Bike and Barge

My second summer holiday was planned by Tim and a friend from America - a "Bike and Barge" trip from Amsterdam to Brussels.

The fearsome foursome in 's Hertogenbosch

Our friends arrived in Brussels on July 4th from North America after 10 days in London and Wimbledon. After a quick stop in Leuven (Belgium) we welcomed them to our new-to-us home in Venlo. We enjoyed a few fun-filled, yet relaxing days visiting the Floriade and Nuenen (the "Van Gogh Village") before setting off for Amsterdam.

Our hotel for the week

The trip was a great way to reconnect with old friends and make new ones! The daily cycling distance was about 25 miles (40 km), so the trip was not strenuous. We had time and energy for a guided city walk nearly every evening after dinner on the boat. Because I was "in training" for a big walking event, I did a little extra walking each evening, usually to a geocache to two (by the end of our trip, everyone knew what a geocache was, and one of the other passengers was hooked). Sometimes there was a special treat, such as a carillon concert in Mechelen.

Mechelen, Belgium by night

Staying on the boat was an option for those who needed a rest day or just wanted to avoid the rain. But because the wind is always blowing in the Netherlands, the rain tends to come in showers. So when it wasn't raining, the skyscapes were lovely.

Willemstad, Noord-Brabant (the Netherlands)

Despite less-than-perfect weather, the trip was a blast. The boat was crewed by the owners, including their two sons, about 6 and 9 years old. From sailing the boat to serving dinner, everything was done with a smile, making us feel like welcomed family guests. The other passengers came from Australia, Italy, South Africa and the US and were excellent company, which made the close quarters cozy and congenial even though we spent a lot of time indoors.

The passengers on our cruise
saying "tot ziens" at Brussels Station

Even though we had met only a week before, it was hard to say goodbye to our tour companions, our guide Ingrid, and the boat's crew. Our rainy week was brightened by the warmth of the people around us!

Skating Weather

Temperatures have been freezing for more than a week and that means it's skating weather!

Because Holland is such a flat country, most naturally occurring water (as well as the human-made polders and canals) is not very deep. So when temperatures drop, lakes and ponds everywhere freeze over. Skating is very popular here, and it's therefore no surprise that many world-class speed skaters are Dutch. Americans like me may be familiar with the sport through children's literature: Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates first made its appearance in 1865. I always assumed it was a Dutch story translated into English but learned today this is not the case. Its author, Mary Mapes Dodge, is an American who only visited Holland after the book was published.

So when I found out this morning that there is a large natural ice area just five minutes by bike from our home, I had to check it out. Unfortunately I have no skates (yet!) but I did have a camera and got some pictures of the action.

Today is a sunny Sunday and the road leading to this area, the Zwart (Black) Water, was jammed with cars trying to find a place to park. Approaching the ice through the trees I saw many skaters and children being towed on sleds, and also many omas and opas (grandmothers and grandfathers) and other spectators.

It's possible to find ice right in town. Wherever there is water, it's an opportunity for skating and sledding. These children were having some frosty fun in a park near the center of Venlo.

We had our own little skating experience yesterday while on a geocaching adventure. One of our destinations was Juliana Park, with a solidly frozen fountain. Hanna and I did a couple of laps, just because we could. Note to self: get some skates soon!

Operation Market Garden

Along the Liberation Route

My wanderings the last month or so have led me to ponder the lessons of history. In the last four weeks I've seen the concentration camp at Dachau, the Nazi party rally grounds at Nuremburg, and several Dutch memorials.

Fall weather and a return to a somewhat normal routine allowed me to resume my traverse of the Pieterpad. So I spent a lovely fall day walking from Groesbeek to Millingen aan de Rijn, towns so small I'm surprised they have Wikipedia entries. Readers who happen to be World War II buffs (if there are any) might recognize their names from the airborne expedition known as Operation Market Garden. Yes, Virginia, this post is (mostly) about a military operation.

In a nutshell: Operation Market Garden was an effort by the Allies in September 1944 to use airborne troops to seize a series of bridges across the rivers Meuse and Rhine, to enable a rapid Allied armored advance into the German heartland. Spoiler alert! The plan didn't work; the airborne troops suffered heavy losses, some were evacuated, and the remainder were taken prisoner. Arnhem, the plan's final bridge, wasn't liberated until April 1945.

