July 1 – We have been watching the weather all week, as the temperatures continue to rise way beyond what is usual in the Netherlands. We chuckled when a heat emergency was declared at 80 F, but today will get up to 95 F, and we are not chuckling now.
We asked for the earliest breakfast time, to take advantage of the coolness of the morning, but it’s looking like we’ll be taking a miserable walk.
We reviewed today’s route, and saw that we are scheduled to walk by an Albert Hjein (Netherlands best grocery store!) at about mile 5 of our 12 mile day. This gives us a place where we can direct an Uber, if Uber exists out here where there is no city.
It took a minute, but yes! Uber is available, and Rajik will come for us in 14 minutes! O happy day! A 7 mile day is doable in any heat.
I bet you wish you weren’t wearing those wool coats!So, today we learned another lesson of the Pieterpad. When Uber drops you off right on the trail, make sure you are walking in the right direction. Yes, we walked this stretch twice. Now it’s an 8 mile day!Interesting yard art – I like the pants!I bet this guy heats up nicely in the sunHere comes the sun, doo, dun, doo, dooWe were hoping for a shady woods walk, but no luck so farAnother ferry crossing – wonder why they don’t just build a bridge?Time to put up the sun-brella. That little bit of shade makes all the difference Jim didn’t have that option – he left his umbrella at homeA very effective crosswalk signHot asphalt road walk – what else?We got to walk along the water for a while, but it was no cooler thereWell look at that – a marker for the Camino de Santiago!And still we walk……and walk some more into the city of VenloSo now we’ve arrived at Villa Anna, a lovely historic B&B with – you guessed it – no air conditioning, and only one window, so no chance of a breeze. And no Wi-Fi either. It actually got up to 98 F this afternoon. It’s going to be a long night…
June 30 – Only seven miles planned today, so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Leaving the B&B, we stopped to admire the variety of colors and wonderful aromas of the nearby rose farm. Although the Netherlands is best known for tulips, it is also the world’s largest exporter of roses, carnations, chrysanthemums and other flowers.
So many roses!Passing through the town of Tienray, we stopped at an important pilgrimage site called Klein Lourdes, where folks travel to pray. The church was bombed in WWII, and was rebuilt.Inside is a replica of the grotto where St. Bernadette spoke with Our LadyNow we are off into the woodsWhat’s this? A field of immediately recognizable plants!Cannabis sativa or hemp? You decide!The sun is so bright that some folks shaded their beautiful hydrangeas with umbrellas so they wouldn’t get crispy. The temperature reached 92 F – very unusual for here.Lots of ferns…and some swampAnd we’re almost to our hotel! I’ll do a seven mile day anytime, even in the heat!Landhuishotel de Hilkensberg was like a spa, with extensive groundsA natural pool – Jim jumped right inWalking pathsFountainsWater lilies And – saving the best for last – a baby alpaca! How cute is that?
Taking Our Time 