19 From Heiloo to Texel - Island Love & Rest Day

Something new from time to time - a point-by-point attempt:

- Met the sons of the host family, they're adorable 

- Mini bike checkup by the cycling professional

- Farewell :( and a short stage to Alkmaar

- Spend the whole rainy morning in a great café with vegan food, sockets and Wi-Fi :D (eating, writing blog, sorting pictures, organizing & planning) 

- Continue cycling northwards: Great paths, viewpoints and small discoveries

- Amazing art project with beach litter: Wall of Shame -> absolutely incredible what people leave behind/throw into the sea... 

- First bike highway on the dunes with tailwind, then a beautiful, curvy section through the dune hills :) 

- Last kilometers before Den Helder paved with asphalt

- Shopping, barely miss the ferry, take the next one 1 hour later 

- In the meantime, phone marathon with the campsite -> someone is waiting at the reception in case I arrive after half past seven :)

- Short crossing by ship (20 minutes), then another 40 minutes cycling across the island with some headwind

- Set up tent, picnic on the beach, walk, enjoy the sunset 

- Yoga and swimming in the morning <3

- Cycle to the north of the island, walk around the lighthouse on the beach (not possible to visit due to corona) 

- Cycle to the ferry station to ask about connections to Vlieland for island hopping, but no one is there, a note for online booking

- Meet a Belgian bikepacker who has very similar plans as me (island hopping & Scandinavia, but with much less luggage and a mountain bike ^^) -> tells me, after a phone call with the ferry operator, that island hopping is not possible, hardly any ferries due to corona.. 

- Fun fact: Dutch is the native language of the Belgian, but the Dutch often switch to English when he starts a conversation with them or they say things like 'Your Dutch is really good!' - similar to someone saying the same thing to me but with 'German' because I have a Franconian accent :D

- Thanks to my hosts, I can tell him that the large Afsluitdijk (closure dike) cannot be cycled due to construction work, but there are special buses 

- Exchange numbers to inform each other about possible obstacles on the route :) 

- First try to find other ferries, but then mentally switch from 'going to the next island tomorrow' to 'going back to the mainland' -> too bad, but not a big deal 

- Make a stop at a walkable dune on the way back to the campsite

- Behind it, a huge plain opens up between the dunes by the sea and the dunes inland :O

- Mini hike through the plain, pause in the shade of a dune, feeling a bit like in the desert

- Cycle back to the campsite, make dinner 

- Watch the sunset from the campsite, take a short walk to the beach and go to bed ;)