Ride Across the Netherlands, Day 7

After a breakfast including heerlijk fresh squeezed orange juice, we signed Henk and Reik's guest book. They have been providing accomodation to cyclists for more than 10 years; the book we signed was volume four, but we were their first non-Dutch guests. At Henk's suggestion, we stopped at the scenic National Park of the Great Peel:

Another really hot day, with humidity rising as the day progressed. We chatted with another fietser during a water break. He was meeting his wife in Maastricht, a ride of at least 120km by our calculations. Wish I had taken a picture - he was dressed in slacks and button shirt, and riding a normal (rather heavy) Dutch bike. More than 75 miles on a really hot day - no big deal!

We stopped for ice cream at Thorn, a village very near the Belgian border. The town has an interesting history which led to its nickname, the "white village". In this land of red brick buildings, Thorn has a very different look:

Photo credit Benjamin Rossen

After shopping for picnic supplies we crossed the Belgian border and had lunch by the river Maas. The route signage is a little different in Belgium, and there are fewer cycle paths, but the riding was still pleasant and (mercifully, considering the weather) flat. We found our overnight accommodation easily. It's a small and elegant B&B and horse farm. They were also getting the hay in because rain is expected by tonight. Can't come quickly enough for us, it's so warm and humid that a dip in the Jacuzzi is refreshing!

After cleaning up and rehydrating, we pedaled about 5km into the lovely town of Masseik. After a quick stop at the tourist information office for a map, we collapsed at the nearest cafe for more water and a Belgian beer. This refreshed us enough to find a dinner spot. We found a cafe with sidewalk seating and a friendly waitress. The tables around us filled up with locals, all of whom seemed to know each other, the server, and most of the passersby. All very pleasant and charming ... until the thunder started. I quickly moved our plates to a table inside, while Tim went to get the bike under cover. He returned with news - the tandem has a flat tire, and our spare tires and tool kit are 5 km away at the B&B. Our helpful server offered a pump but the tire would not hold air. She offered us a ride (in an hour, when her boyfriend was to arrive) and finally two umbrellas, which we gratefully accepted.

We returned the umbrellas the next day (hanging on the door knob)

Tummies full, rain temporarily stopped, we set off, pushing the bike. I was wearing ballet flats, not designed for a long walk at a fast pace. Fortunately, the thunder was still far away and the rain didn't start in earnest until we were within sight of the B&B. Tim stabled the bike with the horses and brought the wheel with the flat up to our room. There was an enormous hole in the valve stem - fortunately we had two spares.

In the end, Tim was able to replace the tube and pump it up enough to ride on. We went to sleep lulled by the sound of rain on the roof, to rest up for the last day of our adventure.

Map of our ride into Belgium.