July 4, 2022
Day 3 - Vianen to Gorinchem
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A new day, with a somewhat different look at this amazing country.
Today we didn’t follow rivers. It was more of a tour of bucolic, backstage Holland. Farms, villages, and wind were the featured players today.
We rolled off shortly after the main group, and were off-track after the first corner! Not to worry, though. We recovered swiftly and were swiftly out of Vianen on typically plush Dutch cycle paths.
Our first stop was a massive water retention dam, where we caught up with the main group of riders.
We missed several turns today because the navigator was ogling the adorable thatched roof cottages, hydrangeas, or fluffy sheep. Despite our compromised route-finding, we managed to find our way to the end point just fine.
We celebrated several moments where we actually comprehended parts of the Dutch “knooppunt” bicycle navigation system.
The riding was spectacular, with amazing infrastructure that made riding a pleasure.
We saw lots of thatched roof cottages, and even passed by a depot of roofing material. Tended by the ever-present fluffy sheep.
And more windmills!
We took a break at a small shop in the small village of Schonrewoerd, and soon after arrived in Leerdam. Since it was Monday, not much was going on. So we pressed on through some headwinds to Gorinchem, where the boat was alleged to be waiting. We were super early, so we ate our lunch alongside the water.
After lunch, things got complicated. We got to the location where the boat was supposed to be, but there was no boat! A call to Simon, our guide, revealed that the boat was delayed. So we did what rational bike tourists do in such a situation: We found a cafe to sit and have a drink.
Eventually Simon showed up with the rest of the riders. The boat had docked somewhere other than planned, so we went back to being ducklings and followed Simon to the boat.
The boat immediately took off for Heusden. It was a lovely float.
Dinner was served after we arrived in Heusden, and then we headed out for a tour of the beautiful old town. I’ll let the pictures talk.
Another sweet evening on the deck of the boat listening to bilingual English/German chatter. Life is good.
Today's ride: 44 km (27 miles)
Total: 139 km (86 miles)
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