There we go! One last breakfast with our parents and best friend. A few friends come over to wave us goodbye. Last hugs and then we get on our bikes. We make a short stop at Q’s work to hand in his work clothes. Yes, we planned everything together so tightly!

In the Netherlands we know where we go to sleep at night. First stop is my (Nina) grandpa. We cycle 85 km with a strong headwind. The first day is immediately a hard day. We still have to get used to the bikes with a heavy load. But in the evening my grandfather takes us out for dinner, so we can enjoy some luxury for the last time. After that go to sleep real quick.

Second stop is my friend and her family in Nijmegen. We cycle through a beautiful part of the Netherlands. The day starts well, but during our lunch break the weather changes. We arrive totally wet. We don’t mind because we know we’ll have a roof over our heads and hot showers.

We unexpectedly stay one day longer in Nijmegen. A storm is planned all day long. We have the luxury of sitting this out. We are already excited to go wild camping for the first time when we cross the border into Germany, let alone do it completely soaked. We use this day to do some last-minute shopping, see a friend who couldn’t attend our farewell party, and recharge ourselves and all our electronics for the trip. We enjoy all the luxury a house has to offer.

The fourth day of our trip we cross the border into Germany. We cycled for two and a half days to cycle out of the Netherlands.

We camp wild for the first time. We take a side road towards the Rhine that is used by farmers. We find a beautiful place. Enjoy a delicious “home” cooked evening meal while sitting in the evening sun. There is a beautiful sunset and then we crawl into our tent for the first time.

Let the adventure begin!!