Sorry that yesterday we were incommunicado (or is it -di?) internet problems!
We left our lodgings with all cyclegear freshly washed and dried by our new friend(who the night before had taken us to the local Michelin'ish (perhaps Continental, no more like heavy threaded Schwalbe!) restaurant where I had meatballs made by the Dutch meatball meister. Well I am glad that he won and even more glad that I did not have those by the other contestants! You certainly knew when they landed and I was slightly worried that they didn't go all they way through in one shot.
Anyway off we went on a beautiful sunny morning with the wind right smack in our snouts! And the flags were stretched! So we could keep it at around 10-12 mph (always double figures!), as we made progress through the land of dikes, sheep - and meatballs. It was pretty hard going and we could not bother to stop for coffee nor beer(!). We paid a quick visit to Delff (what a grim place!) and then headed for the German "border" at Nieuweschans. We thought that we would spend our last Dutch Euros in a local establishment but all was closed down! So on we went, hoping for accommodation in Bunde -sold out, in Weener - sold out, and then on to Leer which in spite of its German name (means empty) was also rather full. We got accommodation at a hotel about an hour outside in a street that noone had ever heard of. Nice enough place - great rooms, cycle parking (which we could not find so the bikes slept securely at our sides - we both had doubles). There was no restaurant but a note mentioned a nearby establishment which we managed to get lost several times trying to find. But did we find it and was it worth our troubles? It certainly was! The food (Italian) was wonderful, the beer (German ), absolutely great and the waitress was at least Miss Germany if not Miss A-Whole-Lot-Of-Other-Countries too. And she was a super waitress as well. We do notice these things!
A good night's sleep waited us until we were up at early hours, cleaned and oiled the bikes , had a massive breakfast and we were off.
We found that Leer centre was only 3-4 miles away (much easier by daylight!) and it was very charming, carried on to Emden, Norden and are now on the North German coast at Dornumersiel - no we have never heard of it either and don't bother to look for it! We wonder if we should pay a visit to the islands (well known to those of you have read the fantastic novel Riddle of the Sands, compulsary reading in the Admiralty when Churchill was First Sealord). But when we ask in the tourist office they just say that they are all very small- in this context possibly not a great selling point!
Yesterday we clocked up just over 100 miles and today 66, held back by various town visits.
The scenery in Holland and Germany is stunning. Stunningly mind-blowingly boring. If you like flat, if you can get excited by dikes (is that spelled correctly?) and if you like sheep , well then there is a lot to get excited over. But the coastline is non-existent, i.e the grass ends and the mud begins. The houses are functional but generally not pretty. The people a generally helpful (in northern Holland they do not smoke as much as in the south and they greet us without clearing their lower bronchi). We even had an old geezer follow us on his electric scooter to make sure that we went the right way - well he did not follow us, he took a shortcut and overtook us with an acceleration that must surely have almost caused a black-out! Most shops in Germany seem to be closed - they have made their surplus and need not open until Christmas?
The bikes are doing well, the legs ditto, the food is good , the beer is nourishing, and the tan linea are getting sharper by the day. All is well here in the flat lands!!!
Found you on the NSCR Map, you are making good progress despite the wind. Ah...you noticed when you crossed the German Border...well done....you-know -who did not, or any other border! Good luck for the next few days and hope the landscape becomes more interesting soon. PS The scones and coffee are still good at Wheldons.
ReplyDeleteAlso following your progress via the NSCR map but having to expand it hugely to find the places you pass en-route; the bigger I make it the emptier it seems! The dyke section appeared as a single red line across my screen with nothing else surrounding it!! Hoping your good progress has continued today (Thursday) and also pleased to hear that Gino is getting out to Wheldons again! (Or is he just driving there in the car?!).
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