Four days of riding in the rain: Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg
The original route included bolting across Germany to Holland at some point this spring. A few friends offered to fly to Amsterdam for a weekend and keep me company. When those plans faded, I still wanted to see the countryside but wasn't excited about adding 30 hours of riding. So after spending a couple days in Budapest relaxing and acquiring a new iPhone, I flew to Amsterdam and picked up a rental bike. Green stayed chained to a tree at a hotel in the Hungarian countryside. For four days, I wandered around the countryside of Holland, Luxembourg, and southern Belgium. Absolutely beautiful farmland and quaint little towns with elaborate and pristine canal systems. I stayed on a dairy farm, where a mare was giving birth to a foal that night. As I continued further south, the skies opened up and I was blessed with three days of sleet and rain. Breaks in the weather were quite rare, so photo ops were replaced by frequent coffee stops to dry and thaw, and I spent a few nights in a cabin in a small town in far south Holland. This was the worst rain of the trip thus far. It wasn't in the forecast, so I didn't have wet weather gear or a motorcycle that offered protection. It was quite miserable, actually. Due to my travel budget, I'd rented a Honda CB500X, a small, basic sport bike. And boy, how I missed Green, who provides a perfect, comfortable envelop of protection from the elements. I also missed Green's Cadillac suspension, cruise control, speed, stability, AC power, navigation, and payload capability. I'm spoiled. This was like driving a clown car...or more like a clown convertible. No offense to anyone on a 500cc bike...but try a GS, and you'll understand. Anyway, it was great to see the countryside and spend time with kind AirBnB hosts. A day of sightseeing in Amsterdam was enough for me. Touristy areas do nothing for me anymore except make me wish I'd skipped them. Nature and solitude go hand-in-hand. Cities should be enjoyed with company. But the trip was worth it. Hopped a plane back to Budapest to set Green free.
A quick breakdown:
Day 77 - A flight to Amsterdam, picked up the bike and started the ride south into the countryside. First time riding in sleet. Credit and debit cards don't work for some reason. Lovely.
Day 78 - Continued south to Belgian border. Cold rain all morning. Love the cabin, though, and the surrounding area, where small streams meander and friendly ponies play.
Day 79 - Rode countryside of Belgium and Luxembourg. Mostly rain, with a small break of sunshine in the afternoon.
Day 80 - Returned to Amsterdam. Beat down again by five hours of near constant, cold rain.
Day 81 - Toured Amsterdam. Red light, Heineken brewery, canal ride...the usual. Oh, yeah...and warm sunshine all day.
Day 82 - Early morning flight back to Budapest. Matt and Dad would be arriving the next day for a solid loop into the Balkans and Alps. The rental bike came with an allowance of 450km. I put 860 on it.
