Resting in Amsterdam

Thursday, June 20, 2024
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Our first day out of London was interesting.  First of all, riding out of London with lots of morning cycle commuters was a little intimidating.  We were very thankful for the great cycling infrastructure, which kept us away from auto traffic, so we could just focus on directions and not being run over by cyclists!  Once we got out of London and it's suburbs, we were on very narrow 1 lane roads with 2-way traffic and hedge rows.  There wasn't a whole of traffic, but enough that we had to really pay attention and pull off the road where ever we could find a little space, especially when trucks or large farm equipment went by.  And, there was some climbing to add to the fun!  Also cool and cloudy (imagine that!), but no rain, thankfully.
Our next couple of days were interesting.  The first day we rode to Dover, where we were to catch the ferry the following morning to Dunkirk.  Our lunch that day was high on the cliffs overlooking Dover, then a gorgeous ride along the cliff tops on a smooth, wide cycle path.   The highlight of the day was a stop at the Memorial of the Battle of Britain, which gave even more perspective to our arrival in Dunkirk.  When France fell to the Germans, Allied troops, primarily English, were pushed to a certain death on the beaches of Dunkirk.  However, England rallied to the cause as hundreds of ships, large and small, made the journey to Dunkirk to rescue 200,000-300,000 survivors (depending on what account you read).  Churchill knew that England was next in the sights of Hitler so he hastily put in place air defenses in the Dover area, the logical place for the Germans to attack.  The memorial is dedicated to the 3,000 airmen who flew in the Battle of Britain in the summer and fall of 1940.  They successfully repelled the German Luftwaffe, at great cost.  Churchill famously said, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."  The memorial was very moving.
The following morning we got on the ferry to Dunkirk, where we had another cold and windy day, although we did thankfully have tailwinds part of the time.   We had 1 terrible rain squall, then lots of drizzle, and many clothing adjustments!  Another beautiful bike path through beautiful countryside - long, lush grass, lot of horses and cows, some marshy area.  We were up at 5:30 that morning, and were exhausted when we got into Bruges.  We went out for a steak dinner - we really needed a protein infusion!
On our rest day, we did a lot of resting - it was great!  Ate some chocolate, too!
The next 3 days of riding were all on beautiful bike paths or marked bike lanes, along rivers and canals and through small and larger towns.  We continue to be awed by the cycling infrastructure in this part of Europe.  One day our route took us through Ghent, through the central square with the beautiful Ghent Cathedral and old city buildings.  We all stopped for coffee in the central square and basked in the sunshine!  That morning 1 rider took off her leg warmers for the first time, looked at her legs, and said, "Well legs, how you feeling".  So funny!  Our overnight was in Antwerp, and the entrance to the city was amazing.   We took a bicycle elevator down to a tunnel under the river, then an elevator back up at the other end.  Leaving Antwerp, we detoured  to see the train station, said to be one of the most beautiful in Europe, and it was worth the time.
We had one more wet and chilly day, although it was quite short, then a longer day into Amsterdam, which was turned out to be a really fun and lovely day, even though we had a mild headwind most of the day.  We rode along many canals, saw windmills, took a couple of short ferries.  We also saw a surprising number of thatch-roofed houses.  I thought were limited to England.  The only thing missing was a coffee stop!  Now we're enjoying the first of 2 rest days in Amsterdam, and tommorrow our good friend Yvonne is going to pick us up and entertain us for the day.  She lives in a small, historic village nearby, so it should be an interesting day.

Comments

Chuck and Fian
2024-06-20

We're really enjoying following your travels. Your narrative is amazing, Eve! You all will feel right at home in Amsterdam with all the bicycles!!

Drex
2024-06-20

Looks wonderful- Great countryside & roads & paths- Mixed with good culture & classic buildings- Cheers!

Rosemary
2024-06-20

You deserve credit for riding some of those bike paths! It looks like continental Europe does a better job of cycling infrastructure. By the way, Al and I saw many thatched roofs in the Loire valley in France and were quite surprised, too.

2025-02-14

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