Sunny, though not crystal clear the clouds weren’t threatening.  The wind had dropped to a 10 mph breeze, still in our face, but manageable.  We had a quick trip back through town to pick up a bike map (and snap a photo or two) to get us out of town and on the right path.

We have seen mailmen/women on bikes throughout our tour, but have not been able to get a picture.  ………what a great concept!

For the first time in what seems like weeks, we rode along a tree lined bike path.Though still a very straight road, the trees added a nice dimension (especially relative to what sheep ‘offer’ a bike path) and the homes added interesting landscaping. We crossed the Küstenkanalactually turned a corner and followed another long straight road toward town.  The approach to the city was charming,along yet another canal.

Papenburg is rich in maritime history and is still known today for it’s building of luxury liners.  We happen to find much more character in the ‘old’ shipsand churches.We dined along a flower lined street then headed for bed.

Started our ride a little after 9:00 this morning as we were waiting for yet another map that would not be delivered to the bookstore until then.  Unfortunately, the map would do us no good.  We navigated out of the city without a problem, but then found ourselves between a cornfield and the autobahn, neither a good bicycle option.  Having that perplexed look on our faces, Joe came along and insisted on taking us down the road to connect to a straight road and our  intended bike path.   A couple miles down the road, as we passed his home, he invited us in for a beer…….at bit early for us and we really needed to make forward progress.  Joe on the other hand, was 82 years old and had all the time in the world.  After five miles we bid our farewells and continued on.

With no real detail in a map, we headed west as best we could and picked up bike signs when available.  Our course led us through a very nice retirement community and several small towns, again with neat yards and flowering gardens.So while Jerry watched his shadow to maintain direction, I enjoyed the scenery,which of course, included horses.There was a border crossing into the Netherlands, somewhere before noon, but with open borders, it’s tough to tell exactly where.

By 2:00, we reached the town of Emmen, in the middle of a street fair (go figure).Our intention was to go further than 45 miles, but without a good map or internet, we felt a bit vulnerable.  So we went in search of a map that could show us the route all the way to Amsterdam; we did not want to have to engage in this hunt, everyday.  A couple of hours later we were in business, but now it was too late to go further.  Luckily, we found a hotel in town and called it a day.

As you may have guessed, we are on the last (tired) legs of our journey and will soon be heading back to the states.

A very light sprinkle, 57 degrees and a northwest wind between 20 and 30 mph, when we left this morning.  Sorry we cannot split the difference on temperatures between here and the 100 degree temperatures in Virginia. Luckily, we were heading south west, so we only suffered the winds when our course turned directly west.  The morning was not bad, the sprinkling was so faint you didn’t notice the moisture, but it was enough to keep the camera under wraps.  Unfortunately, by 11:00 it decided to rain, wet rain (yes Justin, like dirty, dirt!).  The rain left a slight mist on the blades of grass, as if they had been touched by a first frost.

It was a beautiful ride, not to be confused with a beautiful day.  The homes we passed were meticulous, gardens were abundant with flowers and the village streets, pristine.  We passed numerous pastures loaded with mares and there young.   As we passed each field, the animals would raise there heads and stare at us as if we were crazy, or something!

Our caption here:  Seriously, in this weather?!

With the wind blowing the rain sideways, we didn’t dare stop to eat for fear of chill, so we pulled our sandwiches out of our bags and ate as we biked.  We were determined to make mileage until we became chilled.  Just outside our destination city, we stopped to check the internet for a hotel and warm up with some (delicious) hot chocolate.  Though the stop did give us the opportunity to find a hotel, it also allowed our soaked clothers to chill us to the bone.  Less than three miles to the hotel, we knew we could make it.  All that was needed was a big bowl of comfort food, which came in the form of a most wonderful bowl of mushroom soup and an embarrassing large basket of bread…….can’t wait for dinner.

At dinnertime, we braved the elements, crossed the waterways and walked to the city square;we had to provide some pictures from the day.

It did pay off, however, with a beautiful salad, large calzone and a pizza……did we mention we were hungry?!  Sixty miles in five hours, it’s time to rest.

Two words, one picture!

WIND Rain.

The 30 mph wind from yesterday was still with us this morning.  Though no rain at the start, we were prepared, as the forecast was for nothing else.  Either the wind had turned ever so slightly, or our course, either way we had the direct force of the strong head wind our entire 56 miles.

The silver lining is the rain was not constant, actually by noon, the wind was blowing so hard in our face that we were totally dry.  As much as we wanted to stop, we could see the dark clouds and threatening rain, so we once again ate lunch as we biked.  Much like yesterday, it was still a very pretty ride,……….managed one photo before having to wrap the camera up again.As much as we enjoyed the scenery while fighting the wind, we can only imagine how fabulous it would be with a little bit of sunshine and a little less wind.  Shortly before finding a hotel, the rain came down sideways, drenching us to the core, not a pretty site when checking in.  This is all we can offer you for today, hopefully……”the sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun….!”  Did you sing?

We awoke this morning to driving rain……what can we say?! So we had a leisurely breakfast, hoping it would clear, especially since it wasn’t forecasted to begin with.  By 9:00, as we were loading our bikes, the rain stopped….. hopefully for good.  As we turned the corner from our hotel, we realized that our wind from the last two days was still with us, ever bit as strong and ever bit in our face.  But to see the sun for the first time in days, was so fabulous, it almost made us forget the 30 mph head winds.

The terrain

and homes today, were very much like the last couple of days, only now tenderly kissed by the sun.

Today’s exception (besides the sun) was a couple very palatial looking buildings (can’t imagine they would be homes).

Just as the Amsterdam canal was at the beginning of our journey, so it was at the end…….. and we sadly realized the trip was just about over.

One last picture of flowers!We are sorry this ride must come to an end as we really have loved every minute of it.

We Love You All and hope to see you on another bike tour soon…….Anyone care to join us?!

If you would like to see this map in detail and really zoom in on our route, click here.

Each year, as we complete the trip and do a follow-up on the blog, we are surprised at how dramatically different the “facts” are!  We still have not quite settled on a name for this trip: Three Rivers Tour, Northern Europe Tour or just our 2011 Bike Trip, nonetheless…….

Amsterdam to Amsterdam and the 8 Countries in between

2631 total miles

57 days total
includes 5 days of sightseeing, rest and a train ride.
50+ average miles a day

8 Countries:  Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, CzechRepublic.

3 Rivers: Rhine, Danube and Elb

Almost 5000 pictures ………… and more fabulous memories than we can count!

We would very much like to thank:

ALL that commented on our blog, we very much enjoyed the contact from the states and especially the laughs.

Those we met along the way, that helped us find our way and the new friends we made.

Marcia, for making our flights affordable and much more comfortable.

Maine MacMan Dave, for the behind the scenes blog support.

My father, Dr. Noë, Vatti for the behind the scenes directions and history.

We Love You All and hope to see you on another bike tour soon…….Anyone care to join us?!