The great trek to the south. Every summer almost every European, who can, will go to the south for their vacation. They go by car, by plane, by train or by bus. They want to get there as fast as possible to be able to enjoy as much as they can of the great weather and the great environment around the Mediteranian. But there is an alternative. Sure, being there is nice, but getting there can be even greater, especially if you go by bike.
In 2001, Lens and Lori have undertaken a journey of a life time.They went by bike from Maastricht in the Netherlands to Saintes MariesdelaMer in the south of France, more than 1200 kilometers... For them it was quite a journey for which they worked hard.
While preparing for the trip Lens & Lori had a lot of benefit from several of bike vacation websites. In order to give something back and to have a fun little corner celebrating their own bike ride they built this site. You will find a lot of information here. Most information about the trip you will find in the travelogue (including the pictures and a wealth of links). Apart from that you will also find some info on the preperation the did with among other things the stage planning, the equipment list, the route, and a little story on their training trip. Also you can view the pictures without the travelogue.
The route thet Lori and Lens will take is called the green route (De groene Route naar de Middenlandse Zee), and will take them from Maastricht in the very south of the Netheralnds to Saintes MariesdelaMer in the South of France. Find out more about the guide book, where to get it, the route itself and look at some cool maps.
General Guide book and Route Information
It is called the green route because it will avoid busy roads and cities. Also high passes (mountain crossings) in the Vogese, Jura and Alps will be avoided. The makers of the route did a lot of research and came up with a bike route that uses mostly secundairy roads of good quality (asphalt!). All in all the trip won't take you higher then 600 meters, unless of course you can't resist the Mont Vetou! The route is the perceft way to enjoy the various environments you pass along the way, mostly beautiful and quiet nature.
The guide makes note of the different cities and cultural aspects of along the route. It does not contain any stage information so it is up to the biker to determine how long they will cycle everyday during the trip. The end point, Saintes MariesdelaMer, is located in the area of the Camargue, known for it's beautiful uncorupted nature and even wild horses. The town itself is, compared to the other cities along the coast, pretty quiet.
The guide book also contains some alternative routes. The first one is called the Low Ardennes Alternative. This one will be the one Lori and Lens are taking. It avoids the climbing that is needed to pass through the Ardennes. The second alternative will make the route 300 kilometers longer, it start almost at the end in the city of Orange and ends in Narbonne. Also, when people really like the Camargue there is an alternative from Saintes MariesdelaMer to Arles which takes you through an other part of the Camargue.
The guide book Lens and Lori used is published in Dutch by Uitgeverij Pirola Schoorl in cooperation with the 'Fietskaart Informatie Stichting' (Bikemap Information Society), and is made by Henk Eikelboom and Aart van Rossum. The titel of the book is (in Dutch) de Groene Weg naar de Middellandse Zee Maastricht Stes. Maries/Narbonne. ISBN number is 9064553076. For more information (in Dutch) and route updates go to their website. Lens and Lori used the one that was published in 1999.
Maps and Maps and Maps
Some people like maps, some don't. Lens likes maps and made some with the route on it. It is based upon some map found on the Internet and the route and map information from the website of the 'Fietskaart Informatie Stichting'. Of course these maps can't be used for the actual trip, but can be used to get an impression about where it will take you. Buy the route book for actual route information! On the maps the actual route is in blue and the alternative routes are in red. Notice the red route from Maastricht to Bettembourg, that is the Low Ardennes version which Lens and Lori will take. To see more information about the stages and which cities willbe passed go to the Stages area of L&L's Tour d'France
First there is the one where you can see two halves of the route net to each other, here on the right. Click on it to see a larger version.
A better overview of the whole route can be obtained with the whole map. The version here on the right is of course a small version. Click on it to see the big version, be sure to have a fast connection because it is more then one megabyte.
To get an overview we have the so called thin map on the right here. Click on the first or second halve to zoom in and that part of the map.
Category
Stuff
Store
Type and Brand
Comments and other Information
Bike stuff
Mail rubber bands
Postman
The normal ones he had hanging off his handle bars
They are usable for anything! And they were, we had some left over at the end but overall always take some rubberbands for packing en wrapping stuff.
Bike stuff
Spare inner tubes
Kronenberg
Standard
Becasue Lori's bike had some tire problems we used them both. But they don't need to tell you that you should always bring some.
