Cycling Adventures 4: Zaanse Schans and Landsmeer

Day 5 - Edam to Landsmeer
Our second last day was a rather short distance to cycle. We again became obsessive about the beautiful gardens and houses, taking photos left right and centre of traditional dutch homes.

Traditional green Dutch house and exquisite garden

Another lovely green garden and green house

Before finding our campsite we cycled to Zaanse Schans, a neighbourhood of Zaandam with preserved windmills, workshops and houses. It is a popular tourist attraction due to its proximity to Amsterdam. 

It was a beautiful day and Zaanse Schans was packed with tourists. We were rather glad that we had done our cycling trip in a clockwise direction so that we visited Zaanse Schans last. It meant we had more of a glimpse of "everyday" Holland before seeing this tourist set-up. Not to say it wasn't good, but I am glad we didn't just do a day trip out of Amsterdam and stop at that. 

Zaanse Schans is pretty much full of things the Netherlands is famous for: clogs, windmills, cheese, stroopwafels, etc. Our favourite part was learning what the windmills were used for in addition to pumping water. There used to be over 600 mills in the area and now there are ten. The mills are used for sawing wood and grinding oil, spice and flowers.

Zaanse Schans mills

Drying our towels in Zaanse Schans with the ducks and geese

Pretty Zaanse Schans

From the viewpoint at Zaanse Schans

After our time in Zaanse Schans we continued on to our campsite, located east of Zaandam and north of Amsterdam near Landsmeer. An initially grumpy lady reluctantly took our money and found us a spot to set-up. The campsite was next to a lake so we took a quick dip and read our books before heading to town for a drink. To our surprise the waiters brought around a complimentary cheese board for all the patrons to nibble from. Heading home to our tent we were thrilled to find that not only were we camping next to the Outnumbered family (!), but the man next to us was having a BBQ and managing to funnel the smoke directly towards our drying clothes and tent!

On the road to Landsmeer

Landsmeer house with cute bridge

Traditional tent photo

Day 6 - Zaandam to Amsterdam

Our last day of cycling was another short one. It is amazing how close the countryside is to Amsterdam. Then all of a sudden, there is the railway station. We initially planned to cycle on to Utrecht to spend another day in Utrecht, say goodbye to Ilir and get the rest of our luggage. We decided to take the train with our bikes to have more time in Utrecht. This also meant we would get to our Amsterdam campsite at a reasonable time...or so we thought...

Cycling Adventures 3: Zandvoort, Alkmaar and Edam

Day 3 - The Hague to Zandvoort (continued)

Leaving the Hague in the rain it wasn't too long before we hit the beach. It wasn't a hard choice to push on. By midday we were ready for a break and some lunch by another beach. We had a drink at a dead beach resort restaurant to get away from the wind. When we came out it had started to heat up and it wasn't long before we were stripping off layers and dreaming of beach afternoon at Zandvoort.

Raincoat and shorts turned out to both be good choices!

A large part of our route on day 3 was through the Meijendel sand dunes on the west coast. The sand dunes provide a natural protection from the threat of the ocean. In other areas artificial sand dunes are constructed for the same purpose. It was such a departure from the sight of the green Netherland's countryside and paired with the sun's reappearance we felt like we were in the middle of a desert. 

Cycling to the sky

The sand dunes were vast and appeared to go on forever. Cycling up and down the small hills we didn't seem to be moving anywhere and wondered if we would ever see the beach! Eventually we made it to North Holland where we took a break to celebrate.

Made it!

Sand dunes as far as the eye can see

After some serious up-hill as we approached Zandvoort, the beach finally seemed within reach. Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts in the Netherlands. The campground we stayed at had everything you could need (well, no toilet paper) but was extremely cramped. The idea was to fit in as many paying customers as possible and it was certainly an experience.

After setting up camp we still had enough time to enjoy the beach with a book and a drink. It was too cold for swimming and perhaps that is why the beach there is so built up with shelters and cafes.

Zandvoort beach

Traditional photo amongst the masses!

Day 4 - Zandvoort to Alkmaar
Today we rode through windy, country roads on our way to Alkmaar. We enjoyed some street art, the cycling, some windmills and an ice-cream before making it to the B&B where we would camp that night. 

