Sunny, The wind started as a 17km/h SSW, but then turned to be a 24km/h westerly about midday.  We had a tail wind for about 10kms at the end.

We managed to get going by 8:34 on this morning, we had a birthday function that evening in Amsterdam for about 6pm, so we needed to get back, unpack, freshen up and get out of the hotel and with about 80kms to ride, we did not have much time for looking around, although we did stop at a few interesting places. Again the wind was an issue for us, and we did take a few wrong turns.

We again passed some beautiful homes in the country side, and the compuslory windmill or two. We headed inland for a bit, just to reduce the distance we needed to ride. 

There were some quite small villages we passed along the way, some with newer architecture than others, we enjoyed the passing breezes of the monster tractors carting the hay to wherever they were going. The church in the photo above had been modified into a house.

Along the Markermeer Sea wall we came across this monument on top. At this point 5 November in 1675, this wall was breached by the sea and flooded the lowlands lying on the other side. It was the last time it happened, as the Dutch got super serious about walls and dijks and keeping the sea out of their country. (Thankful for google translate)
The old Dutch people called the floods the "water wolf" who was always waiting to get them by finding weakness in the walls and breaking it down. 

We rode into Edam - such a pretty canal town, we did not have much time to look around, but there were many buses discharging their tourists while we were there, we knew we were missing something, but did not have the luxury of time to find out. (I know there is cheese here).  We shall return as it is not far from Amsterdam. The statue on the right is the Holocaust memorial in Edam. 

 We rode along a long canal to head into the northern part of Amsterdam. The wind at this point was quite strong in our faces. We tailed these two cyclists on e-bikes for a bit to give us pace line and drafting from the wind, but then, they were going so slow we needed to pass them. 

Some of the sights as we approached Amsterdam, the cows were very close to town. The infamous dutch house boats that were brought into existence after WW2 to alleviate the housing shortage. 

Some more sight of some of the villages we rode through. Every town in the Netherlands has its own charm.

As we got closer to Amsterdam proper, we had to catch a free ferry across  the main Canal that splits defines Amsterdam the Het Ij. We passed this cycling keg on wheels where the drinkers pedal while travelling around the city. The vehicle took up much of the cycle path and travelled quite slow. Not sure if they needed a designated steerer. 

And the last unpack of the bikes this trip. Staying in Amstelveen and the new Ammonite Hotel. Quite the hotel in comparison to the IBIS Budget we had stayed in just down the road. We still prefer the country B&B's. But we are in the big smoke now. 

We managed to check in, get changed and get to our daughters birthday event all on time. A great day of riding.

Arum to Onderdijk

June 20 - Day 15

Distance 58.7 kms + 13.9

Total distance on the trip 891.54km

Moving time 3:11hours + 0:55:22

                                  

Todays elevation 74m                                  

Total elevation 1315

Weather - This was the worst day of the entire trip regarding weather. Strong winds and serious rain for most of the day. Winds were about 15km/h Westerlies, and temps ranged between 12-18. With no sun. Real feel was cold.

Another fabulous breakfast (we love chocolate sprinkles) and we were on our way before 9am to try to get somewhere before the forecast rain hit us and to catch a scheduled bus on the Dyke. 

Riding through open plains again, mainly on roads this time, we went via Zurich ... we could not go directly to the Afsluitdijk as it was under construction, which led to a bit of confusion as the detour roads were closed as well as work was being done on those. We managed to find our way. 

Sights on the way onto the Afsluitdijk cycle way.

Wayne really, really wanted to ride across the Afsluitdijk, it was built between 1927 - 1932  it is 32 kms long, 90 metres wide  (2 car lanes each way with a  seperated cycle path) and 7 metres above sea level. The construction is to add 2 metres to the height of the Afsluitdijk with climate change and rising sea levels, the Netherlands does not want to end up under water. 

With all the construction, the cycleways were closed at about 1/3 of the way across, but the Dutch, knowing how important cycling is to the soul, put on a free bus to take cyclists across the part of the Afsluitdijk that is closed. And boy, was I glad to see that bus.