Bike stuff
Small Wrench
Kronenberg
Standard but durable
Bike stuff
Chain grease
Zwerfkei
Road lube form Pedros
This was used a couple of times. Always handy even if it is psycilogical
Bike stuff
Key to adjust the 'spaken'
Kronenberg
dunno yet
Bike stuff
Koga Miyata Randonneur / Batavus Mpact
Kronenberg
Koga Miyata, Randonneur
Batavus, MPac
Lens wanted a Koga because you cannot debate the quality. He chose the Randonneur type because it was the cheapest in the most epensive range.
Lori liked the look of the MPact. Overall it was a good deal if you llok at the parts you get for the price. Lens would have gotten a MPact if he didn't go for the Koga.
In the end Lori's bike proofed to be a nightmare. It sqeeked and sqwibbled the whole way through. The gears weren't working right, here saddle ripped, a spoke broke, here chain broke, both tires got holes in then becasue the spokes were wong etc etc. NEVER GET A BATAVUS MPACT! We just bought a Koga for here and were able to turn her the Mpact in at a cost of just 250 euro. Thank god for that. Lor's trip would have been so much better if she didn't get the Mpact.
Bike stuff
Handle bar bag
Kronenberg & Zwerfkei
VauDe Roadmaster II
Ortlieb Ultimate 3
Both handle bar bags proofed to be good and usefull.
Bike stuff
Sadel bag
Kronenberg
Koga Miyata
It came with the bike
Bike stuff
Bike gloves
Zwerfkei & Decathlon
These were one of the unepected buys. Without them there would have been a lot of pain. Lens had Gore gloves which were also wind proof and had a little patch to wipe the sweat away from your head. Very good.
Bike stuff
Bike pumps
Came with the bikes
Bike stuff
Locks
Kronenberg
Bike stuff
Kilometerteller / GPS
Best Buy
Magellan 315
Who cares about bikecomputers that need your wheel to know how far you have gone. Lens wanted a real device that needed 4 satilites to do all kind of cool things!
The GPS was handy not just for speed information but also distance traveld and direction to go whene they weren't sure.
Bike stuff
Etra bundgy cord
As with the rubberbands this came in handy a lot. Esspecially when they bought to much, the bundgy cords were use to keep everything steady on top of all the bike bags.
Bike stuff
Imbussleutelset
Bike stuff
Schroevendraaien (leatherman)
The letherman is as always a great tool which was used for almost anything.
Bike stuff
Kettingponsje met kettingbusjes
Bike stuff
Tangetje (leatherman)
Bike stuff
Standaard doosje bandenplakspullen
Bike stuff
Slot + paal unit
Bike stuff
Trappersleutel
Bike stuff
Isolatie tape
Bike stuff
2 Bikebags back
Orlieb Back Roller
Vaude Road Master
Ortlieb for Lens and Vaude for Lori. The Ortliebs proofed to be no problem apart from being just one big big without side bags to keep some things seperate. The vause were sometimes cumbersome because the didn't always come of easily and because one handle broke.
Bike stuff
Fiettassen 2 voor
Orlieb front Roller
Vaude Road Master
Bike stuff
Backup spokes
These came in handy when lori broke here spoke.
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Brander
perry
Twister 270
Very good indeed
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Gas
perry
campinggaz cv 270
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Drinkmi for sports drink
There was some left over at the end of the trip but in general it was nice to have a nice refreshing drink now and again.
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
2 Bidons, ½ liter elk
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Pans
Thank god for the Op Pad, the dutch outdoor magazine which gave us our Tefal pans when we got a subscription. Thepans them selves were good.
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Wooden spatula
We not only used this one a lot, we ended up buying a set with a spoon and more spatula type utensils which were great.
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Afwassponsje
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Theedoek
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Garbage bags
Big garbage bags were indeispansible for keeping things dry at night or kepping this wet inside a back without getting otrher things wet. We brought alot of them and used them all.
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Cork screw
Wehn in France always bring a cork screw ....
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Suiker
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Ketchup
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Olive oil
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Dishwashing liquid
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Zout en peper
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
1 Mok
lappenmok
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
1 Set Bestek
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Bord
trangia bord
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
1 Veldfles, 1 liter
sigg 1,5 liter
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Freeze dreid meals
pick some!
These were pretty good and usefull when we wanted an easy meal.
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Energy bars
pick some!
