May 2009.
“Gea, may I come with you on a cycling holiday sometime?”
“???”
I looked at Erwin in astonishment, but also surprised. At that moment, I was cycling through North Holland and had just arrived at a camp site in Dalfsen where my nephew and his wife and three children were staying.
“Well, if you want to ...”
I had a flat tyre and that in itself was very interesting for the children.
“May we help you repair it?”, to which, of course, I had no objection.
But in spite of the flat and my stories about other defects I had had with my new bike, Erwin seemed to think it would be a great adventure to go on holiday with me. At first, my reaction was somewhat reserved. I’m not so good at cycling with others, but secretly I thought it might be fun. As I had already planned my summer holidays, I said that, in any case, it would be next spring.
Oh dear, Erwin thought that was very far away!
When I went on my way next day, he helped me load the bike and filled the water bottles.
We spoke no more about it for some time, but I was there again in the Christmas holidays and I asked Erwin if he still wanted to cycle together.
Well, of course! And the sooner the better!
His father and mother thought it was possible, so we decided to go on the Ascension or Whitsun weekend, depending on the weather. That was one of my conditions: the weather must be good, otherwise I fear he would never again want to go on a cycling holiday.
We’re going to cycle round Zwolle, where Erwin lives, so that we can always get home quickly if things don’t work out.
Preparing for a holiday is sometimes as much fun as the holiday itself and that was so for us this time as well. Early in the spring, I already started putting a packing list together. I illustrated it with some pictures and mailed it to Erwin. I recognised the symptoms immediately; Erwin too got the holiday-preparation-fever ...
Ascension weekend: Ascension Day is a public holiday in Holland. As many people also took the following Friday off work, it was eventually made into a long weekend for schools.
