Days 5, 6, & 7: Brussels to Mons
Since I had a short day of only 16 miles I stayed at the hostel until check out. I had also missed a few things the day before when sightseeing so I walked my bike nearby to the main square. They were putting up a stage in the middle of the square so it blocked the view of the buildings and hindered me from taking a good picture, but I think the stage might have been for the Grand Depart of the Tour de France that Brussels was hosting the next weekend. I walked around looking at the souvenir and chocolate shops. I had wanted to play tourist and try a Belgian waffle so eventually I found a place and had the dessert-like speculoos waffle for lunch. As I was walking the bike out of the main part of town I saw a crowd and as I neared noticed they were taking pictures of the famous mannequin-piz, the little boy peeing fountain. [Pictures seen in the Brussels post]
Once out of town I had a nice ride following a river but my maps app kept taking me to the side where the path turned into cobblestones. I looked over exasperated at the other side with the smooth path. I passed kids jumping off a bridge into the river and wished I could join them. Not too long later I stopped at a grocery store and headed to the airbnb. I came to my first serious climb of the trip and ended up having to get off the bike and walk it up the hill. Having no gears and the weight of all my stuff made it really difficult to ride so walking it was easier. I got to the airbnb and had a quiet night in with another world cup game on TV.
Last day of my bike trip and I was sad it was coming to an end. I was exceptionally pleased with the bike for having held out and doing so well; I never had any issues with it. I pondered the idea of continuing the trip into France, but I had a World Cup game to attend and I needed to head back to Germany to visit a friend.
I left the Airbnb and the maps app ended up taking me on a trail instead of a road. I missed the turnoff at first and then backtracked to find the little grassy trail but I decided to just take it so I didn’t have to get back on the road. The path was narrow and a little rocky downhill so I had to walk the bike. I ended up coming out in a field and passing some houses. I was glad once I finally got back to a road and felt like I spent much longer going down the path than if I would have just stuck to the road, but it was a nice change of scenery.
The rest of the day was similar. The app took me down some paths but luckily those were flat and free of rocks. I did come to a point where after crossing an old railroad bridge I had to descend down the steep embankment to the road below. The weight of my stuff on the bike was going to pull me down the path so I had to take my stuff off and take the bike down first and then go back up for my stuff.
I stopped here and there since I was in no hurry. I even came upon some ruins of a castle and decided to stop but didn’t want to pay to tour the grounds so I just sat in the shade looking at it.
One last stop at the grocery store and I arrived in Mons. I got to the Airbnb quickly and the host gave me the tour. I ended up having the two-story townhome all to myself for my two night stay. It was an older home full of character and 70s decor. The host also helped me find a place to print my game ticket at a nearby shop. Sadly I missed the US v. France game that night because the home’s TV didn’t have cable.
Amsterdam, Netherlands to Mons, Belgium: 186 miles
This bike trip turned out to be one of my favorite adventures I have taken thus far. Going day by day and with little expectations, I was constantly being pleasantly surprised. The ease of how it all came together, the simplicity of low-mileage days blended into making a smooth adventurous trip. By the end of the first day I was already thinking of returning to Holland for another bike trip. There was always great cycling infrastructure with bike paths usually being clearly marked and separated from cars. The flatness of the terrain made for easy biking. The canals and windmills provided beautiful and cultural scenery. I truly had an amazing time and it was the highlight of my summer in Europe. Not to mention that the experience really increased my confidence in the ability to make things happen, which I take enormous pride in. I am so glad I coughed up the money for the bike because I would have definitely regretted not taking the trip. There is just something really special in slowing down and moving through a country human-powered. You see so much more than you would zooming by in a car at 60mph. So if you’re thinking about getting into bike touring there’s no better place, in my opinion, than in the Netherlands. And you don’t need a fancy bike to do it- I biked 186 miles on a secondhand fixed gear city bike.
