Tag: Netherlands

To answer a few questions about the actual cycling

Melissa asked about our boat, the Liza Marlen. Melissa, I have failed you. I didn’t take many photos of the actual boat. But, there were several bike and barge tours during the same time as ours.

I should have taken a photo of my bedroom. It was so *teeny* that I walked in and was puzzled trying to figure out where the rest of the room was. Luckily Trena and I didn’t have to share as originally planned because the room could not have held both of our suitcases. But, you were hardly in the room so it barely mattered.

Thanks to Darci and Marie-Christine, I rewashed my clothes a few times with vinegar and borax and am odor free! I’m also tracking down Biz on another commenter’s suggestion.

Toby asked how windy was it. Well, it’s windy! It’s true Holland is relatively flat. But, the wind can make cycling hard.

I managed not to ride on the super windy day (I rode the boat into Amsterdam so I would have time to go to the Dutch Resistance Museum and the Rijksmuseum). But, I got a feel for it biking and I was glad I didn’t have my cape. I could just see myself blowing across the road in to a canal like a sailboat!

Weather: I was cold at night and by the end of the trip wished I had brought an actual coat with a scarf. Brrrr.

Riding: Well, I rode five out of the seven days and did fine. I was only sore on one day. I was in the middle of the pack of riders. And, oddly enough was more comfortable the times I had to ride in the street with cars than I was on the bike path. I guess that’s what I’m used to! I did ride to and from work on Friday and it was the first time I wasn’t wiped out and breathless on my all uphill ride home. So, I guess I did actually get some conditioning in while I was gone.

Now, on to the meat of this post!

I cannot express to you how many bicycles there are in Holland. And, how everyone, and I mean everyone rides one. In fact, there are 16 million bikes in the Netherlands and 16.5 million people. So seriously, everyone has a bike. I asked Sigrid when do children start learning to ride and she said, ‘As soon as they can walk!”

There are barges to carry bicycles and cars across the canals

Here is the bicycle parking lot

What makes the Netherlands an ideal biking country is the intricate bicycle network and infrastructure. Here’s an example

Above, you can see seperate signage pointing bicycles in the right direction and telling you how far something is

There are certain elements to Dutch (Oma) bike that I wanted in my new bike (the Trek Allant). These included fenders, stepthrough frame and an upright position. My actual Gazelle bike in the Netherlands was so heavy I actually could not lift it. But, because of the non hilly terrain you wouldn’t event know.

Prior to my trip I ordered several panniers (one set not pictured) that Sigrid kindly agreed to accept delivery of for me. They were on sale there and with the free shipping ended up being almost half the price as they are here in the US.

These has enclosed clips that allow me to easily attach them to my back rack.

This summer I’ll make some skirt gaurds too.

These prevent your skirt or coat from getting caught in the back wheel

And now, I have got to start working on a dress for the Seersucker Social in DC. Just two weeks away!

Because of usually high temps (which were a boon for us) the field of tulips I remembered never materialized. Because of the warmth, the tulips bloomed early. But, happily there were still some in the fields.

This also made me realize it was 23 years to the same Mother’s Day weekend I had been in the Netherlands the first time! I remember because I bought my mom roses and a black corduroy  skirt from a flea market. I think she still has the skirt actually.

I think the memory of the tulips all those years ago cemented them as my favorite flowers.

Luckily we stopped at Keukenhof where the curators were keeping the flowers alive out of doors and inside a massive greenhouse / display.

They had displays up in a pagent manner for different dresses.

*cough*  I may have stood in line to pose with  in the wedding dress.

There were many tulips to see at the gardens which were beautifully curated

My favorite memory of the garden though is this sculpture and sign.

“Please. Treat the artwork with respect.”

You know, don’t tease the artwork because it’s not Michaelangelo’s David! It’s not the scultpure’s fault he wasn’t made into the Thinker. Not everyone can be Lady Justice! Show some respect! Heh. I know. I’m juvenile.

How can you travel without eating any and everything? Plus, I convinced myself that biking each day would cancel out all the foods I planned to inhale.

My first foray into Dutch food was a big fat serving of  frites with mayonaise. Possibly this was something I ate almost daily. I’m not sold on the mayo, but ketchup wasn’t hard to come by.

On board the boat, we were also treated to amazing Indonesian food and a special breakfast of crepes and poffertjes. The poffertjes were so good that when I got together with sewing friends on Saturday, we sought them out at the open air market.

Poffertjes, little puffy pancakes served with powder sugar or syrup.

Trena and I both caved for stroopwafels. Now,  I’ve had them pre-packed from Trader Joe’s so I had a sense of what they would be like.

But, let me tell you that popping hot fresh ones made to order are the things dreams are made from.

Our last night’s dinner was at Bolhoed (the Dutch word for a bowler hat) in Amsterdam.

I had the Bolhead special with fresh white Dutch asparagus. Can I just tell you I bought strawberries at the market that actually tasted sweet and like strawberries?!?

A dining companion went with the quiche.

Trena, had chocolate.

I’m also happy to report that beer costs as much as bottled water in the restaurants. I don’t actually like beer so I thought I’d try a lambic. Trena thinks it tasted like cough syrup.