Energy bars were usefull when we didn't take time to have lunch in time and got hungry. They got us throught a lot of bad times.
Eet, kook en drinkgerei
Kruiden
When bought more along the way because you cannot spice it up more to get some variance in there!
Kampeerspullen
Grond zeil
perry
Hytec beschermfolie 3 4 m
Net time we will get a thiker one cut to measure. The one we had was to big and always wet
Kampeerspullen
Mat repair kit
perry
artech compact rep. Set
Although we had a leaking mat we were to lazy to us it.
Kampeerspullen
Wash line
perry
We used this one everyday! Make sure it's at least 10 meters.
Kampeerspullen
Sleepingbag sheetbags
bever/zewerfkei
bever superlichte lakenzakken 220 75
Very handy in the warm wather, we slept in these on top of the sleeping bags. And they kept the sleepingbags clean.
Kampeerspullen
Flash light
bever/zewerfkei
fi the light
Kampeerspullen
Wasknijper
appie
Kampeerspullen
Slaapzak
Carl Denig
Carl Denig, Barentsburg Plus
Although initially we didn't want down sleeping bags for costs reasons, we bought them anyway because we thought it would last longer en sleeping wel is not something that should be saved on. These trune out to be very adequet for the job. On packing bag brike which wasn't goot. but then again the storage bags it came with, which keeps it well during storage are wonderfull.
Kampeerspullen
Tent
Perry Sport
Perry Sport, Vumba Mountains
After much research for all the matiral we got a bit lazy with the tent. There was so much to choose from and we didn't have any eperiance. We chose this one for it's price and weight ratio. Also the guides said it was an ok tent. In practice it worked out fine although we would like to get one with a bigger front tent which we could use to store stff and cook under when it rains.
Kampeerspullen
Slaapmatje
Kampeerspullen
Pillow case
Kampeerspullen
Wasmiddel
Kampeerspullen
Toiletrol
Kampeerspullen
Sitting sheet
Kleding
Trui / fleece
bever/zewerfkei
Kleding
Fietshemd, geen mouwen
bever/zewerfkei
Kleding
Handoek
bever/zewerfkei
pack towel medium size
Kleding
3 paar fietssokken
Bever, Zwerfkei, Kronenberg
Kleding
1 Lange broek/Trainingsbroek
Kleding
4 Tshirts
Kleding
Fietsonderhemd, lange mouwen
Kleding
6 onderbroeken
Kleding
4 paar normale sokken
Kleding
1 Paar gymschoenen
Kleding
Rainjacket
Kleding
Bike shoes
Kleding
BH
Kleding
Bathing suit
Kleding
Hat
Kleding
Belt
Kleding
Teva's
Kleding
rain pants
Kleding
Washcloth
Kleding
1 Korte broeken
Kleding
2 Fietsonderbroeken
Overige
Document copies
work
Overige
Small bottels for stuff
perry
Overige
Reiswekker
hema
Overige
Telefoonkaart
GWK
Overige
Forign money
gwk
Overige
Talkum powder
etos
Overige
Woordenboek
dunno
Overige
Bug sting help
bever/zewerfkei
Sting ose gel
Overige
Baterrijen
BCC
Overige
Zakdoeken
appie
Overige
Ziplockbags
appie
Overige
Candle
appie
Overige
Filmpje
anywhere
Overige
Fotocamera
Overige
Paspoort
Overige
Sleutel van thuis
Overige
Zonnebril
Overige
Aansteker(s)
Overige
Fiers reperatiebeok
Overige
Route informatie
Overige
Adressenboekje
Overige
Creditcard
Overige
Bankpasje
Overige
Portomonee
Overige
Reisverzekeringsbewijs
Overige
GSM
Overige
GSM charger
Overige
Reservesleutels
Overige
Documentholder
Overige
Komo garbade bags
Overige
pen
Overige
Trein of vliegtuigtickets
Overige
EHBO setje
travelsafe bikekit
Overige
Teektangetje
tri tekentang
Overige
bug repellent
Tropenzorg deet lotion
Overige
Kaarten
Toiletspullen
Uierzalf
etos
Toiletspullen
Purol
etos
Toiletspullen
Tandenborstel
Toiletspullen
Tandpasta
Toiletspullen
Haarborstel
Toiletspullen
Shampoo
Toiletspullen
soap
Toiletspullen
Gel
Toiletspullen
Nagelschaar
Toiletspullen
Nagelvijl
Toiletspullen
Deodorant
Toiletspullen
Aftershave
Toiletspullen
earplugs
Toiletspullen
Pincet
Toiletspullen
Scisors
Toiletspullen
toiletbag
Toiletspullen
Scheerapparaat + cord
Toiletspullen
Zonnebrandolie
travelsafe sunprotect
Toiletspullen
Aftersun
travelsafe aftersun
Toiletspullen
Lip balsem
tropenzorg careplus liptick
In order to get an idea of where we could stop along the way at a camping or hotel Lens entered all the data from the route book into the ' Route Stage Possibility Table' below. This table will help Lori and Lens determine if they should stop for a day at a certain place or, if they feel fit go tot the net place with a camping or hotel. And yes it is nerdy, but hey, why not have a good time preparing and also get a good idea about the route, before you go.
