Thoughts and Conclusions

July 9, 2012

We enjoyed our stay in the Netherlands. Except for two days of strong headwinds, the cycling was less challenging than on our three tours in France--the terrain was mostly level and the distances were relatively short. This spring tour was a good way to start the cycling season after being off our bikes for the winter. The cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands is truly impressive, with separate well-surfaced cycle paths almost everywhere. There was however, more bumpy brick paving than we had anticipated, particularly in towns, and even on some rural cycle paths. Also when we added elevation profiles to the daily maps we were surprised by how much of our route had been below sea level.

Route finding would have been difficult without Al's usual advance planning. The signage was not consistent, at least for visitors like us who weren't familiar with the areas, and quite often the main signed route between two towns was on a separate bike lane along a highway—noisy and not very interesting. Al used Google Earth to search out less direct and more scenic paths that followed smaller roads away from heavy car traffic. The weather was colder than we had anticipated, but this spring it seems that delaying our trip for a month would not have made much difference to the weather, and we would have missed the tulips. We were lucky to have experienced only a small amount of rain.

A stretch of brick-lined bike path that goes for about 10 kilometers.

While planning our trip, we tried to sign up with Vrienden op de Fiets (Friends on the Bike), a network of like-minded (bike-minded) people who host cyclists in their homes on a bed and breakfast basis for a nominal fee. This seemed like it would be a great way to meet local people and also enjoy economical accommodation. We couldn't figure out how to register and pay the 10 euro registration fee from outside the Netherlands, but apparently it is possible. Here's a link to their website: http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl/index.php/en/

Instead we booked small hotels and regular B&Bs, (mostly through bedandbreakfast.nl). Every place we stayed included WIFI and breakfast in the rate. There were some lovely B&Bs for 65 euros with excellent hearty breakfasts for a good start to the day. Many of the B&Bs had only one room, and at most of them breakfast was delivered to us in our room, so we sometimes missed the interaction with our hosts and other guests that we had experienced around common breakfast tables in France. With a couple of exceptions, we were satisfied with the hotels we stayed in, and breakfasts there were usually served buffet style in an “eetzall”. Breakfasts were substantial but not particularly creative, especially the breads, which were often standard supermarket sliced fare. We occasionally had croissants, a few of which were outstanding, and good whole grain buns.

Unusual whole-wheat croissants for breakfast at the B&B in Leiden. They were surprisingly good.

Lunches and dinners varied from acceptable to very good. Lunches usually consisted of reasonably priced sandwiches with chicken or seafood and lots of cheese. A few times we had salads or pannekoeken, and once a massive portion of vegetarian lasagne. Unlike the French, the Dutch don't go in for leisurely three course menu du jour lunches, which we have found particularly beneficial while cycling! We almost always had caffe macchiatos to accompany our midday meal rather than the glasses of wine we enjoyed in France. We managed a few outdoor lunches, but usually were glad to get inside where it was warm and dry and out of the wind.

Part of the make-your-own salad selection for lunch at La Place.

Along our route we found a scarcity of bakeries and hardly any interesting pastry. Good apple cake or pie was widely available in cafes and restaurants, but there were few chocolate desserts on offer, although we could buy excellent chocolate bars at grocery stores.

One of the few chocolate desserts we found on this trip.

Beer is the drink of choice in the Netherlands, but we prefer a glass of wine with our dinners, and we found decent and reasonably priced reds, mostly from South Africa or South America, available everywhere.

We've already nattered on about the museumkaarts, but really, we can't recommend them highly enough if you will be in the Netherlands for a few weeks. Of the 17 museums we visited, admission to only four of the small local ones was not covered by the card. We were impressed with the high quality of all the museums, and having the opportunity to visit them definitely increased our understanding of this unique country and added greatly to our enjoyment of the touring experience. Museumkaarts can be purchased at the Uitburo (tourist office) at Leidseplein in Amsterdam or at selected museums. http://www.amsterdam.info/museums/museumkaart/

We can't leave this journal without mentioning the tulips and other spring flowers. One of the main reasons we timed our trip for April/May was to view the colourful bulb fields and to visit Keukenhof, definitely touristy, but not to be missed during its two-month opening time. We would recommend the Netherlands as a touring destination, and a month was not too long a time to travel through six of the provinces and to learn more about this part of Europe.

One of our goals for the trip was to see lots of tulips, and this we did.

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Kathleen JonesWhat a great tour. I’ve been in the Netherlands in April and that wind off the North Sea is biting, and I wasn’t even cycling, so I admire your tenacity up in Friesland. The tulips were amazing and I see how it must have made the trip.

Thanks!
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2 years ago

Eva WaltersTo Kathleen JonesYes, we felt lucky afterwards that we only had to endure two days of strong headwinds, and as you say, the tulips were amazing. Glad you enjoyed the journal, and thanks for your comment.
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2 years ago