June 20 - Brussels to Breda

First, an apology - I did not fulfill my duties completely in reporting about Brussels.   I told you about Manneken Pis, the peeing boy and I told you about Het Zinneke, the peeing dog.  But I missed one - Jeanneke Pis - the peeing girl.  I never found her, so I looked her up online and here's a picture.  She is actually in a barred cage to protect her from vandalism.

Onto today - 102 km from Brussels to Breda in the Netherlands.  We crossed the border at about 90 km.  Typical EU border - non-existent.  Nice and sunny today; great cycling weather.


Early on in the ride we are stopped at a canal as the bridge has been lifted, waiting for this barge.  The canal was quite large so the bridge was lifted straight up on 4 concrete pillars.





Still in Belgium we are entering Lier.
Note the flowers on the bridge.













This is our view of the city hall as we stopped for a Cappuccino (and a free waffle!).
We guessed the big screen was for either ''Lier Feest,' which might be a film festival, or for community watching the World Cup (or both).

 Another view across the town square, showing the fancy gables we see on many of the buildings.












We were still in Belgium when we had lunch.  Lunch is a do it yourself affair with sandwich makings, lots of juices and a chance to fill your water bottles.

Just past lunch is this, listed on our notes as the 'Geometric forest.'  Don't know what its purpose is, perhaps somebody had way too much time with a set of hedge clippers.







Netherlands now.  Both Belgium and the Netherlands so far have been very neat and friendly looking.  Check out this bike path beside the road, with trimmed hedges both sides.
A word about the cycling culture here.  It is so strong that bicycles are respected and have the right of way in many circumstances that we would never consider in North America.  For example, in this picture, if a car on the road in front of me wants to turn right onto a side road, he invariably stops & waits for me.  Try to pass on the right in the same situation in North America and you would be road kill.

The towns are very neat and clean, with a large fraction of modern houses.  Farmland in between has a variety of market crops:  potatoes, corn, beans, etc.  We are seeing greenhouses (some large) more frequently.

Almost all roads have bike paths, although one has to be aware in towns because the bike paths and pedestrian sidewalks are often side by side or one and the same.  You have to watch out for pedestrians and other cyclists turning into your path.  


In the Netherlands now, approaching Breda.  This is Kasteel Bouvigne.  It was (is?) a private residence that has had a structure on it as early as 1554.  It was destroyed by a V-1 rocket in 1941 and was rebuilt.










A couple of shots near the centre of town.  Lots of restaurants, bars and coffee houses on the streets.  Lots of people enjoying themselves.  The town had a very nice feel to it.  

I won't bore you with more photos of the local church in the background (although it is pretty).






It would be nice to stay here a while and have coffee and pastries at a different street cafe each morning.












Near the hotel is the Kasteel van Breda (Breda Castle).  It was closed so we couldn't get past the bridge over the moat, but I took a photo of the moat with its lily pads and geese with their goslings.
(Truth be told, we were downtown sampling various 'products' and had to get back for the riders meeting at the hotel).




Valkenburg park, between the castle and our hotel.














Speaking of hotel, we are in the Apollo Hotel.  Very modern and the most striking room to date.

Too bad it gets wasted on cyclists with laundry to do..😀

Tomorrow we are off to Amsterdam, and two (count 'em) rest days!

Any suggestions for what I can do for two days in Amsterdam (after laundry).