Gerardmer, Gerardmer, Who the fsck is Gerardmer?! More to the point – how do I get there by train? Anyone?

Yesterday was really nice and now it’s raining. Nevermind, no doubt I’m going to spend the whole day indoors doing what tourists in Amsterdam do hahaha 🙂

I think I’ll “attempt” to get to Gerardmer for a tour stage tomorrow, but it will depend on when the Thalys train runs to Paris and if there is a suitable connecting train to Gerardmer. Cost will also be a factor. Hopefully, the hotel Aroza where I am (a total dump, but cheap) will let me leave the bike there. I’ll hassle the people at the station – I bet they can’t help me with the French stuff though and the French online system doesn’t recognise Gerardmer station :S:S

I’m booked in at Aroza for tonight. 30euro for weeknights and 35euro for Friday and Saturday nights. Okay, so Friday is still a weeknight.. shutup already! They charge extra for the ‘party’ nights. Dunno why – can’t these softcocks party all week? Most of ’em sleep all frickin day! 😛

I’d write more than the heading above but I need to wait for the shrooms to wear off.

Okay so I got the speed-like “Philosopher’s Stones” shrooms that make you think, write um lots.. so I’ve been here a little longer than expected.. here’s something I’ll share with the rest of you

Amsterdam is very pretty at night. Lean over a bridge, look down a canal, lit yellow with the lanterns, sky still tinted with purple, silhouette of an ancient steeple or clock tower leaning over to greet you, skinny little buildings line the roads and there is very little car noise.. mostly bikes rolling past..

I went to Ijmuiden before ‘dam and it was cool checking out all the BIG BOYS TOYS! 🙂 All the locks and pumps and pipes and boats and diggers and and and it’s like the biggest fishing port in Europe or something..

My plan to wake early at 5am in order to make a few train connections to see the finish of today’s tour stage all went horribly wrong. I woke up at 2am with some serious stomach pains. 2.30 I couldn’t sit still – every way I lay, it seemed to get worse. A few minutes of this and I had to bolt for the toilets, through the rain, and hurl! and then once more.. and.. no I think we’re done now..

The rest of the night was spent in agony with a couple more close calls with the toilet. Suffice to say, I could barely walk at 5am when I needed to be packing up camp. So, no TdF for me just yet 🙁

Could’ve been the shoarma (kebab thing) or it could’ve been too many strawberries (is that possible?!). I don’t know but today, with no sleep, no food, etc.. I don’t feel like riding. I was thinking about heading to Amsterdam and camping but I really want a proper bed and closer toilets! 😉

I did have a nice afternoon, yesterday, though. Riding along the canals here is awesome. The weather was nice and there’s plenty to see and it’s hard to get lost with a canal to one side! 🙂 Lapping water is such a nice sound to cycle alongside too..

Anyway, I’m going back to my land of misery and see if I can work out a course of action. Urgh.

aus.bicycle hippy@TdF thread

Netherlands By Bike

Europe – Bike & Train

MASSIVE thunderstorm woke me at 5am this morning.. I spent the next 3hrs trapped in the tent wondering if it would hold up against the barrage of rain.. and lightning.. 🙂

It did and I am now in town, but the rain has got heavy again so I’ll waste time in a ‘net cafe while I wait for it to die down again..

Yesterday, I spent most of the day at the Botermarkt Blues festival. In the Botermarkt, a large square in town, a stage was set up and bands played blues (duh!). I always thought blues was slow and sad music but this stuff was quite good (yeah, meaning I don’t like slow and sad music) and with no small amount of Heineken consumed most people seemed to be getting into it really well! I joined in the fun and was there for three or four of the bands (most of the event) before heading home and going to bed around midnight. Lights? Helmet? Wha? 😛

thehippy.net/gallery/

Anyone getting the feeling this hippy guy is becoming less camera shy? All the real bad ones have been removed to protect the guilty.

Before Leaving

I didn’t recognise myself..

Riding along on my pushbike honey..

Gent canal cruise

Tunnel bike path, Belgium somewhere

Band 1

Band 2

Band 3

Cheerleaders 1

Band 5

Very relaxed morning in Haarlem.. I’m sure it’s because I’m camping now.. yeah, that’s it, it’s the camping thing..

Poffertjes (small pancakes) with whipped cream and strawberries, plus a nice cappucino for brekkie. Mmm Mmm! Entree was a tin of pineapple pieces, sitting on the grass next to the tent. It’s pretty cool here. Campsite is a couple of kay out of town near a lake. You can rent boats and canoes and stuff..

Yesterday I basically rode around town and explored. It was pretty busy with markets on and heaps of people around for Saturday shopping. Lots of interesting sights..

The night before last I stayed in the hostel here. It was also a few kay out of town and quite expensive at 25euro/night. LP said it was only 15euro.. pah! That helped my decision to move to the tent. The bartender at the hostel was from Sydney but I almost didn’t pick him as aussie coz his accept was so strange. It was like every 4th word sounded like Aussie but the rest could’ve been American, Canadian, Dutch, etc! No biggie.. he thought I was American!! Everyone thinks I’m an American! Maybe I should stop wearing the chaps and spurs?

Just for the record, he was another Aussie who handed out free beer yay! The local beer was called “Adriaan” and it tasted weird-as but it was certainly drinkable. Belgium beers were on hand too.. a few 8.5% Duvels and 11.5% Kasteels quickly turned me into the gibbering mess you all know and love..

Anyway, that night involved some heavy drinking (I just said that didn’t I?) with the bartender and a few other dudes from around the world. I think it was 4am when I hit the sack. I was too tired to go into town anyway so it wasn’t too bad. Before that I’d visited a nearby supermarket on the canal and bought an _almost_ healthy dinner, save for the chocolates and strange, orange cream slice. The ride to Haarlem from whereever the hell I was before that was pretty cool. Um.. I’m sure some other shit happened.. I dunno.. whatever..

Some dude got busted in the net cafe yesterday… kiddy porn surfin’ I reckon.. coulda been hacking something, I dunno, I speak as much Dutch as I do Mongolian, ie. 3/8ths of 2/3rds of fsck all. There was also a big crowd gathered around a street sign outside the hostel. The all clapped when it was revealed.. I took some pics but dunno what the big deal was? Did I just witness the creation of a new suburb?

The campsite is nice and green and cheaper than the hostel at about 7.50euro per night. Gotta pay 1euro/5min of shower time though. I still gotta get out on the lake and go for a paddle.. and find out how to get to France for Le Tour.. and find out how to.. and.. and..

Where’s my pipe?