This is England!! (LONDON)

In Amsterdam we said good bye to Chris and Fabian. Chris gave up saying he didn’t enjoy riding his bike all day and Fabian had a girl he had to meet. Leaving Amsterdam we headed west to the Hook of Holland for out ride across the water to England on a superferry. Holland is a beautiful place. It even had dunes which was nice to see. For the most part, once we left Sweden it has been all farmland or cities.

We were riding through a city when out of nowhere Fabian pops up, kind of crazy really. He said he was running around on his bike about 10 Km from his camp killing time. He showed us the beach and we shared an Amsterdam treat while watching the waves and children try and fly kites. We said our good byes again and headed off into the dunes and ate a nice picnic on a giant sandy hill and it hit me. When I get back and people ask me what I did on this trip I won’t be able to explain how great it is. Saying we rode through the country side doesn’t summon up the feeling you get riding through the country side or going into a bakery and ordering the best desert you’ve ever had even though the person behind the counter didn’t understand a word you said. It’s an adventure and only people who have also done it will know how it feels. The beautiful day eventually turned into a rainy cold night, but a hot shower fixed that right quick and the campsite we found.

We get to the ferry terminal the next day to find out I ordered the tickets in reverse. I was in Amsterdam when I ordered them sooooo…. Anyways they changed it for us and josh and I spent most of the day waiting for the ship to come and then riding it for 6 hours. When we got off we went up to the booth and showed the man inside our passports. Normal shit, except this time he asked about some card that we didn’t have. Then he asked about our funds and what we are in the country for. He asked in an almost “Im sorry I have to ask” way. Eventually he said we will have to go into a room and wait for him and if we could fill out some cards. He was very apologetic and the rest of the staff was really nice also. While we waited they helped us find some camping nearby and the woman with them told us where we could find a good party town.  They searched our bags on our bikes (I had my knife in my pocket) and asked us questions to make sure we weren’t coming into the country trying to find work. They were a lot nicer than the people you find in the airports.

We found some camping and the next day headed to London. We got there and this happiness just runs through you. “Im in London” ran through my head over and over again. We used the Gps to find some camping and we followed it till we hit the river that runs through London. One we were riding through a kind of sketchy area and two we couldn’t find how to cross the water. The Gps said to cross, but nothing was there. There was a ferry that was done for the day, but the gps said use the foot path. We rode around trying to find it then I stopped and asked some teens how to get across. They said there is a tunnel that runs under the water. They showed us where the entrance was and josh and I walked our bikes down a long spiral staircase. Now I’m not sure if you know what our bikes look like loaded, but they aren’t light. Walking down wasn’t fun but walking under the river was kind of cool, but then came the biggest problem. Going up. I was lucky that when I got to the top I got to see London and all its beauty or I would have been upset.

 We found a camp site on the eastern side of the city. In the morning we had to cross the city to the hostel. Riding through London in the rain with heavy traffic is something I’ll never forget. Ridding next to cars and giant double-decker busses was amazing. Then something cool happened. We pulled out a map to find out where we were and this nicely dressed man stopped and helped us out. Not only did he tell us where we need to go and show us on his iphone he went up into his office building and printed out a map for us. He said we are obviously on an adventure and would be glad to help us. We got to our hostel and spent the next couple days exploring London and seeing Darren Brown, which was pretty crazy. I even got "The art of war" and read it in the rose garden of Hyde park. But I think this trip has taught me something. I’m not a huge fan of big cities. Don’t know why either. I like people and I love the buildings, but something about being in a big city kind of just doesn’t float my boat. Thanks for the read guys. Also I met a cool kid who was volunteering for “Save the children” so check them out if you are feeling nice and maybe doing something good today. Next post is Paris!!!! So stay tuned.