Rotterdam

Sun 14 March: The weather here continues to be cloudy and cold. It's typical for the Netherlands, but colder than normal according to the locals. That said, it's armer today than it has been. Jeff and his son Mathew took us on an orientation ride around Rotterdam. Ulitmately we went to The Maas River where the water taxies depart for tomorrow's adventure. To illustrate how committed Rotterdam is to bicycles. We went down the longest escalator I have ever seen and under the river on a bike tunnel designed for bicycles. Bicycles have their own lanes and bikes have the right of way. The only bad thing: the bike paths are shared with motor scooters. Biking at 12 mph and have a motor scooter pass 12 inches off your shoulder at 30 is startling. You get used to it though. On the way back, we went through town. At a stop light some old lady, roughly seventy, pulled up next to me on her bike and said something to me in Dutch I didn't understand. I said I only speak English. She nodded and rode on. I'm thinking she wanted to drag for pinks. Seriously, a lady 70ish on a bike in cold rainy weather. Think about it America. We stopped into a restaurant that specializes in poffertjes a kind of pancake that's about the size of a silver dollar which still isn't worth much here. The poffertjes are smothered in butter and covered in powered sugar. It's a uniquely Dutch thing. We watched the cook make them. With a capuccino, they're delicious. We got back home and relaxed for the day. More later. Love to all, Michael