Forgot to explain what we did yesterday when we discovered that there is no ferry leaving the island. Well, we just continued our trend of finding new routes, taking in the sights and making our way off the island. Not a big deal. It is hot today, 30 degrees Celsius. Everywhere we ride we see people swimming wherever there is water. Due to our mistake of thinking there is a ferry, we have a ways to go, so with the help of ice cream, we soldier on.
Piershil is a small village surrounded by beautiful countryside and many farms. Our wee house…cottage…is just outside of the village of Piershil and an easy ride to get provisions. We are looking forward to our stay in a self sufficient cabin. Normally this place is booked solid, but we were lucky to take advantage of a day’s vacancy…and the price was right.
The cabin is very well equipped with a lovely kitchen, living area, furnished patio area and a bedroom located upstairs and accessed by a narrow, winding staircase. Check out the deer on the wall with the furry cap. The bonus is a tv with streaming included.
The staircase works, but in the middle of the night, it can be tricky for bathroom visits. Oh dear, this shows our age. Our young selves would have thought nothing of it, but as we enter our 70’s, it’s a different reality,
Our home for the night was the white cabin on the right. It is just below the dyke and positioned to take in the views. The position also gives us privacy. The owner left us information about the history of this building. Some decades ago, it was completely underwater from flooding, and the residents wrote of watching cattle swim by as they watched from the upper level.
We love watching herons at home on the island, and we love seeing these interesting and beautiful birds here as well. They seem to be less shy here, or perhaps just more tolerant of humans nearby.
Children are on bikes from the womb to childhood and through old age. Bikes are certainly the preferred mode of travel. When we shop at grocery stores, the parking area for bikes is busier than the car park.
Had a lovely visit with this woman. She asked about our travels and our bike. Of course, after our visit, she hopped on her bike to continue her shopping…and she is 78 years young.
Most bikes have two child carriers (in front of and behind the rider), plus a basket for the dog. Some bikes are cargo bikes and have a wooden seating car mounted in front that can hold 3 or 4 children.
What a unique and wonderful surprise. We knew we would be crossing the Maas River but assumed it would be a path on the bridge. They have built a tunnel for bikes. It is quite long as the river is quite wide here, it is cold, but it is marvellous.
We are coming to the end of the tunnel. They have elevators to get back up to ground level but we chose to ride instead. Ironically, it is one of the first elevators we have encountered that is big enough for our tandem.
Bikes are a means of socializing and recreation, but also for tasks like grocery shopping. The infrastructure is so good, the country is mostly flat and basically if you are going somewhere, you are most likely going to ride your bike…even smartly dressed in heels or in a suit.
We have reached our destination for today…Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht. Barry had read about BnB t’Ambacht and as we mentioned earlier, we are creating our routes based on where we want to stay. This place sounds incredible. This is the breakfast room…lovely antique lamps and features throughout. It is run by a family and is service oriented.
We re looking forward to our night here. We have arrived early so we can take advantage of our time here. We are realizing that sometimes the place you stay and the people you meet can be the destination. The village is not a place we would have sought to visit but like other villages it has its own unique charm.
Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles) Total: 1,783 km (1,107 miles)
