Following the Dream

This morning I awoke in the town of Gouda, Holland.   

A dream had brought me here.  

Several days ago, in the midst of planning my trip Northwards from Oosterhout, I awoke with the name of the Dutch town of Gouda in my head.  To my surprise, looking at the map the town actually fit beautifully into the trajectory I needed to make across Holland.  

I believe that we can gain much by remember, listening to, and indeed following our dreams.   And thus I headed North towards Gouda.  And thus, a week later, here I am. 

But to what end?  

I rolled into to Gouda, toured around the town center, checked out the church, and bought some cheese.  The whole time I kept my eyes open, expecting some sort of mystical experience to befall me.   Alas, the sun was setting and I needed to get out of town to make camp.  Passing by a quaint little pub, the lady inside gave me a friendly smile.   

I continued on a ways, but couldn't help feeling that if I had dreamed about this city, there was still yet something to experience.   Inspired by the kind lady's smile, I returned to the pub, met all sorts of great people, had a few beers and I ended up staying the night in Gouda.  

The next morning, after rolling in to catch the Sunday service at the Gouda cathedral, and really when I had given up the thought of anything else happening to me while in Gouda,  I met Franz and Goney. 

I was in the middle of Skype conversation on a park bench, when they invited me to pass by their place when I was done for a coffee.   Not one to turn down a warm coffee on a cold morning, I knocked on the door of their vintage home in the historic center of Gouda.

It turned out that Franz and Goney were veteran traveling cyclists!   They too had been on long journeys, and they too had experienced the kindness of folks who had helped them out on their voyages!  We connected immediately.

 I happened to be the first traveling cyclist they had ever met in their home town!  They explained that they were overjoyed to be able to return kindness and assistance to a fellow cyclist on a similar voyage-- just as others had shown them kindness and helped them out.

Wow.  Talk about being at the right bench at the right time!

A fabulous afternoon ensued!   The best part (laundry, shower, coffee aside) was being able to talk to others who have experienced the same traveling phenomena as I have-- cycling through the countryside and the ease with wich one can connect not only with the land but the people.  We shared story after story.  Good experiences and the bad.   We also compared traveling philosophy and principles-- not turning down kindness offered, taking the back roads, asking frequently for directions, taking our time without worrying about timing, letting the schedule and route evolve on their own while still having a focus and destination, traveling in plain cloths-- no fancy logo ridden florescent tights for us-- that way our choosen attire that doesn't intimidate others.  It was so great to realize I am not alone in my thinking, ways and experiences!

And, then, they treated me to an absolutely fabulous meal at a beautiful and elegant restaurant in Gouda's central square.  Wow... red wine, roast duck starters, wild boar and a fabulous chocolate cake desert.

If I would have been told yesterday that I would have been eating wild boar last night-- I would have laughed.   I have some potatoes and onions that I bought from a local farmer in my paniers.   Potatoes, onions and cheese-- that's what I expected my humble dinner to be.

This morning, after waving goodbye to Franz and Goney, I rolled out of Gouda with the sun rising above the spires of the cathedral.  It was then that I saw it:  the window of local cheese shop.  A flash of a memory came back from my dream.  Deja vu!

Tonight, I'll be camping on the dunes outside of the Hague.  It will be considerably colder and more isolated!   however, the memories of last night we certainly keep me warm.  As Franz said, I've been warmed to the core!