And the big wheel keep on turning

It’s been two weeks since I last found time to sit down and write something - and that’s not for lack of things to write about! It took me three days to cycle from Hamburg down to Amsterdam - against the wind the entire way. My improvised solution to my stolen front panniers held up well, it is just much more inconvenient when loading and unloading the bike. It’s also a big pain when going out to get groceries. Normally I would just stuff everything in the front bags and cycle back to my campsite, but without them I have to make sure it can all fit in my little daypack and in my framebag. I’ve moved the majority of my off-bike clothes into a dry compression sack that is now tied opposite my tent on my front rack. This makes getting fresh clothes much more difficult, so I’ve just embraced being slightly dirtier. Amsterdam was alright. I think it would be more enjoyable with more friends, rather than just going on my own. I stumbled my way into a free walking tour of the central area on my first morning in the city. I wasn’t really able to enjoy the tour as much as I would have liked as I was worried about my bike, or something on it going missing while I was walking around on foot. That’s the really unfortunate thing about theft - I find myself overly guarded, maybe even paranoid about something else going missing. This sorta thing happened when I lived in Winnipeg - I was adamant that we kept the doors all locked after someone walked in the back door and stole two bottles of my whiskey. I was sharing some of my Winnipeg misadventures with Willi and Alison a couple weeks back - it almost made me want to move back. During my time in Amsterdam I was able to hunt down some extra straps for lashing my gear to my bike, visit a couple nice coffee shops, cruise the edges of the canals, and visit the former Heineken Brewery. They’ve moved production to a location outside of the city, but maintain the old space with an “experience” for tourists. They sold me with the two free beers included in the admission price. Being in the room with the big copper stills (for lack of a better word) took me back to my childhood. My dad was the primary caregiver for my siblings and I as my mom got back into teaching elementary schools. On a couple of occasions we tagged along to visit a man my dad did some work for where he worked - the Howe Sound Brewing Company. The smells found on the brewery floor transported me back to that point in time. I left Amsterdam for Bruges back on the 3rd - I had originally planned on attempting the 220km trip in one go, but the heat forced me to make the journey in two days rather than just one. This whole corner of europe is some of the most dull cycling I’ve had on this trip. The scenery really hasn’t changed much since the second day out of Oslo nearly a month ago. The occasional hill, but largely flat grain-filled fields with the occasional stand of trees. It makes for pretty bleak wild-camping prospects, so I’ve had to pay for more campgrounds than I would normally care to. Bruges was really nice! It’s got a really cozy feel with lots of really nice old houses! I also really appreciated the opportunity to immerse, or perhaps, submerge myself in the brewery culture. I met a man in Amsterdam from the States that recommended three pubs/breweries for me to check out while I was in town. I stopped at the first just as soon as I had reached Bruges! I arrived in the early afternoon so I figured one beer at De Halve Maan would be a good idea before seeking out a place to camp for a couple nights. The one campground near to town was booked out, so I had to trek 15km back towards the sea (against the wind) in order to find a place to stay for two nights. I spend my one day “off” in Bruges sightseeing and visiting the other two breweries that had been recommended to me. I ended up chatting with guy on a cafe patio in the morning that had just returned from two years on the road - largely by bike - from Belgium to South East Asia, then the length of Canada from west to east. I found my way to De Garre when they opened at noon and was joined by a middle-aged couple from Antwerp as the place began to fill up. They were really lovely - they come down to Bruges for a craft fair every year and make a point of stopping at De Garre just for the house trippel beer. They insisted on buying me a beer - the very same house trippel, which I later discovered was over 11% alcohol by volume. I turned 26 on the sixth and could think of no better way to celebrate than by cycling to France! Bruges was very nice, but I couldn’t think of a good way to spend another full day, so I continued south. I was forced onto the beachfront promenade on a number of occasions - not a very nice place to ride bikes. Too many people meandering their way along the seaside. There’s also far too many children let loose on little motorized carts and scooters that make turns without looking. I felt a little triumphant in my return to Calais - that feeling of familiarity that I haven’t been able to experience all that often this year! I knew the campground had both wifi and wall outlets for me to charge my devices so I would be able to solicit calls from family and friends in the evening! It was a nice day! The 7th was not as nice. I was pulled aside when trying ot gain entry into the UK at the Calais port because I didn’t have a concrete plan for how I was going to leave the UK. It didn’t matter to them that I had more than enough to support myself for my intended stay of 5-6 weeks. One guard from the “Border Force” told me that he was concerned that after all my time away from Canada that I appeared to be looking to make Europe my home. AS IF. Europe is nice enough to travel in, but I cannot see myself settling here any time soon. I had to purchase a flight home to Canada to placate the fears of the British authorities which turned out to be more of a hassle than it should have been. I managed to overuse my “cloud storage” on google without realizing it, and the confirmation emails were lost in the void. I had to call Air Transat to get them to resend and resend the emails so I would be able to go to the UK. I managed to be let through and onboard the ferry two hours after my original sailing. I now have a flight back home to Vancouver on the 11th of September - let’s hope I’m able to make it back down from Glasgow to London before my flight leaves! Since then I’ve been trying to keep the rubber side down while working my way north in the UK. I forgot how terrible the roads are here. They give France a run for their money! Very narrow and very busy roads. Lots of really friendly people though! It feels like every other time I stop to consult my map someone appears to double check that I know where I’m going, or to offer advice on which way to go! I even had a man just the other day stop to ask if I needed anything, then pressed a 10 pound note into my hands and told me to have a meal with it. That’s not to say that I look gaunt in any way, shape, or form! I’ve found enough treats to ensure that descriptor will never be fitting to me. I’ve just finished a seventh day of cycling in a row since leaving Bruges - somewhere around 700km. The return to hilly terrain after three weeks of flat land has killed me. Nonetheless I still made the decision to cut up through the Peak District and along the southern edge of the Penines on my way towards the Lake District. I should pass through most of the Lake District tomorrow (13th) on my way towards Ireland. You’re probably thinking, don’t you mean Scotland? Well, I’ve decided to make things more difficult for myself by tacking on my visit to Northern Ireland before arriving in Glasgow on the 21st. I have a friend that is moving on from Ireland at the end of August, so I’m penciling in a visit before she leaves! I’m well ahead of schedule in terms of where I need to be to reach Glasgow on the 21st, but I’m anticipating that there will be a day full of rain in the near future where I will not want to cycle, but would rather hide in my tent for the entire day. That day might be Wednesday, if my latest weather report comes to pass. Being on the road for seven straight days means I really haven’t had the chance to use the internet this week. That’s kinda nice, but at the same time I feel like I’m missing things. I definitely miss getting the latest podcasts. I’m really getting a little tired of my music. I can now identify most of my music by the first several notes.