The table has 12 columns. The first column is the Number of the route section as the book states it. The book uses was the version of 1999 (see the Route page for more information). The second column is the Route Section name. In total Lens and Lori use 6 sections of the route (the total is 10, with alternative route sections). As people who know the route can see, we will start with the so called ' Low Ardennes' route. This is an alternative to the normal route and doesn't have a lot of hills. Column 3 is the Day Number. In order to have a good idea how many days they will need to travel and rest they planned the stages before hand. The two columns after that, speak for themelves. Stage Option, column number 6, is the distance for that paticular stage. The column Cumulative means the total distance traveled. Delta stands for the distance between to places with an hotel or camping. Place Name should be understanable and Page refers to the page number in the route book. And last but not leat there is the column Lodging Info which eplains what the paticular place has for lodging.
The stages are planned but that doesn't mean they will be 'used'. Based upon the local situation, they will plan the stages. When they return, the actual stage infromation will be published.
Route Stage Possibility table:
Nr.
Route Section
Day Nr.
Day
Date
Stage Option
Cumulative
Delta
Distance
Place Name
Page
Lodging Info
1
Lage Ardennen: Maastricht Bettembourg 254 km
0.0
0.0
0.0
Maastricht
98
Camping, Hotel, Youth Hostel
1
sat
28Jul
26.0
26.0
26.0
26.0
Tongeren
99
Camping, Youth Hostel
69.0
43.0
69.0
Moha
102
Camping (4km)
2
sun
29Jul
44.5
70.5
1.5
70.5
BasOha
103
Camping (2km)
71.0
0.5
71.0
Tihange
103
Camping (4km)
3
60.5
131.0
60.0
131.0
Rochefort
105
Camping
134.5
3.5
134.5
Jemelle
105
Camping, Hotel
135.0
0.5
135.0
Forrieres
105
Camping (2km)
139.0
4.0
139.0
Masbourg
107
Camping
155.0
16.0
155.0
st Hubert
107
Camping
4
mon
30Jul
65.0
196.0
41.0
196.0
Marbehan
109
Camping (3km)
5
tue
31Jul
60.0
256.0
60.0
256.0
Bettembourg
111
Camping
2
Moselle: Bettembourg Luneville 154 km
7
wed + thu
1Aug
33.5
289.5
33.5
33.5
Volstroff
41
Camping (3km)
8
fri
3Aug
79.5
369.0
79.5
113.0
ChateuSalins
45
Camping, Hotel
9
sat
4Aug
40.5
409.5
40.5
153.5
Luneville
47
Camping, Hotel
3
Lorraine / Voges: Lunevile Arc et Senans 246km
10
sun
5Aug
37.5
447.0
37.5
37.5
Charmes
49
Camping, Hotel
12
mon + tue
6Aug
49.5
496.5
49.5
87.0
Darney
50
Camping, Hotel
13
wed
8Aug
50.0
546.5
50.0
137.0
Conflandey
53
Camping
554.0
7.5
144.5
PortsSaone
53
Camping, Hotel
562.5
8.5
153.0
SceysSaone
53
