Really good day today! It's amazing what a difference the sun makes, or at least the lack of rain. I'm writing this in the kitchen of a farmhouse in some country village. It's sweet though. They have a few chalets divided into apartments, so I have my own little place. Bedroom/living room/kitchen and with a toilet and shower to myself! Only 30 quid as well, which is good seeing as the last place I stayed was 23 for just a bed in a dorm!
I'm so glad today went well. Last night I hit a real low. After a poor day in Haarlem, I went online to look for accommodation in my next stop, Den Helder. I searched for over an hour and there was absolutely nothing! Nor was there anything in any of the surrounding towns. I really didn't know what to do. I said I'd sleep on it, not really having any other option.
When I woke up this morning, the day was really in the lap of the Gods. When I was checking out of the hostel, I pleaded with the girl at the desk to find me anywhere to stay in the North West, I'd literally take a mattress in a garden shed at this stage! In fairness to her, she spent about 45 mins looking but not finding much, only a few 100E a night hotels. I really needed a miracle, and my girl came up trumps! This place in Medemblik, just North of Hoorn. She gave me a phone number and I rang to book a room. She really saved my life, my angel of Haarlem.
It was around 11 at this stage so I decided to jump on a train to Hoorn and cycle then up to Medemblik. It was about 25km from Hoorn station to the hostel and took me about 2 and a half hours. The cycling itself is grand, but having a big backpack is such a killer! My shoulders are aching, hopefully they'll be ok for tomorrow. My next journey is about 80km, probably the longest one I'll encounter. The Afsluitdijk itself is 30km. Look it up on a map, it's huge! And it looks unreal. It's like a giant land bridge.
Things actually worked out for the best. Apparently, Den Helder is really crap and it would have been a long long cycle, and I would be further away from my next stop. So, maybe this was all a blessing in disguise!
Seeing as I have a gigantic cycle tomorrow, and also because I have my own apartment, I'm going to take it easy tonight. I haven't been into the town centre at all, but it's small enough so I doubt I'm missing much. I went to a local supermarket alright and bought some dinner, and breakfast for tomorrow.
So, after a really bad day yesterday, I'm so glad today went well. And now I'm optimistic for tomorrow. Last night I really could have cried but now I'm flying again. I guess sometimes it's good to hit rock bottom so you bounce back higher than before.
Next stop Sneek!
Peace out for now :)
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2 comments:
Sounds lovely - glad to hear things are going better. I greatly dislike heavy things on my back, so further to Kev's bike umbrella suggestion, I would suggest also investigating the possibility of some kind of bike trailer in which you could tow along your burdensome belongings? Maybe you could even get some kind of bike caravan - then you wouldn't have to worry about accommodation again. It could get heavy though... Maybe some kind of bike weightlessness machine...
I actually saw a guy with a little bike trailer today! I think it was for his baby, but I'm sure it could be used for bags too. I've really seen all kinds of cycling contraptions!
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