Netherlands Trip Prep

Choosing Airlines

Perhaps the most intensive planning of all: negotiating the wild world of airfares, and their associated add-on fees.  I am lucky enough to live with driving distance of three large airports: Detroit, Toronto and Chicago.  A cursory look at airfares took Detroit and Chicago out of the running immediately, Toronto was so much cheaper that no matter what bike fees we would have been subjected to it wouldn't have made financial sense to use the other two.  Flying out of Amsterdam was a requirement, solely for the ease of obtaining bike boxes at the airport.  A combination of roundtrip to Amsterdam and flying into Brussels and out of Amsterdam was also looked at, and the latter was considerably cheaper yet again, so the decision was made to choose a one way trip instead of it all being Amsterdam centric.  Finally, looking at individual airlines, we started to weed out options.  All the American airlines cost in the neighborhood of $150 each way with a bike with no exception, so they were tossed, even though Delta was really cheap.  Air Canada had a fairly reasonable $50 each way fee on the return leg, and a flight with Brussels Airlines (who flies bikes free in place of a checked bag) popped up, so we happily chose that pairing for a bit over $700.


Route Planning

Other than the fact that both Flanders and the Netherlands are known as cycling havens, there is scant little English information I could find.  The reason, as at least I have deduced, is simple: their cycle networks are not a tourist thing, not a recreational thing, but a functional part of their infrastructure.  I wouldn't expect to find in-depth information on Michigan highways on a Dutch website (other than maybe a scenic drive in a tourist area), and in that same way, I didn't find much in English on anything other than day trips from tourist centres.

In lieu of information, and knowing how extensive the routes were, I instead relied on printing out a wall sized map from OpenCycleMaps, sticking post-it notes to things we wanted to do, and soon enough an obvious path emerged.  A list of cities started to emerge as overnight spots.  As some were smaller villages with few accommodations, I invested in membership to Vrinden op de Fiets, a Dutch organization connecting human-powered travelers with families along cycle and hiking routes with spare rooms for 19 euros a nite.  More on this later.

We quickly established our first two days and last three days plans: arrive in Brussels on Saturday morning, spend the day in the city, move to Leuven on Sunday and start our bike trip from there Monday morning.  Looking at cycle maps, Brussels is a black hole of routes, and after consulting with a bike friendly coworker that lived in the town for a few years, we decided the best bet would be to train from the airport to downtown, and then from downtown to Leuven. Likewise, we planned out our end weekend in Amsterdam: roll in on Friday night, spend both Friday and Saturday nights at the same hotel, and move to an airport hotel Sunday night for our Monday morning flight.

After those plans were laid, it left determining the best way to plot accommodations for the rest of the route.  A hostel with secure bike parking was quickly obtained in Rotterdam.  It was not a city I had a great desire to visit, simply because it is new and industrial, but there was a need for accommodations in the area, and I found a great bargain.  The rest was left for the trip, mostly by chance.  I had been attempting to use the Vrinden op de Fiets organization for Monday and Tuesday, with little success.  It was only as we were boarding the plane in Toronto that the Monday location finally got in touch with me, and I confirmed our eagerness to stay when I landed in Brussels.  I failed three times to secure a location on Tuesday night, which as you read on will have turned out to be a good thing.  Thursday was deliberately left open to accommodate some wiggle room if necessary.

PICS from Spain!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064911&id=6603926&l=09e82 for pics, my comp broke and I'm on a public computer, so thats all I have right now.

One week!

So, I figured I oughta get this going again, make sure it still worked. One week till I leave for Spain! Nothing really interesting happening with the trip yet.

Since I've already gone to the trouble of typing a sentence, may as well type a few more. Got our butts kicked in our first floor hockey game this season, 7-1. Took a 5-0 first half to get the team working together, then I was quite impressed and hopeful. Should have been 7-2, but unfortunately IM sports aren't the place to argue whether the goalie's catching glove was inside the net or not. Blazer needs front brakes, which will get done as soon as I get home, assuming the rotor doesnt blow up on me first. Still jobless, although I have potentially found summer work if nothing ends coming through.

