On Saturday morning we said goodbye to the Gandalf and crew and our guide, Rikko and went to our hotel to drop our bags. Five people from the group went with Rikko for the day. They travelled to Rotterdam and had a tour there. Then they went to see a "once a year" occurrence, the closing of the flood gates that protect the city and surrounding areas from storm surges on the North Sea. This gate is used to "keep the feet of a million people dry".
The rest of us split into small groups and explored Amsterdam on our own. It is just too hard to try to tour with a big group. We spent Saturday and Sunday walking everywhere, sightseeing, shopping, people watching and relaxing in cafes. The city was extremely BUSYYYYYYYY!
We managed to get through the weekend without rain, so we considered ourselves lucky. Most of us met on Sunday afternoon and visited the Anne Frank Museum. It is the actual house where Anne and her family hid for 22 months before they were betrayed and captured by the Germans. It is a very moving experience.
The entire group of us went for dinner together at a lovely Italian Restaurant on Sunday night. It was nice to spend our final evening together. This morning we said goodbye to part of the group as some people are spending an extra week exploring in Europe. The rest of us are at the airport, waiting to board our flight to Reykjavik and then home.
It has been an incredible trip! The group was great, we all got along and had fun together. The Gandalf and crew were super. Our guide, Rikko (cutie sunshine) was fantastic! The weather could have been better but we felt fortunate that we managed to dodge the rain most days!!
I will try to post more pictures in the next day or two. Thanks for following us on our adventure!!
Monday, 21 September 2015
Saturday, 19 September 2015
Final Day of Cycling
We knew that it would be too good to be true to have sunshine the entire day! The clouds started to roll in as we continued after our coffee break. We pushed on until after 1pm, to get to Muiden to visit the castle. We had a guided tour of the castle at 1:30 so we ate our sandwiches as we walked from our bikes to the castle. We enjoyed our guided tour of the castle and then had some free time to explore more on our own. While we were in the castle the rain poured down for about 20 minutes. It stopped just in time for us to continue on.
At this point we had about 20 km to go to get to Amsterdam so we pushed right through. As we approached the city we had to ride up and over a huge bridge, our final big challenge for the trip. Navigating through Amsterdam was also a bit challenging but we all made it to the boat in one piece.
We arrived at the boat at 4pm with mixed feelings. We were happy that we had accomplished our mission but also sad to think that we were finished our cycle tour!!
I had a personal adventure when I set out with the tour guide into the heart of Central Amsterdam at rush hour. It was Friday,after work and there were people EVERYWHERE! We zipped around on our bikes, I was close on his tail, trying hard not to get lost or run over!! I made some daring moves, following my motto "never let them see your fear, just look them in the eye and go for it"! We eventually made it back to the ship, safe and sound!
After dinner we went on a night canal cruise to see the lit buildings and bridges. Then we did a short night walking tour through the red light district. Wouldn't you know it, it started to rain and it poured as we made our way back to the boat. When we got back, we gathered for a night cap and joke telling session before calling it a night.
At this point we had about 20 km to go to get to Amsterdam so we pushed right through. As we approached the city we had to ride up and over a huge bridge, our final big challenge for the trip. Navigating through Amsterdam was also a bit challenging but we all made it to the boat in one piece.
We arrived at the boat at 4pm with mixed feelings. We were happy that we had accomplished our mission but also sad to think that we were finished our cycle tour!!
I had a personal adventure when I set out with the tour guide into the heart of Central Amsterdam at rush hour. It was Friday,after work and there were people EVERYWHERE! We zipped around on our bikes, I was close on his tail, trying hard not to get lost or run over!! I made some daring moves, following my motto "never let them see your fear, just look them in the eye and go for it"! We eventually made it back to the ship, safe and sound!
After dinner we went on a night canal cruise to see the lit buildings and bridges. Then we did a short night walking tour through the red light district. Wouldn't you know it, it started to rain and it poured as we made our way back to the boat. When we got back, we gathered for a night cap and joke telling session before calling it a night.
Friday, 18 September 2015
Sunshine! Really????