Camping
578.5
16.0
169.0
Soing
55
Camping
14
thu
9Aug
56.0
602.5
24.0
193.0
Gy
56
Camping, Hotel
617.0
14.5
207.5
Marnay
57
Camping, Hotel
633.5
16.5
224.0
St. Vit
57
Hotel
637.5
4.0
228.0
Fluans
59
Hotel (2.5km)
643.0
5.5
233.5
Osselle
59
Camping (3km)
655.0
12.0
245.5
ArcetSenans
59
Camping
4
Jura / Ain: ArcetSenans Loyettes 186km
15
fri
10Aug
55.5
658.0
3.0
3.0
Cramans
61
Camping
683.5
25.5
28.5
Poligny
62
Camping, Hotel
708.5
25.0
53.5
Chatillion
63
Camping (1km)
17
sat + sun
11Aug
56.0
714.0
5.5
59.0
Blye
63
Camping
717.0
3.0
62.0
Mesnois
63
Camping
718.5
1.5
63.5
PontdePoitte
63
Camping, Hotel
731.0
12.5
76.0
Ecrille
65
Camping (5km)
743.0
12.0
88.0
Cernon
65
Hotel
747.5
4.5
92.5
Vouglans
66
Camping (1.5km)
753.5
6.0
98.5
Condes
66
Camping
765.0
11.5
110.0
Thoirette
66
Camping, Hotel
18
mon
13Aug
80.0
794.0
29.0
139.0
Poncin
67
Camping, Hotel
797.0
3.0
142.0
Bosseron
67
Hotel
797.5
0.5
142.5
Neuville sAin
67
Hotel
801.5
4.0
146.5
Pontd'Ain
69
Camping. Hotel
810.0
8.5
155.0
Priy
69
Camping
813.0
3.0
158.0
ChateauGaillard
69
Camping
831.5
18.5
176.5
Blyes
70
Camping
834.5
3.0
179.5
St. MauricedeGourdans
70
Camping (5km)
840.5
6.0
185.5
Loyettes
70
Hotel
5
Isere / Drome: Loyettes Rochegude 241km
843.0
2.5
2.5
PontdeCheruy
71
Hotel
19
tue
14Aug
87.0
881.0
38.0
40.5
MeyrieulesEtangs
75
Camping
901.0
20.0
60.5
Faramans
75
Camping
927.0
26.0
86.5
Hauterives
76
Camping, Hotel
20
wed
15Aug
64.0
945.0
18.0
104.5
St. Donass/l'Herbasse
77
Camping, Hotel
958.0
13.0
117.5
Romanss/Isere
77
Camping (5km), Hotel
961.0
3.0
120.5
BourgdePeage
79
Hotel
979.0
18.0
138.5
Les Faucons
79
Camping (3km)
979.5
0.5
139.0
Chabeuil
79
Camping, Hotel
1002.0
22.5
161.5
Crest
80
Camping
1005.0
3.0
164.5
Aouste
81
Camping, Hotel
1005.5
0.5
165.0
MirabeletB
81
Camping (3km)
1017.0
11.5
176.5
Pas de Lauzens
81
Camping
22
thu + fri
16Aug
73.0
1018.0
1.0
177.5
Saou
81
Camping
1026.5
8.5
186.0
PontdeBarret
81
Camping. Hotel
1036.5
10.0
196.0
La BegudedeMazenc
83
Camping. Hotel
1051.5
15.0
211.0
Taulignan
83
Camping, Hotel
1058.0
6.5
217.5
Valreas
85
Camping
1076.5
18.5
236.0
SuzelaRousse
85
Camping, Hotel
1081.5
5.0
241.0
Rochegude
85
Hotel
6
Provence / Camargue: Rochegude Stes. MariesdelaMer 146km
23
sat
18Aug
71.5
1089.5
8.0
8.0
SerignanduContat
87
Camping, Hotel
1097.5
8.0
16.0
Orange
87
Camping
1115.5
18.0
34.0
Roquemaure
89
Hotel
24
sun
19Aug
36.0
1125.5
10.0
44.0
voor Avignon
89
Camping, 5! Tot 50.0
1143.5
18.0
62.0
Graveson
91
Camping
1154.5
11.0
73.0
St.EitienneduGres
91
Camping
25
mon
20Aug
43.0
1168.5
14.0
87.0
Arles
93
Camping, Youth Hostel
1184.5
16.0
103.0
???
