Amsterdam ~ Les Bought Me a Bike!!! ~ Godwinks (Day 12, Part 2 of 2)

Early in our trip Les said, "You have a decision to make.  To buy your bike or not."  Les had done some research while we were traveling.  He could find bikes like mine, but none in size XS.  The smalls were more expensive than what our rental company wanted for the one I was riding.  After riding more than 200 miles on the wonderful Liv Langma, I knew I wanted to take her home with me.  This is the best bike I have ever ridden.  The fit is perfect.  The fact that it is purple doesn't hurt either.  That was the easy part...

 

We met with the rental company representative and returned Les' bike.  We then said we wanted to buy the Liv and inquired about shipping costs.  "You just take it on the plane with you."  Les and I looked at each other...  "How?"  "People do this all the time.  Just go to a bike shop and ask for a box."

 

My excitement over getting my bike was starting to be overshadowed by the logistics of trying to get it home.  This was a Sunday afternoon and many bike shops were already closed.  Many more would also be closed the next day.  And we were scheduled to fly home on Tuesday.  We found one bike shop but they didn't have any empty boxes.  We asked at the front desk at the Hampton, they had a few ideas, but nothing that we could act upon that evening. 

 

We started tossing ideas around.  The Amsterdam airport sells bike boxes.  We could ride a train to the airport and bring the box back.  There was an office supply store nearby (closed on Sunday) but maybe they'd have something.

 

We decided we needed to get out of the hotel and find some dinner.  We found a wonderful Italian restaurant and enjoyed a meal, although we were both pretty quiet as our brains were still working overtime.  

 

When we decided to find some dessert there were two different options.  One was back the way we had walked from the hotel, the other took a different route.  We chose option number two and got some frozen yogurt.  While we were walking back Les said, "Keep your eye out for a box."  

 

We saw a pile of trash, but nothing.  A few minutes later Les said, "I think I see something!"  He dashed across the street and found this:

 

 

Canyon is a bike company that sells exclusively online.  What we didn't know at the time was Monday is trash pickup day in Amsterdam.  That box would only have been there that one night!

 

A "Godwink" is an event that seems like a coincidence but is actually viewed as a meaningful sign of divine intervention or an answered prayer. Coined by author SQuire Rushnell, the term suggests a little wink from above, assuring you that you are loved and never alone.  "By recognizing the “Godwinks” our Creator has placed in our paths, we can understand—and embrace—the journey God has laid out for us."

 

Les had never heard of Godwinks, but I had read one of the books a few years ago.  The more we talked about finding that box, the more I was convinced this was one of those times when God was guiding our steps, even in the most ordinary way.

 

People might think it was just luck, but Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-34, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

 

While we had puzzled and thought, trying to figure out how we were going to get my bike home, God already had a plan for us:

 

1.  We needed a bike box

2.  We took an unknown route to dinner

3.  We took a different route from dinner

4.  We didn't know that Monday was trash pickup day. 

5.  And there was the box we had been stressing over!

 

This was just the beginning of Godwinks to get my bike home - wait until you read about our packing adventure! 

Breukelen to Amsterdam ~ Victory Dinner and Exploring Amsterdam (Day 11, Part 3 of 3)

After locking our bikes on the boat one final time we got cleaned up and headed back to the ferry.   We just started walking and looking for a place to eat.  Along with being crowded, Amsterdam was definitely dirtier than anywhere we had been.  The abundance of trash on the ground was actually kind of shocking after so many days in the countryside.

It didn't take us long to decide on pizza for dinner.  This was the right decision - it was delicious!

 

 

The pizza was not cut at all, we were a bit puzzled when we saw the scissors they provided!  But they did a great job.  They actually let you cut your slice as large or small as you want.

 

We wandered some more looking for dessert.  But first, a wooden shoe:

 

We found Milky Amsterdam and the young man standing out front did a great job selling us on what they had to offer!  Les got an espresso to pour over ice cream:

 

 

I got an iced coffee:

 

There was a great view of the river:

 

But what really brought us in was this crepe!  No guilt, just pleasure:

 

This was a chocolate crepe (pronounced "creep" in Amsterdam) topped with fruit and a white chocolate drizzle.  It was SO GOOD!!!

 

 

This is the face of a cyclists who rode from Belgium to the Netherlands without any crashes!  I was feeling quite victorious that night!  We wandered a little bit more before riding the ferry back to the boat for our last night on de Holland.

