In goed begjin is it heale wurk

Last time we wrote, we were in full prep-mode, and look at us now how the prep has helped us along the way!

Or so we thought, as there were a few bumps along the way.

When we handed in the keys to our house, we were faced with a fine hovering above our heads already as we did not fullfill the checklist. Luckily our neighbour offered to fix this (it’s a fine for not taking out the garbage which is collected once every two weeks), which would be nice as for us it’s more money left to pay for a hostel if needed on a rainy day.

Besides the problems with the house, we also had the first issues with our bikes: in Sneek/Snits, Geart had to replace his brand new tyre as it was bended, and we had to take a detour to a DIY shop so Ydwine could buy new nuts and bolts for her bikestraps (one had fallen off in Zwolle). Now here in Germany, Geart is waiting to spot the first Ortlieb dealer as his steering bag has locked itself for some reason.

Yes, we have arrived in Germany following the Rhine to Switzerland and are doing very well despite the few issues, as maybe our preparation was as good as it could be, as a trip always comes with something unexpected. What was unexpected though was our camping in green areas while we are cycling through industrial areas. Especially this weekend we cycled through a desolated Ruhr area, passing underneath oil pipes, padelling through streets designed for chemical lorries and cycling next to the Rhine with ships full of containers. It made us feel small, but at the same time it was empowering to be able to tackle this mass of concrete and steel. Nonetheless, we have found the patches of nature and nice cycling paths (along with many people who enjoyed this sunny weekend), which makes the first week a good start for us and the trip to come, or how we Frisians say: in goed begjin is it heale wurk.