Day 24 Amsterdam

 Went back to the bike shop twice today.  On the second visit I took my last bike ride around the city before dropping the bike off to be packed up.  Bike riding in Amsterdam, I think, is safer than walking.  When you are walking around and you get to an intersection you have to watch for cars, trams, and bikes.  But on a bike you just follow the paths and look for the red or green lights to tell you if you have the right of way or not.  Especially once you know where you are going, riding the bike in the city was fun - and the fastest way to get around.

The Rijksmuseum.

I still amazed how many bikes are here.  I've read there are over 900,000 bikes in the city while only 820,000 people live here.

I stopped at this open air market. (and yes, you can see the first picture was sunny but this picture 15 minutes later shows it has just rained.)

I had some poffertjes - basically little pancakes.  These were covered in butter, powdered sugar, with a lemon wedge.  Really good.

Later in the day, on my second trip to the bike shop, I stopped again at the market and had a fresh made Stroopwafel.  What a treat.

Always dramatic clouds overhead.  The weather changes on a dime.

Day 25 Amsterdam

 Woke up to a beautiful Fall morning and went on a canal cruise.

You can see the Elm trees lining the canal starting to turn yellow and drop their leaves.

Typical Amsterdam architecture.

Just a pretty shot.

A picture showing steel beams sticking out from the top of each residence.  These beams were originally used by merchants to raise goods into or out of their business.  But today the beams are still used to get heavy and bulky items into these homes - because the homes are so narrow and the stair cases are too steep to carry big items up the steps.  (originally the home owner paid taxes based on the width of the front facade of the house - so they kept the front narrow and often had the back of the home flare out wider.)

Fall colors.

Then went for a walk in Vondel Park.  Many people were out enjoying the nice weather on a Sunday afternoon.

A few more things to see tomorrow and then time to pack up and head home.

 

Day 23 Amsterdam

 Rode 32 miles into Amsterdam

Due to such wet weather I have decided to end this ride in Amsterdam.  Of course I have mixed feelings on not completing the planned ride.  I don't like the idea of not finishing, but even my friend Paul from the Netherlands said he would have stopped long before me due to the weather.  I could keep riding but it would be more like a repetitive exercise of pedaling to get somewhere rather than enjoying the ride and stopping here and there to explore a new place.  

But I have to view the trip as a success.  I got to spend time in Prague, Dresden, Wittenberg, Berlin, Hamburg, Groningen, and Amsterdam.  I also met many wonderful, very kind people who extended hospitality to me and informed me about the place in which they live.  And I got to spend time with a cycling friend I made a few years ago while on a ride along the Danube river.  It's hard to complain about that.

Today started out well with cool temperatures and sunshine.

Friday must be market day because several towns I rode through had open air markets set up.

Waiting for the last ferry ride of the trip.

These short ferry rides across rivers and canals have been free of charge.

Fall is clearly in the air.  Approaching Haarlem, Netherlands.

 

De Grote of St. Bavokerk te Haarlem.  Constructed in 1479.  Both Mozart and Handel played here.

Once I got to Amsterdam I started to walk around to bike shops looking for a box to put my bike in to ship home.  Finally at the 7th shop they had a box.  Yeah!!.  Now just a few loose ends to tie up before I'll be ready to come home.

 

Day 22

 In the morning Paul and I rode our bikes to the local train station to catch a ride to Amsterdam.  Our plan. was to visit the Rijksmuseum an walk around town a bit.  The public transportation system here is fantastic.

This is bicycle parking at the train station in the small town of Limmen.  There had to be 500 - 600 bikes there.

The Rijksmuseum.  Dedicated to Dutch art and history.

The Little Street - Vermeer

The Milkmaid - by Vermeer

Syndics of the Drapers' Guild - Rembrandt

We saw many famous works of art by Dutch masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and others.  Van Gogh had his works in a separate museum.  

