255. A Summary Of My Europe Bicycle Trip

A few comments on my successful 90 day bicycle trip:

Every moment, event  and person that I experienced was all arranged by my Lord and Savior, Jesus 
I am very thankful to have visited so many relatives and friends.
I am looking forward to returning again in the future. . 
Canadian dollar was approximately 1.5 of Euro
 Number of my name cards with Dutch Bible verses given out: 70 in Canada and 215 in Netherlands
Number of name cards given out in Germany: 50
Number of photos: 7612
Number of days in the Netherlands: 63
Number of days in Germany and countries along Rhine River:  27
Countries that I was in: Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium
Weather: exceptional- very little rain, nice hot, dry  weather along the Rhine
Days with Sarah and Dane: 11
Number of kilometers cycled: 2741.54km.
Most kilometers in one day: 102.16km.
Longest cycle time: 6 hrs 24 min.
I was glad that I had my own bicycle!
Number of flat tires: 3
Number of Angels: countless !
Accommodation: Friends of the Bicycle homes: 16
                             Margot: 13
                             Dick and Carla: 12
                             Campgrounds along Rhine: 12
                             Ome Jan and Tante Betty's Trailer in Dutch campgrounds: 11
                             Rainer and Maren: 6
                             Mariette and Martin: 4
                             Missionary: 5
                             Hans and Helene: 3
                             To:  2 
                             Jacques and Betty: 2
                             Eric: 2
                             Ton and Lisbeth: 1
                             Luc and Nelleke: 1
                             Total: 90
Cost of plane ticket: Sault Ste. Marie to Toronto to Netherlands round trip:1359 Canadian
Cost of bicycle transport round trip:200 Canadian                             
Cost of Friends of the Bicycle: 8 Euro to join
                                                :19 Euro per night for a room, bicycle storage and breakfast
Cost of most campgrounds : 9-21 Euro                                                        
Mastercard worked but Visa card did not
I would never use a travel agency again.                           

254. Europe Bicycle Trip--Home Sweet Home, Thank You Lord Jesus!

My plane arrived in Toronto and I had to take the suitcase and bicycle through customs but neither of them were opened. They only looked at the paper that I had filled out. I was worried about having to cart the bicycle box all the way to the Air Canada terminal but after I got past the customs area there was a desk where I could leave the bicycle box. I was happy about that! I took my time to get to the Air Canada terminal and had a supper in The Swiss Chalet restaurant there because now I was hungry and my stomach was letting me know it. Then I waited but our plane was late due to bad weather. I started to get worried about having my extra souvenir bag to go on the smaller plane. I chatted with a girl who was also headed to Sault Ste. Marie and she had no bags at all so I asked her if she would take one of my bags if I had trouble when boarding. However, there was no trouble and I got on with everything.

Another Air Canada plane loading

I put my backpack on the cart and carried in my computer case and the yellow bag.

Some countryside after leaving Toronto

Southern Ontario

After quite a turbulent ride, I saw the bush around Sault Ste. Marie and Lake Superior

From my seat, I could see the wheel drop down.

Dave met me at our little airport. We were happy to see each other even though we had skyped a lot while I was gone. My suitcase and my bicycle box both arrived safely and we loaded the Subaru.

When we entered the house, I was greeted with welcome home balloons, flower bouquets and black forest cupcakes all of which was arranged by Emily.

Home Sweet Home after 90 days of adventure. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

253. Europe Bicycle Trip--Day 90--Goodbye Dick and Many Thanks, Goodbye Netherlands

Day 90, Tuesday, July 15th, 2014 I did not sleep much last night. I think that I was awake from 3 am on so that I wouldn`t miss the 5 o`clock alarm. I got up, showered and dressed and brought my suitcase and backpack downstairs and ate a couple of yogurts that Carla had left for me. .Dick also was up early just to bring me on time to the airport even though he was in some pain from the leg surgery he had yesterday. We turned into the 10 minute parking area so he wouldn't have to walk far. We loaded the bicycle box and my suitcase on a cart and hurried into the airport. I knew exactly where to go and we made it to the line up. We were to go next and then for some reason, the lady said we had to go to the other side and that would put us about 4 people back from where we had been. dick and I were not very happy about that! I was glad that I had weighed my box and suitcase carefully and had no trouble with weight when I checked in. Dick pointed me then in the direction of where I had to bring the box to over size luggage area. Then we said goodbye.

