Travel

Nordkapp - Leaving the continent…

So, a rest day pretty much, only 50km, loads of time to spare, a gentle spin. No rush, no panic, just get the job done and bring myself home.I was still in on first breakfasts though and while a show get away I was still in the road before 9 and hammering it in also racing the ebikers. In the end I questioned what I was doing and got a lot more leisurely. I’ve the time, chill. The distance dropped and keeped on going.A cycle path going through I’ve field of sheep was hysterical. I’m talking ewes and lambs not giving anything about bikes, nothing did actually. Lambs asleep on the cycle path only 50cm from you and won’t budge. Others just stood in the middle of the path and you went around them. Bikes weren’t preditors si why should we care! But it wasn’t just the sheep, I passed a hare sitting on the side of the path, it turned it’s head “oh a bike” and didn’t budge. Same with the crows. Nothing have a stuff about bikes. It was great actually that nature actually was fully into the bike culture here.The city was nice, saw my first BK in Holland, odd so few when they are everywhere in Germany. Wasn’t stopping. The paths through Amsterdam were fantastic, smooth, well maintained, wide and oddly few cyclists. Pretty different from the crammed badly maintained ones in Copenhagen sadly.On the way to the port I started to see tourers coming the other way, I took this as a sign the ship was in. Seeing two beside the road looking at paper routes I stopped for a chat. Two guys from Lockerbie who were trying to find Amsterdam. Pointed then in the right direction and they pointed me to the port. Had a good chat about where they were off and where I had been. I still find it nice very few twig the jersey and ask, I’m a cyclist first of not only. That I do kind of really like. No one sees a diabetic or as other (daft people) see us as disabled. I’m a cyclist!I make it to the ferry rather early and join the bike queue… being the one with 50 motorcycles and I’m the only one on a bicycle. I kinda stick out a bit! Some beautiful bits of kit though, really liked the Monster and this Buell this tiny German lass had. And we’ll the lil Ninja.Being the only bicycle I get put on first into the usual cubby hole they cram on for bikes… Best boat so far was the Sweden to Denmark ferry, it had bike racks! Not cubby holes and rope!Relaxing on board I venture off to find a “quiet” area away from all the irritating kids on board (seems to be 3 schools of school trips) I go hide in the bar for a pint of Diet Coke. I get Heineken, an interesting mix. So one point later I’m almost pissed (yes I’m a cheap drunk) but I guess I’ll take that as a celebration pint.