Arnhem to Bocholt

July 11, 2012

Our experience in the Netherlands was that hotels are generally much more expensive than in Germany or France, so we were glad to get a tip from cyclist friends on a moderate place to stay in Arnhem. The place was run by a bachelor who had lived there most of his life and took over the hotel when his mother died. It seems the hotel and its guests are his life and he was eager for conversation. Over a lengthy breakfast our conversation covered all sorts of topics, ranging from Holland's present economic situation to the history of Arnhem.

Janos and our host were good friends by the time breakfast was over.

From Arnhem we could have started on the official beginning of the R1 Cycle Route which crosses Germany to Berlin, Poland and eventually ends in St. Petersburg. I had prepared this route as well as an alternative for my GPS, just in case. The R1 would have started with a climb, the one we had descended last night coming to Arnhem. We decided we didn't need that and opted for my alternative and less adventurous route. As opposed to the zigzag course of the R1, it was fairly straight. Most of the time we were on country lanes between fields crisscrossed by canals and littered with cows. The sky was blue with puffy clouds, the sun was out and we were propelled by a mighty tailwind.

Having abandoned the R1, we could no longer depend on our Bikeline guide book for finding rooms along the way. Of course, with his smart phone Janos can access Internet but small hotels and B&B's are often not listed there. We thought our best bet would be to head for Bocholt in Germany, hoping for lower prices and a choice of places to stay. I confess to not having any maps with us this time, we were depending entirely on our Garmins and the smart phone. At this point, a map would have been useful since to reach Bocholt we dipped further south than my planned route took us. It was easy enough.

Our last appelgebak before we crossed the border, the coffee liqueur was served gratis.

Our last hydrangeas before we reached Germany where the hydrangea blossoms aren't half as brilliant.

There is no official border crossing from the Netherlands to Germany, no customs or passport control, but you see the difference immediately. The bicycle paths deteriorate and the signage for bicycles is inconsistent, obviously not a budget priority. Still, we had bicycle paths all the way and sped along to our goal.

There is a town in Germany called spork. We should have eaten there but we didn't.

In Bocholt the Tourist Office was efficient and pointed out several hotels to us. We stayed at the Kolpinghaus Hotel, brand new and tremendous value for the middle-range price. We hadn't seen a hotel of this quality the whole time we were in the Netherlands. Mind you, there were many things that we thought were better in the Netherlands, but not the quality or price of the hotels there.

Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 330 km (205 miles)

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