If it's Tuesday...
Tuesday, July 10 began with a short ride to Dover to catch the Ferry which took us to Dunkerque, France. We had breakfast on the ride, which was very much like a cruise ship. Our arrival in Dunkerque had the familiar bike-trip quality of confusion in trying to navigate our way from the shipyard toward Brugges, Belgium. After about 90 minutes of going in circles, we got on our way and eventually realized we had crossed a border without knowing it.
Chris knew of a long-distance bike route that started in Brussels and went all the way to Amsterdam. We found the LF2b, as it's called, by happy accident and set off. Our arrival in Brugges was like something in a movie. We came into the town, which on the outskirts looks somewhat ordinary. Passing through the stone gate in the wall around the old part of the town changes everything. We were suddenly transported into Medieval times. We wound our way through the stone-paved narrow streets and stopped when we found some hotels. Chris knows French, so she was able to bargain us down to a good price.
The room was like something from a fairy-tale. A satin bedspread and worn wooden floors gave the room an elegant look. After cleaning up, we made our way to a Vietnamese restaurant we'd spotted. Here, the language barrier became cumbersome, but after a halting conversation with a man whose only languages were Vietnamese and Flemish, we managed to order a fixed-price banquet that included some excellent dishes. Full and happy, we strolled back and agreed on a time for breakfast, which was included.
Hoteliers who include a breakfast buffet invariably lose money on cycle-tourists. The dining room full, we retreated to a basement room where Roger's head touched the brick ceiling, and filled up on warm croissants, eggs cooked to order, cereal, yogurt, coffee, tea, etc. and then rode on to the town square.
Our friend Bob had shown us pictures of his visit to Brugges, but Bob was unprepared for the sight. Everything is stone and picture-book perfect. We'd like to visit the place again when we have a few days to explore. Bob and Chris found a map shop and purchased some maps that would help us find our way. We picked up the LF2b again on the edge of town and started off next to a canal.
Imagine our surprise to find our way blocked by a flock of sheep, complete with sheepdog and shepherdess with a crook! We wound our way through the flock, studiously avoiding the manure as we did, wondering how it was possible they could be so relatively close to town.
The bike route has allowed us to make most of our trip without having to share a road with cars. When we are on an auto road, it is very quiet and throughout the motorists are extremely deferent to our presence. It's like cycling heaven.
Soon we crossed another border, again without realizing it, and were in the Netherlands. Our bike route took us to that night's destination, but not without a 5 p.m. stop in a bar for some apple pie (the only part of Dutch cuisine anyone has anything good to say about!), coffee and some conversation with five men in their 60s who were doing their own bike tour. We all watched the Tour de France on the tv in the bar. We had to settle for the visuals, since the commentary was in Dutch.
We continued to our destination for that night: Bergen Op Zoom (Dutch is an interesting language!) and stayed at the Tulip Inn.
Chris knew of a long-distance bike route that started in Brussels and went all the way to Amsterdam. We found the LF2b, as it's called, by happy accident and set off. Our arrival in Brugges was like something in a movie. We came into the town, which on the outskirts looks somewhat ordinary. Passing through the stone gate in the wall around the old part of the town changes everything. We were suddenly transported into Medieval times. We wound our way through the stone-paved narrow streets and stopped when we found some hotels. Chris knows French, so she was able to bargain us down to a good price.
The room was like something from a fairy-tale. A satin bedspread and worn wooden floors gave the room an elegant look. After cleaning up, we made our way to a Vietnamese restaurant we'd spotted. Here, the language barrier became cumbersome, but after a halting conversation with a man whose only languages were Vietnamese and Flemish, we managed to order a fixed-price banquet that included some excellent dishes. Full and happy, we strolled back and agreed on a time for breakfast, which was included.
Hoteliers who include a breakfast buffet invariably lose money on cycle-tourists. The dining room full, we retreated to a basement room where Roger's head touched the brick ceiling, and filled up on warm croissants, eggs cooked to order, cereal, yogurt, coffee, tea, etc. and then rode on to the town square.
Our friend Bob had shown us pictures of his visit to Brugges, but Bob was unprepared for the sight. Everything is stone and picture-book perfect. We'd like to visit the place again when we have a few days to explore. Bob and Chris found a map shop and purchased some maps that would help us find our way. We picked up the LF2b again on the edge of town and started off next to a canal.
Imagine our surprise to find our way blocked by a flock of sheep, complete with sheepdog and shepherdess with a crook! We wound our way through the flock, studiously avoiding the manure as we did, wondering how it was possible they could be so relatively close to town.
The bike route has allowed us to make most of our trip without having to share a road with cars. When we are on an auto road, it is very quiet and throughout the motorists are extremely deferent to our presence. It's like cycling heaven.
Soon we crossed another border, again without realizing it, and were in the Netherlands. Our bike route took us to that night's destination, but not without a 5 p.m. stop in a bar for some apple pie (the only part of Dutch cuisine anyone has anything good to say about!), coffee and some conversation with five men in their 60s who were doing their own bike tour. We all watched the Tour de France on the tv in the bar. We had to settle for the visuals, since the commentary was in Dutch.
We continued to our destination for that night: Bergen Op Zoom (Dutch is an interesting language!) and stayed at the Tulip Inn.
posted by Maggie and Bob @ 7:49 AM
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