20 June 2014 (cloudy, with showers, cool, windy) 81km

Hooray for Rotterdam which saw a change in our fortunes today.  We hadn’t planned on going there as we remember how busy it was when we last visited, 27 years ago.  However, we felt it was the best place to go to try and resolve our computer problems.

We were awake at 6.30am and after a cuppa we downed some cereal, cleaned up, packed up and after using the limited wifi at the camp, managed to pay our staff online.  Thank the stars for something!  Out of the camp, turn left and for the next 13km we went round in circles, or should I say, rectangles.  TALK ABOUT PISSED OFF.  Julia thought she was riding with an escaped mental patient…..ooh sorry, can’t say that….alright, a person with mental health issues.  When the Dutch get the dot-to-dot system right for cyclists, they are bang on and it’s a joy.  When they get it wrong, you could end up anywhere. 

Some things they are way ahead on, but others things, like picking up after their dogs, they are behind the times.  I’ve gotta say, I think the Belgians do the numbered dot-to-dot system better.   Decided instead of following the numbered system, we would take the direct route to Rotterdam as today is all about sorting out tablet problems.  

Eventually we were making good headway, despite the presence of the headwind.  Had to take a tunnel ride under the river to get into the city, which meant as we closed in on Rotterdam, our directions had to be spot on. 

Thanks to good judgment, we picked up the routes and rode to the tunnel entrance.  An escalator ride down with loaded bikes was not ideal but we managed.  Amazing to think that they have a main tunnel for cars and trucks, a separate one for motorcycles and one just for cyclists.  When you go through a tunnel in any sort of vehicle, you will notice how noisy it is.  With the ‘bike only’ tunnel it was eerily quiet, except for Julia going ‘woohoo’ on the way down.

Out the other side and surprise, surprise….no route markers. Brilliant!  Heading towards the centre 11km away, I happened to spy a Media Markt.  These are massive department stores that contain everything to do with electronics.  Parked the bikes and while Julia went in to see if they could help with our computer problems, I donned my rain jacket and cycling longs and waited outside with the bikes as the rain came in and the wind blew.

Damn!... forgot our prayer mats

Julia emerged about twenty minutes later with a big smile saying she had met a lovely guy named Felix who had helped her fix one of the problems with the computer.  She was pretty confident she could fix the rest if she just had some time to sit down with it and a decent internet connection. So into the centre we rode.  About three kms out, Julia spied Grand Café HNK.  Thought we may at least get better connection, and as today was all about trying to solve problems, we decided to take shelter in there from the wind and rain with a couple of lattes and muffins and sit and think things out.  This was a real find.  Of all the places we could have stumbled upon, we couldn’t have wished for better.  No limited internet connection here and set up expressly for computer use with plugs to charge your devices as well.  It had a great modern minimalist décor and was well patronised without being crowded.  Apparently this place was set up in 2012 and has won numerous business awards. 

We spent three very comfortable hours in there and began our problem solving process and guess what….WE ARE BACK ONLINE!!!!!!

We nearly jumped up from the table when it was solved.  What a relief!  The last few days have been stressful because instead of enjoying the journey, we have been consumed with fixing the issue.  Popped into a

supermarket to buy something for lunch and headed into Rotterdam central.  Niels, our Dutch football supporter had told us the modern architecture in Rotterdam was worth a look, and he was certainly correct on that score.  I remember long ago, back in the dark ages…about 1986 I think, coming out of Rotterdam train station and thinking what a disgusting, dirty city.  Now, wow!  That old train station has long gone and the place is full of new

buildings, each one more spectacular than the last.  It is also a very clean and prosperous looking city.  The cycling here was a joy too with very easy to follow cycle lanes.  Julia’s Dad was born in this city and it is definitely a place to be proud of.  I wonder how many Hobo’s were out there wandering the

Rotterdam Central Train Station on the left.  A huge modern
well organised, clean building - very different from 1986

streets, oblivious to the fact that one of their Kiwi cousins was cycling in their midst today.

By this stage we were wary of the dot-to-dot system and took the direct route to Delft.  Unfortunately this meant riding alongside the very busy, noisy motorway.  However, when we were going through built up areas, noise barriers had been erected and these did make a big difference.  Just before Delft we pulled into a park-like area for a late lunch – it was now 4pm!  It was a lovely sheltered spot and the sun broke through and was actually very warm for half an hour until we packed up and left the sheltered area straight back into the cold headwind.

Our visit to Delft was extremely enjoyable, riding slowly around this beautiful city built around canals – a mini Venice in many ways, was a delight.  It was late Friday afternoon and everybody was wandering around or sitting in the many bars and restaurants lining the town square and

surrounding areas.  We visited Delft thirty years ago and it was nice to come back with a greater appreciation this time around.  But the day was young, barely 6.30pm, so it was time to push on to Den Haag, 12 kms on. Like Rotterdam, Den Haag had a lot of impressive modern architecture but also an old town square like Delft.  The best of both worlds and it was a busy little metropolis.  Again we really enjoyed exploring this city and were glad we were on bikes as you can get round quite efficiently and yet still be going slowly enough to take in a lot.

the Plaza in Den Haag with the city rising up behind

Cycled north out of Den Haag to our chosen campground at the north end of a beautiful area called Wassenaar.  It has some beautiful big homes and embassies and a lovely woodland park, which we got to bike through on our way north.  

Bicycle storage at the university

It had been quite a spectacular day of riding seeing three different cities, travelling through a tunnel at the beginning of the day and then through a dirt track in the woods at the end.  Found our campsite at 8.30pm after 81km of riding.  Just made sandwiches and apples for tea, wrote our blog ready for posting tomorrow and loaded the photos onto the computer.  Had a cup of tea as the mercury dropped.  The nights get really cold when the sun goes down but seem to warm up again through the night so the mornings aren’t as cold.  The sleeping bags are great however and we are having really good sleeps now our bodies are used to doing without a bed.