Ghent - Antwerp🇧🇪 65kms 🚴‍♀️

Antwerp 🇧🇪 - The Hague 🇳🇱 🚂

This morning my lovely warm showers family had gone early to the bakery for some fresh croissants ❤️. Plus they had bought me a slice of a Flemish traditional cycling energy food - like a rice pudding, custard tart! Soooo good to have that treat today 😊

After talking with Jan this morning I decided on a portion of my ride on the 'Cycling Super Highway' that follows the railway line all the way to Antwerp.

I turned added another 10kms to my trip by diverting to the river and riding through forests, luxury home estates and then along the river and wetlands. It was sunny or overcast and a headwind but very pleasant riding.

I took a bicycle ferry to cross over the river at one stage too.

Many cyclists and lots of friendly hellos, one peleton of guys wanted to know my trip and rode beside me asking questions and then zoomed off giving a thumbs up 😊. Chatted with a senior gent who stopped when I was taking a photo and had done 70kms and needed a chat and a waffle break before the last 10kms. Many ebikes zooming past at great speed too. 

I arrived into Antwerp and it has the prettiest square (Grote Markt)with a huge statue in the middle. I chatted with Hetty with her touring bike, touring with her husband across Belgium for 10 days.

Then off to see the oldest building 'Het Steen' built in the 1200's and has been used as a fortification, remodeled by Charles V as a castle, used as a prison and a fish market and now houses the tourist info centre!

I cycled around the cobbled streets and then to the impressive train station with incredible architecture both inside and out.

It's a huge station with more than 20 platforms. I queued for half an hour to buy a ticket with bike and then discovered the lift down to the stations was out of order. With 10 mins spare I walked to the other end and found a working lift. Phew!

On the train and the helpful conductor said he would alert my connecting train that I was coming as 4 mins is tight. I found the only lift on this platform was out of order and not time to unpack my bike. The conductor said to hop back on my train and go on to Rotterdam where I would have more options. In the bike carriage were two young Uni students who had grown up together in Hong Kong and going to uni in Amsterdam. A friend had said they wouldn't be able to cycle the distance and so they borrowed 'granny bikes' and were super proud of their 120km effort, sunburnt, windburnt and said they wouldn't be able to sit down for a week 😂😂. Nice lads.

Rotterdam train stations is also huge and busy! Sat with two friendly girls on this train and we chatted the whole way. 

I arrived into Den Haag just after rain and so only a few sprinkles on my way to the hostel.

Off to the supermarket for dinner and a quick look around. Will explore tomorrow 😊

Netherlands is country no. 18 on this trip.

Very social day for me. I got into the lift at the hostel in my Aussie cycle gear and carrying panniers. A young guy got in and said that I had a cool vibe 😂 😂.