93
Camping
1189.5
5.0
108.0
St.Gilles
93
Camping, Hotel
1226.5
37.0
145.0
Les Clos du Rhone
95
Camping
28
tuewedthu
21Aug
73.0
1227.5
38.0
146.0
Stes. MariesdelaMer
95
Camping, Hotel, Youth Hostel
30
frisat
25Aug
112
1339.5
112.0
voor Avignon
z
The weekend of the 20th of July Lens & Lori undertook a 150 kilometer bike tour in the south of Holland to test out their equipment and also see just how much fun a bike trip including camping really is. With just a week to go for the big trip it was a good and fun thing to do.
Find an overview of the route on the right. Click on the route to see a selection zoomed out. The detailed maps are very detailed and you can then see the route as a dashed red line, the main city names are in normal Map font and, not as you see now on the right in 'very big'. If you want to see everything on one screen then use this link (more then 1 Mb and you need a big screen). Maps were copied from the Bike Tour Planner on the National Dutch Tourism site.
The Route
After almost a month of preparing and doing short training trips it was time for Lens and Lori to go a bit further: An actual trip with all the gear and staying in the tent for one night. To enjoy this training trip is was essential that the route would be a good one. After some searching and reading Lens found the new Bike Tour Planner on the National Dutch Tourism site. This planner is based upon the so called LF routes. LF stands for 'Landelijke Fietsroutes', or Country & National Bike routes. These routes are developed, setup and maintained by the ' Fiets Platform' (Bike Platform), an organization who promotes bicycling in Holland, several national organizations are united in this platform.
Recently the Fiets Platform, together with the National Dutch Tourism Board developed a terrific application, the Bike Tour Planner. Based on This Lens & Lori could spend a lot of time figuring out what route would be best taking into consideration the distance and the surroundings that would be passed. After some searching they came up with a very nice route from Maastricht to Nijmegen, as you can see on the right. This route would take them through the the valley of the Maas, one of the main rivers of Holland. The route web site gave the an overview in maps and also in tet, together with a Camping listing, so they would have several option to stay for the night depending on how far they would get.
Lens also has the 'real' maps of all the LF routes (LFbasisgidsen deel 1 en 2, netwerk noord en zuid) which prevented the need to print the maps from the web site. During the trip the 'real' maps were only used to see where they were and how far it was still to go. The route was marked perfectly along the way. Every intersection had a sign with the route number and of course an arrow, as you can see on the left. Some roads were not paved which wasn't an issue although the chains got a bit dirty but that comes with the job of a bike. All in all, the route was a good eample of great infrastructure and great fun!
The Fun on the Way
The day started relatively early in order to be in Maastricht at a decent time. The train trip was over 2 hours and quite boring. Lens had packed the pervious night so there wasn't much work there. In Maastricht Lori's front tire had to be pumped up since it just got a new inner tube and wasn't hard enough. When Lens and Lori were finally on their bikes the weather turned and within 5 kilometers the rain jackets had to be put on. But the weather gods were nice and after a short while the sun started to come through the clouds. One aspect was positive about the rain. It gave Lens and Lori a chance to try try out the rain gear which proved to be working and enough. No rain pants needed and the Gorete jackets from were not to sweaty.
The first part of the trip along the Maas gives the impression that it is not Holland at all that you are cycling through. With it's hills and pastures, it looks like a foreign country. The Maas valley is a great place and not just with great views and landscapes, also the nice towns with their historical buildings are impressing. The route takes you along the Maas and the Juliana canal and thourgh most of the villages. The canal is not too boring as it sounds although it goes mostly straight. On the west side of the Maas you can see Belgium. In Roosteren, after some 40 kilometers Lens and Lori took a good lunch break with a 'uitsmijter'. This is are two slices of bread with a fried egg and a slice of cheese under the egg, a typical Dutch lunch. Just at that time the Tour de France, which was on the TV in the bar where they were eating, was finishing up and Lori was able to see here favorite road racer Lance Armstrong win a stage of the Tour de France. With a stomach full of food Lens and Lori went on with the second part of the trip for the day. Maasbracht is an area which is passed and is unfortunatly scared by some industrial horizons. Luckily after a while you pass them so it isn' t too bad. Also, when coming near Maasbracht, the lake area starts of the Maas. The lakes are developed by the ecavation of the sand and stones that are in and around the river bed for mostly building purposes. These lakes can be very deep and are pretty numours. watersports and beaches is what can be found in this area. It gives it a nice flavour and also makes it quit touristy. At the top of this area is Roermond where Lori and Lens found a camping to pitch their tent.
The Lessons