Day 3 Cycling - days end at Antwerp

Today is 5 degrees cooler than yesterday.  There's a storm in the Sarah that has thrown sand high enough into the atmosphere to turn the sun red and block its heat:

The morning start is wonky.  Within a few minutes, teachers pull over a big bunch of kids so we can go by ... they high 5 us as we roll by ... then Paul gets a piece of wire in his tire and tube ... a fix is needed, so the kids roll by, and we high 5 them!  Fixed and off we go, only to herd a flock of sheep hanging out on the trail ... then another quick stop when Carol loses her water bottle.  Now we can go.  I'm having fun today with the e-bike...it feels like cheating.

A morning stop at the home and shop of an artist couple:

The built-in figures and types of rock and fossils are cleverly assembled:

Note the lips & tongue incorporated into the window:

Now inside the shop and his polished carved rocks, many with fossils:

I like how the fossils and surrounding stone are incorporated into objects like bowls:

Coffee Break is at this little place where elementary school children are busy learning to make wicker baskets.  They are curious to see us.  We go into a shed where many items are made from wicker, including this one:

Here a stop by the water later in the day to admire this statue:

A castle on the grounds where we have lunch:

Goats relaxing and on a trampoline:

We load ourselves and bikes into an elevator, go down 31 meters deep and come out into this pedestrian & cyclist only tunnel under the river, then back up to the surface in another elevator:

In Antwerp, Brussels, such a beautiful port city on the River Scheldt.  We see lots of ads for diamonds and learn later that the diamond trade in Antwerp is centuries old. There are thousands of traders, cutters and polishers here.

Jack took some shortcuts on the route today so we have a couple of hours to walk around and soak in this city.

Tomorrow should be interesting as we start on the boat early with the captain giving us a verbal tour of the Antwerp harbour as we sail through ... then only 4 hours on the bikes as we enter the Netherlands ... and more sailing before bedtime.