Recalling these facts is one thing; stumbling across a sign marking the "Airbornepad" [a walking path which according to its website follows "the footsteps of the liberators"] during the anniversary week of Operation Market Garden is something else. As it happens, I also drove to Arnhem this week, and as I crossed the John Frost Bridge, I remembered its predecessor's role in history. Places so often evoke feelings ... which brings me to this post's destination.

The very necessary Pieterpad route book (which is unfortunately only available in Dutch) mentioned a Canadian Cemetery not too far off the path, near Groesbeek. Walking a 500 kilometer path mostly alone does allow a certain amount of contemplation. This day, I chose to go a little farther in order to contemplate war, sacrifice, and the meaning of history. Let me take you there ...

Just inside this entrance is a memorial stating THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE. It's true:

Most of these fallen warriors were in their twenties. All were too young.

Each headstone tells a different story; the common theme is that of life cut short.

Each grave has its own garden, carefully tended by a local, grateful Nederlander

Will we ever learn?

For those of you who aren't WWII buffs, the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far does a great job of telling the story of Operation Market Garden from every side - British, American, German, Polish and Dutch. Back in 1977 war was definitely not "in". The DVD is available at my hometown library, and might be at yours too.

My apologies to readers who were hoping to see pictures of delectable European produce. For you, I present this shot, taken at a self-serve pumpkin stand just outside the Canadian Cemetery (seen in the background):

Tour de Limburg

Cows lined up to watch traffic on the cycle path
 ... or perhaps the grass was greener on the other side

Ride Across the Netherlands, the Last Day

Although it wasn't marked as such, this appeared to be the end of LF7

Woke up late, must have needed the rest. Breakfast was much like Belgium - a melange of the best cultural elements of France and the Low Countries - in addition to the usual coffee, boiled egg, ham, jam, and yogurt, there were two kinds of aged cheese including a wedge of deliciously moldy blue, plus baguette, croissant, and my favorite pastry, pain au chocolate. Our breakfast host, who speaks Dutch (the regional language in this part of Belgium) and French but not English, asked me how to say "eet smakelijk" in English. I pondered this for a moment, then pronounced: bon appetit. We shared a bit of a giggle about this linguistic oddity.

The skies were threatening but we rode dry and fast. Found the turnaround point south of Maastricht by about noon and rode back to the station by about one o'clock. A quick stop at the station Albert Heijn for sandwiches and juice, and we were on the train headed north. Enjoyed a conversation with an Amsterdam University student on the train. He was bringing his grandfather's bike back to school, his third bike this year - the first two were both stolen - a common problem in Amsterdam but fortunately something we have yet to experience.

Heading north near the terminus of the LF7 in Kanne

Arrived home by 3 o'clock to a sudden dose of reality: Tim had a business dinner in Nuenen so I drove him to the restaurant and continued into the village to find a cafe where I could reflect about our week on the bike path. 

Our experience was in many ways typical of this lovely country: varied, pleasant, and with adventures to suit the taste of Goldilocks. In a relatively short time we saw a wide array of landscapes and met people from different walks of life; even the weather joined in the display of variety. We cycled through two countries and passed within a few kilometers of a third. It was an idyllic first European touring experience.

Are we planning another cycling adventure? You bet! Where would you go? Suggestions welcome!

Our route to Maastricht and home again.

Ride Across the Netherlands, Day 7

After a breakfast including heerlijk fresh squeezed orange juice, we signed Henk and Reik's guest book. They have been providing accomodation to cyclists for more than 10 years; the book we signed was volume four, but we were their first non-Dutch guests. At Henk's suggestion, we stopped at the scenic National Park of the Great Peel:

Another really hot day, with humidity rising as the day progressed. We chatted with another fietser during a water break. He was meeting his wife in Maastricht, a ride of at least 120km by our calculations. Wish I had taken a picture - he was dressed in slacks and button shirt, and riding a normal (rather heavy) Dutch bike. More than 75 miles on a really hot day - no big deal!

