Final day. Today is the final and unforgettable day for us. The first stage ends in the sprawling industrial city of Rotterdam, where dedicated cycle tracks enable cyclists to reach the city centre with no significant on-road cycling. After an early breakfast, we cycled towards Papendrecht and Riddereck and reached the ferry terminal. then we took the ferry to Ridderkerk on the Southern side of Nieuwe Maas, via an intermediate stop in Krimpen. From Ridderkerk ferry terminal we cycled towards the city of Rotterdam.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam, the second-largest city in the Netherlands, owes its prosperity to its position at the mouth of the Rhine–Meuse river system. The port, originally concentrated around the historic centre, now extends over 40km along the Meuse and covers 105 sq km, including reclaimed land stretching out into the North Sea. It was the world’s busiest port until surpassed in 2004 by Shanghai, its main activities being the petrochemical industries and transhipment of general container cargo from ocean-going vessels to Rhine barges. Rotterdam has been at the forefront of European architecture since 1898, when Witte Huis, Europe’s first skyscraper, was completed. Major redevelopment of the city centre since 1945 has resulted in many stunning modern buildings gracing its skyline. Rotterdam today is a cosmopolitan city with a diverse racial mix.
Final Countdown
Our second and final stage of the journey started from central Rotterdam, a well-defined and signposted network of cycle tracks alongside roads that takes the route past the older harbour area and through Schiedam. After Vlaardingen, the riverbank is followed to reach Hoek van Holland ferry port. A final excursion leads across dunes to the Rhine's mouth on the North Seashore. In my career at sea, I always come to Europe and Hook Holland reminds me of that so much.
The 185m tall Euromast tower can be visited for the best view of Rotterdam. The top stage is in a small capsule that rises up the mast above the main viewing gallery.
We cycled through Schiedam which is an attractive old town. Its wealth was derived from the production of genever (Dutch gin) and it is home to the genever museum. Its six old windmills, formerly used for milling grain for gin distilling, are the world’s tallest traditional mills.
Then we cycled past Maeslantkering, one of the largest moving objects on earth, is part of the Delta Works, a vast series of dykes, sluices and flood barriers designed to protect the Netherlands from floods driven by North Sea storm surges. It consists of two steel gates that, if placed on their side, would be taller than the Eiffel Tower and weigh twice as much. These are housed in dry docks on each shore. If a storm surge over 3m above normal is forecast, the gates are swung into position and the estuary closed. It was predicted such an event could occur every 10 years. Since the barrier’s completion in 1997, this has never happened, although it is closed once every autumn to test the system and on 8 November 2007, it was closed for a 2.6m surge to test the mechanism in stormy conditions.
Eurovelo Certificate
Having cycled this far it would be a pity not to go all the way to the sea. It is 3km from the ferry terminal to the end of the mole and also to collect the Eurovelo certificate - testimony of our cycling feat. Finally, we arrived just before the centre closed for the day and managed to get our certificate. What a great achievement and journey of a lifetime that we will never forget.
We suddenly realised that the planned MRT was not built yet and the busses were not willing to take us back with bicycles on board due to peak hours. Anyhow, we waited at the bus stand and we were very grateful that one female bus driver gracefully accommodated us to take us back to the city. Phew.
Once we arrived at the city, we immediately rushed over to return the bicycles and collect our luggage back. The next best thing that happened was the warm welcome by our new known friends whom we only met once in Kuala Lumpur greeted us as one of their family members. Amazing people.