Kustenkanal, its jsut you and me, baby

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I rose early to get the hell out of the Netherlands by midday. after going through that star-shaped fort I showed some of youse.

I was nearly at the fort when my back tyre blew. no worries, got a spare tube, except the store in ny had sold me tubes with th e wrong valve. no worries, kind woman takes me back to the nearest town to the cycle shop, except he's on vacation of course. no worries, I can fix the blown tube with me patch kit and a bucket of water supplied by the lovely ladies at westerwede radio (I otld them I would say that) who were womanning a stand at the town fete. Tyre fixed, only two hours lost, except i'm nowq someting of a town hero, the kiwi cycling from amsteradm to stockholm, so its takes some time to get out of that, then I have to bike 5km back to the previous town#s open bike store, get lost upon the way (even though I came that way this morning) and get a new tyre fixed, the old one had been worn by the extra weight of the panniers, and the bumpiness of dutch cycle paths (which was often cobblestoned for some reason).

Finally, its past 2pm and I'm heading for the border agian with the wind at my back, except once I pass through the starfort - not bothering to take pics, it looks like any other earthern fort from the ground, and if you don't know what that looks like you should go travelling - I can#t find my way across the border, every path seems to run parallel, its so frustrating, I#m really looking forward to crossing the border, taking a pic of the sign... except I see no sign, jsut suddenly the street signs are in German, I'm suspicious, have I actually crossed the border? Turns out I ahve and I missed it completely, now, to get on the Kustenkanal, my route to the heart of Germany, a few wrong turns later and I'm there, its been over 100kms so far today and its 5pm but I reckon to keep going, the bike is runnign fast with its new wheel and I'm good.

The only account I've read of biking the Kustenkanal was by a gay American who didn't like germans and who calle it '70kms of boredom#, had been beside the autobahn bu preferred swtiching sides and going along the old, unpather towpath.

I chose the path beside the autobahn - flat, straight, and a hard surface, I flew alonf covering 60kms in 2.5 hours so much fun - thought of going for Oldenburg at the end of the canal but with light fading I pulled uin to a town I call Forsythe in my mind, its something like Friesythe, for a hotel - two of which were clsoed, of course, and the other one full, lucky the lovely daughter of the owner took me a few towns towards Oldenborg to another hotel, and that#s where I am now - I don't actually know the town's name.

Bremen, here I come!

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