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!