Thursday 18th September 2014 - Up and out of room for 10am. Listened to two Aussie girls have a screaming match with each other in the room while I packed. One was sick, was in bed all day yesterday, the other didn't care and she was having a go at her.
Anyway, when I went downstairs to check out and get my bike I saw her and went over to see if she was ok.
Basically, they were friends and had lived and worked together, but the other one has turned a bit nasty now they're travelling together. She said she wasn't enjoying herself and that her friend has been bitching at her the last couple of weeks and hasn't got to do or see the things she wanted to see, as her friend didn't want to do them. She was in tears and wanted to go home. Told her to just go on herself, there's always people to talk to etc but she was too afraid of what might happen if she was alone.
I do enjoy travelling by myself, rather than with others, for the above reasons!
Waited to bring bike up from the depths of the building. No puncture, yey!
Cycled away around 11am, into the headache of the streets of Brussels.
Traffic, people, police, cycle lanes, directions, stop start sprinting, cobble stones, short sharp hills....
Arrrrggghhhhh.........not pleasant. Take me back to the country.
Stayed on the N4 out of the city. Hit a McDonald's just outside Overijse and stopped. For a long while. They had WiFi too.
It was hot. The dark clouds were forming in the distance.
Got my act together and headed toward Wavre, destination was Namur.
Cycle lanes just randomly stop now with no signs to where they restarted.
Had just gone down through an underpass and out the other side. 200 metres later the heavens opened.
I am not exaggerating when I say I was soaked to the skin in 30 seconds.
Quickly back to under the road, the tree I was under wasn't doing a good sheltering job at all.
Well it poured down. I was wet. My panniers were wet. I was cold.
Standing looking out at it, the thunder then started. The water started running into the tunnel from the other end.
Waited and hoped it would stop. Waited. Hoped.
Nope.
Nothing for it but to get wrapped up. Covers on panniers and go. There was a little river now formed along the length of the tunnel. Time to go.
Well, it continued to pish down and thunder. I was damp, and the wind was making me colder. Spray from the passing cars, spray from the puddles and water on the ground, flicking up from the bike tyres.
Maybe mudguards would've been good?!
Once I got over the fact everything was soaked through already, I just beat on as hard as I could. Cycle lanes now becoming a distant memory. No hard shoulder, cars flying past and I only had a few inches of the road.
Mud and cow poo from the fields were washed onto the road as well as the dirt off the road, flicking up over me and the bike. Hurmph!!
Anyway just tried to keep going as hard as I could so this day would be over.
Got caught twice more in the downpours. Grrrr.
Into Namur just as another heavy burst began, cycled through the dark rivered streets under the thunder & lightening looking for the hostel, for a refuge.
Found it. Dripping wet went in to get a room. Hostel room to myself €23, including brekkie.
Those covers for my panniers, well they had puddles of water on the inside where the bags were sitting in.
Everything was soaked through.
Got a shower and unpacked all my stuff to hang it round the room to try and dry off. Think I'll have to stay another night for them to be dry and for myself to recover!!
Used most of my cash to pay for room, so only had €5 left. Walked into town to get money out and some food. There was big music festival on in town. Lots of people all dolled up for a good night out, drinking. Music sounded good. Found a cash machine. They aren't as common in towns here as at home. Only at the banks, not at shops or petrol stations. Stood in the queue with the revellers for 20mins, hungry, waiting ... My turn. 'We cannot process your transaction at this time.' Rage.
Thats enough for today I think and just head back to hostel. On the way back near get run over at a crossing. Bad street lighting, crap or no footpaths, so went along the river which was a walk nice.
3 mile round trip and still hungry.
Into bed. Tomorrow is a new day.
Day 20 - 18.09.14
Brussels to Namur, Belgium
11am to 7.30pm
4hrs 36min cycling
70.5km
2160calories
1225 metres asc
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