Sontag
Goede morgen!
Our first morning, the Anna Maria Agnes, made a short jaunt down the Amsterdam-Rhine canal to Breukelen where we were introduced to Dutch bicycling. It's a Shaunessy style neighbourhood and the namesake of Brooklyn, New York. The homes were beautiful. After a couple of hours of cycling, we stopped at Fort aan de Klop for tea and toilets. Onward to Utrecht. We rode into the city centre, parked our bikes and had our packed lunch on a "grachten" (small canal). There were plenty of terraces, cathedrals, and a stunning monastery garden to visit. Back to the boat, now relocated in Utrecht. Our padded (diaperized) biking shorts worked fabulously.
Maandag
OMG! Last night during dinner, the ship relocated to Rotterdam via the Beatrix locks. The program was to ride from Rotterdam to Shiedam to Delft and back to Rotterdam. The distance was approximately 48 km and it was teeming rain. Everyone donned their rain gear and headed out. Within minutes, before leaving Rotterdam, we were lost. We met up with a couple of other sets of lost shipmates. Through teamwork, we found the route, although it was the return route. No problem. Proceed backwards to Delft. It was a beautiful city with both an old church (built in the 1300s) and a new church (built in the 1400s). The new church is the site of the crypt of the Dutch Royal family. The first person buried in this crypt was Prince William of Orange in 1584. He was the one who led the rebellion against the Spanish king, Phillip II. He is considered to be the founding father of the Netherlands and the reason why the colour orange is so important to the Dutch. Unfortunately, it was initiation day for the freshman students of the local technical university. The thumping music and hordes abounded. After enjoying Delft, we continued to proceed backwards on our route home. We had a short stop in Schipluiden for cake and tea. We realized there was still approximately 20 km to return to the ship so we abandoned the program and plotted our own, most direct route to Rotterdam and the ship. We did marvellously until re-entering the city. Again, we were lost, but this time we were alone. It was very stressful. We arrived in last place, thirty minutes late, delaying the ship's departure.
Dinsdag
The majority of the group were off on a 42 km trip to Gouda. We opted for the 25 km short route. Our first stop was Kinderdijk, the home of 19 windmills, the largest number in close proximity. Craig had a difficult time putting the camera back in the bike bag. The remainder of the day, we casually cycled along rural dyke tops. Lynda enjoyed the peace and quiet and the abundant animal life. Before arriving back at the ship in Schoonhoven, we visited the village and old dyked fortress of Nieuwpoort where we witnessed the first of many river fisherman we have seen, reel in a fish. The two boys were really excited and released their large catfish after taking some photos.
Woensdag
We left Schoonhoven en masse and rode into the countryside to the "Vredebest" cheese farm. The farm is being run by the fourth and fifth generations of the Van Vliet family who produce traditional Gouda cheese using natural and traditional procedures. They use unpasteurized cow milk and preserve the cheese in a salt brine. After the tour, we left the group and made our own route, cross country to Utrecht and the boat. Arriving early, we went into Utrecht where Lynda blew the budget and purchased a pair of Birkenstock sandals. We were able to casually make our way back to the ship for our 5:30 pm departure.
Donderdag
We left the ship at our usual time, but we joined the pack and headed out for a cycle through the massive industrial area and locks of Velsen-Noord led by Ida. She's local to this area and is very knowledgeable about the history and goings-on. From there we entered the dunes and quiet forest of the Kennemer Duinen National Park. The grasslands of the park are maintained by herds of Scottish Highland cattle. We made our way alone to Haarlem, the namesake of Harlem, New York. We ate our lunch, serenaded by a rather large group of street musicians operating as a mini-orchestra. The St. Bavo church in the Grote Markt (market square) has a famous organ which has been played by both Mozart and Mendelssohn. We opted not to go inside, but to walk the streets for awhile. At 2:00 pm we visited the Museum Corrie ten Boomhuis where we heard the story of Corrie and her family. Their strong faith led them to hide Jews, students who refused to collaborate with the Nazis and members of the Dutch underground resistance movement. Although the family was betrayed and arrested by the Gestapo, the six people hiding behind the false wall in Corrie's bedroom were rescued and taken to safety. The presentation given to us by a Dutch lady who has been a child during the war was excellent and the fee was only a donation to the museum. We got back to our bikes at 3:30 and raced home, not knowing how long the return trip to the ship would take. We did not want to take a chance of being late again.
Vrijdag
Last day...where has the week gone? After an overnight stay in Zaandam, our day was short and sweet. A mere 35 km. We visited a replica of a traditional Dutch village (Zaanse Schans), stopped at the lake in Twiske, took the bicycle ferry across the river and ended up behind the Central Station in Amsterdam. We headed to the secure, underground, bicycle parking underneath the station and set off to explore the wonders of the city. The place was packed with tourists, cobblestone roadways, bicycles and canals. We can't forget to mention the ladies in windowed doorways and a pungent aroma from many a small cafe. It was all very amazing, but we were happy that we had spent our time aboard the boat and in the country.
Dank u wel.
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