A beautiful day of cycling - with a tumble off the bike: Historic windmills along the route - Exploring Holland, Germany and Denmark on a Recumbent Tandem

September 29, 2013

A beautiful day of cycling - with a tumble off the bike: Historic windmills along the route

Riding today was as near to perfect cycling as you can get. Wonderful cycling paths along beautiful countryside, dotted with old working windmills.

We really enjoyed having a guided tour of the Windlust in Nootdorp, built in 1781 in Delft and moved here in 1885. During WWII, the owner secretly milled grain for those who had little or no money, putting himself in potential danger from the Germans. We were given a tour by a volunteer who in his retirement had taken the course to be a miller. He is one of 5 volunteers who regularly mill grain here. The local council has designated the mill as a site for weddings and we saw many photos of this. We can't imagine a bride climbing the narrow stairs in her white dress, but she did.

We felt like Don Quixote today chasing windmills across the countryside. Some of these mills are now being used as homes but many are still working mills. The only bad moment was when we came out of a lane and couldn't see the traffic. We missed the corner and fell over - not our best moment. Even with a slow moving fall, the cuts and bruises still hurt. Not to mention our pride.

We were fascinated by the narrowness of the roads today - usually a single lane with a narrow spot for the bike on one side and a sharp drop off on the other in to a canal with no barricade. We wondered how many cars have ended up in the water. As well, many of the homes had drawbridges across the canal to the road.
At times, it resembled a moat as the water often surrounded the home on three sides. As you imagine the bird life is incredible - herons, ducks, swans...

The campsite we had in mind for tonight was north of Alphen aan den Rijn - but we got so completely lost, we were concerned that we would never get there. We lost count of how many locals stopped and tried to help us. Most of the roads in this town are circular or angled - I don't think there are many square corners - for this reason we could never get our bearings. Anyway, a clerk at a hotel called the campground and insured that they would stay open for us.

We finally got there, tired and sore from our fall. We liked what we saw. As well as being a campground, it is a small winery. We bought a bottle of his red wine (he supplied glasses!) and we retired to our tent, happy to be here.

The signs on the bathroom amused us - especially the shower area showing wooden clogs and traditional hats set aside.

Studying the maps - where to go today.....

The campground on the outskirts of Delft. It is the end of September and we are the only campers with a tent. As well, many of the trailers that have been set up for the season are packing up and going home. It feels like the camping season is ending here.

You can see why we love cycling in Holland - paved cycle paths along the canal surrounded by farmland.

This working windmill, Windlust, is being run by volunteer millers and is open for tours.

It is great having a personal tour and learning how a windmill works.

This drawbridge leads to a home on the canal.

Flat countryside that allows you to see for miles - a wonderful view of old windmills.

A fall off the bike - it could have been worse.

The little guy in blue is learning how to steer.

Riding across this historic canal drawbridge.

After being lost for some time, we appreciated finding the campground. We also enjoyed this tasty wine from campground host's winery.

Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 2,890 km (1,795 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0