If I knew that today was going to be this exciting…..

Read about Days 1 (here), 2 (here), 3 (here), 4 (here) and 5 (here) of our Netherlands cycling adventure.

After a nice dinner in Den Burg, Helen & I crashed (literally) at 10 PM…… We awoke today at 8. Translated that means that we were pooped and deserved the rest. Slow cycling should not be about covering great distances in a short period of time. It is more about stopping and smelling the proverbial roses. It is sometimes tough for me to do this. But I have resolved myself to be more focussed on the good things in life and less on doing too much in too little time. Of course I say this whilst sitting on the beach with my MacBook tapping out today’s post – with nary a care in the world. See pic below. Do I look stressed?

Today is about slow cycling and relaxing those tired muscles.

Texel is a small island in the North Sea – part of a chain of 5 islands.

Today we cycled around the island on various Feitpads (bike paths – remember?).

We visited a number of towns along the way:

• Oudeschild: A small town on the Netherlands side of the island. There is a small harbor and a museum to see. Plus a working windmill (pic below). That’s about it!
• DeWaal: Even smaller than Oudeschild. 1 main street. Stop by the local hotel for a coffee on the Terasse.
• DeKoog: Quite the little party town (every island has one). If you are young and want to party, go there Otherwise forget it. It has all the tourist trap things we detest. I did note something funny though. I counted 3 Argentinian Restaurants in town. What’s with that (Groover?)?
• DeCocksdorp: This town is on the northern tip of the island and is where we will be catching the ferry to Vlieland (the next island). We still have an hour and fifteen minutes before it departs….. And we need a higher tide too!

Some Shots from Today’s Travels

Travelers Notes # 1: Helen & I usually try not to plan too far ahead. But in some cases it is necessary. Case in point – today. Our plans hinged on 3 things:

1. Getting on the ferry to Vlieland (limited space)
2. Getting a hotel in Vlieland (still pretty busy)
3. Getting from Vlieland to Harlingen

So….. here’s what to do:

1. Book ferry to Vlieland (pray that there will be a hotel available as tomorrow is your wedding anniversary and you want it to be a great spot)
2. Once ferry is booked, book hotel (done!)
3. Once 1 & 2 are handled hope to get ferry from Vleiland to Harlingen (limited schedule and space- DONE!)

Man am I good or what? But seriously, you need to think about the details when you are on an island at the start of slow season!

Travelers Notes # 2: MONEY, MONEY MONEY! In North America we are used to using our charge cards for everything. Well, that is not the way it works here. Some hotels take charge cards, most (so far) do not. Plus their charge cards have chips (need a PIN). So mine is sometimes useless (except for 2 times so far). This brings me to debit cards. Mine does not work here (Hey TD Canada Trust, you guys lied to me when I called and asked). Even worse, for some reason, mine no longer works at ATMs. Helen’s still does (phew). When I get Internet access I am going to call them and find out what is what. Or this may be my last post!

The ferry to Vlieland: Let’s be clear, it’s really a boat that they call a ferry. Our trip across is in 2 parts. The first part is on the boat (oops ferry). Then we will transfer to this multipurpose gigantic beach buggy (pics below) for the balance of our journey. Which reminds me. To reserve the ferry from Vlieland to Harlingen, you need to call (bring your mobile!). I tried this morning but got stuck in the Dutch language: “press 1 for reservations, 2 for schedules, etc…”. I had to break down and ask the clerk at the front desk to handle it for me – which she gladly did.

The ride across was pretty neat. In the distance we saw hundreds of seals basking in the sun on a sandbar (low tide). Once you arrive on the island, you still have 22 kilometers to go with no roads. And your journey is across a military firing range (where else will they practice?). Solution: One gigantic beach buggy! We took that (rather) bumpy ride across the firing range (up and down and all around). I thought we were in a movie. All we needed was a F-16 swooping down for a practice run. We had seen them earlier on in the day (anything is possible).

We were also fortunate enough to meet a very nice couple (cyclists of course) from London. They cycle every year for their annual vacation. Originally form Dublin, Paul and Eilís moved to London 21 years ago (correct Paul?). They have gone “green”. So Holidays are spent cycling. They even resist flying because of the impact airplanes have on the environment. Most of the time they camp along the way – with the odd hotel stay where needed. They were on their way to Denmark! Now that is commitment.

Texel to Vlieland Ferry Pics

Upon our arrival we were deposited on a ramp at the edge of the beach. From there it was a short bike ride to the village. We had a hotel reserved. But for some reason we could not find it (duh, it was a 1 street village). When we did find it, I decided that we were not staying there (looked cruddy). Luckily I found another nearby.

Vlieland Pic

Dinner, drinks & blogging followed!

Along the same lines.....

• September 25, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 11 – Utrecht to Gouda
• September 24, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 10 – Groningen & Drenthe Day Trip
• September 23, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 9 – Groningen
• September 23, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 8 – Leeuwarden day trip
• September 22, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 7 – Vleiland to Leeuwarden
• September 19, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 5 – Hoorn to Texel
• September 17, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 4 – Amsterdam to Hoorn
• September 15, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 3 – Amsterdam
• September 13, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 1 – Amsterdam
• September 26, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 12 – Kinderdijk – Dutch Windmills