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Our Bike and the Like Bike and
Barge trip itinerary, April 10 - 17
Our adventure got underway when
we meet the our ride leaders, Suzie and Roger, on board the Feniks in
Haarlem.
The
Feniks is a cheery boat with cozy bedrooms featuring a few rooms with
2-lower beds and other
rooms with upper and lower berths- all with private bathroom. It also features a relaxing
dining-common area and large sundeck where we enjoy afternoon snacks
and dinner several evenings. Our hosts, Captains Winfred,
Chef Els, and Assistant Patricia, provided a fantastic roving base for
our daily excursions.
Haarlem
and the Holland Dunes (25-30 miles)
We met the Feniks in Haarlem on Saturday at noon. We boarded our
barge/hotel,
settled into our cabins, and got our bikes fitted and ready to go. Soon
thereafter we head to visit to the Molen De Zaandhaas where we saw a
true working
windmill in action.
We pedaled to the North Sea in
the lovely Kennermerland
National Park through rolling dunes, small forests, past Highland cows
and Shetland ponies.
We
returned to Haarlem- known for one of the most beautiful Market Squares
and famous Hofjes (courtyards) in Holland. After a special Welcome
Dinner, we spent the evening sightseeing Haarlem's historical
treasures.
Visit
to the Tulips and evening in Leiden (30ish miles)
We
departed our boat quickly after breakfast as today for a full day of
sightseeing and cycling. Our destination in the morning was the
famous Keukenhof - the world's largest flower garden.
We
started by meandering the lovely forested bike paths of Bennebroek town
then only a turn later we are struck by fields of color and fragrance
until we reached the town of Lisse.
We spent several hours browsing
the Keukenhof's magnificent acreage.
Passing
the old town of Sassenheim and Warmond and fields bursting forth in
colors of reds, yellows, pinks and purples - we reached the city of
Leiden. Leiden
is
an
unusually beautiful city, famous for being not only the birthplace
of Rembrandt but Clusius brought the first Dutch tulips into flower. Then there are 12 museums,
whose priceless and unique collections have gained international fame. Of
significant importance is that Leiden is the home of the first
university in Holland (1575), which has developed into a world-famous
centre of science.
Delft
(30 miles)
We left Leiden heading south and went by T'Geertje
- a small family run organic dairy and goat farm. We continued south
through green nature areas and horse farms and following narrow canals
until we reach the city of Delft.
Dating
back to 1075, Delft is known as the birthplace of Golden Age artist
Johannes Vermeer and the fine hand-crafting of Delftware porcelains.
We visited the Royal Blue Delft
Factory and saw firsthand the artwork
and production of fine porcelain in the world-famous Delft tradition.
After
dinner, enjoyed a town walk of the picturesque city center
with its romantic tree-lined canals and countless historic monuments.
Rotterdam
(25-30
miles)
A
trip to the south of Netherlands is not complete without a visit to the
city of Rotterdam! The port, known to be the largest in the world, is
exciting to see in action. Since it's devastation in WWII Rotterdam has
become a center for modern
architecture and showcase of city urban development. Of
course there is also the impressive Old Harbor and Delfshaven- oasis of
history and culture within the modern city and the point from which the
Pilgrim Fathers left for America in 1620.
This was a non-biking day, so we visited an information center for a
discussion about the city, then spent time at the city's exciting open-air
market, and finally took a cruise to Kinderdike on the Maas river. In
the evening Leah and I went to the S.S. Rotterdam to have dinner with
Dutch relatives.
Gouda
and Green Heart of Holland (30 miles)
Today we took a water taxi across the Maas River and biked to the other
end of Kinderdijk. Built in 1740 and preserved to this day,
the 19 sturdy mills were built in Kinderdijk. They provide a
concentration of this
number found nowhere else in the world.
We
crossed the Lek by small ferry and reached Schoonhoven- founded in 1280
and
called Silvertown because of its famous past in Silversmithing. We had
lunch and were able to sightsee
the town's little canals, intimate streets, beautiful walls and
patrician houses.
Heading
north we traveled through the Krimpenerwaard, a vast area of Holland's
Green Heart polderlands separated by hundreds of canals and dotted with
charming old villages. We crossed the "Dutch Ijssel" by bridge to enter
Gouda.
With
over 300 preserved buildings, Gouda boasts a vibrant historic center
including the 123-metre long St. Janskerk (St. John's Church) with its
world-famous stained-glass windows, the fabulous Gothic Town Hall, the
Waag (Weigh House), and many wonderful museums such as the pipe and
earthenware museum and the Verzetsmuseum Zuid-Holland (Resistance
Museum).
Gouda
to Kudelstaart (25-30 miles)
All the group except Ray exited Gouda into the Goudse Hout- a
recreational area
surrounded by a huge lake. They then pedaled into the famous
Floraculture area of Boskoop, famous for its more
than 700 woody plant and perennial nurseries which sweep along
stretches of land, divided by lovely narrow canals. After many more
photo opportunites, they
arrive in Kudelstaart resting on the banks of a gorgeous lake- the
Westeinder Plassen.
Meantime, Ray has a day of not riding a bike, opting to enjoy the ride
from the barge in the company of Captain Winfred.
Visit
to the Flower Auction and cycle to Amsterdam (25-30 miles)
This time for riders (Leah
included) chose to skip the ride. The rest of us had an early breakfast
and cycled a few miles so we could get first peak
at the workings of the famous Flower Auction of Aalsmeer - largest in
the world. We saw the exciting process in which millions of
flowers and plants are bought and sold to be shipped to countries all
over the world.
We stopped for a bit in
the town of Alsmeer for a snack then head for the
beautiful Amsterdamse Bos (forest) at the southern edge of the city.
Created in 1937 from unused wetlands, the Bos is now a favorite place
for cycling and watersports.
Meandering through the
outskirts of the city center we pedaled the bike paths of busy
Amsterdam to our boat.
We celebrated our final evening
together with a special Farewell Dinner!
Good
Bye to the Feniks
Saturday
morning we had a farewell breakfast feast and said our goodbyes to
cycling friends and the wonderful hospitality of Winfred and Els and
Patricia of the
Feniks.
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