Our final day of cycling and we have sunshine! Yahoo! The mood has changed, everyone is very chipper and ready to go. Our morning started out cycling along a canal that was lined with gorgeous homes and some lovely houseboats. The view was spectacular, made even better by the sun. The urgency began after 90 minutes of riding and we needed to find a washroom!! After several attempts and 30 more minutes we found an open coffee shop! Yeah! More later!
Thursday, 17 September 2015
The Longest Day!
We are back on the boat and very happy! We left Dordrecht and cycled to Kinderdijk to see the windmills. There are 19 windmills still existing that were built in 1738 and 1740. They were used to control the water levels of the area. They no longer are in operation but many of them have been turned into homes. We did get to tour inside of ones of the windmills to see how the people lived back in the day. Pretty tight quarters!!
The skies were cloudy and rain threatened us all morning but we stayed dry. As we got closer to lunch time the skies began to get dark and the rush was on to reach our destination before the skies opened up. We cycled hard to the river Lek and took the ferry across to the town of Schoonhoven. We had just parked our bikes and we're getting our instructions from Rikko when the rain came with a vengeance. We scattered to find the nearest shelter in a restaurant but we were thorough soaked in just a few minutes. Lunch with delicious hot soup gave us the courage to carry on. The forecast pointed to nonstop rain and we were only half way through our 55km day.
Luckily the rain backed off to a drizzle as we set off for the afternoon and it eventually stopped. I couldn't begin to count how many times we put on and removed our rain gear on this trip! Everyone was a trooper and took it as it was handed to us! We cycled through some beautiful green fields among the cows and sheep and saw a great variety of bird species.
We got off the beaten track and cycled on a path along a dike to reach a dairy farm. We were treated to a demonstration of how cheese is made and then got to sample some wonderful cheese. The visit was very interesting but a little tough on the nose!
Of course, as we prepared to leave, the rain began again. Once again we donned our rain gear and "sucked it up"! I think we all had high hopes of spotting the Gandalf waiting for us as we cycled along the river but it was just a pipe dream! We trudged on for another 18 km to find theGAnaf waiting for us near Utrecht. It was after 5 pm by the time we reached the boat and we were awfully happy to get here!
I am noticing that each night the sound level on the boat gets a little higher as the group bonds further and the jokes and teasing increases. We have a great group,neither a great guide and super boat crew. This is really the way to travel!!
Tonight we went on a short walking tour that wrapped up in a bar called "Friends". Each day we try a different type of beer. As usual, it was another beautiful evening and we are starting to think that perhaps we should cycle at night and sleep during the day when it is raining!!
Ok, it is late and I am off to bed. I am sorry there aren't any new pictures today, just not enough time. It is very time consuming to load pictures to the blog and I need to have wifi to do it. I will try to add some tomorrow.
Good night!
The skies were cloudy and rain threatened us all morning but we stayed dry. As we got closer to lunch time the skies began to get dark and the rush was on to reach our destination before the skies opened up. We cycled hard to the river Lek and took the ferry across to the town of Schoonhoven. We had just parked our bikes and we're getting our instructions from Rikko when the rain came with a vengeance. We scattered to find the nearest shelter in a restaurant but we were thorough soaked in just a few minutes. Lunch with delicious hot soup gave us the courage to carry on. The forecast pointed to nonstop rain and we were only half way through our 55km day.
Luckily the rain backed off to a drizzle as we set off for the afternoon and it eventually stopped. I couldn't begin to count how many times we put on and removed our rain gear on this trip! Everyone was a trooper and took it as it was handed to us! We cycled through some beautiful green fields among the cows and sheep and saw a great variety of bird species.
We got off the beaten track and cycled on a path along a dike to reach a dairy farm. We were treated to a demonstration of how cheese is made and then got to sample some wonderful cheese. The visit was very interesting but a little tough on the nose!
Of course, as we prepared to leave, the rain began again. Once again we donned our rain gear and "sucked it up"! I think we all had high hopes of spotting the Gandalf waiting for us as we cycled along the river but it was just a pipe dream! We trudged on for another 18 km to find theGAnaf waiting for us near Utrecht. It was after 5 pm by the time we reached the boat and we were awfully happy to get here!
I am noticing that each night the sound level on the boat gets a little higher as the group bonds further and the jokes and teasing increases. We have a great group,neither a great guide and super boat crew. This is really the way to travel!!
