Duisburg to Rotterdam

The route along the Rhine almost took me to Nijmegen but then turned north away from the river as I cross the border into the Netherlands.  Having missed breakfast and again feeling dehydrated, I stopped for a bite and fluids

You wouldn’t realise you had just crossed the border into the Netherlands (former border post on the right) except for the conversion of the road to single lane with very nice red cycle paths on either side.

Towards the end of the day it started to rain and I decided against camping.  It was a small room but sufficient for my needs. 

Dinner was……. ‘Pork Schnitzel!’  What a surprise

The following morning the rain had stopped and I continued west.  The EV15 has moved north of the Rhine and I won’t see it again until Rotterdam.  The terrain is now very flat…. Easy cycling!  However I needed to rest my saddle sores at midday stopping in an attractive Dutch village.

It proved to be so interesting I lost concentration, cycling down the main pedestrian mall before realising I’d missed the turn back at the rest stop. More backtracking.

This is the land of canals and dykes. 

That evening I decided to treat myself to something other than a pork schnitzel.  Even if it was slightly more expensive.  French onion soup and beef burger

Not knowing what day I will eventually reach the ferry to the UK I’ve held off making a booking.  However today I calculated I can reach it in two days.  That fits in nicely with the end of the UK school holidays and will be a Monday, thus avoiding the weekend traffic.

To my surprise the Monday sailing is fully booked.   I’ll need to keep an eye on availability as I continue west.

This is the land of windmills

I wonder if it really is a house underneath?  This looks more like a windmill to pump water than grind grain.

It was at this point I made a mistake erred in my judgement and decided to book accommodation in Rotterdam rather than spending a night wrestling with the air mattress (sometimes it wins!).  Usually I book using Booking.com but this time I booked directly with the budget hotel located in the centre of Rotterdam.  It proved to be a mistake.

The Netherlands is a nation of cyclists, but to my surprise the hotel had no bike storage facilities.  A FIRST on the trip!  Moreover the staff at reception told me not to leave the bike out the front of the hotel as it was almost certain to be stolen.  They suggested I take it to the Rotterdam Central Railway Station, a 15 minute walk away, where there were numerous bike racks with CCTV coverage. 

There were thousands of bikes at the station.   But how many would be collected by their owners as the evening progressed.  Would my bike be on its own for the night.

A small sample

I carefully selected an anonymous vacant spot on a upper rack, securing the bike with my flimsy combination lock, which would only deter a casual or lazy thief.

All evening I worried about the bike; returning three times to check on it.  Those people loitering around the storage area looked unsavoury and I had a restless night.

  Central Railway Station

Eventually I decided if I was going to get any sleep I’d need to eliminate the worry by moving somewhere into the countryside for my last night in Europe.