 

Breukelen to Amsterdam ~ The Last Boat and Bike Tour Day - Arriving in Amsterdam (Day 11, Part 2 of 3)

 

 

We rode on through the Dutch countryside until we reached the small town of Muiden.  We arrived just as the bridge was moving to allow boats through.  We all just stopped and waited.  Once it was clear, we found a cute little bakery and grabbed a snack.

 

We sat outside and watched the boat traffic.  We were right next to a lock and watched the boats line up while they waited for the water level to be adjusted.  Once that happened, they were safely on their way. 

 

The view of the bridge while it was open.

We rode the last few miles in to Amsterdam with our friends from New Zealand.  They were such a fun group.  Amsterdam is as bike friendly (and crazy) as expected!  This is in front of the central train station.

 

 

Moving bike sidewalks.  Follow the rider in green:

 

 

Our boat was docked across the river, so we rode a free ferry across.  At the top of the building in this picture are swings.  I was not interested in trying those out!

 

 Miles ridden for the day: 30.95

Breukelen to Amsterdam ~ The Last Boat and Bike Tour Day - Visiting a Cheese Farm (Day 11, Part 1 of 3)

We had reached our final day of riding with our Boat and Bike Tour.  It went way too fast!  One of our table mates finally asked, "Did you get lost yesterday?"  I think they had already figured it out since we hadn't been complaining the night before.  We were all able to laugh about it after everyone had a good night's sleep!

 

It was a bit busier on our ride this day - it was a Saturday and local runners and cyclists were out in force.  We didn't mind, it's great seeing such an active culture.   We crossed the Breukelen bridge - Breukelen is the original Dutch namesake for Brooklyn, New York!  About 10 miles into our ride we arrived at our first stop - De Willigen a local cheese farm.  Franklin had contacted the owner in advance and she gave us a tour of the facilities.

 

The owner was so fun to listen to!

After viewing where the cheese is made, we went into the shop where we were given samples.  And yes, we bought cheese to take home with us!  

 

 We also got our mandatory coffee and a piece of apple pie. 

 

We shared our table with Todd and Lucia again, along with a few other cyclists.  We also had chickens wandering around our feet.

 

 The grounds were beautiful!

 

 We spent about an hour here before traveling on...

Dordrecht to Vreeswijk ~ Coffee and Pastry Break and How Not to Get Lost (Day 10, Part 2 of 2)

About 9 miles from Kinderdijk we arrived in Brandwijk for our lunch break.  Most of our group was there already.  We were greeted by some lazy goats:

 

We stepped inside and got the last apple pastry, along with some iced coffee.  We shared our table with two of the most interesting people on our tour.  Todd and Lucia traveled with their own bikes - Bike Friday foldies.  We had chatted with them off and on during the trip, but this was the first extended time we had spent with them.  They were so interesting.  Lucia told us that she went on her first European bike adventure when she was 20 - that was over 50 years ago!  They were not on e-bikes like so many others.  We were so inspired by them!

 

The next part of our day was filled with more glorious miles.  Les and I talked and laughed and marveled at the tidy houses.  I don't think I have mentioned just how clean Belgium and the Netherlands are.  We saw zero trash on the bike paths.  The only place we saw trash was in Amsterdam at the end of our trip.  They seem to take great pride in their homes and communities.

 

We had been told that the captain would not know where the boat would be docked until he got to Vreeswijk.  We received a message from the captain with the location.  There was a GPS pin that Les put in his phone then transferred to his bike computer.  We blissfully continued on our way.  We did make one wrong turn, but quickly corrected and found the boat just as expected.

 

We got cleaned up then headed to the salon with our remaining truffles.  We filled our water bottles with ice cold water and were just relaxing with Franklin.  Our phones started getting very busy.  "Are we way off?"  "3 of us are lost too, looking for an hour no luck."  "Franklin, we have given up trying to find the ship.  I will send our location and we will need someone to come get us.  We have been looking for over an hour."  "Turn left here:" 

 

 

This went on and on.  Franklin calmly sat there while a couple of men came in, "You need to go rescue our wives!"  They seemed to forget that there are no cars with the boat, so expecting Franklin to just go out and find the lost cyclists was pretty silly.

 

We had our best dinner of the trip that night, but there were a bunch of very unhappy passengers at dinner!  The complaining just went on and on.  Les and I kept our mouths shut about the fact that we didn't have any trouble and Franklin looked at his wayward "children" and patiently tried to explain the directions for the next day.  Those who were the most unhappy were the same ones who paid the least amount of attention during the daily briefings.  The answer to the question of how not to get lost is very simple - pay attention to your ride leader! 

 

This was our longest riding day, even without getting lost - 41.89 miles.