May 1 - Biking Duins to Castricum

Thursday
We had breakfast at 8:30, and were joined by two other bicycling couples, both from Holland. They were planning to tour the Keukenhof Gardens later in the day. All entered into a very stimulating conversation about the changes in culture, human nature, etc. Very warm and friendly.



We didn't leave Joke and Ed's home until about 11 a.m. Verle was putting the journal and pictures on our web page and I took a nap, hoping to feel better by the time we left. It did help, and we began a lovely ride through the town and countryside. It was easy riding and I felt much better all day long. We rode through the sand dunes along the coast.



It is a national park. It seemed all the time like we were riding in circles. We were glad for our compass. We were going up and down sand hills, but it wasn't too difficult because the momentum from the downhill put us mostly up the uphills. This is Ascension Day in the Netherlands, and so it is another holiday that lasts through the weekend. Many Dutch people were walking, riding bikes, and driving. It started to rain while we were in the Dunes, and was rather cold. Then the sun would shine!



But see, we weren't the only ones checking our maps!!

The hardest part of the day was getting across the waterway. We had been told that there was a ferry in Ijmuiden, but we couldn't find it. Then a man told us to keep crossing bridges and we would get across. This worked, but it never did feel right, because we were in a big shipping area.
We continued on our way through a nice forest, and from there we reached our host's home in Castricum. It was supposed to be a 35 mile trip, but it may have been more when you count the extra miles we rode because of losing our way. However, we got to Castricum before 5, so we went to the Grand Cafe and split an Indonesian pork dish and a scrumptious ice cream/cookie dessert.



By then our wet clothes had dried out.

Our hosts for the night are William and Hanukah van der Veer.



They showed us to an adjoining guest house. This is a farming community, They served us tea and were very interested in the USA, since we are their first guests from there. They wanted to know what we thought about President Bush. We answered carefully but honestly, knowing how most Europeans feel about him. We think that is due to the news they receive from our liberal press.
There is a washing machine in the guest house. I will wash clothes and hope that they get dry. Verle helped them learn how to get photos on their computer and how to send the photos by E-mail. We are glad that we can contribute something for them.