April 22, 2012
Haarlem to Edam: floats, a ferry and windmills
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WEATHER: rain early, then SUNSHINE! Tailwind most of the way.
On the way out of Haarlem we cycled through the central market square and there on display were all the floats from last night's parade! We were able to view them close up in daylight, and were astounded at the amount of work that must have gone into attaching the many many thousands of flowers (mostly tulips, hyacinths and narcissus) to the frameworks of the floats. They were truly impressive, even if the themes depicted were somewhat bizarre. It was a showery cool morning, and we wore full wet weather gear in case the rain got more serious.
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We went north along the river Spaarne, then along a canal and eventually arrived at the ferry which crossed the Noordzeekanaal, the wide main canal linking Amsterdam to the North Sea. This ferry took cars as well as bicycles and pedestrians and went back and forth 24/7. We just missed it, and while waiting the 20 minutes or so for it to come back, the showers stopped and sunny breaks appeared. On the north side of the canal we headed east and then north through the linear settlement of Westzaan, one long brick street with houses on either side and polders behind them. Then east again to the village of Zaandijk where we found a nice riverside restaurant with a good view of the windmills of Zaanse Schans on the other side.
We locked our bikes in the front entry courtyard of the restaurant, and left them with a bit of trepidation, since this would be the first time we wouldn't be able to see them while we ate. We had heard about the high rate of bike theft in the Netherlands, and had been ultra-cautious so far. There was no problem, and after this, we relaxed a bit and just made sure that the loaded bikes were always securely locked (with the cable going through the pannier straps) when we couldn't see them. We had good sandwiches for lunch--smoked salmon with capers and cream cheese for Eva and roast beef for Al, with apple pie for dessert.
After lunch we crossed the river Zaan and rode north through the theme park village of Zaanse Schans. Since it had now become a sunny Sunday afternoon and all the windmills were working, there were quite a few tourists about and we didn't stop. Shortly north of the windmills, we headed east along another canal, and at this point we diverged from the routes in Katherine Widing's book that we had been mostly following since leaving Amsterdam. Her route turned south to Amsterdam, and we were heading east to Edam. It was very pleasant pedalling in the sunshine with a moderate tailwind. The route took us through more linear villages along canals and past pastureland. At one point we saw two large brown rabbits running parallel to us just across a drainage canal, and beyond sat a huge swan on her nest.
Oddly enough, several hundred metres before we reached the B&B in Edam, Al got the only flat tire of the trip. It couldn't actually be called a puncture, because it turned out to be a patch on the tube that had given way (perhaps because of the bumpy brick paving we had encountered). De Krasseman B&B was in a residential area a short walk on a canal-side path from the centre of Edam, a small, but very picturesque cheese town.
We found a pleasant unassuming cafe for dinner and tried the local specialty, white asparagus with hollandaise sauce for a first course, and then chicken curry for the main. Our waiter explained that the white asparagus is grown in a small area of the country and is a much sought after delicacy while it is in season. The spears were fat and very tender and the hollandaise sauce was excellent. We are big fans of green asparagus, and actually find it more flavourful than the white--probably healthier too because of the green colour. We walked through the central area of Edam, all closed up for the evening, and then returned to our B&B.
Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 286 km (178 miles)
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10 months ago
Thank you for all your comments in our journal. It's so nice that you have found it interesting and I hope helpful in case you are planning a tour in the Netherlands. I notice in the forum section that you have recently returned from a tour in Germany--would love to see a journal about your trip. Happy cycling!
10 months ago
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