We stopped for ice cream at Thorn, a village very near the Belgian border. The town has an interesting history which led to its nickname, the "white village". In this land of red brick buildings, Thorn has a very different look:

Photo credit Benjamin Rossen

After shopping for picnic supplies we crossed the Belgian border and had lunch by the river Maas. The route signage is a little different in Belgium, and there are fewer cycle paths, but the riding was still pleasant and (mercifully, considering the weather) flat. We found our overnight accommodation easily. It's a small and elegant B&B and horse farm. They were also getting the hay in because rain is expected by tonight. Can't come quickly enough for us, it's so warm and humid that a dip in the Jacuzzi is refreshing!

After cleaning up and rehydrating, we pedaled about 5km into the lovely town of Masseik. After a quick stop at the tourist information office for a map, we collapsed at the nearest cafe for more water and a Belgian beer. This refreshed us enough to find a dinner spot. We found a cafe with sidewalk seating and a friendly waitress. The tables around us filled up with locals, all of whom seemed to know each other, the server, and most of the passersby. All very pleasant and charming ... until the thunder started. I quickly moved our plates to a table inside, while Tim went to get the bike under cover. He returned with news - the tandem has a flat tire, and our spare tires and tool kit are 5 km away at the B&B. Our helpful server offered a pump but the tire would not hold air. She offered us a ride (in an hour, when her boyfriend was to arrive) and finally two umbrellas, which we gratefully accepted.

We returned the umbrellas the next day (hanging on the door knob)

Tummies full, rain temporarily stopped, we set off, pushing the bike. I was wearing ballet flats, not designed for a long walk at a fast pace. Fortunately, the thunder was still far away and the rain didn't start in earnest until we were within sight of the B&B. Tim stabled the bike with the horses and brought the wheel with the flat up to our room. There was an enormous hole in the valve stem - fortunately we had two spares.

In the end, Tim was able to replace the tube and pump it up enough to ride on. We went to sleep lulled by the sound of rain on the roof, to rest up for the last day of our adventure.

Map of our ride into Belgium.

Ride Across the Netherlands, Day 6

I could look at little cows like this all day!

Hottest day of our trip, high of about 36 degrees (Celsius, about 96 degrees Farenheit). As we neared our destination we crossed a large dry heath, a sandy plain with sparse, mostly low-lying vegetation, and very few trees. Part of the route followed a cattle track of deep sand, which was very challenging on our bike, weighing more than 350 pounds with us and our gear.

Photo credit David d'O

Because there was really no place to shelter we pushed on, arriving at our host's home at 2:30 - earliest arrival so far. The house we stayed at is on a dairy farm which is part of the Campina cooperative. The cows sleep on water beds, decide when they want to be milked, and looked very happy. The neighbor said they are spoiled!

Our hosts today don't speak much English, and our hosts last night didn't either. It's helping our Dutch! After a nice dinner in town we sat in the garden with coffee. Our hosts Henk and Reik (her name sounds like "Rick") invited an English speaking neighbor, Annamarie, to sit with us and facilitate conversation. Then we went to watch the haying. We watched until 11 pm when they finished for the night. Henk says they will start again at 5am. Rain is forecast for tomorrow afternoon so they have to finish snel!

Tot ziens, Henk and Reik!

Map of our very warm ride.

Photos from the Pieterpad

Another beautiful day on the Pieterpad, this time with lovely daughter Robin. We rambled through farm land, heaths and woods. She had the camera and I enjoyed seeing the landscape through her eyes.

In the Quin Nature Reserve

The Pieterpad guide describes the Quin as a "great fen fed by seepage water and rain. Goats and Highland cattle graze. A 30 meters high river dune offers a beautiful overview. Wet heath vegetation, such as sundew, lavender, beak rush, and different kinds of amphibians."

Gennep town square

 Our walk ended in Gennep, where we enjoyed a well earned rest and cold drink.

Thanks, Robin, for a great day!

P.S. I'm behind with details of our cross-country ride but have a great reason: a visit from Bellingham friend Alex, who is on a fabulous adventure of his own. Do check out his blog - many of the photos are taken from a moving bike!

