Day 2. 20 July 2011. From Kaatsheuvel to Gouda (city of cheeses)
Breakfast was early and a little meagre, a cup of tea with 3 slices of bread and cheese which is a tad light for a start of a riding day. No sooner had I left the house or a light drizzle rain started so before too long I had to put on my wet weather gear. But fortunately within the hour it became dry and by the middle of the day it was a beautiful sunny day. Today's cycling was a little challenging as with some of the direction points not in the right place due to road works I made some wrong turns and then there was the ferry which did not run which meant I had to cycle probably an extra 8 km in an other direction to catch an other ferry, all rather time consuming and confusing! This ferry was about to leave when it saw me racing over the dyke and luckily it waited and put down the gangplank again to let me on, very nice and much appreciated,. It was a short but lovely ferry ride to the old town of Gorichem. The cycle maps are fabulous keeping you on mainly country roads but this does mean that at times you don't go through a village or town which happened this morning which was a shame as with the light breakfast I was hanging out for a cuppa with something nice to eat but it was not to be! At lunch time I ended up finding a shop which sold a yoghurt drink and a nice salad and with some hot chips that made for a reasonable lunch.
Again it was a fabulous day riding along some dykes and little canals, I love seeing the water plants and water birds (even saw a stork in the field). Then there is the blue long necked water bird (forgotten it's English name) but it is a cheeky bird. At times you would think it is a statue as it does not move until it sees a fish or other tasty morsel to dive for. If close to houses this bird will eat the goldfish out of a pond. Then there are ducks, swans, geese and plenty of cows in the fields. Along this particular track there were a number of windmills, likely used to keep the water heights in check in the polders (land in between dykes are called polders). I thoroughly enjoy riding through the small farming villages/communities, the houses and farms are all build on large blocks of land and gardens and building all looks so cute. I wish I had a better vocabulary to describe all I see and enjoy. You always know when you are riding past a farm as it is the time of the year the farmer sprays their cow manure on the fields, phew what a smell!!
Bad luck, as I neared destination, only 8 or so km to go, the sky turned black and before too long I got caught in a huge thunderstorm! Too late for the wet weather pants! And with all the rain and more road works I got lost in the city of Gouda but with some help from passers by I did get to my accommodation. I am staying with this friendly older couple who immediately boiled the kettle on my arrival which was very nice but an hour and half later (we had our evening bread meal at that stage) I was still sitting (a bit damp still) politely listening to their life stories!!!!! We or I should say they covered religions, family dynamics, the war (service in Indonesia) and the neighbours (most muslims from Turkey and Marocco) and by that stage I was searching for a way to politely end the conversation and being shown to my sleeping quarters and the shower! But here I am allowed to sleep in as breakfast will be served by 8.30am. I hope I manage to be on the bike by just after nine. Tomorrow I am cycling to the coast.
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