Speelmansplaten

On our final day of biking, we began our journey in Wouwse Plantage with the goal of reaching Zeeland. After getting our bikes ready, we rode along the cobbled main street of Wouwse Plantage to rejoin the bike route. While on the smooth bike path, I noticed that my back tire was making a strange "clonking" sound and feeling like it might be partially flat, which was surprising because it was fine the day before. Fortunately, we spotted an auto repair shop and fuel stop down the main road and headed there in hopes of getting some help.

Inside the shop, I found some guys having a morning cigarette around a table. Two of them kindly helped me pump up the tire, even finding the special pump attachment it needed, which I didn't know about since Paul had set up the bike for me. With the tire fixed, we continued our ride, covering another 41 kilometers that day.

Surprisingly, my legs felt less sore on day 3 compared to day 2. The paths on this leg were very smooth, and the first few kilometers were straight, so we cruised along. We biked around the edge of Bergen op Zoom, heading out to Tholensburg, which marked the border between Zeeland and North Brabant provinces. Tholen was a beautiful port village, but since we had come this far, I really wanted to reach the Oesterdam and see the edge of the country. It turned out that Oesterdam in the Reimerswaal municipality was right on top of the lost city of Reimerswaal, which was submerged due to flooding, with its last citizens leaving in the 1600s. There was some fascinating history in this area.

By this point in the day, it was quite hot. As we cycled along the seaside toward the dam, we watched people enjoying swimming spots and waited for a yacht to pass under a viaduct. We eventually arrived at Oesterdam Resort for lunch, which we had planned as a celebratory meal for covering so many kilometers over several days. We indulged in refreshing drinks, including a G&T and beer, along with delicious lunch food, all while admiring the luxury of the resort's personal marina and beach area. We had changed out of our sweaty gear into something nicer for lunch, but our bike shorts were still peeking out from underneath.

It was here that we decided to stay in Bergen op Zoom instead of camping for the night, as we were craving some more luxury. We found a last-minute room deal on Booking.com near the train station for our journey back to Eindhoven the next day.

Upon arriving in Bergen op Zoom, we realized just how central our hotel was. It was located right on the main market square and turned out to be the oldest hotel and company in the Netherlands, called the "Grand Hotel De Draak" and was a Royal Warrant holder. It was a beautiful place, and we enjoyed the luxury, making full use of the shower and robes. We managed to squeeze our bikes into the already crowded bike racks, showered, rested in our robes for a while, and then had one last drink at a beer cafe on the markt while enjoying the setting sun. For dinner, we found a nice small Thai restaurant and then walked back to our comfortable bed. One of the fun perks of our budget room tucked at the back of the building was the view of the setting sun over the rooftops as we sipped our tea and reflected on the 140-150 kilometers of the country we were fortunate to explore.Read more