A visit to Geijsteren

Oma's hometown smells like roses.  When you come in on the road from Venray (and surely you'll be coming from Venray, after visiting Opa's niece and nephew - Joke and Hans, and his brother, Sej), when you come in on the road from Venray, you'll see a house right up against the left hand side of the road.  It's red brick, old, built in the 1800s.  Look for the sign out front - Henk Lomme. You know the name, right?  That's Oma's brother's house.  Her nephew lives there now with his wife and four daughters. You can stop in and say hello - Dad stayed here, you know, when he came at 12 or 15. 

Just before Henk's house, you'll see a dirt road.   Follow it, and it'll take you back the way you came, past a soccer field, and through the woods.  The road is rough on a bike, but keep going.  You'll soon come to a stream, running along through the forest, with a bridge over it, and a smalll house with a thatch roof and a water wheel on one side.  You recognize it, right?  The old mill, from the painting that hangs in Opa's room.      

Go back to the main road, Oostrumesstrasse, or something similar.  Go past Henk's house into town. You'll smell the roses now, fields of them in red, yellow, whiite, pink and orange, 500,000 stems going many places - Britain, France, the US, Canada.   But maybe they won't be there when you're there.  They only stay for two years and then they are moved.

You're in the heart of town, now, past the rose fields.  You'll see the church, built after the war, after the old one was destroyed in the Liberation.  Oma and Opa were married here, just before they came to Canada.  You can ask to see their marriage record, if you like. And across from the church was the school where Oma would have gone as a little girl, but it's gone now.  Something else has taken its place.  Oma's brothers and sisters lived here, a lot of them, along that mainstreet, Dad's aunts and uncles.  But as to who lived where and when, I'm not really sure - maybe Henk could tell you.  

If you continue straight on out of town, and then take the split left, you'll see the ruins of the baron's castle, and the place where the old church once stood.  The ruins have been restored, somewhat, the moat dug out and the wall re-built, so you can visit it.  But of the castle itself, just a few walls remain.   You remember those stories, right?  Oma bought white for her wedding dress, even though only the nobility was allowed to wear white.  So the baron came into city hall, and strode right through the middle of their ceremony to show his disapproval.  There's still a baron today - he lives on a house along the river Maas.  He's the son of the one our grandparents knew.  

Keep going past the castle and then take a left, back towards town.  You'll see a sign for the Saint Willibrodt Chapelle - the chapel in the woods that Uncle Willy is named after.  Follow that road and go see it, it's not far.  It'll be locked, unless you can find someone at the church who will open it for you.  They only use it for Wednesday evening services, and baptisms.  They use the water from the well right  beside the chapel.  It's from the 13th century, and has healing properties.  If you ask, they might show you Oma's baptismal record - January 13th, 1923, the day after she was born. 

If you come out of the woods, back on the  main road, and follow it past the signs for the Chapel, you'll end up back in town.  And there, on the left, just past the sign that says Geijsteren, is the spot where Oma's house once stood.  You knew that it burned down, right?  That Oma's mother died in the fire? You didn't? Oh.  Sorry, I don't have any photographs or anything to give you of the old house.  But the trees that stand along the edge of the front yard, those trees are still the same.  

  

  

Epic Bike Trip Step#2: Test Run, or A Trail Review Kitchener toBurlington via Brantford

Since Christmas,  Michael and I have been amassing gear, gear and more gear. It's really quite amazing, the amount of stuff we've collected (and the money we've spent!). But we needed an opportunity to test it all out. Should the spork be stored in the panniers or the handlebar bag?  Does it work to put a backpack on the rack too, or does that make the rear too heavy? Are you going to wear underwear with your bike shorts or just go free?  Some interesting questions to consider.

For our test trip, we decided to bike from Kichener back to Burlington on a rail trail. I found this trail through a simple Google map search with "bicycling" as the location search term.  We started in a small park across from Freeport Hospital called Schneider Park, which is right on the riverfront. From the parking lot, you can take the trail under the bridge in order to circle around to the walkway that will take you across the bridge.  Then, with the river on your right hand side, traveling downstream, you can begin following the Grand River Trail.

There is apparently a sign that states Rough Trail 2km.  I missed it, but my brother says he saw it.   It's nice of the Region of Kitchener-Waterloo to give you some warning. It'd be nicer still if they maintained their trail.  Exposed, softball-sized rocks, mud, and long stretches where the trail had become one with the river- not a good time on a touring bike loaded down with camping gear. The golf course that runs alongside the trail has numerous no trespassing signs, and you can see why cyclists would view it as the better option. Unless you want a real off-road experience and you have a mountain bike, this section of trail is to be missed.

As soon as you cross into Cambridge,  the trail improves drastically. The area called Pioneer Tower boasts crushed gravel, but it is still rather loose. I would suggest starting just past that point, where the trail takes you on a footbridge across the river. From that point onward, we experienced excellent riding conditions, and some lovely views of the river.

If you're looking for places to stop to rest along the way, I would suggest the town of Blair, where there is a wine bar, and Langdon Hall.  The town of Cambridge is also a good stop, larger than Blair and with more options. The trail takes you right through the downtown, past restaurants with patio seating,  and plenty of picnic spots in the ruins of old mills beside the river. Every August long weekend,  they host the Mill Race Folk Festival.  Also be on the lookout for Paris, Ontario. The sign directing you off the trail and into the downtown is small, but it is well worth the detour, and easy to find. Just head down hill and across the river.  Little shops and cafes-  get ready to be charmed!

As you approach Brantford, prepare yourself and your group for the possibility of becoming lost. Practice expressing your feelings in a constructive manner, or do deep breathing exercises to stave off the mounting frustration. I have cycled through Brantford three times now, on three different routes, and each time I have gotten lost.  The Town of Brantford has helpfully installed kiosks with bike maps (without these, the task would be completely hopeless), but there are lots of trails criss-crossing Brantford, and they sometimes end at major intersections with no on-road indications of where they might continue, or split without any explanation. Find a local and ask.  It will save you much time and frustration.

You could, at this point, continue following the river south, to Lake Erie. The trail will take you the whole way there.  Or, like us, you could head to Hamilton, on another rail trail through forest and farmers' fields.