Thursday, March 27, 2008
Amsterdam to Dussledorf
Hey everybody! I made it!
Well, I tried to keep this succinct, but it didnt really work. I tend towards the long-winded anyway, and I have a lot to say.
So, I landed on March 19th in Amsterdam in a warm, sunny morning. The airline I flew with didn't require me to take my bike apart, so I was able to ride right out of the airport on a well marked trail into the City centre. I made it in and found a hostel without difficulty. A great start! Amsterdam is a zoo. But the animals on display are human ones. I thought it would be fun, but I got tired of it pretty quickly. Just a bunch of foreigners out to get wasted. The only locals I met ran the hostel, and they were great. Amsterdam is the kind of place where you need to know somebody to get it done right. I stayed only two full days - just long enough to get over the jetlag.
On my last full day there, I spend my time riding around the city getting supplies and information. What a beautiful city! Canals everywhere, and amazing architecture. I could live there, easy! Although the tourists would get on my nerves... Did I mentioned that it snowed? And not like a little skiff either - it Snowed with a capital S. Even by Canadian standards, it was a blizzard. This is the coldest easter they have had in over 50 years or something. It has snowed every day since Amsterdam - to varying degrees... What a time I chose for a bike trip!
I headed east from 'The Dam' on the 22nd. I hooked into a bike trail that follows a canal to the Rhine River. It is flat, straight, paved, and completely traffic free. I had a strong wind at my back and I sailed through the countryside. And what country side it is! I made the right choice starting in The Netherlands... Canals, windmills, wild tulips, bikes, castles, just like in the postcards. Well worth the visit everybody.
I got to Utrecht - my first destination - to find the hostel booked. Luckily the tourist info lady was able to find me a campground (most campgrounds here don't open until April as Europeans are not dumb enough to camp at this time of year). However, the campsite was still a ways off so I hit the road. Then it started to snow. Then it started to get dark. Then I got lost. Then I realized I had forgotten to buy fuel for my camp stove so I couldn't even cook all the food I had been dragging around in my saddlebag all day. Aint life grand? I did manage to find my spot before dark and, thankfully, they had hot showers there. I ate a raw dinner and froze my butt off all night, but woke up feeling ready to go.
Day two was slower. I took the scenic route to Arnhem, where I new there was a hostel for me to stay at. The countryside is dotted with castles and 'forests' which make for great riding. I made good time and had a good nights sleep. The only problem was that it was Easter, so everything was closed. I couldn't buy groceries, let alone camp fuel. I would've eaten the darn bunny if he had come within grabbing distance... Happy easter, by the way.I woke up to snow. Aside from the blizzard in Amsterdam, the snow had been... well... cute by Canadian standards. But this time it was more determined and actually stuck to the ground. Not to be discouraged, I rode on anyway. Its a good thing I'm so tough!
As soon as I hit the road the clouds broke open to let the sunlight through. Freshly invigorated I rode towards the German border like I was running from the law (I wasn't, just for the record). There wasn't even a signpost to mark that I had entered a different country. The only way I could tell was that the beer being advertised on the signs of the pubs were different. The method used to mark trails is different in Germany than in Holland (ie: poorly, and different from what's on the map) so I promptly got lost. Actually, come to think of it, every day in Germany has been like that. My method of navigation seems to be as follows: follow the map until I realize I no longer know where I am, ride in a circle looking for a landmark and/or ask a stranger, engage my spidey-sense, add all this info together, divide it by the angle of the sun, multiply by 3.14159 and head off in whatever direction seems right. Its worked for me so far.
I made it to the Rhine River by afternoon. My plan is to follow the Rhine all the way into southern Germany, where I will be able to hook up with the Danube River, which will take me all the way to Vienna. Rivers are good to follow because they are more or less flat, and make a good landmark, making it harder to get lost. Although I still manage somehow... I was pulling into Xanten when another storm hit. Again, this one had something to prove. Huge wet flakes dumped from the sky. I had to take refuge under a gas station awning because I could only see a few metres ahead of myself. Luckily the hostel wasn't far off, so I got to take a hot shower in a heated room forthwith. I had the whole place to myself. I washed my laundry in the sink, like the vagabond that I am, and hung it all around the room. So ghetto... I love it! That night I went into town and ate a true German meal at a real live Schnitzelhause... meat, meat and also some more meat. Oh, and pomme frits. Damn fine.
