We finished the 866 mile bicycle ride yesterday and got to sleep in today! I woke up at 0630 but stayed in bed…till 0700! Didn’t want to wast this day!

We had breakfast until 0900 which was our planned departure time. We actually left at 0915!! Not too bad!

Most of the people wanted to go to The Hague so off we went. We drove around the city a bit, enjoying the hustle and bustle of this town. We decided the one place we all could agree on seeing was the International Court of Justice.

Impressive building and area! When you think of the World Court, maybe you are like me and think it is in one building. Actually, there are a number of Courts or Tribunals spread out among various locations. We visited the Peace Palace, its building funded by a gift from Andrew Carnegie of $1.5 million Dollars.

As you can see, an impressive and very beautiful building. We toured the visitors center and looked at the exhibits, we bought some souvenirs and generally enjoyed the beautiful day and surroundings.

One of the other things a majority wanted to do was to go to the beach on the North Sea. So we drove to the beach at The Hague and enjoyed a lunch, sitting outdoors. Like I said, it was a beautiful day and, despite it being windy, we found a great restaurant and had a wonderful lunch.

Walking the “boardwalk” at the beach, it kind of reminded me of Virginia Beach…

And the last thing on our short list for the day was to visit the Atlantic Wall Museum in Hook of Holland. Once we got there we found out it is open daily ONLY when the season is in full effect. But we did get to look at the area and climb on the bunker.

As you might be able to see in the photo’s map, the bunkers were spread around the mouth of the Rhine and along the coast. The whole Atlantic Wall stretched from Normandy north, intending to prevent invasion of Europe after the German capture of most of mainland Europe. A fascinating story…. and one I may need to revisit someday.

And now, I’ve got almost everything packed for tomorrow…. we’ll drive back to Frankfurt to return the bikes to the bike shop and then go for a quick visit to Theres and return one bike there. And on Friday, this Adventure will be over!!

One of the reasons to do a trip of this magnitude is to see how doable it is. Well, we found that for cyclists who want to do a challenging ride, it is a great ride! I’d probably tweak it a bit to a 7-1-7 Ride. Shortening the days a little would be helpful, making the 7 days vs 6 days nicer. The Rest Day in between the two halves is needed. The second half of the ride, while somewhat flatter, is longer, with 110-120 km days common. The 7 days would provide a little relief here too.

But the great thing is that I can now add 3 additional possibilities to the tour offerings… 1) The Alsace of France (an additional France ride to go along with our Dordogne tour), 2) A Magnificent Rhine Ride and 3) a Holland Ride. Each of these 3 rides would be approximately 30 miles per day, allowing significant time to explore the end towns.

So if you think of joining us someday for an Adventure, let us know…. we can do some customizations for you but we’ll need to talk!

One Response

  1. It was an adventure just to read your blogs and I will miss them! Thanks again for bringing my beloved Rhein back to life in my memories. Wish I could come along on one of your tours, but Cristina may take my place and my spirit will guide you.
    Farewell! Brigitta