Today we got lost amongst a complex network of cycle lanes. We were not sure which direction to head, so while we were on the ferry we got chatting to a couple of German cycle tourers. They were heading to Den Haag (the Hague) then on to Amsterdam. This sounded good so we decided to do it too.
We had a bit of a communication breakdown between the two of us and instead of taking the scenic route to Den Haag, we took the direct route on a cycle lane next to all the traffic. Seeing all the people stuck in the rat race they call life, I am glad I don’t do this anymore. It makes you wonder why people are in such a rush, what is so important that needs to be done so urgently, why do they need to earn so much money and more? Reminds me of the joke about the Mexican fisherman happy to earn just enough to support his family and the American banker wanting to turn his business into a big corporation.
Den Haag was a bit of a diversion from the coast. We ummed and ahhed whether we should make the 9 km diversion. We looked at a hotel on the coast but it was really expensive. We decided to divert and we were glad we did. The centre of Den Haag was really nice. Lots of bars and restaurants. We were really tired and hoped the hotels wouldn’t be too expensive. We stopped at the first one we saw and it was in our price range and included breakfast. bonus. Unfortunately they had nowhere to keep our bikes. This was a first. All hotels so far have had a system for our bikes.
We checked out another hotel up the street a bit but it looked really expensive. We asked the price and it was even cheaper than the first one we looked at. When the receptionist went to show us the room, it hadn’t been cleaned properly. This was unfortunate as it looked like a really nice room. She said she had one more room, but it was an executive room, but we could have it for the same price. It was bigger than a London apartment I once had! So we stopped the nght.
We went out about 7.30pm to look for a restaurant for dinner. It was a hot evening. We passed a crowded bar where everyone was sitting inside. I assumed it must be air conditioned, but Mike said there were people smoking in there and it must be a coffee shop. I thought these were only in Amsterdam. Must check it out later.
We found an amazing restaurant for dinner. We had a delicious 3 course meal for a reasonable price and a half litre of red wine.
After dinner, the wine gave me the dutch courage (so to speak) to investigate the coffee shop up the road. There was a security guy on the door and this was a bit freaky. There was a takeaway at the entrance to the bar. We entered with a false confidence. I asked to have a look. He brought out a bucket of stuff for me to view. I picked some up, smelt it and commented that is smelt good, like I was a connoisseur of such things (I had no idea).
He gave us a little bit to try in the bar next door. I took a couple of puffs, complained that it tasted disgusting and we left.
Our really large hotel room