Video 04, The Netherlands

Day37, 2548km: Schagen, The Netherlands

Publicity about the trip: Virginia Tech, the University where we completed our studies in architecture and where George is currently employed as a faculty member for computer applications, has recognized our story and helped spread awareness on its webpage at the following internet address: http://www.ncr.vt.edu/Highlights/EuropeBike.html

Day33, 2211km: Utrecht, The Netherlands

CYCLING IN THE NETHERLANDS : Bicycling is a way of life in the Netherlands. The following 8 points are what we have observed that make this primary mode of transportation such a pleasant experience: 1, Dedicated bicycle trail networks are separate from motorized traffic. 2, Traffic laws favor bikes over cars, which results in the automobile’s yielding to the cyclist’s right of way. 3, Trail signage, maps and dedicated direction lighting are well coordinated. 4, Bicycling is often the simplest and quickest way from point A to point B. 5, Flat terrain and well maintained trail surfaces make cycling easy. 6, The temperate climate makes riding possible year round. 7, Diverse facilities include bicycle rental points, repair shops and securely guarded parking. 8, Bicycling is good for one’s health and the environment. In short, we have discovered a cyclist’s paradise. We intend to spend the next week here, circling the country in a counter-clockwise direction. Having entered the southeastern portion of the country from Germany, we will exit into Belgium along the coast south of Rotterdam.

Day32, 2106km: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

DUTCH COMMUNAL HOUSING : This Sunday afternoon as we pulled in to Nijmengan and began looking for a watering hole with internet access, George saw Sasha reading out in front of The Klinker. We approached chatting as she gazed curiously through her spunky thin black frame glasses. Inside the shared residence where she lives, a young generation was rotating around the responsibilities of the home they are sharing. Cooking, cleaning, construction- all are the daily regimen here. We caught them glimpsing every so often at us, the two weary travelers. Upstairs, bedrooms fill an old warehouse attic below the pitched timber frame roof. Young residents bustled up and down dark narrow hallways. A line of evening sunlight streaked through the kind green stained glass windows. Down half a flight of stairs, the kitchen was filled with reggae music as a young lady with long burly dreadlocks baked cookies for dinner this evening. It was a delight to peer into Sasha’s eyes as our Dutch hostess answered with calm to the incessant requests and questions of the two bikers. ‘We have come from Athens, this is our 2200km mark and it is time to rest’. First a cold beer, then an offer to clean laundry followed by a bed in the guest room. Dinnertime fast approaches for the Sunday evening public supper, and the large meeting room, filled with neighborhood guests who filed past the two bicycles parked outside. Below the saddle of George’s bike, an American flag waved in a gentle Dutch breeze.

Day31, 2025km: Baarlo, The Netherlands

A WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE : 1500km and 15 days ago in northern Italy, we met a Dutch fellow en route from Rome to his home in The Netherlands. He was stopped along the trail when George asked for a pump to repair John's flat tire. Charles was a memorable man with a kind demeanor who showed off his impressive Dutch gear with pride. The short meeting lasted 10 minutes before bidding farewell on a route that would separate us in two very different directions through the Alps. You can imagine the feeling then when George spotted Charles again 2 days south of his home in the Netherlands! It reminds us, as he did, that coincidence is a wonderful recognition of events and circumstances between two like-minded people.