September 10 - How Many Borders Did We Cross Anyway?

Thursday - Turnhout, Belgium to Raamsdonksveer, Netherlands
It has been a short but sweet visit to Belgium. It is hard to believe that we are scheduled to fly out of Amsterdam a week from today.

We waited until the TI opened at 9 so we could buy the postcards.

Doug lubed our chains while Donna finished her postcards.

The Castle of the Dukes of Brabant was on our way out of town. 

A more modern side of Turnhout.

This viewing tower was actually on the postcard so we figured we better check it out.

Three miles later we crossed the border into The Netherlands.

A mile and half later we crossed back in Belgium. What is going on here????

Pete was so kind to stop and explain that we weren't having deja vu.  Baarle-Hertog (Belgium) and Baarle-Nassau (Netherlands) are one city in two nations. It's complicated!

It is really complicated!!! We wondered how they handle the mail and all sorts of other mundane facts of life.

We lost track of how many times we crossed the border.

We are pretty sure we are eating lunch in The Netherlands.

Good thing Doug also got some new gloves in Mainz a week ago. These are his favorite gloves that he bought there 4 years ago. They used to be all black.

One more time. They don't have signs here, just the letters "B" and "NL" to tell you which country you are in.

Entering Alphen

Doug is also in search of a new bike cap but no luck here.

This is always a good sign!

The Dutch are serious about their sausage.

We thought we were being tracked by helicopters then realized we were passing by some kind of military airport facility.

The postal delivery person in Rijen. Motorbikes up to a certain size/horsepower can use bike paths in the Netherlands.

Just what we need....new legs!

It was outdoor market day on the main street. She said she usually carries her dog in the basket.

Nel (left) and Anny kept Doug company while Donna shopped for some snacks from a nearby booth. Nel has done a lot of bike touring with her husband so was quite interested in our trip. 

Church of Mary Magdalene

We got to Raamsdonksveer just after school let out for the day. The kids had taken over the street in this part of town. They were enjoying this pleasant afternoon as much as we were.

Hotel Heere is our home for the night.

The ice cream store is right next door to the hotel.

We wandered about town for awhile. They are preparing for a music festival starting tomorrow night so it is a good thing we found a room here tonight.

September 9 - Where's a Postcard When You Need It

Wednesday - Leuven to Turnhout

 Doug says, “Yesterday I was reminded that you don't want to tick off the touring gods or even your wife.

We started out early and rolled easily in the cool morning under a heavily overcast sky. About the same time as the terrain started getting a little challenging, the clouds decided to turn from threatening rain to actual moisture. We pulled off the road and dug into our panniers to get the raingear out. I had to unclip the 2 bungee cords holding my rack pack to get it out of the way. I donned my rain gear, reassembled my rack pack and reattached the bungee cords to the rear of the rack were I had unclipped them. I also removed my hearing aids to keep them dry.

Riding in the light rain was almost enjoyable, but on about the third small hill I was starting to struggle a little to keep up with Donna. While she is a good strong rider, I'm usually a little stronger than her on the hills. We have identical drivetrains, and having to use one gear lower I kept dropping back. This was the pattern of the morning and I was really getting worried that something was wrong with me, and I was not going to make it through the day. 

Just before noon and at the bottom of hill we decided it was dry enough to get out of the rain gear before we started up a long hill ahead of us. I also replaced my hearing aids after placing my rolled up jacket and pants underneath the bungee cords on the rear rack.

This hill was a real struggle, and I could hear a rubbing sound that I attributed to a fender stay or some debris picked up in the wet conditions. I'd fix it at the top. When we got to the top I was really getting worried, but we just busted over and let her rip on the downhill. The faster we went the worse the rubbing got. I finally pulled over to see what was going on. 

This is what I found. When I unclipped the bungee cords earlier, the right cord clip that is usually attached to the rack's seatstay strut dropped off and landed just below my rear brake's straddle cable. When I re-clipped the bungee cord at the rear of the rack the forward clip moved upward hooking the brake's straddle wire, essentially applying the rear brake. Everything felt fine. While it was raining it was not obvious due to the lubricating action of the water. However, when the sun came out and I placed the rolled up raingear under the bungee cord it really increased the pressure. 

I was so happy to find that I wasn't falling apart that I could actually laugh at my stupidity. I'm sure some of you will say that you laugh at it quite regularly. Donna denies any involvement, but probably secretly agrees on my mental status.”

That is a banner made out of leeks so we think there must be a farmer's market later today. We also realized we forgot to get postcards last night. 

We have been sending a postcard to our kids and grandkids from each country and we only have one more night in Belgium so we need to find them today. It is too early in the morning to find them in Leuven.

9:40 and it definitely feels like Fall is in the air. (57F)

In Aarchott we found a bike path that went the way we were headed.

It definitely had the feel of a rail trail conversion.

Yes...speed bumps on the bike path!

In Herentals we rejoined the road.

Just one the large canals that connect this area with Antwerp and the North Sea.

Central Kasterlee. We were in search of ice cream and postcards and found neither. The ice cream store was 2 miles behind us in Lichtaart. Shucks!

Besides being cute, he was singing.

That's better! (72F)

Finally found ice cream in Turnhout at 5:00.

Unfortunately, the only place that has postcards is the Tourist Information Office and it closed at 4:30.

The restaurant was formerly a house. This staircase is from that earlier era. The curved wood was especially impressive.

We wished we had asked a few more questions about the menu after watching the waiter complete this pasta dish in the cheese wheel. It looked totally decadent and delicious when he finished putting the final embellishments on the plate.