Our last week cycling in Denmark had it’s ups and downs. We were sad to say goodbye to John and Beth when they made their way back to Copenhagen and then home to Halifax – but we were also so thankful for the amazing two weeks we had with them. We made our way to the south of Fyn and then took the ferry back to mainland Denmark on our way to the German border. Along the way we had a few days of pouring rain, headwinds and hills. We knew that these days would come, but we were so impressed with how Kai and Vea handled it! On the steep hills they would both add some ‘flower power’ and ‘gutta power’!!! During the heavy downpours it was an opportunity for Kai and Vea to be singing in the rain, and with the head-winds we took turns breaking it for each other. Unfortunately we had one night of really poor accommodations in Denmark at a campsite that was just about to close for the season. We’ll save you the details – but let’s just say it was a night we’d rather forget.
When we made it the German border we all felt it was a bit anti-climatic. When Kari and Norrie were backpacking in Europe 20 years ago we were met with stern German security guards at the border asking for our ‘papers’. Now with the European Union and no official borders it was hard to tell when we were actually in Germany. We searched for a sign everywhere and eventually saw the official Germany/Denmark EU flag. There was no Ooom-paa-paa band greeting us – but at least there was a flag!
We had heard that things were even cheaper in Germany than Denmark so as soon as we crossed the border we hit the first grocery store to stock up… and yes it was quite a bit cheaper!!! We even found a 4 litre box of decent red wine for only 8 Euros, which we happily bungeed to the back of our bikes and cycled into Germany riding heavy.
It was quick to adapt to the new cycle route markings in Germany. We loved the varied terrain of the routes. One minute we’d be riding on a path beside a rural road and then around the corner we’d find ourselves on a single track path throughout the forest – then next we’d be on hard packed narrow sandy coastal trail.
Our route through northern Germany took us along the Baltic Sea Coast towards Kiel, where we had a train booked for Amsterdam to meet up with Unni. Along the way we cycled through some beautiful small German towns where we fell in love with the countryside. We were even lucky to cycle through a large local Sunday market with an incredible mix of people and vendors selling everything from fresh sausages to pretzels and local German beer.
Our train from Kiel to Amsterdam was with 2 transfers and a lot of stress as we worried about getting our bikes onboard, but everything went smoothly with lots of teamwork and planning. We all had our specific duties for loading panniers and bikes on the train, but one thing we didn’t anticipate was our first train connection being delayed – which left us with only 8 minutes to change trains and platforms. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but with the tandems and all of our gear it was much more difficult and time consuming. We needed to hand-carry everything down and up stairs because our tandems don’t fit in the elevator lifts! Thankfully we received a lot of help from other travellers in the train station and we made our connection with minutes to spare. Norrie was still sweating 10 minutes after the successful train connection.
In the Netherlands we had rented a fantastic house which was 20 km north of Amsterdam in a little town called Uitgeest. We arrived the day before Unni was scheduled to fly in so we spent the day getting groceries and exploring the rural town. Uitgeest was surrounded by canals, bike paths and small local markets. We thought we had seen fantastic bike networks in Denmark but this was incredible. The cycle routes here were so easy to follow and well marked. There are simple numbering systems in which we’d cycle from junction to junction – kind of like the game of connecting the dots to make our route for the day. Along the way there were even small canal ferries where we had to hand crank the chain to get across. This was great fun for Kai and Vea – and a lot of exercise for Kari, Norrie and Unni!
The day Unni arrived we all took the train into Schippol airport to meet her. Vea had made Canadian and Norwegian flags to wave upon her arrival. After all the hugs and squeezes Kai and Vea turned into full-on conversation mode as we made our way back to the house. We had a wonderful evening of catching up with snacks and chilled wine! It was like no time had passed between us, even though it’s been almost 8 months!!!
While with Unni we had a few wonderful bike rides to the coast and the surrounding area. There were bikes in the garage for us to use from the house owners – so we all took turns happily riding solo for the day! Picnics were packed and a loose route was planned. We were all very impressed how far along Unni had come on her cycling skills – even managing to bike through towns with roundabouts!
We went into Amsterdam for a couple of days and had fun walking the streets and canals in this dynamic city! We saw a lot of sights and smelled a lot of funny scents – and we even accidentally walked through the red light district with the kids!!!! That was an impromptu home school lesson! Or should we say – ‘world-school lesson’.
While in the city we visited a fantastic store which was filled with everything travel related for the entire world. We sure wish we had this store in Halifax before leaving home past December. It had a huge cycle section filled with maps in large scale that we needed for cycling in Europe. It was a bit overwhelming having so much to choose from – but we ended up buying maps that we thought we’d need for our months ahead. We also had a full day to visit the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. These visits were even more meaningful because we had a couple of fantastic homeschooling sessions on these two visits beforehand – which made seeing them in person so much more meaningful.
