My Bike Vacation in North Holland, 2006
This description of my biking trip throughout northern Holland started out as an email for my Aunt Jean.
She likes to hear about my travels and is always asking questions. So then I expanded the email and decided to send it to those of you who also like to read my stories.
The land is flat so the cycling was easy and for the most part, effortless.
The trip was a blast, mostly because of the people. Anyway, here goes.
On Saturday, I returned from a Bike & Barge trip in North Holland where I had a wonderful time.
There were about 40 people on this trip lead by Suzy and Roger, of the Bike and the Like touring group.
We rode for six days from 25 to 40 miles per day. The land is flat so the cycling was easy and for the most part, effortless. The landscape is dotted with windmills, some of which are still working for display purposes.
We visited one mill that grinded peanuts for oil. I found Holland to be a contrast from England in the respect that England uses shrubs to divide up the land and pen in their sheep or cows whereas Holland relies on its vast network of canals which criss-cross each other like a checker board.
We'd set out to ride each morning after having spent the night on a barge which served as our hotel. We were split up on two barges. Our day would begin at 8 am with breakfast. By 9 am we were taking the bikes off the barge and start pedaling at 9:30 am.
Meanwhile, the barges would take off and meet us at our next destination. We'd ride till 3:30 or 4 pm. After we arrived at the boat, we'd have snacks up in the dining area, then take our showers.
Dinner was served at 6:30 pm. At 8:30 pm, we'd take a group walk in the town. By 10 pm, most of us were winding down. The accommodations were tight with upper and lower berths (similar to bunk beds) and a small shower. But we spent very little time in the rooms.
I bunked with another single lady, Janice, on the trip. We had exchanged emails several months before the trip to get to know one another. Janice and I arranged to meet in Amsterdam and to see the city together two days before the bike trip started.
Bike & Barge touring groups are quite popular in Holland. In fact, Holland is bike friendly with special bike lanes built all over the country. Bikers have right of way, then automobiles and pedestrians last.
In Amsterdam, Janice and I almost got run over by cyclists. They are everywhere and all kinds of people ride bikes. You'd see women dressed up with high heels on bikes, men in suits, and people wearing everyday clothes.
The bike lanes are separated from the sidewalks and roads with a low brick or concrete border. On the country roads, the bike lanes are marked with dotted lines painted on the road surface. These bike lanes have their own traffic signals with red and green lit bicycle icons and signs that mark the lanes as bike-only lanes.
When we were cycling in the country, we (the Americans) were the only ones wearing bike helmets. Children are transported by bicycle in bike seats that are affixed in front of the handle bars.
We would … stop on our daily rides for coffee/hot chocolate and apple tart at the town cafes.
I'm not sure what Dutch cuisine is like since we didn't dine in the restaurants.
But we would make a stop on our daily rides for coffee/hot chocolate and apple tart at the town cafes.
We were served a European breakfast each morning on the boat with yogurt, granola, breads, cold cuts, cheese, melba toast, boiled egg, and an assortment of condiments such as chocolate hazelnut spread, chocolate sprinkles, peanut butter, and jelly.
I took a few pictures and I hope to get more from the others that I biked with.
Cheers, Lisa Tempesta (UK)