Ride Across the Netherlands, Day 5

Two of these nylon covered figures are rowing the boat

Can't believe we've been on the road for five days! Today was great, the best riding so far. Great breakfast (eggs are good for riding) then we set off at a superfast pace. We lost some time due to a ferry being closed on Sunday but with help from another cycling couple we found our way. Our alternative route was part of a benefit ride for the Dutch Red Cross, and we were treated to some very welcome bananas (we made a donation when we got home, and encourage readers to support their local Red Cross chapter).

Arrived in 's-Hertogenbosch (better known as 'Den Bosch') at 1pm, the earliest finish so far. We were very happy to be able to park our bike in a secure bike parking garage, and the attendant even let us check our panniers (the bike garage has only been open for two months and there are no lockers yet).

Shallow stairs made the bike garage easy to access

We had a quick picnic then visited the Hieronymus Bosch Art Centre, which was interesting both for the explanation of his art and the setting, a Byzantine-Romanesque church. Then we visited St. John's cathedral which was beautiful. The highlight of our day was the boat parade, an annual summer event, with about 25 floats that follow the Binnendieze, a network of partially covered canals. The floats are all based on the art of Hieronymus Bosch, some literally, others figuratively. Here is a sampling of a few of the floats we saw, courtesy of ronvanzeeland and YouTube:

After the parade we retrieved the bike and rode a few more kilometers to our overnight accommodation, a dairy farm/bed and breakfast in a village dear Den Bosch. The cows were being milked when we arrived. Our hosts at the B&B speak only Dutch but we did okay. I'm beginning to think I would know a lot more Dutch if most people didn't speak English! After settling in at the farm, we pedaled to the village for a massive dinner (we need to keep our strength up).

Up close and personal in the milking parlor

Map of today's excellent ride.

Ride Across the Netherlands, Day 4

Photo by Arthur Chapman

One of the delights of this trip has been the wildlife. We've seen many of these grey herons; I'm not enough of a birder to recognize the other birds we've seen. Squirrels here are mostly red and even the insects are new and interesting!

Rain until 2 pm made today a little less than perfect.We started shortly after breakfast even though the weather radar was predicting clearing by 10. Good thing, because it rained most of the day. Fortunately we are from the Pacific Northwest and are used to riding in the rain. Our hosts last night are experienced bike tourers, and they recommended a rest day or even two after every 3-4 days cycling. Sounds good to us!

One fun experience today was the hand operated ferry we used to cross one of many canals along our route. As we pulled up to the ferry, we saw:

These cyclists were already crossing when we arrived at the pontveer

Tim pulled the ferry back to our side of the bank but generously allowed me the fun of cranking us across. We have been picnicking lunches but went to a bar-cafe for koffie verkeerd, hot soup and tosti sandwiches today. The warm meal really lifted our spirits and the rain cleared up shortly after we resumed riding.

Photo by marie-II

Today we saw crew rowers on the Amstel and the unique Utrecht red-light district, had a hard time finding our way out of Utrecht (the route is not well marked in the big cities), rode really hard to make up for lost time, and took far too long to find our B&B, but arrived in time for an afternoon concert at the Grote Kerk in Vianen. The concert featured a young organist, Satoko Okitsu, and the three young artists of the Augellin Ensemble: a mezzo soprano, a cellist and a young man on recorder. The program featured cantati by Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, Handel and Pepusch. Delightful! After a shower at our homey canal-side bed and breakfast, we walked back to the old town in a cloud of mist for a delicious dinner.

Click on the link to see the map of our rainy ride from Duivendrecht to Vianen. For dessert, here is a YouTube video of a performance by Satoko Okitsu (on harpsichord) playing Bach:

Ride Across the Netherlands, Day 3

The smell at the cheese market was amazing

We woke up to rain in Alkmaar and decided to finish the walking tour we started last night, hoping to avoid a wet ride. As it happened, we were in Alkmaar on the morning of the once-a-week cheese market so we stayed until it opened at 10am. Strong cheese smell!

By the time the cheese market was in full swing the rain had stopped, so we rode dry again. We rode on top of dikes, across polders, and through lots of farmland where we saw many, many windmills. We got lost and ended up back where we started at one point but figured it out in the end. The circle in the middle of the map shows where we got lost.

