You all have to get used to the fact that most of these days will start with a breakfast. And the breakfast that our host Jan offers us in Gorinchem is always of top level. A croissant, soft rolls, currant buns (krentenbollen), brown bread, different cheeses, yoghurt, muesli, freshly cut fruits , shit of mice, freshly pressed orange juice, coffee, you name it, it’s there. There are even two slices of gingerbread to take along on our trip.
Since it’s supposed to be a kind of a rest day, we’re taking it easy today, sleeping in and taking our time to do some restoration work (yep, saddle pain is starting to kick in, but it’s still manageable). We also took our time with breakfast and admiring our host Jan’s garden.
We’re off to Utrecht, about 40 kilometers away, at 10:45.
Just a few minutes after we started, we met Nel, a 79-year-old woman who started telling us her life story while we were standing on the side of the bike path with our bikes. She talked about her illness that she overcame, her worried husband, and the love they still have for each other. After a while, she even offered for us to come over for coffee and meet her husband Pim. We had to decline with pain in our heart since we had just started our route, but these “Wouter Deboot moments,” as we call them, make the trip so worthwhile.
We mainly followed the Merwede Canal to Utrecht, so we could keep a steady pace and enjoy the scenery and cooler weather. The changed weather, bring also a 14.5 km/h headwind with 25 km/h gusts. It wasn’t too bad, but wind really picks up along a canal, making it feel like you’re constantly cycling uphill.
We stopped at bakery Oorbeek in Vianen to grab some tasty lunch. The baker’s wife kept asking about the how, where, and why of the trip, and we were happy to tell her everything.
Then we drove to a lovely picknick spot by the river Lek and had a delicious self made lunch. How good can life get?
We really took our time later today. A coffee break at Cafe Keet,
and we visited Utrecht by bike. What a city! Bikes are at the top of the traffic food chain there. Wide bike lanes, wider than a lot of car roads in major cities in Belgium. Utrecht also has a lot to offer in terms of history and architecture. Definitely worth a visit if you are nearby.
We still have a few kilometers to go to Tom and Anouk’s place and their lovely newborn Okke. At 17:15 we arrived at their place. It was good to meet them again and Tom cooked us a splendid dinner. After we shared a lot of stories, it was time to call it a day, because for them, nights are still very short
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