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A ride across Western Europe from Amsterdam to Passau, Germany
Day 1: Wrong turns, sand dunes and old friends

Date Starting Place Ending Place Author Last Update

05-13-17 Amsterdam,
North Holland, Holland
The Hague,
South Holland, Holland
ray 08-09-17 20:35:21

 
I was up and had packed away my mattress by 9am. I slowly got ready and after Olle was up, he made coffee and we talked a bit. Eventually, I went out to buy some riding food and a phone charger. At a shop just opening in Cuyp's Market, I got a USB charger plug for €3.

Once back, I showered and then packed up. Olle helped get my stuff downstairs, took a photo, goodbyes were said, and I was off.



In what would become a daily saga, I immediately took a wrong turn. Instead of turning left at the first intersection and going around the old town, I went straight into it. By the time I figured this out, It was easier to keep going then to backtrack. So, I rode into the center of Amsterdam and enjoyed it.



My route called for me to get to the Westerpark and follow a bike path from there. Eventually, after many stops and map checks, I navigated the maze that is Central Amsterdam and found the park.

By this the sun had come out and I put on some sunscreen. The sky immediately darkened!

Wide bike paths criss-crossed the park.



I rode along a canal and stopped to watch this heron glide silently into the water.



I wasn't yet aware of all the public art throughout The Netherlands. This huge shovel not only is eye-catching, but it makes a statement, as well.



The photo also shows that I was now riding through the industrial outskirts of Amsterdam.

I knew there were lots of bike routes out of Amsterdam. Since I was navigating by iPhone map app (Pocket Earth), I was stopping often to check my map against the signs I passed.



Eventually, I moved out of the the city itself and into the country side, still next to canals. This patch of yellow next to the canal was too pretty to pass.



As I made my turn toward Haarlem, I passed through this peaceful wetland.



On many of the waterways I passed, there were many, very substantial houseboats.



I kept wondering if these were main homes or just someone's place in "the country."


It didn't take long to pass a working windmill and a tilting bridge.



On the outskirts of Haarlem, I passed several exhausted flower fields.



A few weeks earlier, these beds must have been something.

The day started overcast and just a bit cool. There was the occasional rain and the off and on full sun. In the end, there was about the same of both. One constant was the wind.

As I moved closer to the coast, I rode through scrubby forest



and even saw some deer.



The Dutch coast west of Amsterdam is covered in dunes. The closer I got, the less foliage there was. It was surprised to ride by this golf course,



in such a sandy place.

A bit further on, I passed an old World War II bunker system hidden in the dunes. There was a private tour going on, so I couldn't go in.



I was now in a rolling scrub covered dunescape.



At Noordwijk, a coastal town, I passed this inspiring bit of art.



Note the flags in the background showing just how much wind there was.

Noordwijk was a happening place with lots of people walking around. The streets were blocked off due to a car rally. I stopped to figure out my way and decided to have quick box of Mayonnaised French Fries.

I managed to navigate past the detour and onto the bike path through the dunes.



Things were going fine and I was really enjoying the ride as I meandered up and down (Holland isn't flat!) through the dunes. Then, I missed a turn in the scrub and ended up out on a street, which I wasn't expecting.

I realized my mistake about half a mile later and decided to navigate my way forward instead of turning around. I was now riding through an urban area on separated bike paths.



As I threaded my way through tiny streets, around water, and over freeways, I was stopping to check my phone map about every 5 minutes. I approached The Hague, my stop for the night, past neighborhoods of huge, fancy homes, which I later learned were where UN Ambassadors lived. It looked like it.



After yet more wrong turns, I arrived at Friedel and Andrew's place about 6:45. I was welcomed warmly and made my way up to the 4th floor on tiny serpentine steps carrying my panniers and trying not to trip and fall. It wasn't easy. If The Netherlands are flat, the locals make up for it by having narrow houses with many floors accessed by narrow, curving stairwells.

I cleaned up and went down for long talks with Friedel about her history and children. Eventually, Andrew got Max, their 2 year old, to bed and came out. The three of us had very good homemade vegan burgers and continued talking until 11, at which point I was too tired to continue and went to bed.



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