Days 95 and 96: York to Hull, then Ferry to Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Two days ago, I rode my bike from York to Hull. I passed by the English farmlands one last time and used Komoot for the first time on this trip to guide me. It worked well, but the app drained my battery because it was navigating, recording, and using the GPS all at the same time. I don’t think I will use it again due to this reason.

After getting a caramel milkshake and a breakfast wrap at the Gelato Lounge in the town of Market Weighton, I encountered one last hill. It wasn’t hard to cycle up and I was expecting a great view at the top, but it was flanked by hedges.

I rode into the city of Hull and didn’t feel like exploring too much even though it’s a bigger town than I thought. I rested at a cafe called Karamel and had a affogato while charging my phone. I also took the time to text my friends in Amsterdam to plan for my stay there.

For my last meal in the UK, I had to have a fish and chips. So I rode to The Lion and Key pub in Old Town and tried their fish and chips, along with mushy peas. It was my first time having mushy peas. Its texture is similar to mashed potatoes, but I like the mushy peas better.

I rode on the bike path on the bank of the Humber River all the way to the ferry terminal outside of Hull. After I checked in, took a bus to the ship, and parked my bike, I was finally in my cabin on the ferry. I had ridden 45.8 miles from York to the ferry terminal that day.

The ferry is huge and has 12 decks. It even has entertainment areas. I was too tired and only saw part of a live music performance before going to bed around 9:30 PM.

The next day, I woke up at 4 AM. I was able to catch the sun rising behind some clouds. It was a good way to start the day.

I opted for the buffet breakfast on the ferry before the boat arrived in Rotterdam since I didn’t know if there will be food at the terminal.

When the ferry docked at 8:45 AM, I was among the first people to get off. The immigration officer had to see my checking account to make sure I have enough money for my stay in the Schengen Area so I had to show him the amount on my phone app. I didn’t have to do that when entering Canada or the UK so I found it a bit weird. In any case, I passed the test.

Of course, as soon as I got out of the port there was a bike path. I navigated using Google Maps, but sometimes it thinks I should be on the road when there’s a bike path on the side. I couldn’t believe I was able to take the bike path all the way into downtown Rotterdam, a total of 21 miles or so.

On the way, I saw many industrial sites and refineries that stretched for over 15 miles from the ferry terminal to the outskirts of the city. The scenery wasn’t pleasant, but the nice bike path made up for it.

I had plenty of time to explore Rotterdam because my Warmshowers host, Stef, told me to meet him at 7:30 PM at his house.

First, I took a rest on a bench in Het Park, then I had lunch at the Brunch Bar. After finishing my meal, I texted Dineke, my friend who lives outside of Amsterdam, to see how I can get a Netherlands museum pass. It turns out that non-EU residents have to get a temporary pass, which only allows 5 museum visits, whereas EU residents can get a regular museum pass that offers unlimited museum visits.

I left the restaurant to find a gated bike parking area then locked my bike before exploring te city by foot. I went to the Oudehaven, or the harbor in English. The most interesting thing to see was the Kijk-Kubus, also known as the Cube Houses. Rotterdam has some experimental architecture and this is a prime example of that.

Other sites I went to were the Market Hall, Erasmus Monument, and St. Lawrence Church.

It’s funny how the brain works. When I was walking on the street, I don’t remember paying for my lunch. Indeed, I checked my credit card statement and it had not recorded the latest transaction. The Brunch Bar had closed by then. I can’t believe I accidentally committed lunch theft! I will have to go back to pay my bill.

I had a bowl of ramen for dinner at Tensai Ramen before cycling on the famous Erasmusbrug bridge to Stef’s neighborhood on the south side of Nieuwe Maas.

I met Stef and his wife, Marianne. Stef works as an engineer in the semi-conductor field and Marianne works as an environmental consultant. Both have done long distance cycling before.

I was a bit tired since I woke up so early in the morning, but I managed to take a shower and do laundry before going to bed.

Today, I will go to the Brunch Bar to pay for yesterday’s lunch and then cycle to Amsterdam to meet my college friend, Colin, and his wife.

One last photo of the English farmlands

The town of Market Weighton

A delicious caramel milkshake at Gelato Lounge

A good sign coming into Hull

Downtown Hull

Hull Minster

The Lion and Key

My last meal in the UK is fish and chips with mushy peas.

Funny thing I see in the urinal

The Deep aquarium in Hull

Take a guess at what this ship does.

Another clue

My cabin inside the ferry

Live music performance on the ship

Sunrise over the North Sea

Getting into Rotterdam

One of many ships

The beautiful bike path coming out of the ferry terminal

Industrial sites

More of them

Refineries

Bicycle escalator

Euromast

Statue at Het Park

De Verloren Parel - Madeleine Berkhemer in Het Park

Nice house!

The Koetshuys in Het Park

Pulled pork buns (that I forgot to pay for)

Cute car!

I think this is a Picasso

Art Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Interesting sculpture

My bike fits right in with the gang.

Another cool sculpture

Maritime District

"The Destroyed City" statue

Lion and ship

The White House

Kijk-Kubus

Looks like faces looking down

A better angle

They are just so cool!

Market Hall

Never seen this kind of food before.

Erasmus Monument

St. Lawrence Church

Statue of Erasmus

What is this doing in Rotterdam? LOL!

Erasmusbrug bridge

More cool sculptures

My Warmshowers hosts, Stef and Marianne