Wheeling our age…

As you get older the list of ailments grows, those younger than us will be thinking it won’t happen to them and those older will be thinking Oh yes it will, but anyway we’ve come of age and joined the multiple ailments brigade.

And there’s only one way to deal with it and that’s as soon as they glue the latest bit to fall off you back on you get going before another part has a chance to fail.

So we set off on our latest, much less adventurous tour – Friends and Family 24, or FAF for short.

My knee is still not right and oddly enough it’s been fine until we set off, then it’s hurt non stop. I’d been given some exercises to do by the physio in India and had, for once actually done quite a few of them since we returned home and had managed to put my back out –  twice. I’ve always had back problems from my school days but nothing bad for over 10 years, then I’m flat on my back unable to get back into bed in Taffy after having to get up at 3am and go to the loo (another joy to look forward to youngsters!). 5 steps were too much and I lay on the sofa dreaming of Stena stairlifts.

Usually my back gets better within the day it goes. The doctors now say keep moving and that works well. Agony for an hour then it wears off, but no such luck this time. This took a week before Linda would walk with me as I was hunched over hobbling along with a walking stick and apparently.also looked liked id pooped myself!💩

But it eventually healed and I resumed my exercises and bang, episode 2. And much worse. In fact 3 weeks into Episode 2, I’m still not right and we thought, sod it, let’s cycle.

I’ve had to lower my saddle as I can’t steady the bike on my toes at junctions etc and put training wheels on the back… Ok, no training wheels, but if they did them for tandems I’d have considered it!

So Back Buggered and Knee Knackered we left the UK and landed in Hoek Van Holland off the overnight Stena Line ferry from Harwich,.having spent a lovely evening catching up with friends Dave and Mary in Harwich before we departed

Arriving in NL is like a detox. The cycle paths are so smooth locals probably have never seen a wheel eating water filled pot hole the like of which haunt your nightmares on wet days in the UK.

The cafes look like furniture showrooms and are ridiculously stylish and the coffee is 3 Euros and really nice, in a china cup, with a nice little bit of cake and not in a paper cup with plastic lid. It’s a different world entirely and we love it.

We first headed to our favourite place for Taffy visits in Gouda, had 4.75kg of cheese in a cheese fondue adding stomach ache to the list of ailments and then headed on to Amsterdam. 

That’s a fun place to cycle with Tilly fully loaded. Most of the city cycle paths are barely wide enough for Tilly let alone anyone wanting to pass us, so we had some very clear paths up ahead and a convoy behind. Oh well.

We’re not big fans of Amdam, but we have a little local bar we used to go to a lot and wanted to have another visit. The same staff still worked there, along with the bar cat and the Jenever was still Kettle One. Heaven.

A leisurely ride on to our friends in Naarden where I got to do all things Star Wars with their son for the whole weekend, the force is strong in that one! And obviously we managed to stuff a Dutch pancake with a other 2kgs of cheese on into our still recovering tummies.

We had a fabulous time there and didn’t manage to leave until after lunch so stopped off in Utrecht for the night. If you ever fancy going to Amsterdam, don’t. Go to Utrecht instead, it’s a gorgeous town with canals and hundreds of restaurants, all of which looks so classy. Another favourite place of ours.

Maybe this tour should be renamed the 3Fs.. Friends, Family and Favourite places!