Back in 1971 John Denver had a song called the "Readjustment Blues". The title just popped into my head, though Amsterdam to Cobble Hill is nowhere near as significant as John Denver's topic, which was returning from the Vietnam war. Even so, things here seem so strange to me. The houses here are made of wood, not stone. Weird. The trees seem wilder, and certainly the weeds are wilder. They just haven't felt the effects of centuries of patient control Instead, they think they own the place - because they do! Then there are the pickup trucks everywhere, and no bike lanes. What kind of place is this??

I know that in a few days the strangeness will wear off. Ultimately, this is my native land and culture, and source of strength for the long term. But I also know that as soon as I get used to it here again it will be time for itching to start another bike trip. It's a "cycle" that we have lived for the past eight years!

After a hard night of knee pain, we got Dodie in to see the doctor. Cortisone and ibuprophen hopefully will provide some short term relief. We also contacted the orthopedic surgeon. A date for the knee replacement is set - for August. Paradoxically, when Dodie's name went on the waiting list ( a year ago) it was for the left knee. Now the right is the worst one, so it may be first up. 

Marvin and Erika are now well under way, as they begin the project of cycling from Netherlands to Austria, carrying on with our bikes where we left off. I really enjoyed reading  their blog for the day we all cycled together in the vicinity of Edam. Their photos put me right back there, and for a rare occasion I could actually see myself in the "picture". Marvin and Erika can be followed here on Cycleblaze. Click here, to find their index page.

It is not quite time to close off this blog. We want to revisit the various stages and decide which were really the best, and to see if that matches what our expectations had been. We want to describe and evaluate the experience of our first e-assisted ride. Finally, we will cook up some figures on how much all the fun cost - to help others save for  and enjoy a similar expedition. Stay tuned...

Heart

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