Jul 1 - Canada Day

You wouldn't know it here !   My watch says that it's the 31st.

Jim got the car rental squared away, will swap cars in Antwerp tomorrow morning.  We wandered the streets in the morning and then Jim and Sheryl joined us, Sheryl and Sandy doing some shoe shopping and Jim and I hanging around.  Eventually we went and sat; had a beer, saw Shab, Hamid, Shab's brother and Dad.  We went to the grocery store and picked up some lunch, made sandwiches in the room.  It was a quiet day.

I got my bike clothes packed for the ride, marveling at all the stuff that I brought but will never wear.  Extra arm and leg warmers (haven't worn the first pairs), two different sets of foot covering, didn't wear any; gels and gels; heavy gloves; extra long sleeved jersey, extra extra ... whew.   Those are the things that I brought just in case the weather turned cooler.  Then, of course, there are the extra tubes, spare tires ... all stuff that I need to bring because road hazards can kill tubes and tires quickly.

I went for a ride, a couple of kms, just to see if the bike was working properly.  It is, I think, sometimes hard to tell riding on cobblestones !  At least it's shifting well.

The weather is beautiful.  The square is gradually filling up with eaters and drinkers.  They are expecting a huge crowd.  The first game is already on, Argentina and someone; the main event, from the standpoint of the local crowd, starts at 10pm.

I need to leave here around 4am, which means being up around 3:15.  This is what I signed up for ...

Bikeward ...