Day Thirteen: Still In Apeldoorn: (Year 13: 1980)

October 3, 2017

The 80's were a busy time with the young family growing on the farm. Dodie was working evening shift as a nurse, and I was working days, always with that big mortgage. When interest rates skyrocketed it became a real struggle to hang on to the place.

The decade begins with happy times in meadows and on the water.

Flash Forward to 2017, the Netherlands

Coming into the third or fourth day after Dodie's injury it was time to assess her recovery and to see if the tour was toast or if we could carry on. Preliminary assessment did not look too good. We emailed some injury photos to a nursing instructor friend of ours, and learned of the risk of kidney damage from the breakdown of the muscle tissue in the leg. Errph. No use sending the Friday home in box and buying a shiny new steed if Dodie herself might need to be sent home.

We started by sending me out to find a compression bandage for the leg. That was not so simple. I cycled to a "Drug Store" or "Drogisterij" and described what I was looking for. They had one or two bandage type things but not that. Try an "Apotheek" they suggested. I came to understand that an apotheek dispenses prescriptions while a drogisterij might have stuff more like suntan lotion. OK, I have been around this town just enough to know where an apotheek was (spottable by a green cross outside). I cycled over there - my oh my, does a bike ever increase your mobility!

At the apotheek I was ushered into a consultation room, and did a lot of sign language to explain what I was after, but that I was not the patient. This resulted in a lot of conferring among colleagues, and the presentation of a long tubular thing that was not going to do it. More sign language produced a white elastic bandage, not as tough as what we have at home for wrapping sprains, but, maybe. I showed up back at the hotel and Dodie declared "perfect". Man oh man, I am a hero!

Getting hold of a tensor bandage required a consultation with a serious pharmacy. They did have the right thing, somewhere in the back.

Notwithstanding the bandage, which did ease the pain for Dodie, the long term prognosis remained open. The hotel did not have any doctors that they commonly recommend, but they found one just 1 km away, and made a tentative appointment. Again, I jumped on the bike, and went down there to check them out. It seemed they spoke reasonable English, and the cost of a visit would be just 28 euros. I had been working with the idea that Dodie was worth maybe up to 85 euros, so it was a deal at 28. I went back to report my findings and Dodie agreed to hobble the 1 km. to the doctor.

The doctor declared that Dodie would be ok, and actually recommended to keep the leg moving. Based on that we marched her not back to the hotel but further out, to the bike shop.

The bike shop was well stocked. Naturally there were tons of giant Dutch bikes. But also there were folders, from a few different companies, though of course not Bike Friday. Surprisingly, Dodie was unimpressed by the folders, or even one non folding but 20 inch wheel model. I think if, in folders, it could not be her very own beautiful and custom sized Friday, then she did not want any other folder. But the alternative was giant 28" wheel Dutch things. Except, off by itself, was one small framed and 26" wheel bike. I asked the sales young man how they could ever sell such a little thing in Netherlands. He replied that little old ladies are not as big as standard Dutch folk, and they are the market for such a bike. "Hey, that's me!" exclaimed Dodie.

So although the purchase is not completed yet, it seems as if Dodie will be the owner of a little big Dutch bike.

A problem remained in terms of what to do with the half dead Friday. I went to the post office and found that they could accept a box of no more than 100x50x50 cm (39" x20 x20). We felt that we could break the Friday down to fit that. The cost would be about 105 euros to send it to Oregon. OK, deal. The bike shop volunteered to reconfigure a Birdy box to the needed dimensions and get the Friday into it. We felt enormously relieved to almost have this problem under control.

The salesman at the bike shop was very understanding, and cute!

Now Dodie needs to heal enough to get us out of here. Right now she can only lift her leg a few inches. But we have lengthened our reservation in this hotel all the way to Saturday. That's four more healing days. No pressure, eh!

Our hotel is on the edge of town, and so far even by bike there has been no exploration of the centre. Maybe tomorrow I will jump on the remaining Friday and be able to report from the heart of beautiful downtown Apeldoorn!

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