Day 3: Amersfoort to Gdansk

A 06.00 call made sure I was in plenty of time for the 07.36 to Berlin. A short ride to the station, a lift down to the platform and a plan of the train showing the position of the bicycle carriage made life easy.

One third of the compartment was kitted out for bicycles, each slot with a reservation ticket. I hung my bicycle in place and passed the 5 hours to Berlin reading and chatting to my neighbour, a Dutch chap originally from Curaçao. Evidently Curaçao has changed a lot since my brief visit 34 years ago, and is now a big tourist destination.

Onwards to Berlin, an hour to wait there and then the train to Gdansk which left from the neighbouring platform, very convenient. Another seamless border crossing into Poland and at 20.30 we pulled into Gdansk. As I lugged my bicycle up and down flights of stairs to exit the station I was reminded that I had left Holland far behind.

I got to my hotel just as dusk was falling. I’d made it to Baltic.