Highs and Lows from Dazzling Delft

So, it's been one week we've been on the bike.  One week (well technically one week and one day).  I can't believe it.  230km, two rest days, fab food, a guest appearance by the tick (and luckily no sign of Lyme disease), a love hate relationship with Sally, an abuse of Codral and cough lollies, crazy weather, amazing scenery, and we're actually finding our cycling rhythm.  

We're currently holed up in a cute hotel on a canal in Delft - I finally hit my edge yesterday in the pouring rain coughing up a lung by the side of a glorious canal and the cutest houses ever, so it was decided we'd take 2 nights and a rest day in Delft.  Woohooo!!  And I am lying on my comfy bed with a view over another gorgeous canal resting after checking out the Royal Delft Museum (you know, the beautiful blue and white Delft ceramics).  I just got Mike to shoot me through some pics so I could include them, and I can't believe all the action over the last two days. 

The last post had us leaving our posh hotel after the Bridge of Death, so let's start from there.  We headed off beautifully rested, hit the famous in-town bakery and had THE BEST PASTRY I'VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE.  I don't know what it's called, I don't even know what it is - some kind of sweet sticky cinnamony doughy thing sliced in half and filled with thick vanilla cream (pic below with boring croissant) - dear lord the sun shone down on us and the angels sang as we shared that sweet sweet Dutch treasure - no wonder there was a film crew filming inside the cafe when we arrived.  Heaven.  

After our treat we hit the road (via a stop at a bike shop for a few necessities), hoping to get a trekking hut at a campsite 42km up the road - the thinking was that a trekking hut was a good compromise between Sally and a hotel so off we toddled full of hope and dreams.  I had been warned by Mike there was another bridge to cross - but it was about 5km long, and as I ripped in the Bridge of Death, I was so smugly confident that all would be easy peasy lemon squeezy.  Hmmmm.  I think the very unflattering pic below will show you how farking uneasy peasy it was.  OMG.  BRUTAL.  The headwind was so strong that I was seriously scared about being blown over, I was in my lowest bike gear I have (which is supposed to be for going up really steep hills), the bridge was completely flat, and I was still riding at about 5km/hour - I was literally almost standing still - my face was slick with a combo of snot (lurgie), sweat (exertion), tears (either I was crying or it was from the wind and sand stinging my eyes, even though I had glasses on), and rain (it was either rain or sleet). My left ear was stinging from the rain and sand being blown into it sideways - I was still picking sand out of it that night. It was a raging 5km, and I can't believe we made it - Mike and I have named it The Bridge of Hell (far worse than the Bridge of Death!).  

And then comes the high - we had beautiful cycling the rest of the day, the rain stopped, the scenery was magical, and we were out of the head wind.  We cycled in contentment (though with windblown faces) to our campground, where we discovered there were no trekking huts available so.... Mustang Sally rides again!  Yes, Sally is back for a return performance. Mike had nutted out that we could do things differently - keep the panniers on the bike (they're waterproof) and just put in the tent what we needed - and it worked a treat - wooohoo!  More space in the tent and a sense of lightness.  I was feeling hopeful.  We had long hot showers, had a great steak at the campground, a walk into town, watched tv (on the laptop) all wrapped up in the tent, and then feeling very hopeful for a good night's sleep.  Mike had a great night, I didn't.  Sally strikes again, though I'm not sure I can blame her, my nose didn't stop running and the coughing had begun, so I'm still hoping that the third time will be a charm.  

After my bad night, we packed up, and hit the road, we only had 30km to our destination of Delft, and we knew there was rain heading our way around 11am, so we thought we'd make it in time.  The rain came early.  It started just before we hopped onto another ferry, and just got stronger and stronger.  I was tired, sick, and now saturated.  It was pretty miserable, even though the surroundings were spectacular. So we're back to the beginning - you know the rest, I hit my limit, we stopped at the side of that canal and booked two nights at this cute hotel, and all we had to do was get here.  Mike led the way and we were here by about 11.30am.  They let us check in early, gave us the best room, we blew our noses (a lot), showered, washed clothes and got them out to dry, then hit Delft.

Oh Delft.  Beautiful city.  It was Saturday, market day, a great vibe even with the rain.  We found our fave thing, frites (we chose mayonnaise and curry sauce on top), then discovered at the next booth freshly fried fish dusted with paprika - OMG DELICIOUS!  We were in heaven again, feeling our energies and spirits sparking, and of course the apple pie and coffee we had next sealed the deal - BEST APPLE PIE EVER!  So much baked goodness here.  We wandered around exploring this cute, vibey city, full of cobbled streets, comfy quirky cafes, bikes, interesting looking people, and colourful home stores (and not a chain store in sight).  So nice.  So comforting.

Today has been rest after fantastic sleep last night, another wander around town, waffles, the Royal Delft museum, and tonight we'll head out somewhere for dinner.  We've loved our loft room overlooking the canal and exploring such a quaint city. Being here this time round is really cementing how much I love The Netherlands, it's my fourth time here, and each time I come I leave loving it even more. I think I could spend our year just cycling around The Netherlands.

Oh, and THANK YOU for all your comments - Mike reads them out to me, they crack me up, and I love them.

High: Dutch Heaven - the creamy one on the left

Low: The Bridge of Hell

High: afternoon riding after the Bridge of Hell

High and Low: Mustang Sally rides again!

High and Low: onto the ferry, but it's already started raining

High: FOOD IN DELFT - life is looking and tasting better

The frites truck

The fish truck

Best apple pie looking like a bride with a long whipped cream (slagroom in Dutch - so funny) veil

High: Delft

Possible Low: parking your car into the canal - most of the time they have to be reversed parked!

High: Visiting the Royal Delft Factory - I know the blue and white stuff is great, but my fave was all the tile work they had on display (if you don't like tiles then say goodbye now cause it's going to get boring)

And just one more High for those who have read this far:  Tonight's dessert - lemon gelato with lemon curd - UNBELIEVABLY GOOD (this was added after dinner tonight.  Yum yum)