We had no specific plan to be with Unni over Thanksgiving so it was very special that the dates lined up for our visit in Amsterdam. Unni became quickly acquainted with the local butcher in Uitgeest and even managed to get a turkey ordered in for us. Vea kept herself very busy all week collecting different leaves and items from outdoors for our Thanksgiving table decorations. It was so special to be together at this time and the house was so warm and cozy. It felt like a little piece of home for all of us! During dinner there were many wonderful sentiments of thanks from all of us on so many different levels.
While in Uitgeest we were lucky enough to enjoy a wonderful evening with Elisabeth and Eric who are family friends from Halifax that have moved to Holland. Norrie received lots of good pointers on cycling in Holland and some funny insights on the Dutch people.
We had a wonderful week with Unni that was filled with lots of snuggles, morning coffee chats, vino time chats, bike rides and gourmet food! After Unni left it was time to pack up our panniers with clean clothes (Kari made good use of having a washing machine for the week) and pull out the cycle maps! We were all very excited to get back on our bikes again and explore more of these incredible cycle routes through Holland. Northern Europe has been having record setting temperatures for warmth this time of the year, but everyone is warning us it will change very soon to normal fall weather – so we know that our days are numbered!
After saying goodbye to Unni we cycled south from Amsterdam heading to Belgium. We passed through many beautiful small towns, including the town of Gouda where Kai and Norrie had their cheese fill before moving on! We loved all the windmills everywhere in southern Holland, and even got to go inside a working windmill in Kinderjyk to learn all about the history of Dutch windmills. During the next week we found our biking groove again and really enjoyed the flat terrain before the many rolling hills that we know are in our future for Belgium and France.
All 4 now!!
Nice pictures and description of your visits! Norrie may know that Grandma Sands’ family, the Kiel’s, are from Kiel, Germany. There are still some Kiel’s there and a barn with the Kiel name on it. Jeanne and Bill Cozine, from Tucson, Arizona have been there and plan to return soon. Safe travels!
Wow Barb, we didn’t know that! Maybe we even stayed near that barn and didn’t know it. Thanks for sharing! xo
Great to read you amazingly wonderful adventures, keep safe x mark and Rachel
Great to hear from you!!! Hope you are cooking in your kitchen again. Hope to see you guys in Canada!! xo
Kari… I loved this post. You guys rock and seeing you all together with Unni made me smile. SO special. Hugs to you all. xxx
We had a special time with Mom in Amsterdam – so great to see her again! We ate some wonderful meals – yay! Big hugs back to you! xo
Such a great reunion with Unni!!! Loved seeing her cycling past the wild cows WOW!! The best homeschooling lessons keep getting better!!! What a year! Happy cycling!! XOXO Miss you
Had an awesome time with Mom. Very crazy with the bulls – especially the eye contact!!! Loving the worldschooling on tandems! Miss you! xo
My heart is so full of thanks for the best week ever with you guys,so many good laughs and fun.The four of you are a very unik family in the crazy world today,i am so proud of all of you!,Happy sunday!its vino time!,,xo
Thanks Mom! It was such a great week!!! You’re a pretty unique Mamor in the crazy world today too!!! xo
Yes, we– Bill and I and all 3 kids– stayed in Kiel at the Kiel Yacht Club, since cousin Richard Kiel had said we could–no yacht, just a rented Volvo–in 1987. The Kiel family lives in a little farming village called Elvershausen, near Hanover. Elizabeth who is 100, was the postmistress, which is how Uncle Dick Kiel found them. The Kiel name was indeed over the door. We stayed there for several days, and met the extended family. We stay in touch with her grandson, Nick, who stayed with us as a Rotary exchange student, and then visited several times, eventually with his wife, Miriam. They now have 2 children. Nick is a lawyer, like his dad. They both speak fluent English– wish you could have met them!
Love your pictures and hearing of your adventures! We hope to go to Europe this summer-not on bikes. Richard is going to Paris, and since he is fluent in French, we want to tag along. Not sure where else we will go, other than to Germany. Would love to see so many places, but are enjoying your travels to places we will have to miss.
Take care. We hope to see you next August–we will be coming East for a wedding. Love, Jeanne
Thanks for sharing! Great to hear about your trip to Kiel. We loved it there as well. We would love to see you next summer – we are definitely around! xo
Another great adventure in another great country. I can’t wait to share a bottle of wine and all the stories and see your smiling face again.
Thanks Marcia! Let’s get together for a bottle of wine for each country!!! xo
Another great post. Unni looks so happy to be able to join you. Thanks again for sharing. Love the pictures.
It was great to see Mom again! Everyone had a special week together! Of course we had some amazing wine and food! xo