The kindness of strangers

Just before I left Belgium I had a long travel day.  I was trying to make it to France in good time.  So I had some long hours on the bike and at one point, I was so hungry I had to stop and eat the food I had bought.

I literally pulled right over on the road, and just grabbed my food and just started wolfing it down.  I actually had placed the plate on this hedge that was outside a big building.  I had checked it out first, and it looked abandoned as there was construction material everywhere.  So I was actually using the hedge as a table...not the most polite but when you're exhausted, dehydrated, and hungry...you just eat without thinking...

So all of a sudden a man walks out.  He sees me eating quite fast, but also using his hedge.  I thought to myself, "Alex you are an idiot, you disrespected this man's property and now he's going to let you have it".  I held my head in shame and he approached me with these words: "You mustn't eat like that.  It's no good for you to eat quickly and standing.  You must sit and enjoy the food, you must relax while eating.  It would be better for you to come inside and eat with me."  Quote, unquote.  No mention of the hedge, no mention of me trespassing, he is inviting me in?

So I agree, because when offered hospitality you accept.  He saw my flags, and he was very interested in my trip.  So we go inside and I meet his wife.  Turns out they've bought this old school and now they're renovating it, hence why it looks in disrepair.  They insist I sit down and then we all drink wine together.  I tell them where I have come from, and where I'm going.  I also share the story of my father's last wishes and they are extremely touched.  They offer more wine.  They ask if I'm alone, how I do it, and they are really moved.  The wife has tears in her eyes.

We have an amazing lunch together, we are merry and we drink wine.  We talk about their travels next, and they love Canada!  In fact, we spoke at length about the positive relationship between the Netherlands and Canada.  Not only is there the history from the war, we actually saved the Dutch from the Germans, but also the ongoing gifts of tulips that the Dutch send to Ottawa every year.  10000 to be exact.  I have felt nothing but love from the Dutch, and I have much love to give back. They are an amazing people and their culture is just so fascinating.

We get to talking about their trip to Canada. They like to travel by Caravan (RV) and they took a trip to Vancouver.  Then they went to the interior, and then after it all, they also visited KAMLOOPS!  They loved the dry hot weather, they saw the Rocky Mountaineer train, and they camped along the river.  WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT I ATE RANDOMLY ATE LUNCH ON SOMEONE'S HEDGE AND THEY INVITE ME IN FOR WINE AND FOOD!  THEN THEY TELL ME THEY HAVE VISITED MY HOME TOWN!

I love traveling so much...what a wonderful life.

WW

Camping, Den Haag, Rotterdam, and hospitality!

J'aime bien faire du camping, c'est bien plaisante et tranquille.  Ca nous donne la chance a reposer et penser a la route de l'avenir.

First time seeing the ocean!

This is where I met the German Family!  Those are the bike touring bags.

This is a great story.  So I'm checking out the beach and the ocean for the first time, and as you can see it is very windy.  I might add I was biking into a headwind for 4 days.  Yowza.

Anyway, I see this older gentleman with bike touring bags next to mine.  So we get to talking and he's very interested in my trip.  It seems he also has a son that is very interested in mountain biking.  We're going on an on about my bike and the equipment I'm using when his family shows up!  So he introduces me to his son, all of 16 years old, and he is SUPER into biking.  So much so that his father asks me to have lunch with them!  I've learned now that whenever someone offers you something, you just accept it.  It's hard, I'm not used to living off others, but the generosity I have seen in Europe has been nothing short of extraordinary!  Micha Eich and Niklas Berg were great company, and I loved hearing how stoked he was on mountain biking!

So I agree to sit down for lunch, I'd been biking all morning, and I was hungry anyway.  So I sit with his son and he starts firing questions at me about BC.  First he wants to know if I know of Whistler.  Yes, I know of Whistler.  Do I know of CrankWorx?  Yes of course!  Then he asks if I've ever been to KAMLOOPS!  He drops names like Matt Hunter, Graham Agassiz, and Brandon Semenuk.  All local riders from where I live!  What a small world.  I tell him that Graham Agassiz actually helped with our Bike to Work Week campaign, and that Matt Hunter also donated to my GranFondo event.  I thought it was just amazing that this 16 year old kid from Germany just loves these guys!  I agree, what they're doing is nothing short of incredible and we both agreed the videos on PinkBike from Kamloops are sick!  Anyway, just a fun lunch meeting with the family.  We talked a lot about Germany's  progress on solar energy expansion and we talked about the fracking that the Dutch want to do right on the border.  They were not too pleased about this.  All in all, I let the son know that he should continue to practice his English and then come visit me in Kamloops when he's done high school.  He could get a job at Sun Peaks, or work at a local bike shop.  His dad was very pleased that I was encouraging his English, and I hope to meet them again soon, come see me when you have graduated and we'll go shred the slopes in Kamloops!

Typical Dutch bikes

Nuff said

Rotterdam, biggest harbour in Europe!

Den Haag on the coast

Great capture by the GoPro, I just like the shadow

I will miss the Netherlands.  The Dutch were so friendly and welcoming.  After visiting in 2007 I promised myself that I would return.  Now after having a greater visit of the people and the country, I long to return already...

This one is for my sister, these blonde horses were everywhere.  Maybe you know the breed Dom?