This is a doll house made for the wife of a local merchant in the 1600's.  It cost as much as a full size house in the nicest sections of Amsterdam!!  Remarkable detail and materials.

The museum library of art history and restoration.

Model ship room.

It was interesting to learn about this golden age in Dutch history.  During the 1600's the Netherlands was the richest countries on earth - due to their shipping and trade.  I found this truly remarkable for a nation that is smaller in land mass than West Virginia. 

Day 21 Limmen

 39 miles to my friend Paul's house.

The day started off chilly and foggy but not raining.  Woo hoo!.  I cycled 22 miles and met my friend Paul at a local cafe in Schoorldam.  Brian and I met Paul and his wife Mieke while cycling along the Danube river trail a few years ago and we have kept in touch since then.  We had some pastry and coffee and then set out to his house 17 miles from there.  We had light rain along the way but nothing like yesterday.

Cycling along a dike early in the morning.  Beautiful blue skies.

Chasing rainbows again.

Paul was nice enough to meet me along the trail and point things out as we rode to his house.  I will stay with Paul and Mieke for the next 2 nights before moving on to Amsterdam.  It was nice to see a familiar face again.

Day 20 Breezand

 53 miles to my host in Breezand.

What a day.  I got my bike from the local bicycle garage and loaded it up a the hostel.  The morning was dry so far.  However, I didn't make it out of the courtyard of the hostel before the rain came and I had to stop and put on all my rain gear.  It turned out to be the worst weather conditions I have ever ridden in.  Band after band of strong wind and rain coming off the North Sea.  I had actually planned extra miles for the day because I thought I would be at my host's home by 2pm.  But I didn't arrive until 5:30pm.

Typical Dutch breakfast of meats and cheese.  Also above you see toast with butter and sprinkles!!

Free, secure bicycle parking.

When you park your bike they put a barcode sticker on it and give you the same code on a plastic chip.  When you retrieve the bike they will not let you leave with it unless you show them the correct barcode.

In the middle of the day, in an effort to get out of the rain, I stopped in the town of Franeker and visited a Planetarium designed and built by Eise Eisinga in 1774.  It is a remarkable mathematical and engineering accomplishment, especially for that time.

My lovely, wonderful hosts for the evening, Sonny and Janneke.  I was absolutely a drowned rat when I showed up at their door and they provided the nicest accommodations.  This young couple has already some remarkable travel adventures.  It was a wonderful ending to a horrible day. 

Day 19 Leeuwarden

 Only 17 miles to Leeuwarden. 

I had planned to do some sightseeing today but the forecast put a squash on that.  So I made a bee line to Leeuwarden where I planned on camping out at the library until my host for the evening came home.  And yes it rained and was quite windy - especially when crossing those large, flat farm areas with nothing to block the wind.  Thank goodness for low gears on these touring bikes.

Below is a picture of the entrance gate to what was once a very large prison.  Now the prison has been renovated and if you go in and turn to the left - there is the library.

Inside the library they kept many of the original cells and made them into office spaces and conference rooms.

If you turned to the right when you entered the courtyard, that part of the prison has been converted to small shops selling all kinds of merchandise.  If you go straight through the courtyard you get to my Hostel for the evening (yes, my warmshowers host texted me and said he wouldn't be available tonight).

I thought it was a very novel but great use of space.

One thing Leeuwarden is known for is it's leaning tower called Oldehove.  Construction began in 1529 and the building began to sink immediately.  They tried to compensate by continuing to build perpendicular to the ground and so the building is both leaning and curved.  Construction was abandoned in 1533 and the building was never finished.  But it still stands today, 489 years later.

Here at the base you can see one side sunk into the ground.

Here is a screenshot of the next 9 days of weather.  I am thinking of stopping the trip in Amsterdam and not continuing on to Belgium.  The weather is just too nasty.  Hopefully Sue and I can come back and finish The Netherlands and Belgium by car in the Spring or Summer.