Texel: 5 June 12

The day began overcast with patches of blue sky and NO rain! It promised to be the best day, weather wise, of the trip which was fortunate as it was also the most anticipated day as we headed off on our bicycles to catch the ferry to the island of Texel (pronounced tessel). The ferry ride was uneventful, although getting to it was a bit dodgy. Signs had us going in two directions at once and we chose the "wrong" one first. Dutch wooden shoes are more than a quaint souvenir, the Dutch do wear them. The farmer at the B&B we stayed at two years ago wore them to work in his barns. Yesterday on the ferry was the first time I saw someone wearing them to cycle in. He had his special wooden dress shoes on, complete with little leather straps tacked across the toe to make it look like he had shoelaces. Texel is the largest of a chain of pseudo barrier islands. There is a true hill there which was formed glacially.

The island is known for its sheep/wool. Rather than take a picture of a lot of sheep, I took one instead of the zebra we passed instead.

We cycled through most of the main villages on the island and around by the sand dunes. Our attempt to stop at the island brewery was thwarted as it was only open for visitors for one hour on Tuesdays, and it didn't happen to coincide with the time we were there. We bought a bottle of their bock at a small shop and enjoyed it later that evening on the barge. It was most excellent. We had lunch near the dunes and made our way back to the ferry by way of the marine exhibit where Amy went in and communed with the seals. This is the sister ship of our ferry, taken from the one we were on.

We stopped in several places looking for Texel wool to purchase for my sister Emily for a Christmas present, but were unsuccessful in finding any. Perhaps it was just the wrong time of year as the spring sheep shearing was still underway as we rode around the island. The theme for dinner was Italian: zucchini soup, lasagna, roasted veggies and custard. Total distance 43 km.