We hadn't booked our accommodation assuming we could just show up in the middle of August. It was a B&B place setup by a husband and wife team, who also allow you to camp or park your caravan in their backyard.  We hadn't booked - because it was virtually impossible to do that at any other campsite, but here the owner informed us that they usually have a 2 night stay minimum.  Rob said "OK, we'll go somewhere else", luckily, the owner accepted his bluff and showed us where to setup, because I didn't feel like cycling to the next campsite across the other side of Alkmaar. This spot was certainly a contrast to the chaos of the beach resort site the night before. With cows as our neighbours, we slept well in the backyard, waking to the sound of birds chirping.

Excitement and fireworks on the streets of the Netherlands

Happily cycling through the countryside

Windmill ahoy!

Bit of a rest after an ice-cream break

Traditional tent photo, cows included

In the evening we explored Alkmaar, another town famous for its cheese. There were some impressive buildings in town, the Waag (balance scale) building in particular really caught my eye. In the 14th century it was a chapel for the adjacent hospital, later it was converted to a weight-house and now it houses the cheese museum.

The Waag, Alkmaar

Pretty Alkmaar

Day 4 - Alkmaar to Edam
This was my favourite day in our cycling adventure, mainly because we learnt more about how the Netherlands manages its water challenges but also because the day included a few other things I love to do.

Twenty six per cent of the Netherlands is below sea level and much of it is prone to flooding.  The country uses a complex drainage system that includes sand dunes, dikes, dams, floodgates, canals and pumping stations. Developed in the 15th century, polder windmills used the power of the wind and scoop wheel to bring water up out of the polder into the canals for drainage. Mills were combined to increase the pumping height and later mills used an Archimedes screw to further raise the height of the water. Drainage mills were replaced by pumping stations firstly using steam and then diesel and electricity.  

The Museummolen Schermerhorn that we visited, is one of the eleven windmills left from the windmill complex of the Schermer polder in North Holland. For almost three centuries the Schermer polder was drained using windmills. The museum included a great video on the history of water management and the opportunity to see inside the mill. We left in awe of the Dutch and what they have achieved. I think a lot of people would have just given up and moved somewhere else (easier said than done too I suppose) but the Dutch persevered  The current level of maintenance and necessary forward thinking for the future also cannot be underestimated.

Museummolen Schermerhorn

Another windmill across the way

Water: enemy and friend

Inside the windmill

Picnic on the canal

After some more cycling we stopped for a picnic lunch on a little canal. Our lovely, calm spot was barely 20 metres from the supermarket. It was one of those days were everything just went to plan!

Enjoying the beautiful day we rode on to charming, little Edam (of the cheese notoriety). I realise I sound like a broken record but Edam was truly out of a storybook with its quaint houses and bridge and gorgeous gardens. I felt like I was in a chalk drawing and if I stepped too heavily or fell in a canal I might just break the spell of the place. 

Beautiful Edam

Don't fall in and wreck the spell!

House with traditional Dutch shutters

That evening our campsite was alongside the IJsselmeer, an artificial lake constructed in 1932 when a dam closed off an inland sea. (Another example of the Dutch command over water.) It was a lovely campsite and we were pleased to enjoy a swim and some lakeside reading in the afternoon. The pier provided a great place to watch sunset and I had fun chatting to some kids that were trying to convince me to dunk my shoes in the water! Their Dad soon followed in their footsteps to apologise and I ended up talking to him too. Soon Rob joined me and we saw the last of sun with a bit of pier yoga. It's like paddle board yoga but on a much more stable surface!

Tent photo with towels drying on bikes

Cycling Adventures 2: Oudewater, Gouda, Rotterdam and the Hague

We had some excellent weather in the Netherlands. It was perfect for cycling around the country and that is what we did:

More or less our 6 day cycling route

Day 1 - Utrecht to Rotterdam
Setting out kind of late we were again excited to be on bicycles, this time tent and clothes in tow. We had a map and although we would get lost a few times, the signage in the Netherlands is excellent (for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers). 

Blue skies and cycling!

Look over there!

Not only was the weather stunning but just about everything else was ridiculously scenic and lovely. I am not exaggerating when I say most people's gardens look like Australia's wineries*. I don't mean in size but in the care that is taken to manicure a lovely, welcoming setting. I really didn't see many exceptions.

Traditional Dutch house and baby windmill

Thought this statue was great

One of many, many lovely canals

* Not to say Australians don't keep lovely gardens. They do, just not with the same consistency as the Dutch. Who to be fair, have a lot more water and probably better soil!


