June 11, Groningen, Holland

Greetings:

 Here I am finally in Groningen in Northern Holland.  It has taken me nearly 4 days of train rides to get here.  I was set to spend only one day taking a fast train (TGV) from Milano to Paris and then from Paris to Amsterdam.  However, this was not to be, as the rules are different now there is no luggage cart to have a bicycle on the train you need it to be packed in a bag or box! 

The result was taking very slow trains.  This inlcuded heading back south from Milano to Genova, then northwest to Ventimiglia, then west to Nice.  Spent the night in Nice, then head west again to Marseillise, then north to Lyon.  This so far had taking me two days.  But then this was the end of the road as not all bicycling roads end in Paris, without a containment.  So in Lyon, my friends Sylvain and Sandra came to my rescue and I was able to both buy a bag to pack the bicycle, get reservation all the way to Lille, on the border of Belgium, and besides putting me up for the night.  The picture of these angels are below with the rest of the family. 

So the next day I was on the move again from Lyon to Paris, to Lille Europe (French side) to a long walk with all the load to Lille in in Flounders (Belgium), then another train to Antwerpen, then another train to Amsterdam Airport Station, and one last train from there to Gronineng arriving at 2:00 a.m. the next day! 

Anyway I am exhuasted but in good hands with my uncle Freydoon, for a couple of days of resting, cleaning and sightseeing before starting my journey south across the conntinent. 

Bologna

Cherrys in Italy

My Angels in France - Sylvain, Sandra, and the kids 

A very tired traveller and the newly bagged bicycle!

On the train to Groningen

Freydoon & Jo Spaans

Freydoon at the Saturday Market