We crossed this scenic bridge three times

We crossed the Amstel river via pedestrian and bicycle ferry to arrive in Amsterdam. Finding our way through the city was frustrating. The bicycle, tram, pedestrian and automobile traffic in Amsterdam is intense, and the route we were following disappeared. Turns out the LF7 merges with another route, the LF2; cyclists following other routes through Amsterdam are meant to follow the LF2 signs. It took us a while to figure that out, and my backseat driver navigational assistance probably didn't help.

Dinner with our Warm Showers hosts Leo and Annette was delicious and inspiring. They've cycled from Alaska to Mexico along the continental divide route, down South America all the way to Tierra del Fuego, and throughout Indonesia and Southeast Asia. We enjoyed learning how they travel, and they encouraged us to dream big. Getting to sleep will not be difficult; we are tired after a challenging day, and we need to rest up for another 70km ride tomorrow.

Want to see our route? Click here for the day 3 map.

Ride Across the Netherlands, Day 2

Bedankt, Mireille, for this wonderful ontbijt!

After an amazing breakfast in our little caravan, we rode to the dunes national park on the west side of Texel, then to the ferry back to the mainland. In Den Helder we visited the Dutch Navy Museum where among other things we toured a cold war era submarine and a 19th century ironclad ship.

Then we had a tough ride along the seawall, about 8km with a very strong headwind. After that the wind was not so bad. We rode through more dunes along the west coast, then turned inland through some beautiful, wild farmland. We saw many houseboats along the canals in that area, several windmills, and lots of thatched houses, including a new house being thatched. Then through some woods until we came to the long-distance route 7, the "Overland Route" which we'll be following the remainder of our trip.

Start of LF7

Our ride for the day ended in Alkmaar. We had time for a quick visit to a beer museum, and a pause for refreshment in the basement pub. Our hosts for the night, courtesy of Vrienden op de Fiets, are a very nice couple with a beautiful home. 

Our Vrienden in Alkmaar had a peaceful view of the canal 

We showered and went out for dinner at a Scottish restaurant, where we enjoyed a new beer, Hielander Porter, custom brewed for the restaurant. More Belgian than British, but still very good. It was a warm evening so we made good use of the late sunset by taking ourselves on a self-guided walking tour of the town. Alkmaar is beautiful, kind of like a little Amsterdam, which we'll cycle through tomorrow.

For the truly curious, here is a link to a map of our route this day (the first real riding day of our birthday trip).

Ride Across the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, bikes travel in style

Since 2007 I've dreamed of cycling across the Netherlands. In 2010, Tim and I decided to celebrate our milestone birthday (this year!) by doing the trip - and then we found out we would be living here, which made it so much easier. Accordingly, we spent the past 7 days cycling more than 500 km from Den Burg on the island of Texel to Maastricht. If you look at a map of the Netherlands, the route bisects the country from the northwest to the southeast.

We acquired a new tandem for the trip, made in the Netherlands by Multicycle. It's a Dutch style bike and very comfortable and easy to ride. I named her Marie Claire, and she's shown riding in the designated bicycle car of the train above.

Our trip began with a four hour train trip to the opposite side of the country. Our journey had a rocky start as the first train (from Venlo to Nijmegen) stopped in between stations, with a long announcement in Dutch. We still don't understand enough of the language to catch the gist of the message, so we asked another passenger. He explained that there was a problem with the tracks and the train would return to the last station where everyone would be bused to Nijmegen. Good for everyone else, but bad for us because bikes are not allowed on buses. We were at least 30km short of Nijmegen but we got out the map to figure a route. No one got off the train, however, and eventually it continued all the way, arriving only 20 minutes late. We saw our connecting train depart from the station but weren't able to wrangle our bike to the platform in time. Luckily, the train to Den Helder leaves every 30 minutes so we were only 30 minutes behind schedule. Just enough time for a kopje koffie (little cup of coffee).

Arriving in Den Helder, we rode a couple kilometers to the ferry dock for the trip to Texel. The ferry to the island takes about 25 minutes, and there were quite a few bicyclists. Rolling off the ferry we opted to ride along the sea wall to the village of Oudeschild and to the Texels Brewery.

