Day 2 - Europe 2011

Day 2 Friday, May 27, 2011
Rotterdam to Breda - Distance 91 kms Duration 5 hrs Average Speed 17.84 kph

I left the 2 star hotel at 10:00 (can't remember the name of hotel as I paid cash and didn't get a receipt) and cycled around the block to the cellphone shop. The manager wasn't able to unlock my phone even with the access code. He said it had a special SIM card and only "Orange" could re-activate my SIM. He then tried to sell me a cellphone for 20 E with a bunch of minutes for 20 E which he assured me could be used anywhere in Europe. I decided to wait until I found an Orange dealer, possibly in Brussels before buying another cellphone.

I then set off for Brussels at 10:30 after trying to program my GPS to take me as far as Antwerp. The GPS froze up so I again tried to program it for Dordrecht. This seemed to be OK with the GPS which told me Dordrecht was only 16 kms away. I set off in the general direction and while waiting at an intersection for the lights to change I asked a local if I was headed in the right direction for Dordrecht/Breda (which I thought was in Belgium). He said I needed to follow the bike path along the river to the 2nd bridge and cross over to the south side then continue on to Dordrecht. I eventually got to the 2nd bridge but had a little trouble trying to figure out how to cross it. I ran into a couple of Telecom guys who were making a "pit stop" under the bridge. They were able to give me directions on how to cross the bridge.

There were several more bridges to cross before I finally began to see signs for Breda. By this time I had covered about 32 kms and the sign for Breda said it was another 34 kms to go. Never trust a GPS!!! Eventually, after several more stops to ask for directions, I managed to arrive in Breda at 3:15 PM. I decided that was enough cycling for the day which hadn't been to bad. Much better than yesterday with mostly a tail wind and sunshine but still a bit cool. Saw quite a few cyclist on road bikes praticing for the local "Tour de France". Both male and female but none bothered to acknowledge me. The Dutch tend to mind their own business unless you approach them and start the ball rolling.

I eventually was able to get a room at a Premiere Classe Hotel with Breakfast included and w/c and shower in the room for 60 E. I placed my bike and panniers in the room and went over to the restaurant/bar for a beer. A very large beer cost 4.50 E. I was able to log on to the free wi-fi services and check my email. Later I decided to have dinner in the restaurant. A glass of red wine, green salad and Lasagne Bolognaise cost 12.45 E.

The chef noticed I was wearing my Canada jersey and came over to chat with me. He was very curious about my cycling trip, where I was from, etc. He told me that recently a Canadian girl had been working in the kitchen but had recently returned to Canada. He was going on a tour to the USA and Canada in September but was not sure where he would be visiting. Probably NY and Niagara Falls.

Well that's all for today. Must get some rest for tomorrow's ride to Brussels.

Cheers, Roly