Good bye Dick. It has been so wonderful to get to know you and your Carla and your sons. You have been more than generous to me and I will never forget your kindness. You make the Van der Prijt name so proud!!! God bless you and yours always.

When I was through customs, I had quite a bit of time to wait before my plane departed . I could see different KLM planes through the windows.

Perhaps this one will be the one that I will be boarding.

I had some Euros left over and found out that if you spend a certain amount and it is put in a yellow bag, it will not count as an extra carry on. I had only bought one souvenir for myself in the Netherlands ( a little sculpture of a dad and mom and 4 girls and 1 boy in the middle in Alkmaar at the cheese market) and so I now bought a bicycle-Holland mug, a set of placemats, a carry bag with windmills and  a fancy bottle with a windmill. Now I had my hands full and headed to the check in area for my flight. 

I found it interesting waiting with all the passengers of my plane. I spent some time while I was waiting talking to a couple that were Anglican ministers who had just come back from Africa and were headed to Toronto for a few days before returning to Elliot Lake where they reside. I found my window seat which was right over the wing of the airplane.

Photos I took from my plane window--"The Flying Dutchman--PH-AOI--KLM"

An engine

Good bye Netherlands. It has been a fantastic, wonderful, 90 day trip which I will never forget. My Dutch family, and all the friends that I met here have accepted me with love and with much Dutch hospitality.

The food cart came along but I had a touchy stomach maybe from eating too much yogurt this morning. i felt bad for the two men sitting beside me because I had to ask them to get up several times so I could visit the washroom. I did take the time to watch a few movies. We had a good flight with no turbulence.

KLM brought a very nice supper but with my touchy stomach I only allowed myself to eat a couple of dinner rolls and a little later I did eat the cream puffs that were for dessert. Takeoff, flight and landing in Toronto went very smoothly and I thanked the Lord for a safe ride with KLM.

252. Europe Bicycle Trip--Goodbye Marnix, Goodbye Carla and Thank You So Very Much

Day 89, Monday, July 14, 2014. This is my last full day in the Netherlands. I can`t believe it.  Time has flown by! Dick and Carla left this morning to go to Gouda for Dick to have an operation on his leg for bad varicose veins. I took the free time to vacuum the house and clean the bathrooms for Carla. I walked the dogs.

Part of a pond that the dogs and I had to cross during our walk in the Toolenburg recreation area behind Dick`s house.

Two tents set up by some fishermen.

My last photo with a big wooden Dutch shoe

I took the bus back to the airport and exchanged Dave`s T-shirt for a smaller size and then I decided to buy one for each of my 5 children. I liked the two hooded lions on the T-shirts and I thought it would be nice to have a photo of all of them together wearing the T-shirt. I found some little Dutch tank tops for all my little grandchildren and bought some pens for the older ones. I saw this huge coffee cup at a cafe there.

I took the bus back to near Dick`s street, the IJweg. This sign translates ``Ride with your heart, then you will come home with it``. I skyped Dave, walked the dogs again all the way around the recreation area and had tea with Marnix, Dick and Carla. Marnix and Dick put my bicycle box in Dick`s vehicle. Then I said goodbye to Marnix and then to Carla who had to go to work this evening and would be in bed when I got up early tomorrow morning to go. I was going to bed EARLY tonight so I would not see her again. .

Goodbye Marnix--I wish you and Rineke all the best!

Goodbye Carla--God bless you for all your kindness to me !!

251. Europe Bicycle Trip--Goodbye Daniel, Hello Penpal Corry and Husband Nico and Cousin Lia

Day 88, Sunday, July13,2014  My reading for today was Psalm 128. "Blessed be everyone that feareth the Lord that walketh in His ways." I had brunch with Dick, Carla and Daniel.

