Amsterdam -- Country Bike Tour

Bicycling is big in The Netherlands, really big. There are bike paths everywhere both in and out of cities, and many people use bikes as a primary means of transportation. Their ability to do this is aided by the fact that the country is almost entirely flat. So, we figured as long as we were there, we should take a bike tour.

We met up at the bike shop and learned that the tour was just us and our friends the Greens. Great! After getting our bikes, we headed toward the northern part of Amsterdam. Right outside the main train station we boarded a free (!) ferry to take us across the Ij (pronounced "eye") River. It only takes about five minutes for the ride, but it is apparently the only thing you can do in Amsterdam that is free.

After disembarking in North Amsterdam, and a brief introduction to how the Dutch have managed to control all of the water that it must deal with (better over time, with some serious floods in the past), we set out.

First, a note on biking in the Netherlands: they are serious about it! I guess because they are truly using it as a means of transportation, no one is really out for a casual ride, even on a Sunday. We quickly learned to stay to the right, and to listen for the bells of bikes indicating that they were going to pass you -- often at high speeds.

Our first stop was, of course, to see a traditional windmill. There are actually not that many of these left in the country, but this one is actually still used to run a factory that makes high-end paint (for paintings, not walls). Unfortunately, since it was Sunday, it was not running.

After that, we just meandered through the countryside with views of many cows along with some sheep and horses. We let this horse pass us since he was much bigger.

On the ride, we learned that in the Netherlands, golf is considered a game for the very rich, and that no one likes people who cycle for sport as they come up on you really fast and pass without even letting you know they are there. We can testify to that!

We stopped for lunch in a little village the had once been a competitor of Amsterdam, but has clearly faded over the years. We did climb the village's tower (a church belfry that was left unfinished when the money ran out) for great views of the surrounding countryside.

Overall, we rode about 14 miles on the tour, but it was at a very relaxed pace, so no one was too tired as we waited for the ferry to recross the Ij. However, the bike seats were not super comfortable, so we all were in some pain, although we managed to smile for the camera.

More to come on our visit to the Netherlands.

Jeff and Shana