Day four was yesterday. It was a long one. Although a good section of my ride was well marked and paved, there was a big section of it that was an old dirt track built by the Romans. ALthough slower, this was amazing. I could practically feel the history seeping up from the ground. I thought of the things that had happened there before me, on this road. The hardship, the people who had fallen in love, the food grown and harvested, the men killed in countless battles, the children who had grown up here. This is why I came here. If you allow yourself, you can sense the history that has soaked into the ground, saturating it. It makes you feel so small, and yet somehow infinetly important, because now my tracks are a part of that road. I am a part of that history.
Mostly because I'm the only dumbass on a bike riding around in the snow. Sorry, I was getting too reflective and had to break the mood. It snowed and re-snowed throughout the day (can you spot the theme?) like clockwork. Every three and a half hours it would snow for half an hour. But I rode on. And on and on. 92 km of on and on. My goal was Hiligenhause, where Maija has family that she said would put me up. I made it as dusk was falling and these gentle, kind people drove down to pick me up. Their names are Reine and Gutta and I am forever endebted to them. They have been so gracious - putting up with a dirty, smelly, bike rider guy such as myself. And in a beautiful house! I got showered and fed and beered. Reine even gave me a tour of his factory, where they make car door lock latch doohickies. I got to see real live German factory workers! Cool!
Today is day 5, and I have been here all day, relaxing for a change. I cleaned up my bike and gave it a good tune after yesterdays Roman road ride. Darn Romans shouldve learned how to pave. I even got to do laundry. I am so thankful, and now I am ready for the road again. This layover coudnt have come at a better time. Besides (no suprise here) it snowed all day long. Tomorrow I head for Dusseldorf proper (about 10 mins away by car) to see the oldest bar in the world and then to Köln, where I will shack up for the night.
My friends: this is amazing. I have never been so challenged, or so in myself. The days are filled by my movement through the world and the simple tasks of keeping myself alive (food, drink, shelter). The compications of 'real' life have been stripped away, leaving room for only the fundamentals. And with every challenge comes success. Accomplishment. This is what I needed. I sacrificed so much to be here, and although I feel completely alone, I am at peace. I have done the hard thing, but I have done the right thing. I miss you all. Whenever I see something beautiful, I wish you could be there with me, to see what I see. They say hapiness is only full when shared, and I beleive that. But I had to do this alone. Beleive me, you would not want to get lost with me as many times as I have!
I may not write like this again for some time, as internet is expensive everywhere that it isnt free. Please do drop me a line though, and let me know howz things! I'll push a peddle in your honour.
The Devomobile.
Well, I tried to keep this succinct, but it didnt really work. I tend towards the long-winded anyway, and I have a lot to say.
So, I landed on March 19th in Amsterdam in a warm, sunny morning. The airline I flew with didn't require me to take my bike apart, so I was able to ride right out of the airport on a well marked trail into the City centre. I made it in and found a hostel without difficulty. A great start! Amsterdam is a zoo. But the animals on display are human ones. I thought it would be fun, but I got tired of it pretty quickly. Just a bunch of foreigners out to get wasted. The only locals I met ran the hostel, and they were great. Amsterdam is the kind of place where you need to know somebody to get it done right. I stayed only two full days - just long enough to get over the jetlag.
On my last full day there, I spend my time riding around the city getting supplies and information. What a beautiful city! Canals everywhere, and amazing architecture. I could live there, easy! Although the tourists would get on my nerves... Did I mentioned that it snowed? And not like a little skiff either - it Snowed with a capital S. Even by Canadian standards, it was a blizzard. This is the coldest easter they have had in over 50 years or something. It has snowed every day since Amsterdam - to varying degrees... What a time I chose for a bike trip!
I headed east from 'The Dam' on the 22nd. I hooked into a bike trail that follows a canal to the Rhine River. It is flat, straight, paved, and completely traffic free. I had a strong wind at my back and I sailed through the countryside. And what country side it is! I made the right choice starting in The Netherlands... Canals, windmills, wild tulips, bikes, castles, just like in the postcards. Well worth the visit everybody.
I got to Utrecht - my first destination - to find the hostel booked. Luckily the tourist info lady was able to find me a campground (most campgrounds here don't open until April as Europeans are not dumb enough to camp at this time of year). However, the campsite was still a ways off so I hit the road. Then it started to snow. Then it started to get dark. Then I got lost. Then I realized I had forgotten to buy fuel for my camp stove so I couldn't even cook all the food I had been dragging around in my saddlebag all day. Aint life grand? I did manage to find my spot before dark and, thankfully, they had hot showers there. I ate a raw dinner and froze my butt off all night, but woke up feeling ready to go.
