Finally, we know!

This last year has been one of adventure and intrigue, full of new experiences, places and people. But it has also be a strenuous one with uncertainty and questions. Since last August when it became apparent we weren’t going to be coming back to Vancouver, the question of “where will we be going” has been looming over my head.

At last I am able to take some solace in declaring that year has come to an end. Nina has chosen a university and professor. Equally as important, the professor was delighted to take her on and the university has formally invited her to attend in the fall to start her PhD. In just over one month we will be starting our new life together in Leicester.

Last Thursday Nina travelled to Leicester to meet with the professor. They discussed projects that would fulfill Nina’s wish-list while still remaining inline with the professor’s area of study. They got along well and when she came back the following day, we started discussing the pros and cons of Leicester versus Bristol. It quickly became apparent that it wasn’t really a contest.

So now begins the work on my end. I have been researching rental agencies in Leicester and have been scouring the ads for houses and apartments for rent. Nina and I have discussed our wish lists for our home and I have made some appointments with agents. We have booked flights for the second weekend in August to view (and find) our home for the foreseeable future. Although the uncertainty has been lifted, there is a lot of work ahead before I will be able to enjoy a sigh of relief.

After meeting Nina at Schipol airport to see her off for her meeting in Leicester last Thursday, I made my way back home. The weather hadn’t been very good for the majority of the day, but in the late afternoon the clouds broke allowing the sunshine to come through. I arrived back at the apartment and decided to take my bike out for a little ride. I didn’t plan to go too far, I just figured I would expend some energy as I had been sitting in the office for the majority of the day.

I rode over to Haarlemmerweg (the highway that leads west out of Amsterdam toward Haarlem). Alongside the highway is a protective barrier and a long flat bike path that mirrors the motorway. I hadn’t ventured west yet and thought it would be a good stretch to burn some calories.

Eventually the highway went through a small town and I decided to leave Haarlemmerweg and do some exploring. I started to ride northwest through a forested area and soon emerged in a rural part of the countryside. I found myself riding along a narrow road that straddled a dike. On both sides of me the ground dropped by many metres and plush flowing meadows ran off into the distance. Every quarter mile or so a farmhouse dotted the road or sat nestled among an island of trees. Occasionally I would see a hare or heron in a field and pheasants scurrying along the side of the road.

Narrow canals intertwined the meadows, segregating the pieces of land like a complex set of natural fences. Sheep, horses and cows grazed on the small meadow islands or sipped from the plentiful supply of water. In the distance industry was represented by smoke stacks and clusters of sleek turbine windmills slowing spinning.

The sun was still fairly high in the sky, but it was getting toward the end of the day and it had turned into a perfect summer evening. There was a gentle breeze and I slowed down a bit to enjoy the scenery. It really was breathtaking. I had been gone for only 30 minutes and felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. I felt free.

It was around this time that a cyclist roared past me on a slick racing bike; the kind that cost the same as a small subcompact car. In fact, the majority of the riders I saw were tall skinny men — the gazelles of the human race — on road bikes who didn’t give me the time of day. These were the real cyclists. My days of passing everyone I came across were limited to the city limits it appeared.

I passed through a few small rural towns, one so minute I saw all 10 houses it offered in the blink of an eye. A few others were a little more developed, yet I was still able to pass through from one side to the other in 5 minutes. This was the Netherlands I hadn’t seen before and how would I? The only times I left the city were on trains and they sped by so quickly, there wasn’t time to take in the quaintness of these villages. I felt like I was finally seeing it; the country.

At times I could have been convinced I was riding through rural Ladner as the scenery looked similar. The only giveaway that I was not in North America was the fact that I had been riding on small country roads and barely interacted with a motorized vehicle. And, of course, the architecture of the farm houses was typically Dutch.

Before I knew it I had made it all the way to Haarlem, albeit in a fairly non-direct fashion. As I approached the city limits of I came across their IKEA. Next to it stood a massive telecommunications tower I had seen in the distance during my ride. It towered over the big-box store making it look puny in comparison. I turned around and followed the motorway all the way back to Amsterdam.

When all was said and done I had ventured on a 37 km ride and made it, round trip, in 1 ½ hours; averaging 26 km/hr. This was my most ambitious ride yet and by far the most enjoyable.

Since arriving back from Vancouver I have been slowly increasing the distances I ride to build up my endurance. I have been trying to get back into riding shape and after this ride, I felt like I was definitely making headway.

So on the weekend when Nina wanted to have a nap, I did it again. Only this time, I took a much more direct route toward Haarlem and once again, turned around just shy of the city limits in the IKEA parking lot.

As the scenery on the first ride was so picturesque, I headed back out to retrace my steps, only this time with my camera. I peddled past the IKEA with it’s oversized tower and into the old town of Haarlem. I rode up to the steps of the Cathedral, around the lanes and canals and then back to the motorway to return home. This time I increased the length of my previous rides and topped out at 45 km roundtrip.

When I got back home I took the elevator halfway up and took the stairs the remaining flights to wind down and stretch my legs. The landings on the staircase are outdoors and from these balconies the view due west is incredible. In the distance, faintly, I could make out a familiar tower. I couldn’t believe it, Holland is so damn flat I was able to see the telecommunications tower that sits at the edge of Haarlem. However, when I opened Google Earth and discovered it was only 12 km away (as the crow flies) I was a little less impressed.

Work has slowed down a bit over the past week, which has been a welcomed break. I had been so incredibly busy after returning from Vancouver, I have welcomed the extra time to get out on my bike. And now, I will need the time for all the arrangements that need to be made. The last time I moved countries I had three months to prepare. This time, I have one.