To the German Border
From Amsterdam to Assen - Monday 22nd - Wednesday 24th May
I found my way out of Amsterdam and started to cycle NE towards the German border through the reclaimed Polders, often below sea level. As I went through agricultural landscapes with moody skies I thought about The Hague School of painters whose work I had seen in the Rijksmuseum, they painted Dutch landscapes and rural life in the late 1800s. They were originally known as the Grey School because of their sombre colours.
I stopped for the night at Lelystad, which sits on the seabed of the former Zuiderzee where until 1967 the only inhabitants were engineers and construction workers reclaiming the land from the Zee. Today it is a modern town, on a polder below sea level, with some very colourful and original architecture. This is a view of the town as I approached it.
I crossed into Noordoost Polder and continued NE for another two days, riding along side canals, crossing over bridges etc all on well marked cycle routes. As I got further East there were some very expensive looking houses, hotels and campsites with large motor homes. This is a popular tourist area for Dutch and Germans, but I was told that not many English get to this part of Holland.
As I have already said,the cycle routes are fabulous. At one point when they were felling some trees by the path I was directed onto the road where I cycled facing the oncoming traffic, which had been stopped so that I had the road to myself. This would never happen at home.
That night I found accommodation in a converted thatched barn at a farmhouse near Assen, the home of the Dutch TT. My deal for the room included an evening meal. There was no choice, but she said, "I will cook you something nice, " and she certainly did. It was great to have some good home cooked food. The breakfast was also excellent and I was reluctant to leave.
Last Full Day Cycling in Holland - Thursday 25th May
Public Holiday (Ascension Day)
Once again Lucy got into the swing of a country when we are almost about to leave. She was very relaxed and like me she was reluctant to get pedalling. She sat outside our barn in the sunshine leaving me to pack the bike. All day long she wanted to stop and enjoy the public holiday.
When I stopped to take a photo I found her sitting in my helmet. She wanted to stay by the lake and rest. Then, when we reached our destination at a Yoga Centre near Bourtange, she sat in their beautiful garden and indulged in Koffie und cake.
A Day in Bourtange - Friday 26th May
Bourtange is a border fortress built in 1593 to protect the border between Holland and Germany. As the postcard above shows, the complex forms the shape of a star surrounded by banks and ditches filled with water. It has been totally rebuilt and is now an open air museum town. The photo below shows one of the points of the star.
The weather was glorious, so I spent the day exploring and sitting in one of the bars in the central square. Lucy wandered off to do some shopping and bought a pair of clogs. She wanted red ones, but they hadn't got any in her size.
There was a very interesting exhibition about the life of Dr Aletta Jacobs, who was the first female doctor in Holland. She was also a political activist, President of the Association for Women's Suffrage, a writer and campaigner who travelled the world giving lectures. She also found time to cycle and toured England by bicycle.
Tomorrow I will cycle my last five km in Holland to cross into Germany.
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