Back on day 4 in Chur (pronounced Ker), we had our tent set up in the campground which was sandwiched between the Rhine and a gigantic swimming pool. We were working to get dinner completed when we saw a couple, nearly our age, ride in on their bikes. They rested a few minutes and then began setting up camp. Sally walked by, returning from the restroom, and stopped to talk for a few minutes. Later, the couple left some gear out to dry and rode out for dinner. They were not back from dinner when the thunderstorm started dropping rain. Sally pulled their clothing off the line and put it in their tent to keep it dry. A little later they returned and invited us to share a bottle of wine. The rain intensified, so we met them in the bathroom for wine and some talk. It was very fun. They invited us to stay with them when we finished our ride, as they lived in Rotterdam. That is where we are headed for today.
We took down camp and rode to the beach for breakfast. Seated at one of the picnic tables in full view of the beach and North Sea, we enjoyed the early morning sun, light wind and quiet as we munched rolls, cheese and nectarines.
We said goodbye to our ending point and headed off on the next phase of our trip: to visit Adri and Stijnie, tour Rotterdam, sell the ebike, visit Amsterdam and then head to Paris. Not all today! That is a summary of the next five days. Today, we ride to their house and then play it by ear.
We were excited, as we expected to have the wind at our back for the ride to Rotterdam. It has been in our face all but a couple days and the prevailing winds should be pushing us back to town. Alas, it was a crosswind. Not strong, and not annoying, but not the tailwind we had hoped for.
I had their house marked on my GPS. We slowly worked our way across town to their location, arriving about noon. Other than a few wrong turns, the ride was uneventful. We made the last turn and were riding along the Rotte River, the one the city is named after. On the GPS, it showed we were almost on top of their house. I stopped to check the address number on my email and found they were a few doors down. When I looked up, I saw Stijnie in the road waving us in. She had seen us approaching and was trying to catch our attention. She had it now.
Their home is sandwiched between a canal and the Rotte River. Out their front door, the steps empty onto the sidewalk which runs along their one lane road. Paralleling the road is the river. There is about one foot of distance from the road curb to where the water in the river starts. Total distance from front door to canal edge, about 40'. Out the rear of their house is the canal, although this one is more of a wide ditch, maybe 10-12' across. From rear door to canal, 30'. They are surrounded by water. Their house is a little bit below sea level. The water pumping at their house is the same as at Kinderdyke. There is a low point about 100 yards behind their house. It has water, a pond, in it. The water from that pond is pumped up to the canal behind their house. From there it is pumped into the river in front of their house. This river is right at see level. It will only drain at low tide. A lock is closed at high tide to keep the sea out, then opened at low tide to let river drain into the sea.
We spent the first part of the sunny afternoon talking, in front of the house on the small dock Adri had built on the river, watching the members of the rowing club across the water launch boats and row up and down the waterway. We moved inside for lunch, then rode our bikes into the central train station to secure our tickets to Paris and inquire about selling the bike at the bike shop beneath the station.
It took an hour to get the tickets, the line being quite long on this sunny, Saturday afternoon. The two contacts we had in the bike shop don't work weekends. We were told to inquire on Monday.
Adri took us on a tour of Rotterdam, showing us the various projects under consideration in the city and recent changes. He also pointed out more of the canal system and water features.
We returned to their house for dinner, then rode back into downtown for a waterfront concert with the Rotterdam Orchestra, featuring two opera singers and a 13 year old prodigy violinist. We arrived after it had started. We stood through the concert with limited viewing, but it was wonderful. Beautiful music on a beautiful night in the magnificent setting of the harbor.
We toured more of the city in the dark before returning to their home. We talked until after midnight before calling it a night. The ride to their house from the Hoek of Holland was only 30 miles, but we had added an additional 10 with our afternoon rides.
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