Friday 23rd September 2011 Hellevoetsluis to Hoek of Holland 40km

Easy ride, past the outskirts of Rotterdam, one of the busiest ports in the world. 
We've booked our tickets to Harwich on the Stena Line ferry leaving tomrrow at 14.30, arriving 20.00.  We have to exit Holland here, in order to get our passports stamped.  We were warned when we arrived in Amsterdam that we were not allowed to stay in Holland for more than three months, or we would risk be banned from the Shengen Agreement countries (most of Europe) for three years.  The problem is that if you leave Holland by bike into say, Denmark, you don't even have a border post to record the momentous occasion.  So even though you may have left the country, you can't prove it.  

We see a lot of very well preserved old cars in Holland.

We finally got to taste Kibbling today - battered blue cod.  Everywhere you go in Holland you see little food huts selling kibbling, always with a queue of people buying.  It is most delicious.

We had the remarkable luck to be at the Hoek of Holland on the one day of the every year that they close the giant gates of the canel to test them.  It was a real carnival day for all concerned and so interesting.

Thursday 22nd September 2011 Middelburg to Hellevoetsluis 92 km

Happiness is big tailwind! We had a very good 92 km ride, crossing a 9 km dyke onto the island called Schouwen Duiveland, and then a 7 km dyke onto another big island called Goeree Overflakkee. Then across another 5 km dyke to Hellevoetsluis. The hotel we're staying at (The Cape Helias Hotel) is built in the Cape Cod style found in the north east of America - big wooden balconies facing the sea.

Tomorrow we make our way to Brielle , Rozenburg and the Hook of Holland.

Wednesday 21st September 2011 Brugge to Middelburg 57 km

For the first time in a long while we had a beautiful tailwind blowing the whole day. Crossed theborder back into Holland at Sluis and arrived back at the North Sea.Middelburg is very nice.

Monday 19th September 2011 Gent to Brugge 54 km

Excellent ride. Followed the Gent/Brugge Canal most of the way.

Brugge is astonishingly beautiful.AAmazing architecture, beautiful canals and parks, and cleasn and a very nice atmosphere.

Tried two more Belgian beers - The Kwak and The Zot, and toasted Colleens birthday.

Sunday 18th September 2011 St. Nicholas to Gent 71 km

Not a very good day. We got lost three times on the way, and then got lost again in Gent. We also got rained on three times as well. We only arrived at our hotel at 7 pm, so we didn't have time to explore Gent properly. We will have to get up early tomorrow and take a wander around. So far Gent looks amazing.

We have now done 1038 km since Schiphol, and 3876 km since we set off in Wellington. We are very pleased with our Scott bikes and in particular with the Schwalbe Marathon tyres that we bought in Dunedin NZ. They have taken some severe punishment with no punctures. Touch wood!

Saturday 18th September 2011 Antwerp to Saint Nicholas (Sint-Niklaas) 51 km

Very enjoyable ride- sometimes we can't believe how fortunate we are to be able to this. When we left Antwerp the cycle route guided us to a large elevator which took us 40 meters below ground to a 700 m long tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists to get to the west bank of the Schilde River.


Great scenery today, and lots of variation. We saw six nude females today in various places along the way. Unfortunately they were all bronze statues. St. Nicholas is a very nice town - very clean and not overcrowded.

Tomorrow we ride to Gent. I had an acquaintance in Umtali many years ago by the name of Disraeli Gent, whose family I'm sure must have originally come from Gent. I wonder what ever happened to Dizzy.

Friday 16th September 2011 Antwerp

We are really enjoying Antwerp which is truly beautiful. The Central Station is something to see, as are many other buildings.

We visited the main Cathedral which had an exhibition of some of Rubens' masterpieces, as well as some other 17th century masterpieces. Rubens lived in Antwerp for a while and his house is now a museum.

Antwerp is visited by the big cruise ships, and we were walking along the Schelde riverfront when the "Aida Blu" cruise ship began to set off for its next destination. It's amazing how these ships can turn 180 degrees in what appears to be an impossible space.

We have explored the city and sights until our feet hurt and we have to rest. The few buskers that we've seen have mostly been playing classical music (mostly violin and even a piano). It's nice to hear a bit of Vivaldi or Mozart in the central pedestrian zone where cars are not allowed.

Sophie (our charming host at Yentl's Place) urged us to try the Belgian tradition of having a "Bolleke Koning" when we get to Antwerp.  It is the local favourite beer served in a large brandy style glass, so we went to a brasserie on Waperstraat and dutifully partook.  Excellent!

The strange boat you see on the left of the picture above is the "Brigitte Bardot" which is the Sea Shepherd boat which harassed the Japanese whaleships in th Southern Ocean.

The parks here have tame domestic rabbits running free.

We went for a walk through the diamond trade district, which includes the Jewish quarter.  There are lots of young Jewish families and lots of young Jewish men wearing the same black outfits they wear in Jerusalem.