It was not long before we stopped for lunch. In fact, we were still in Utrecht Province at a town called Oudewater. There appeared to be a lot of witch shops and the like. Later I found out that the town hosts some "Witches' scales." During the 16th century people accused of witchcraft would come to weigh themselves to prove their innocence and avoid being burnt on a stake. The idea behind the scales is that a witch weighs less than a normal person because they have no soul. Anyway, we knew none of this, failed to get our certificates of innocence and may well be witches. 

Deciding not to muck about, we hopped straight into some wine and a cheese board. It was delightful. It must be noted though that this was when we first became aware of the slight bee annoyance that would follow us our whole trip. (Where there are flowers there are bees.) Luckily we spotted the local technique of trapping bees in an empty glass or bottle. The trick was to remember to let if free when you left or the waiter would be in for a nasty surprise!

Enjoying the sunshine in Oudewater

After lunch we were on our way into South Holland, keen to stop in Gouda to check out the birthplace of the famous cheese. (It is also the home of Stroopwaffles!) It was mostly quiet with noone about except for the main square. Seems like lots of the locals were holidaying on the coast or elsewhere. We poked around a bit, ate some cheese and moved on.

Mmm cheese sign

Gouda's gothic city hall

Rob was first introduced to the clever processes the Netherlands use to manage their water challenges back in 1994. Having never been myself I was pretty interested to find out more about how the various mechanisms work. We saw the lock shown below on our first day as we headed towards Rotterdam. We watched how they reduced the water level so it would be level with the side they wished to enter. It took a fair while but I suppose traffic lights can too!

Watching how the lock worked 

Cycling on we made it to our destination Rotterdam. Ready to eat and put up tent (probably in the opposite order), we kept on cycling right to the edge of Rotterdam zoo. Our campsite was pretty standard but the woman that checked us in was extremely friendly and very excited to give us tips for Rotterdam. Desperately thirsty and hungry, after 10 minutes of advice, we had to cut her off!  Deciding to eat at the campsite was not what she had in mind but was what we did, vowing to make an early start and explore some of Rotterdam.

Here is a CRUCIAL camping tip for the Netherlands: They usually do not supply toilet paper. They seem to have absolutely everything else: restaurants, convenience stores, game rooms, mini-skate parks, bike hire, just not toilet paper. You can often buy it on-site but its a useful thing to know beforehand. (Sometimes they have a spot for it but just don't provide it.)


Day 2 - Rotterdam to Scheveningen

The next day we searched high and low for a breakfast spot. Many of the cafes were shut until we got right into the centre of Rotterdam's port. We had aimed to go to market square and ended up there for breakfast. Markthal, the "Sistine Chapel of Fresh Produce", is a new, exciting building that hosts 230 flats and a huge food market underneath. The eye-catching ceiling has images of fruit, vegetable, plants and animals; as well as apartment windows peeking through. I thought it was pretty impressive but did wonder how long it would be before it started to date.

Markthal ceiling

View from the outside

Due to the devastating damage of the Rotterdam Blitz in World War II, the city's building are all, relatively speaking, new and modern. I think it is interesting that the decision was made to demolish the city and start afresh, providing space for innovation and improvement. Across from the Markthal there are yellow cube houses poised on an angle over the main road. The cube houses, Kubusewoningen, designed by architect Piet Blom, were inspired by the idea of living in a treehouse in a forest. Each cube represents a tree-top. The space is now used for small offices, a museum for interested tourists, a youth hostel and social housing. More on Kubusewoningen here. 

Kubusewoningen

Underneath Kubusewoningen 

From Rotterdam we cycled a relatively short distance to our campsite for the night, near Scheveningen. The Netherlands has some "wild camping" spots scattered around the place and we'd picked this one due to its close proximity to the Hague. Unfortunately armed with the coordinates and a description of where to find this particular designated area, we absolutely could not find it! AND this was after an initial wrong turn that led to a one hour scenic route. (Luckily not just a figure of speech here: it was absolutely scenic!) We found the general vicinity of where it was meant to be and split up, searching high and low, in and out, round and about. Eventually we found a football golf centre where we asked for help. We got precise directions to "the woods", still had a bit of trouble, and finally ran into a teeny tiny sign showing us we could camp. It was by then late afternoon so we quickly put up the tent and cycled into Scheveningen for dinner. Coming back from dinner we were startled out of our skins when another voice came out from the trees near our tent. Turns out we had evening companions who had managed to find the site and even later than us! What a night we were all in for as a dramatic storm thundered down around us.

