Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Holland and Germany.

Well, that was a loooong day! Rolled off the ferry a little after 8 am, with a great sense of anticipation and a huge grin on my face! Sun was shining and I had the open road ahead of me; what could be better?
My GPS died a couple of times in the first 20 minutes, sending me on a bit of a detour; but after it decided to behave I headed north. Nowhere in particular to be and all day to get there.
After filling the bikes tank and my stomach, I alternated between motorways and smaller roads throughout the day (always heading north and east); trying to find the balance between making ground and enjoying the ride (not a fan of riding on motorways).
Holland is flat, verrrry flat with a lot of long straight roads (I'm sure it sees The Argentine pampas as its (much) bigger brother! Lots of cyclists on the road; but not the smug, lycra clad fanatics you see in London, but normal people in everyday clothes just going from A to B on antiquated looking bikes. Nice.
As the hours rolled by, I found myself in Germany. As the weather was so good, I decided to push on, crossing the River Elbe on another ferry (only 5.5 Euros!). After a bit of trouble finding somewhere to stay, I ended up in the town of Elmshorn almost 12 hours after rolling off the ferry from the UK. It didn't seem that long, I was just happy to be back on my bike and riding. Had a schnitzel and beer for my tea. How German is that?!

First glimpse of Holland.

Waiting to disembark. 

Afsluitdijk.

1 mile to a milestone. 

Elbe ferry.

Soundtrack: "Lowlands of Holland", Levellers

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