Hello again! By this point in the trip, Silva and I had spent two nights tromping through Amsterdam, and we were eager to begin our bicycle journey. Due to some kind of baggage mix-up (I can only assume in Iceland), our bikes did not arrive with us on the plane, so we had to wait a few days for them to be sent to the Amsterdam airport. When we finally received word that our bikes had arrived, we caught a bus the following morning to pick them up and get them assembled. How exciting!

Unfortunately, upon getting a visual of the boxes, the reason for the delay became blatantly evident. The box that contained Silva’s bike looked like it had been dropped from a 10 story building, and driven over by a fork-lift. Through some sort of attempt at damage control, it had been quite shabbily taped up; not something you want to see when starting a bike trip! With our chins up, we opened the box to look for any damage to the bike, hoping for a scratch or two at the most. Both bikes were packed neatly with a lot of material, so I assumed the probability of extreme damage would be fairly low. Boy was I wrong. The bike was just as bad as the box, and nowhere near rideable or fixable. Both wheels were bent, as were the fork and crankset. Our most viable option was to abandon the idea of using this bike and to find another one. As we had no way of hauling around a broken bike, and I knew I’d need it for an insurance quote, I boxed it up in the good box and had it shipped back to Vancouver. Thinking ahead, I saved the fenders and rack, as I knew they’d likely fit on whatever bike we found later on. So now, at around 3pm, we had one good assembled bike, a bag with fenders and a rack, and a room booked in Den Haag, about 50km away.

It’s unfortunate that I had to include this event in the post, but I feel it’s important that I warn people about the potential dangers of shipping a bike in checked (oversized) baggage. You cannot assume your bike will be handled with care, even with fragile stickers. I’m not saying ‘don’t do it’, but it would be sensible to be prepared for the worst, just in case. I’m not sure where the damage occurred, and accidents certainly do happen, but perhaps they happen more often in airports.

We boarded the next train for Den Haag, and spent the trip considering our options. People in Holland aren’t known for being Silva short, and the majority of the bikes we’d seen thus far were upright city bikes (rather than hybrid/touring), so I was concerned that it’d be a challenge finding her the right bike to continue the trip. I thought about changing the geometry of mine to make it work for her, and finding a new bike for me to use, but we figured it was best to first spend some time checking out her options.

The first bike shop we visited in Den Haag was right beside the train station and had nothing suitable for sale. There were plenty of single-speed city bikes with upright bars and coaster brakes, but nothing she’d want to ride 600+ km with pannier bags. Even the loaner floor pump at the shop didn’t go beyond 50PSI! We knew we had some work to do, and carrying all our gear from shop to shop was no easy feat, so we decided to look into a bike rental to help us get around town on our search. Down the street was a Hertz car rental company, and we saw somebody ride past us on a bike with the Hertz logo, so Silva went to investigate. 5 minutes later, I had the rack and fenders loaded into the front basket of a 3 speed Gazelle. Though possibly the flimsiest feeling bike I’ve ever ridden, it certainly helped for getting around.

As luck would have it, the next shop we visited, Mammoet Bikes, had a much more familiar selection. They were even a Kona dealer! We met the owner, Roland, and shared our story with him. He was helpful and friendly, and we laughed together about the accessories I had crammed into the basket of my rental Gazelle. There weren’t any suitable Kona’s built in Silva’s size, but they did have a Trek hybrid that fit the bill nicely. We rung it through, and he allowed me to stay past opening hours to install our accessories in his repair shop. We returned the rental bike, and at long last, things were starting to look up.

The following day, we embarked on a day-trip to the beautiful town of Delft, where we celebrated our continuation with a basket of fries. The weather was great, and it was a terrific first day on the bikes. The bike paths were easy to navigate and, for the most part, entirely separate from the roads. In Holland, there is no helmet law, so we used our discretion; if we were ever in high traffic areas, or riding alongside cars, we had them on (as you’ll see in later pictures). Of course, as it is the law here, it’s important to wear a helmet whenever you’re on a bike in BC. That night, we stayed with my aunt’s cousin Sonja, and enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal and an evening of site seeing. She joined us on the beginning of our ride the next day; there were smiles all around! We made our way along the coast to the Hook of Holland, and down the river toward Rotterdam (though we turned off before getting there).

Loaded up!

Proud to sport my cycling cap

There are numbered maps like this all over Holland showcasing the designated bike routes!

Over the course of the day, we had ridden along a gorgeous coast line, seen numerous windmills (both old and new), and dodged sheep, all the while on separated bike paths that never seemed change in elevation. Talk about a good ride! We caught a ferry across the river, and continued on to Spijkenisse, where our next Air BNB accommodation was booked.

Classic Dutch windmill I like windmills, as you can tell. Lovely brick road Coloured paths Just beautiful.

Thanks for reading, more to come!