Amsterdam

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!!

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.

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!

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!

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!!!

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!

Day 2 - Final Report

I know that you are all hanging on a cliff, waiting to hear how the afternoon turned out.  As we finished our lunch and returned to our bikes, it started to rain!!!  Luckily, it only lasted a few minutes.  We had a 7 km ride to catch a ferry to cross the river and we needed to be there at a specific time so we had to ride like maniacs, against the wind, to get there on time!  We almost lost a few people with that one but we all made it on time!!
Once again we lucked out and the rain held of while we cycled our 15 kms to Dendermonde.  We met up with the other five people and visited a museum.  As we came out of the museum, the clouds were rolling and the thunder was rumbling and the skies opened up.  We hightailed it to the nearest pub for a refreshment and let the rain pass.  Then we hopped back on our bikes and rode the final 15 km with no rain!!  We are truly thankful!!!
Time for bed! Goodnight!

Day 2 - Midway Report

Last I checked in we were sitting in a pub trying to dry off. That was to no avail as we got back on our bikes and rode 4 more km in the rain to our boat. The streets were very slippery and we had another wipeout but nothing too serious!
We were happy to get to the boat to dry off and warm up. That showers felt great!!  We were treated to another fabulous dinner. After dinner some people still had energy so they went for a walk with the guide (it had stopped raining). The rest of us got into a card game.
The weather forecast was looking terrible for today so we decided to wait until this morning to make a plan.  When we got up the sun was shining

but the rain was on its way.  We had to decide if we were going for it or not. Fifteen of us decided to go for it and our first chance to meet the boat was 40 km ahead. We set out and we are now having lunch. It has only rained for about 15 minutes and that was when we stopped for a coffee break. We are now having lunch and have 15 km to go to meet the five that stayed behind, then we will cycle 15 more km to our final destination, for a total of 55 km. we are glad we made a run for it!  If it rains the this last 30 km I may change my mind on that!
Gunner got VERY cold and wet yesterday so he stayed on the boat today!

First Cycle Day Accomplished!

Saturday morning we started out doing a stroll through Bruge, being blindly led my yours truly!!  We went on a canal boat ride that took us through the city, showed us the lovely architecture and treated us to some interesting and humorous commentary.
In the afternoon we made our way, on foot, to our boat.  It was a bit of a gong show as we navigated our way, dragging our suitcases, trying to figure how how to get through a traffic circle. After a bit of frustration on everyone's part, we finally found our boat, the MS Gandalf. We were greeted by a very interesting character named Hans. We got settled in to our rooms and had the afternoon free. Some of us more dedicated travellers :) walked back to explore Briges while the more pathetic members of the group went to the pub. (Ok, so maybe I am just a little bit jealous that they had fun without me)!
We were treated to an absolutely amazing dinner, the size of the chef is a testament to his own food!! We are going to eat well.
We met our guide for the week, Rikko and I had him blushing and speechless in no time!!  He didn't know how to react when I informed him, with a totally straight face, that we had no intention of biking on this trip, we just came to drink and ride the boat!!
After dinner we went for a lovely stroll through Bruges at night, so amazing!
Today we were all excited and ready to go on our first ride. We were happy to see that it was not raining, as predicted. We originally thought that we would set off on our own but our guide suggested that we try to cycle together for the first day. We cycled out of Bruges to Ghent, a distance of 45 km. it was fantastic!!  It was easy to cycle as a group and we made good time. We stopped for one coffee break and a lunch break and we arrived in Ghent at 2:30. We had our first casualty as one person got her tire caught in a tram track and she fell down. She is a bit banged up but she is ok, thank goodness!
It started to rain just as we arrived in Ghent.  We went on a canal boat tour using umbrellas. We didn't see a lot but it was ok! Now we are sitting in a pub, trying to dry off and warm up!!
BTW, we don't have wifi on the boat, so my posts will be sporadic until we get to the Netherlands. I will try to post some pictures then.
Gunner rode on my handlebars today. He was a bit scared to begin with but he eventually got the hang of things!
In a few minutes we have to get back on our wet bikes and ride four more km to find our boat.  I think we will sleep well tonight!  Until next time.....

We Made It!

we made it to Bruges and our group of twenty is united!!  We had a few tense moments in the Brussels airport.  I bought a SIM card for my phone but when I went to install it, there were some problems.  Let's just say the SIMmcard is screwed!  I needed it to connect with the people we were trying to hook up,with in Brussels but that plan fell through.  The gods were with is and we managed to hook up,with everyone and catch the right trains to Bruges.  On the train, Gunner charmed a local man I to helping us find our hotel in Bruges.  We were very fortunate to have Phillip walk us right to our hotel.

We didn't let a little fatigue and jetlag slow us down!  We freshened up and hit the streets, in search of dinner.  We came across a long row of lovely restaurants to choose from.  How did we choose??  Find a menu that we can read! That's easy! ( or not).

It was a lovely evening to stroll the streets but we quickly decided that it was time for bed, until we got to our room and decided to have "one" night cap.  Well, a few paralyzers later found is joyfully falling into our beds in hopes of getting am good noggins sleep!!

Here's hoping!  Good night all!
BTW, I am trying to figure out to add pictures to my messages. Please be patient!

Night night!
Denise

On Our Way

We made it to Edmonton and are waiting to board our Iceland Air Flight. We will be touching down in Reykjavik and then on to Brussels.  Gunner is excited about stopping in at his hometown but he got carried away and drank too many Belgian Beers!!! We are fourteen now, hoping to find the other six in various locations of Belgium!  Next post from the other side of the pond.

Ready to Go!

I am getting ready to embark on another adventure!  On September 10, 2015, twenty people will head over to Belgium to begin our Bike and Barge Tour.  We will begin in Bruges, Belgium, where we board our boat, the MS Gandalf, our floating hotel for one week.  Each day we will set off on our bikes and cycle an average of 40 km to our next destination, where the barge will be waiting for us!  At our destination we will tour the town that we are docked in and enjoy an evening aboard the boat before getting a good nights sleep and doing it all over again the next day.  Seven days later we will (hopefully) arrive in Amsterdam, where we will disembark. We will spend two days exploring Amsterdam before heading home.

This is my first time organizing a bike and barge tour and I am very excited about it!  I have some repeat travellers coming with me but also some first timers, including two sisters, a brother in law and some high school buddies. We are going to have a blast!

This is also my first time posting to a blog, so I will do my best to make everything work.  If you are interested in following our adventures, be sure to check in!