Tonight we went on a short walking tour that wrapped up in a bar called "Friends". Each day we try a different type of beer. As usual, it was another beautiful evening and we are starting to think that perhaps we should cycle at night and sleep during the day when it is raining!!
Ok, it is late and I am off to bed. I am sorry there aren't any new pictures today, just not enough time. It is very time consuming to load pictures to the blog and I need to have wifi to do it. I will try to add some tomorrow.
Good night!
Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Who is Gunner?
I realize that I have been talking about Gunner but many of you don't know who Gunner is! Gunner is my new travel partner/mascot. I met him last year in Reykjavik, Iceland. He loves adventure and trying new things!! Unfortunately, he tends to get a bit out of control at times!!! He is enjoying his "Belgium Beer Tasting" experience!
Day 4 - Wednesday
Well, today, our luck and our guide's luck ran out! The engines of the Gandalf fired up at 5:30 am and we started to roll. We were leaving Antwerp and travelling through its very impressive port. We dragged our weary butts out of bed so that we wouldn't miss it. As we ate breakfast we passed from Belgium to the Netherlands and now we have wifi on the boat!!!
At 9:00, just as we all got off the boat, it started to rain! The ship crew quickly pulled up the gang plank to make sure that we wouldn't change our minds! Something tells me that they enjoy the peace and quiet while we are off cycling all day.
We only had 30 km to cycles of ay and we were certainly happy about that!! It rained for the first half of our ride. We stopped for a coffee break about an hour into the ride and tried to dry off a bit before moving on.
We stopped at the Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. It was a very moving experience as we quietly walked among the rows of graves, seeing how many young men were lost to war.
We also stopped at our first Dutch Windmill but we will be seeing some in operation tomorrow.
We got back to the boat at noon and we were sure happy to be treated to a big pot of wonderful homemade soup. The ship got pretty quiet after lunch as many of us took the opportunity to take a nap. Now we are enjoying cruising down the river, watching the world go by. We are getting prepped for happy hour and a rousing game of 70's charades!!!
After dinner we will go for a walking tour of Dordrecht. The evening walking tours are always enjoyable as they have so many of the buildings lit up.
I am slowly adding pictures so be sure to go back to the past posts!!!
At 9:00, just as we all got off the boat, it started to rain! The ship crew quickly pulled up the gang plank to make sure that we wouldn't change our minds! Something tells me that they enjoy the peace and quiet while we are off cycling all day.
We only had 30 km to cycles of ay and we were certainly happy about that!! It rained for the first half of our ride. We stopped for a coffee break about an hour into the ride and tried to dry off a bit before moving on.
We stopped at the Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. It was a very moving experience as we quietly walked among the rows of graves, seeing how many young men were lost to war.
We also stopped at our first Dutch Windmill but we will be seeing some in operation tomorrow.
We got back to the boat at noon and we were sure happy to be treated to a big pot of wonderful homemade soup. The ship got pretty quiet after lunch as many of us took the opportunity to take a nap. Now we are enjoying cruising down the river, watching the world go by. We are getting prepped for happy hour and a rousing game of 70's charades!!!
After dinner we will go for a walking tour of Dordrecht. The evening walking tours are always enjoyable as they have so many of the buildings lit up.
I am slowly adding pictures so be sure to go back to the past posts!!!
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Day 3
I know that you will find this hard to believe but I am writing this from the pub. We are working on trying to try all of the beer in Belgium but we have several to go before we leave the country. We have a great rhythm going, ride when it's dry and drink when it rains!! We rode over 40 km today and the sun was shining and the wind was blowing.... On our backs!! We are feeling pretty lucky that we have managed to dodge most of the rain!!
Along the way we stop at war memorials, castles, museums and other points of interest. We cycle on beautiful trails through fields, forest, small towns and along the rivers and canals.
Time to meet the guide, heading to a museum. We are in Antwerp, it is lovely. More later!
Cheers!
Along the way we stop at war memorials, castles, museums and other points of interest. We cycle on beautiful trails through fields, forest, small towns and along the rivers and canals.
Time to meet the guide, heading to a museum. We are in Antwerp, it is lovely. More later!
Cheers!
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