It was another cozy night at the Easy Hotel in Rotterdam. I have been eating dinner at a local Turkish pub/restaurant just one block from the Hotel. The food is cheap compared to home, and the menu very delicious to say the least. Last night I had a lamb rissole on the barbeque, with an assortment of pistachio nuts and figs, with salad and roast potato (which looked much like wedges in my home country!) As a final celebration, being the last dinner on Dutch soil, I ordered baklava for dessert which came with its own covering of sheep’s wool, which was actually a kind of fairy floss but the closest thing I’ve ever seen to wool!
I was rather nervous about the day. It was supposed to be a relatively short run of some 30k from the Hotel to the most western point of Holland, the ‘Hoek de Holland’ at the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas river, one of the delta rivers of the Rhine. Something was telling me though that it wouldn’t be that simple. Rotterdam is a very big city, and the largest port in Europe. I had to negotiate my way out of this, and make it to the StenaLine port before the ferry departed at 2:30pm.
The day dawned while I was at breakfast around the corner at a husband and wife run ‘bakerie’. They were a lovely couple. For about $10 they served me with a massive omelet, hot coffee and a large crispy bun with layers of ham and cheese. I thought it was great value and a great way to start the day. They were stoked when I told them that I chose their place for my final meal on Dutch soil!
My plan was to have the bike loaded by 9:30am, and heading away from the Hotel. When the time came, I took the official photo at 9:20am, ahead of schedule. Theoretically I had plenty of time but I knew that it would be a complicated exit from one of the largest ports in the world.
It was! The receptionist had printed for me a Google Maps instruction on how to get there – it ran to four pages of line by line notes which on a bike is almost useless. I had my last few photocopies of the Dutch cycling maps that my friend Philip back in Australia had provided for me. The maps depended on me picking up the small signs all the way to Hoek de Holland.
It was peak hour for bikes. I nervously pushed away from the Hotel, joining the throng, my brain working overtime to watch bikes, pedestrians and cars with my brain still wanting to operate instinctively looking for cars from the right when they come from the left. I had only gone one long street and knew I had missed the turn. I had to back-track several kilometers almost to the start, to check the Google instructions again. I had missed the crucial street.
I was in the busy city for possibly 12k before it settled into more of continuous industrial, dockyard and light industry. Apart from small glimpses of canals where the old boats seemed prevalent, it resembled any other urban and industrial area in the world. For the first 15-20k I didn’t even get a glimpse of the Rhine (Nieuwe Maas) River. I stopped frequently to check where I was, and several times I had been heading in wrong directions. At one such stop, a nice friendly lady came out of her house when I was looking at the map. She wanted to help and chat. She then invited me in for coffee! Maybe she felt sorry for me – it was sitting on zero and very cold – but I kindly declined her offer, despite thinking about warm coffee until I made it to the ferry port!
It was bitterly cold. For the first time on this trip, the GPS dropped to minus 1C for the middle part of the morning before rising again to zero. The wind was strong though, which made things seem much colder. It was cutting through me today. At about 20k the bikeway left the urban/industrial suburbs of the dock area of Rotterdam, and suddenly ran along the edge of the River all the way to Hoek de Holland. It was lovely, but the openness now to the sea and the exposure to the bitterly cold wind made the conditions very difficult, if not a little ‘arctic’!
I was now doing okay for time, and just let the bike roll as efficiently as it could. I had plenty of time now, and would arrive maybe 2 hours before the departure, despite looking more like 40k than the anticipated 30k. The timing though, was all fine by me – it would be a good chance just to get out of the cold and wind and be confident that I would not be missing my ferry.
The run to the ‘Hoek’ was long and straight now, with sights of large container ships and passenger ferries the size of ocean liners opening up in view. I was closing nicely on the port, and could now see the massive StenaLine docks looming up in front. It wasn’t so difficult to find my way in to the car park area, park the bike and get inside the terminal. Boarding would be ‘soon’, so I had time to go back to the only fish n’ chip shop I could see, and ordered a hot coffee, and my last serving of hot ‘chips’ with mayonnaise – a Dutch delicacy which I’ve enjoyed but will have to stop now once the high mileage also slows down. It was nice though to sit in the warmth. I had made it safely.
It was freezing cold as I rolled the bike to the departure gate for the cars to board. Passport was checked. It was then almost 1k along the dock before I rolled the bike into the bowels of this massive ocean ferry, along with cars and a huge number of monster trucks. The bike was docked on a special bike rack, suspended by the handlebars so that it wouldn’t fall over, and I made my way to the plush 9th floor passenger lounge.
At least it was warm. The day outside from inside the ferry looked wild and windy. I went outside on the outer deck just as we departed for a final photo, but didn’t stay long – the cold was so intense. I had a suite of comfortable lounges all to myself. The ship was almost the size of a luxury ocean liner, with relatively few passengers. It was great to have it almost to myself. The trip to Harwich UK was 6.5 hours. The seas were whipped up by the strong winds. The ferry rolled drunkenly for the 6.5 hours. Others felt slightly ill just as I did.
It was a great cruise, but I was glad when we docked. It was 8pm local time. It had been dark for four hours, but at least it wasn’t raining. I felt extremely dwarfed, cycling off literally between massive road transports until a fellow in the dock area pulled me out and sent me off on my own to the Customs check for Great Britain. I must say I was surprised at the grilling I received, probably the most intense grilling since entering Israel! Despite my Australia Passport, I had to dig out my flight schedule, and answer all kinds of questions about my flight home, flight number despite it being written on my schedule. Anyway, I passed the test and found my way riding off into the dark English night in search of my Hotel a few kilometers away. I now had lights on the bike, and I must say it felt unusual to be back on the left side of the road once again!
I’m staying at the Premier Inn. I expected a low class pub, but it is as nice as any Motel I’ve stayed in Australia, actually better. It is a pity my stay is so brief. The gracious woman at the desk offered for me to keep my muddy bike in the lovely room – even I almost said I can’t really do that!
My great adventure in Germany and Holland has come to an end. I have loved both countries and would be happy to do it all again at some future day. The experience of doing it in the cold of autumn and winter has been part of the experience being so memorable. The challenge has added to the experience.
Tomorrow I have to get to Chelmsford, some 80k towards London. I need to get myself a map so I can find my way through the villages rather than take the highway. As I write, there was a knock at the door – its 10pm. The lovely lady at the reception has taken the trouble to research my route and print off a Google tour route for me – another 4 pages of instructions.
The memory of Germany and Holland will never fade. However, the challenge of these next two days will consume my thinking until I manage to ride into The Salvation Army Convention Centre which is at Sunbury Court, on the Windsor end of the Thames on the opposite side of London. That’s tomorrow’s problem.
From my very lovely room on the 2nd floor of the luxury Premier Inn at Harwich, Essex UK, I send my love.
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