We are on our way! The first 72 km are behind us. And what way start with our big tour!
First, the kids treated us to a full breakfast while we checked and packed the last things. A big thank you to all our daughters and their husbands for giving us this splendid farewell present.
While breakfast was going on, friends and neighbors dropped in to join in this warm open-door moment.
We planned to leave between 9:30 and 10:00, so at 9:30, I started getting things ready and hanging the last bags on our bikes. It was a bit sad, and we had a lot of good emotions about leaving such a warm moment behind. But since everyone came to wave us goodbye, we didn’t really have any other choice but to move on, right?
This is what we’ve been getting ready for, for over 100 days.
After a lot of hugs, I even hugged a bunch of people I’d never hugged before, but it felt right. Then, a big group photo was taken, and they even unfurled a huge banner with a really inspiring quote.
And at 9:50, as planned, we took off on our four-month adventure (give or take).
After a few kilometers, the stress of leaving started to fade away. Whatever we left behind is in good hands and will also thrive without us.
We even tried to translate it into some kind of cry for joy.
The ride was super hot. My thermometer read 33.7°C in the afternoon. We drank a lot, took our breaks, and got to Wortel, our first stop, at 17:15.
Louis, our host, was awesome at quenching our thirst and giving us a tasty meal: a yummy spinach quiche then pasta with tuna/tomato sauce. After that, coffee with a cookie: a perfect host.
Tomorrow’s gonna be even hotter than today, so we’re planning to leave early. Time to hit the hay then.
We’ll sleep like logs and dream of what’s next…
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