Said farewell to Amelie and her family and headed off from De Wite Burch camping. We have enjoyed our stay here.
We are both feeling a bit tentative about the sturdiness of our bike as we know that the "U" shaped bottom sprint is now more fragile and may crack at some point. The bolt has strengthened the vertical connection, but that only works if the rest remains strong. We have decided that we will ride as long as we can and hope for the best. Cora has offered to pick us up if we become stranded - we are so lucky to have her support if needed. This gives us the confidence to give it a try.
Today's ride took us away from the water and inland over Polderlands (reclaimed land). It is flat without any features except trees along the perimeter. It is interesting to see, but its monotonous view encouraged us to take a turn on another road to find villages. As well, we have now lost our tailwind and we are heading directly in to the wind. It's amazing how quickly your speed decreases.
Lemmers is a pituresque and interesting town with a very active lock in the town centre. Having our picnic lunch there made for some very interesting people and boat watching.
The weather is the best we have had for some time. Sunshine throughout the day. What a treat.
When we entered the village of Blokzijk we were unprepared for what a lovely place it is. Many of the buildings remain from the early 17th century and are well preserved. The historic centre faces on to the harbour.
We saw a sign for a campground along the canal on the outskirts of the village, Tussende Diepen. We will stop here and enjoy the surroundings. The tenting area is a pretty field set directly on the canal with a view of the historic town hall of Blokzijl. 15 euros, free wifi - can't be beat.
Amelie, Mark and her son Bauke (sorry, can't remember the spelling of your name!) - our neighbours at the campground. Their daughter Ellen is not in the picture because she is participating in the children's activities at the camp.
The Friesian flag has confounded us as we have rode through this region. What are the red shapes? Hearts? Strawberries?....Amelie solved this confusion by telling us that they represent lily pads. Now it makes sense as the canals are always lined with lily pads! We have really enjoyed Friesland and hope to return here someday.
In partnership with Vrienden op der Fiets, RUST is a group of people who offer refreshments for cyclists. Just drop in and pay on the honour system whatever you can.
We are suddenly seeing more storks - always exciting to get a close up view. Past years cycling in Europe, we rode through so many areas where we saw them in their nests.
We don't understand the signifigance of these rocks we have seen in this region. There is a connection to Sweden - which is all we can understand from the information board at the site.
Mary Ellen getting the sleeping area ready. We have had a good weather day and tomorrow will be the same. However, in a few days the prediction is for rain and thunder storms for 2 or 3 days.
