Eating out

Eating out on a bike trip can't be that hard. I figure if we can prepare gourmet meals on an interior canoe trip using my fancy kitchen at right, we should be able to pull together some decent picnic lunches during daytime breaks on a bike trip. We are planning to use one of my front panniers as the "lunch bag" and pack it with nalgene containers, cutlery, plates, the lovely picnic blanket (small and lightweight), etc etc. With a few staples and daily stops at grocery shops, we should be eating like royalty at the side of the bike path.

Cousins with Bikeshop

At right you see our ancient Library bag, which was a promotional bag from our cousins' bike shop G.Ijzerman Tweeweiler Specialist in Brantwijk. We've been using this Library bag for many, many years, and the handles have just about worn through. We have been communicating with Goof and Danie and hope to drop in and visit them and their bike shop, and if we are really lucky, we'll snag a new Library bag. That's a lot of biking just to get a new Library bag, but we think it's worth it!

Dutch Language Training

Language training has begun! Every day, the kids and I log onto our Rosetta Stone program and do a lesson in speaking Dutch. So far, we are still in "hij eet, sij eet, etc". Now the kids call me the "Vrouw". Since I never learned to read and write Dutch, I am finding the program very fun. I am also trying to throw in some everyday Dutch, like "Het melk is op de taffel". I even tried to compose my own Dutch email to my cousin Ria VanGils in Noordeloos this week. I hope she could understand my writing! Maybe I need to accelerate through some writing lessons.

Bike training is going well so far. Each week we are getting the kids out twice and covering ten to 15 kilometers each time. We've passed sixty kilometers so far. My job this week-end is to make a chart to record our training kilometers. Our goal? Not sure yet. We will need to get in a few training rides of 30 km or more before June, but for now if we can get in 25 to 30 km per week, I'd be satisfied. Matthew is breaking in a new bike seat, and he likes it much better than his last one.