Anyways, I'll be trying to update this as I go through Spain, so look back for updates and pretty pictures. Itenirary is leave wednesday morning, arrive thursday afternon, go directly to a luncheon with a flamenco show, wander around Madrid for the evening, leave on a 5 hour bus ride for the venue friday morning, talk to Spanish people for a week, come back and enjoy Madrid. Depending on the bus situtation, I'd love to go to Bilbao and see the Guggenheim museum on the saturday after the program, but I don't know if that is really a day trip or not. Sunday is the most exciting, I am going to a real Spanish Bullfight in Madrid! Finally, I fly back the next morning.

I almost died today

Actually, it wasn't even close. Nowhere near death. Nowhere near the excitement and near-death experiences that the Ford has provided me. But then again, the Blazer isnt the Truck that the Ford is. The Ford could have taken that parking job I did into the ditch like a champ, been pulled out, and said, 'Let's do it again'. The Blazer jsut said 'Oh, my front end is plastic, I cant take it, and by the way, I got this stupid front oil filter mount that is gonna get ripped off '. So the Blazer is currently minus a front end, has an almost dangling oil filter and remote access oil lines, and is missing a lot of front end plastic.

Then again, the Ford is out of commission with a busted up tensioner arm on the belt. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten rid of the Scorpion....

Spring Break in Spain!

Ok, for all of those curious, spring break for next year is set! This year, Jeff will be journeying to Spain to teach conversational English! While in the country, my only expenses will be the night before and the two nights after the program, everythign while I'm at the actualy program is covered. I'll be enjoying three course lunch and dinners at a beautiful mountainside resort, all for talking to business people and students in nothing but English. The program is designed to be intensive English for those that already speak English, its focus is to get the people comfortable with English.

Anyways, if anyone is interested, here is the general program: http://www.vaughanvillage.com/index.asp, and here is the actual site I will be at: http://www.vaughanvillage.com/venue-cazorla.asp

Well, four major things happened today. Two good, two bad, but I am really in a bittersweet mood.

First for the good:
1) Spring break is booked. I will be going to Spain to teach English, program is booked as is the flight.
2) Dad got engaged to Denise. She is a wonderful lady who will bring us all happiness, and I wish them the best of luck and welcome her into the family.

Then the bad:
3) I've realized me and Sarah will never be. I treated her miserable this summer, and I cannot forgive myself for that. She moved on, and I just have to deal with that. I regret the things that I did that made me lose the love of my life. Dad getting engaged just dramatically compounds my sadness, of course I am very glad for him, but it reminds me of how sad I am.
4) Grandpa is in the hospital with a stroke. I wish him the best of luck, and a speedy recovery.

I'm kind of just in a dull sense right now. I should be estactic over the engagement and spring break, but I am not. I am worrying about grandpa, and regretting my decisions with Sarah. I feel extremely badly about everything, but the past is the past and I need to move on. She was truly the greatest thing that happened to my life, and it is hard to see 3 years vanish just like that. Thankfully, last weekend she made me see that I needed to change the direction my life was heading, so I am very thankful for that. I am working on fixing a lot of stuff about myself, it will take time, but it will make me a better person in the end. I hurt badly right now, but I know with time I am going to come out a better person.

Thats all for now, I guess

For anyone still looking at this.....

OK, you guys want updates. Here they are.

First off, the phone number at my cabin is 906-370-9478. Its a prepay, so if you have lots to say I'll probably hang up and drive up the road to talk on my Alltel phone.

Secondly, I'm moved into my new cabin. 4 miles south of campus, on the lake, $180 a month for a one person place, here are some pics:

Finally, went down to Escanaba for the offroad races last weekend. First real bike trip I've been on, and it was quite fun.