Day two was slower. I took the scenic route to Arnhem, where I new there was a hostel for me to stay at. The countryside is dotted with castles and 'forests' which make for great riding. I made good time and had a good nights sleep. The only problem was that it was Easter, so everything was closed. I couldn't buy groceries, let alone camp fuel. I would've eaten the darn bunny if he had come within grabbing distance... Happy easter, by the way.I woke up to snow. Aside from the blizzard in Amsterdam, the snow had been... well... cute by Canadian standards. But this time it was more determined and actually stuck to the ground. Not to be discouraged, I rode on anyway. Its a good thing I'm so tough!
As soon as I hit the road the clouds broke open to let the sunlight through. Freshly invigorated I rode towards the German border like I was running from the law (I wasn't, just for the record). There wasn't even a signpost to mark that I had entered a different country. The only way I could tell was that the beer being advertised on the signs of the pubs were different. The method used to mark trails is different in Germany than in Holland (ie: poorly, and different from what's on the map) so I promptly got lost. Actually, come to think of it, every day in Germany has been like that. My method of navigation seems to be as follows: follow the map until I realize I no longer know where I am, ride in a circle looking for a landmark and/or ask a stranger, engage my spidey-sense, add all this info together, divide it by the angle of the sun, multiply by 3.14159 and head off in whatever direction seems right. Its worked for me so far.
I made it to the Rhine River by afternoon. My plan is to follow the Rhine all the way into southern Germany, where I will be able to hook up with the Danube River, which will take me all the way to Vienna. Rivers are good to follow because they are more or less flat, and make a good landmark, making it harder to get lost. Although I still manage somehow... I was pulling into Xanten when another storm hit. Again, this one had something to prove. Huge wet flakes dumped from the sky. I had to take refuge under a gas station awning because I could only see a few metres ahead of myself. Luckily the hostel wasn't far off, so I got to take a hot shower in a heated room forthwith. I had the whole place to myself. I washed my laundry in the sink, like the vagabond that I am, and hung it all around the room. So ghetto... I love it! That night I went into town and ate a true German meal at a real live Schnitzelhause... meat, meat and also some more meat. Oh, and pomme frits. Damn fine.
Day four was yesterday. It was a long one. Although a good section of my ride was well marked and paved, there was a big section of it that was an old dirt track built by the Romans. ALthough slower, this was amazing. I could practically feel the history seeping up from the ground. I thought of the things that had happened there before me, on this road. The hardship, the people who had fallen in love, the food grown and harvested, the men killed in countless battles, the children who had grown up here. This is why I came here. If you allow yourself, you can sense the history that has soaked into the ground, saturating it. It makes you feel so small, and yet somehow infinetly important, because now my tracks are a part of that road. I am a part of that history.
Mostly because I'm the only dumbass on a bike riding around in the snow. Sorry, I was getting too reflective and had to break the mood. It snowed and re-snowed throughout the day (can you spot the theme?) like clockwork. Every three and a half hours it would snow for half an hour. But I rode on. And on and on. 92 km of on and on. My goal was Hiligenhause, where Maija has family that she said would put me up. I made it as dusk was falling and these gentle, kind people drove down to pick me up. Their names are Reine and Gutta and I am forever endebted to them. They have been so gracious - putting up with a dirty, smelly, bike rider guy such as myself. And in a beautiful house! I got showered and fed and beered. Reine even gave me a tour of his factory, where they make car door lock latch doohickies. I got to see real live German factory workers! Cool!
Today is day 5, and I have been here all day, relaxing for a change. I cleaned up my bike and gave it a good tune after yesterdays Roman road ride. Darn Romans shouldve learned how to pave. I even got to do laundry. I am so thankful, and now I am ready for the road again. This layover coudnt have come at a better time. Besides (no suprise here) it snowed all day long. Tomorrow I head for Dusseldorf proper (about 10 mins away by car) to see the oldest bar in the world and then to Köln, where I will shack up for the night.
My friends: this is amazing. I have never been so challenged, or so in myself. The days are filled by my movement through the world and the simple tasks of keeping myself alive (food, drink, shelter). The compications of 'real' life have been stripped away, leaving room for only the fundamentals. And with every challenge comes success. Accomplishment. This is what I needed. I sacrificed so much to be here, and although I feel completely alone, I am at peace. I have done the hard thing, but I have done the right thing. I miss you all. Whenever I see something beautiful, I wish you could be there with me, to see what I see. They say hapiness is only full when shared, and I beleive that. But I had to do this alone. Beleive me, you would not want to get lost with me as many times as I have!
I may not write like this again for some time, as internet is expensive everywhere that it isnt free. Please do drop me a line though, and let me know howz things! I'll push a peddle in your honour.
The Devomobile.
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