The Afsluitdijk is very exposed, with no protection from the wind, and again we had a vicious headwind as we crossed, and it was cold. We had to meet the bus timetable so we were not waiting in the elements for another hour, so we really had to hike along as we were not really sure when the bus was leaving as the website was a bit confusing. We were planning on 15 minutes of crisis time.  We had some cyclists pass us going north, so we knew the bus was there already - before what we thought was the scheduled time. 

The bus was there waiting, the driver was a happy Dutch woman who was so excited to see us, as she did not want to make the trip by herself.  We then could see another two cyclists in the distance and we waited a few minutes for them, as she felt a bit sorry for them. 

While we were waiting she told us what was going on with the construction of the Afsluitdijk - the image of what was to be was on the side of the bus - raising the wall by two metres, and adding more breakwater, and adding another cycleway on the North see side, so cyclists have a choice of where to ride - sea side, or land side.  Nice. 

The other cyclists made it to the bus, I knew the winds were bad when these people, riding e-bikes, boarded and said - the winds were making the trip hard work. They were from Switzerland.  The driver checked the bikes were secure and we were off.  

The bus was equipped with blankets for cyclists and pedestrians to use so they do not freeze (as well as the bus being heated). I was thankful for this comforting touch as I was freezing. I think it was a 5 layer riding day.

After about 30 minutes we got to the other side, where quite a large bunch of women cyclists were waiting to board the FREE bus to take them north. They had to take their panniers off to fit all their bikes in the bus. 

The photo on the right side is of the Swiss folk who were on the bus with us. 

We set off from the bus station, went via a shipyard and found a cycleway that would take us to Den Helger, we did not get very far when the heavens decided to rain upon us. We got as far as Den Ovever (about 5kms) and sought refuge in a bus shelter.

It bucketed down and we sat tight. As we were nearing the end of our riding trip, we had been eating through our riding snacks, and while waiting we pooled our snack foods that would sustain us through the rain disruption. There was a lot of chocolate & honey and one Babybel we had to share.

The rain was consistent for about 2 hours, with a few very short breaks. We took it in turns to run up to the top of the levy to look at the North Sea from this coast. Not as much mud on this side, and it was still flat. Wayne even had a break away to find a cafe, but was turned back very quickly. We had someone from one of the houses come out to see if we needed anything ....a cup of coffee, blanket, bathroom ... so hospitable.

Whilst waiting out the rain, we had to make some decisions about which way to go. We had wanted to go via Den Helger, then back down to Haarlem on the west coast to have another look around that city before cruising into Amsterdam in two days, but we figured we needed to head down the eastern part of the land mass in a somewhat direct route. And of course, how far we went depended on the weather. This is the beauty of riding without a concrete plan - we are not forced to go in any particular way. I booked a place at Oberjik for the night. 

About 10 kms down the road it started raining again and we took shelter in this interesting camping ground called Land uit Zee. We had some hot chocolate and cake in the small cafe with a big dog while it rained, when it had finished raining we took a little ride around the grounds. They have taken a bunch of transport items - boats, planes, buses, trains, a helicopter and tree house and made them into little apartments for staying in. It was quite quirky. 

After the rain we continued along the Ijsselmeer banks until we reached Medemblik, and the lead into this little town and the actual town was very pretty with many boats, historic buildings, and of course, windmills, old and new. 

On our way to Oberdijk the skies cleared up and it became quite warm, and we were passing the Stoom Machine Museum. We had to stop and see this museum. 

Wayne was in his element. The smell of oil and metal was overpowering. Thankfully the gardens were quite pretty and the sun was out.

After finding our salubrious accommodation (it was not as good as others we had stayed in but it was clean and the bikes had a safe spot to sleep), we decided to take advantage of the clear skies and ride around the area to do a bit of sight seeing. Turning right first we went into the actual town of Oberdiijk and had a quick look around there, then we headed north to the Radboud Castle back in Medemblik.

The statue commemorates the men who hand dug the canals in the area.  Some of the pretty houses on said canals.

On the way up we caught sight of this tall ships sailing in the Ijsselmeer.  We passed by the yacht club where many of the sailors were packing up after a race. It is a concern to me when you need to sail in a wetsuit ... 

Radboud Castle was so pretty in the afternoon light. 

We went to the local beach on our way back the room, and the sunset is from our room, overlooking a canal. Dinner in the hotel and a warm, dry bed.