Going home

The last time I slept in a tent, well... for the next few months anyway. Matthias already left at 5:13 AM. He took his bus which was parked in Leer, loaded the bike and left. I myself got up at 7 AM and prepared myself for the final journey home. John would join me until Groningen. He planned to stay on the city campground and then continue to Dronten. When I was almost finished packing it started to rain lightly, but it wasn't that bad. John had some more packing to do.

Because a flat tire during the tour wasn't enough, my left tire decided to go flat after 20 minutes of cycling today. Because of the wet road surface a piece of glass found itself in the tire. During the replacement of the inner tire a German lady which we previously overtook passed us again. After fixing the flat tire we overtook her again and stopped in Bunde at a local bakery for some food. The woman we overtook earlier also passed us in Bunde and greeted us. Something with a tortoise and a hare.

At Bad Nieuweschans we crossed the border and there waited a typical Dutch phenomenon, a bike in a lamppost. The Dutch roads also were much better and more familiar.

My idea was to follow the original day 1 route until Scheemda and then go to Meerwijck and take the little ferry and have a break. John is tens of years older then me so he let me swing the lever to move the ferry to and from the break point at other side. I had the croquette sandwich and he the eel sandwich. After John got some money at the bank in Haren he went to the region of Appelscha and I went on following the road next to the Noordwillemskanaal (a canal) via the Paterswoldsemeer (a lake). Cycling via the Stadspark (city park) is always fun. So, a nice route. Just before 2 PM I was home and had again cycled almost 95 kilometers.

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