16/10/24
It was an early start, an early early start. They played a familiar tune (Don’t worry be happy by Bobby Mcferrin apparently) at half 6 over the loudspeaker of the entire ship. It penetrated the soul and we awoke abruptly. It was half 5 UK time so this was quite depressing as we were both getting some much needed shut eye.
Immediately following the song was a morning announcement that was essentially flogging coffee to weary drivers. We both snoozed, only to have another sales pitch less than 20 minutes later. They had been in this business a while. We had to get up.
Fortunately the bikes had made the journey without falling or having all our stuff stolen off them. Cycling off the boat, or rather walking to the end of the bay and then cycling, was both exciting and terrifying. We were actually in a foreign country with no idea where to start. Literally no idea as the Garmin decided now was the time to malfunction. It didn’t like long routes at all. It struggled to forget what it was asked to do but as we were last off the boat we were also last in the queue for passport control. We rolled along patiently every couple of minutes until it was our turn and the Garmin was ready to go.
We took the dune path towards Den Haag. It was undulating but not easy despite the flatness. Our legs didn’t have the power or stamina just yet. Certainly not with no sleep. We immediately found a campsite just outside the city and after a quick viewing of the Binnenhof (their parliament) and a big caffeinated drink we headed off to set up camp as early as possible.
The cycling in the Netherlands is exactly as you’d imagine. Perfectly maintained, wide and clear cycle lanes interspersed with parkland. Everywhere. In priority to other types of transport. It’s brilliant and absolutely the best place to start a journey. It made our journey extremely relaxed and the sheer number of bikes never gets old.
The campsite was rural(ish), the Netherlands as we were discovering in the flesh is so densely populated it’s hard to imagine. Everywhere there are houses and people even when you think you’re somewhere remote, a bike sails by out of nowhere.
Dinner with a sunset was obtained from the local shop, although the tofu we already had, and was a little bit of salad and bread. Food is pretty pricey, but you can be savvy with local produce and make do with tomato puree as a spread. Not Frankie’s favourite. Also a single green pepper in a plastic bag is planet proof. New fact for you.
Sleep was not as desired. It was hard to get comfortable for the first night in the tent and all the new gear we weren’t used to. It’s also so flat that it can be hard to know if your head is slightly lower than your heart. So despite getting into our sleeping bags by 8pm, sleep was poor and we didn’t get much. Ahh well.
Surly They Won't Make It 