Triple windmill  

Traditional tent photo: "wild camping"

Day 3 - The Hague to Zandvoort
We got into the Hague fairly early for a morning coffee and the news. Looking at the pictures in the Dutch newspaper l saw that there had been an horrific accident the day before where two cranes had fallen, flattening houses. A dog died in the accident but amazingly there were no other fatalities or injuries.

Given the adventures of the previous day (i.e. getting lost), we did not spend a great deal of time exploring the third biggest city of the country and is the seat of government in the Netherlands. It was pretty exciting to cycle right into the political centre of the country at Binnenhof. I kept waiting for someone to stop me. Then I remembered I was in the Netherlands. They weren't going to tell me to get off a bicycle!

The buildings of Binnenhof were really something special and we spent a little while admiring them before cycling through other parts of town. Before coming the political centre, the Binnenhof was originally the residence of the counts of Holland. The Ridderzaal is the main building of the Binnenhof and was built in the 13th century. Amongst other things, Ridderzaal is used for the state opening of parliament where the monarch delivers the speech from the throne.

Outside the Ridderzaal

Binnenhof and Hofvijver lake

TO BE CONTINUED....

Cycling Adventures 1: Utrecht

A bus from Edinburgh, a ferry from Newcastle, another bus from the port and a train from Amsterdam saw us to Utrecht! At the train station we were met by my friend Ilir whose huge smile seemed to have grown since I saw him in 2011 in Bolivia. It was great to see a friendly, familiar face. Ilir kindly hosted us at his place in lovely Utrecht for a few nights.

Love this guy. Torch or cigar?

Along the canal

We weren't in the Netherlands long before Ilir had procured a handful of bicycles from friends for us to borrow. Cycling along, Ilir gave us a tour of town and introduced to us to some important local cuisine: Frikandel, a minced meat hotdog. Whilst Japan excels at drinks and coffee vending machines, the Netherlands appears to be winning at 24/7 hot snack vending machines. Pretty handy, but I was definitely more excited about my reunion with the Stroopwafel. (Back in Bolivia in 2011, Ilir and the stroopwafel had saved us from a Sunday morning without breakfast!) Fresh stroopwafels are the best. Someone really needs to start selling fresh stroopwafels regularly in Melbourne!

As well as enjoying a picnic lunch at Ilir's apartment, an afternoon drink in the sun, stroopwafels and fried snacks, we had some Vietnamese street food in Utrecht! Not exactly what we expected but it was great and we had a few of the things we fondly remembered from our time in Vietnam back in February. 

Reunion with bubble tea

From Utrecht we also took a half-day cycle to visit areas outside the city. It was great being on a bike in the sun, cycling past farms and windmills and, of course, goats on backyard tables. 

Cyclists

Goat's castle

We also dropped in to see Rob's family friends, Neil and Margot. Neil and Oliver were old family friends, and were at school together in England.  There was once  an actual fight between Oliver & Neil where fists might have been involved, a fight that has been re-enacted on each reunion between their families!  

Neil and Margot were in the middle of moving house.  The fact that much of the Netherlands is built on reclaimed land is not lost on their house, where the first level, is kind of ..shifting at each corner, and not all shifting in the same direction.  They're moving out while renovations/rebuilding is happening, and then they'll be back!

Rob stood in for this reenactment 

Confused about what happened to his mouth!

Resident duck at Neil and Margot's

It was amazing how many windmills we saw in a short amount of time. The Netherlands is surely the country with the most bridges than all the other places we've visited, well per capita anyway. Our short cycle was a good way to get an initial feel for the Netherlands and warm up for the days to follow.

Windmill

Cycling on grass and water

Windmill and the clever Dutch water system

After a 6-day cycling loop around the Netherlands we returned to Utrecht for a final day before heading to Amsterdam. We enjoyed a coffee, did some shopping and met up with Ilir for a canal swim. We actually failed to take many photos in Utrecht so you will have to take our word for that it is a beautiful city. (Or you could go yourself!) Ilir has certainly chosen a great place to live. 

Bicycle love

Ah! Coffee on the canals

Taking a dip!