Typical Texel view: sheep, sheep and more sheep

After a tasting session on the terrace, rain started to fall so we moved indoors for a snack and a glass of the Best Bock Beer in the Netherlands, for 2010 anyway. We returned to the bike and cycled past quite a few sheep (Texel is famous for lamb) to the main town, Den Burg. Our overnight destination was a sheep farm just outside Den Burg, where Vrienden op de Fiets hosts Mireille and Frank made us feel welcome in their guest "pipowagen" caravan.

This thatched brick barn houses the guest bathroom

We cycled back to town (only 7 minutes away) for a delicious dinner of cockles, minestone soup, lamb and sea bass, with yummy vegetables like turnips. Shower in the barn and then bed, tomorrow is a big day and we anticipate headwinds.

Arnhem Open Air Museum

These Molens (windmills) were moved to the Openluchtmuseum

Another beautiful holiday* weekend. We drove to the Nederlands Open Air Museum near Arnhem for a walk through Dutch history. We especially enjoyed learning about the technology of the past, such as this horse-powered commercial laundry:

We watched many craftsmen at work, including a wheelwright, a blacksmith, a baker, a brewer and a miller as well as other, more homely crafts. The weaver was absent on the day we visited, but we saw her handiwork:

For rail buffs, the park is worth a visit just to ride the tram, which runs as an alternative to walking through the sprawling grounds of the museum. There is an authentic tram station featuring a completely restored tram car originally used in Arnhem, until after WWII when the system was replaced by buses.

There are also many historic bicycles, including some rubber-wheeled penny farthings for kids to try, and this cheese and butter factory delivery fiet:

Imagine how difficult it would be to pedal this with cans full of milk!

Making our way to the Protestant Church, we learned that a concert was about to begin, featuring baroque music played on period replica instruments. With a dispensation for a later meeting time from our daughters, Tim and I sat down to 45 minutes of beautiful music performed by the Zutphens Barok Ensemble.

Highly ornamented music in an unadorned setting

We capped off our day with Sunday lunch at the Herberg de Hanekamp cafe, one of several inside the museum grounds. There we enjoyed a delicious meal including many organic and local foods, and a glass of Pilsner made in the on-site brewery.

Another to add to my list

*Although the Netherlands is in some ways a very secular country, many public holidays seem connected to the ecclesiastical calendar. In this case, our three day weekend was due to Pentecost, or Pinksteren as it is known here. Sunday feast days (such as Pasen and Pinksteren) are observed over two days - Sunday was "First Pentecost Day" and Monday was "Second Pentecost Day". People seem to celebrate the bonus day by shopping (many sales are advertised and some store are open additional hours), or as we did, by traveling; the Open Air Museum was fairly crowded the day of our visit.

Special Meetings

Fellow Pieterpad walkers, near Puth, NL

Walking the Pieterpad has so far been a joyous experience. I've mostly been walking alone - Tim walked one stage with me, and Robin says she will join me for a stage or two once school is out. I feel safe, even though many parts are quite rural, and others are in the woods. I have walked for hours without seeing another person, although I see plenty of birds and many farm animals, sometimes while crossing their pasture:

A friendly cow

While encounters with other people have been rare, some have been very special. The photo at the top shows three kind souls who let me tag along for much of a rainy Thursday. We huddled under a cherry tree during an intense shower, puzzled over confusing route directions, and enjoyed coffee and vlaai for a well-earned break.

Another special meeting during one of my first stages ended up in someone else's blog. Marjolein and I met in Swolgen where we finished connecting stages at about the same time - she from the north, and I from the south. The next day I met her again in Venlo as she was finishing the next stage. Turns out, Marjolein is walking the Pieterpad and then continuing to Santiago de Compostela, a pilgrimage route I mentioned in an earlier post. I am happy to see that Marjolein is doing well on her journey, and wish her succes!

This week I experienced another kind of special meeting when I enjoyed the hospitality of Panchita, Paul and Fay of Gangelt, Germany. We connected through Vrienden op de Fiets, an organization that facilitates homestay accomodation for bicycle and foot travelers (fietsers en wandelaars). Their friendly and gracious hospitality was most welcome at the end of a 34 kilometer walk, and I will long remember them with great fondness. Dank U wel for the wonderful conversation, comfortable bed, and lovely breakfast!

A breakfast to remember