July 4, 2016
More time exploring Maastricht and then riding into Belgium
The ride in to Maastricht from the campground is heavenly - 8 km of downhill. What a pleasure!!
We spent about 3 hours exploring more of this wonderful place. We did the walking tour and really got to know the charms and history of Maastricht, the oldest city in Holland. It was first populated during Roman times.
The must sees are the exceptional book store in the converted cathedral and the Basilica. However, on the self guided tour, we really enjoyed the back streets, the remains of the Roman wall and the city gate and just exploring.
The market square and old city hall are also impressive. We avoided the popular pedestrian shopping areas as they don't interest us.
We had ordered some cycling (Dutch) guides and we found this hidden gem of a store on a side street. Their collection is vast and far from the tourist route. Really enjoyed browsing and appreciated their gift of a cloth bag which commemorates their store as well as a card.
After some famous Maastricht fritturs (fries) with mayonnaise we set out. Now we begin the Flandern Route from Maastricht to just past Oostende on the Channel. This route will be about 450 km and we will pass through Ghent and Brugges. We are looking forward to exploring Belgium as this is a new country for us. Also, we like that it will be flat and get us to France.
The route was well signed and led us along the well travelled canal with many working river boats. We are a bit concerned that we have been having trouble locating campgrounds. It's strange that the Bikeliine shows camping in the index, but neglect to show it on the map. Internet searches have not been very fruitful.
We enjoyed the ride today.
The problem arose when we turned off for the first campground. After several km, we discovered that it is only for bungalow rentals. Knowing that other campgrounds were not in the area, we started looking for reasonable accomodation. The options seemed to be hard to find. Where do visitors to Belgium stay? Towns had no facilities - or they were shut down and looked derelict or they were luxurious and out of our budget range. We asked at supermarkets, and locals looked equally confused by the possibilities.
Anyway, the weather was clear so we kept riding. We chose to ride alongside the busy motorway, rather than being on the pretty but remote canal. We finally found a B&B in Leut that is a treasure. Coffee, tea, cold beverages available complimentary - beer and wine in the frig on the honour system, a swimming pool stocked with Koi fish - just like our camping near Maastricht - we have found an oasis.
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Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 618 km (384 miles)
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