At coffee and tea (for me) time, we talked about doing daring things, such as parachuting, bungee jumping and  helicopter rides.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Daniel. We are Facebook friends now so I can follow his adventures around Europe.

Daniel (top) and Marnix --paintings by Carla

A dog they had in the past--Painting by Carla  I had made an arrangement yesterday to visit my cousin Lia who lives not too far away. Carla and the dogs walked me to Lia`s apartment where I got a big surprise.

Nico and Corry--When I was in high school, I had a Dutch penpal, Corry Snoeks. Corry`s mother, Cor, was the sister of my Ome Juur`s second wife, Martha and also a friend of my mother.  Corry`s father, Piet, was a friend of my father  and two of my father`s  brothers, Wim and Cor. To improve her English, Corry became my penpal and between 1962 and 1967, we wrote letters back and forth. I also had a penpal in the Philippines during that time and also was busy with sports and then moving to Windsor to go to university. Corry had saved some of the pictures that I had sent her in the letters and brought them with her. One was of my dog, Flopsy and her puppies and another was of me with a high school friend before going to the school prom. I remembered the photos but I felt very AWFUL because  I had a bit of a memory lapse about our correspondences. Corry`s name definitely rang a bell in my brain but I couldn`t remember the actual letters. They probably got left behind when Dave and I married and moved to Northern Ontario. I wondered why I hadn`t looked her up in 1978 when I came to the Netherlands with my husband and daughter. Probably we had too busy a schedule on that trip.  Nevertheless it was wonderful to see Corry and her husband, Nico, that she has been married to for 46 years. They also do a lot of bicycling.  I was sorry that the end of my trip was at hand and I wouldn`t be able to visit them again.

Close up

Nico, Lia and Corry-- My cousin, Lia`s father, Ome Juur and my father, John were brothers. I did see Lia briefly at my Ome Doris` house back in 1978.  It was very nice to see her and visit even if it was for a short while..

Lia, Mary Ann and Corry

Mary Ann and penpal Corry--Thank you for remembering me, Corry.

Lia's hobby is stained glass work as illustrated in the window of this door. Corry and Nico had to leave so Lia showed me some of her work.

I believe she did one of these for my cousin Cook who is a car collector.

Lia makes these fancy candle holders and gave one to me as a gift.She also gave me a little souvenir from Lourdes where her father is buried because he died on the way to traveling there when he was ill.

Lia's father, my Ome Juur and mother,  my Tante

A beautiful sailboat--I would love to have her do a cross country skier for me  if she lived in Canada.

Lia also had other commitments so we had to say goodbye. I was so blessed to have had this visit at he end of my trip with another close relative. Lia walked me down and outside to the bus stop that would take me to Schiphol airport where I planned to do some shopping.

Close up-Thank you for the visit, Lia.

Selfie

Nice flowers to sit by

It is not too busy at the Iamsterdam sign this afternoon.

A big Dutch shoe in the flower shop in the mall part of the airport. I bought a  HOLLAND Tshirt for Dave, some birthday calendars and some zoute dropjes (salt licorice).

The plane that you can tour sits on the viewing deck.

I checked it out and asked a guy to take my photo.

The KLM section always has lots of planes on the tarmac.

Welcome to Schiphol sign----I arrived back at Dick and Carla`s at 6:30. They were at a party at the neighbors across the street. I let out the dogs, fed them and had my supper. I skyped Dave and found out that XXL was too big a T-shirt for him now because of all the weight he has lost. Later there was a knock at the door and I talked for quite a while with a carpenter friend of Daniel`s who is also a client of Dick`s. He and his wife just had a new baby and he was hand delivering the announcement. He said he has a brother who with his girl friend are going to bicycle on a tandem from the Netherlands to Australia. When Dick and Carla came home, we chatted about our day and then watched the World Cup Soccer Final between Germany and Argentina which Germany won 1-0.