20 years ago today – Day 101

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Wednesday, June 12th – Bruinisse to Amsterdam, 5112 km

Breakfast is at 8am, but I sleep into 7:50, which puts me into a mad rush to shower and dress. I arrive a few minutes late, but I am still the only person in the hostel so it is still waiting for me. It will be a long ride to Amsterdam. I had planned on an 8:30 start, but during breakfast it began to rain hard. It doesn't matter, I tell myself. If I cannot make it all the way today I can call my host, Marc, in Amsterdam tonight. I am in no hurry to meet up with Mike earlier than necessary, and that could be never I am beginning to conclude.

The rain stops at 9:30 and I set off. There is a strong tailwind from the south-west so I make excellent time. I cross the Rijksweg near Bruinisse onto the next island and continue east to the Haringvlietbrug Bridge that crosses the south arm of the Rhine. The highway continues to Rotterdam, which I reach by noon, having covered 59 km by this point. I
angle north-east towards Gouda, and stop there to photograph the town. Five kilometres outside the town it begins to rain. It is light so I continue into town and take a rest from riding to buy groceries and desserts before pushing on.

I have just left the outskirts of town when it begins to pour hard. I wait for several minutes under a tree but I can't wait longer if I want to make it to Amsterdam by 6. I told Mike yesterday that I'd try to meet him at the post office at 6, not that I feel obliged to do so.

I get wet but the rain eventually stops. Near Aalsmeer, south of Schiphol airport nearing Amsterdam, it begins to rain again. The route into Amsterdam is not direct. I don't see any distance or directional signs for Amsterdam until I am only 10 km away. I get lost before Amstelveen, a suburb south of the city core. At this point I realize I will not make it to the post office by 6. On the advice of a pedestrian, I follow a canal to its northern terminus and find the central railway station.

I planned to find the visitor information office nearby, buy a map and find accommodation, but in Amsterdam promoters for various nearby hostels come to the train station looking for clients. One of them, a Brit named Alex, leads me to a nearby hostel. I am certainly thankful for his service.

I get a bed in a dorm room for the going rate, and this hostel, unlike the IYH hostel, has no curfew. I change into my human clothes and walk around the downtown. It is quite exciting to be here, to see many sights I have heard about and have them forever as a reference point. I doubt I will be here often enough in my life.

After 10:30, I drop into a couple bars on Warmoesstroat, including the Cock Ring and The Argos Club, both of which have active back rooms. I meet an Australian couple who know Michael Carlevelle, the chef/employer of a former boyfriend of mine in Toronto. We are joined by a Peruvian and a Brit. The bars stay open late here. I do not return to the hostel until 4am!


PHOTO 1: cycling path near Bruinisse
PHOTO 2: Rotterdam
PHOTO 3: cheese market in Gouda
PHOTO 4: Leidseplein