(Natalie writing today) Surprised ourselves by sleeping in. That’s always nice, especially on vacation, right? We had expected a little rain but happily didn’t get any until we were checked into our AirBnB. It was a perfect temperature again today, some clouds too. 

Lots of great cycle trails and roads today. Some smaller towns, some farmland. A few cool bridges over big rivers or industrial/rail areas. Sometimes the bike lane/path would be paved and the road for cars would just be dirt! We had some detours due to construction in Antwerp on our way out, but we quickly worked around them.

We really love this way of seeing and experiencing all different aspects of Europe. We love the variety we’ve had: farmlands, cities, gorgeous green forests, rolling village streets, all kinds of bike trails, centuries-old buildings and churches, quaint cottages, touristy places and middle-of-nowhere places, museums, castles and palaces and forts, parks of all shapes and sizes, subways and buses, beaches, canals, drawbridges, ferries, giant towering ships, forever-long barges, strong tugboats, fisher boats and fisher people, steep city streets, crazy narrow alley ways, sketchy underpass bike routes, cobblestone, brick-paved streets, kids (of all ages) laughing happily and pointing at us, truck drivers giving us thumbs-up, fellow cyclists of all varieties, different languages, helpful English speakers, a great variety of lodging experiences, lovely restaurants, fun cafés, navigating all kinds of grocery stores, and the list goes on. 

We gained very little altitude today; in fact, we almost wished we had planned more miles for today so that we could have stayed on the coast tonight. (We rode around 65 miles today.) But we are learning, and we are taking notes about what works and what doesn’t (for us) so that next time we do this it’ll be even more amazing!!

For example, we are realizing that in general we like smaller cities. (Of course there are exceptions to this.) We also really like water rides (as in coastline or riverside).

Rotterdam seems a bit smaller, cleaner, and greener than Antwerp. It also doesn’t have the same old-old architecture. Our host explained that much of Rotterdam was burned down in the 1940s, so that’s why. After arriving and cleaning up, we walked the city a bit and found some fun snacks. Then as it began to rain, we opted for groceries for dinner and breakfast, so we found a good store and returned to the apartment. It’s a small but well-appointed attic flat, with a small kitchen and bathroom of its own. Our host is welcoming and helpful and even let us put our bike in a rather inconvenient (for him) but safe place in the hallway entrance. 

We are very sad to think that tomorrow is our last ride day. What an excellent adventure it has been!

Paved bike path next to a dirt road. They have good priorities in the Netherlands. Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam Making dinner Having fun exploring the city