NOORDEN BOUND

(Tour Date: June 27, 2019) [click on pics to enlarge]

Today is a shorter hop of around 28km to the town of Noorden, whose main attraction are the myriad of shallow lakes that originally were dug for peat harvesting in the 16th century.  Cooler temps today of around 69 degrees, but the wind has kicked up so we are at its directional mercy.  Before leaving Gouda, we went over to the main market square the see the weekly farmer's market cheese auction.  These days, this is just a show for the tourists, but it was interesting to watch.

The seller and the buyer go through what looks like an Abbot & Costello routine of rapid hand slaps as they call prices until this somehow produces an agreed figure whereupon they shake hands and deliver the cheese to the waiting cart.  Fun to watch, and full marks to the city and the volunteers for putting on a good show.  Apparently, this sort of thing went on in earnest until the 70's.  

Loni's back is really hurting, thus our shortened (from 41km) route today.  She's dosing heavily with ibuprofen, but this is becoming an ordeal.  Our route today was along larger roads, resulting in us having to give way to a number of trucks.  Loni almost hit a wall at one point, but managed to stay upright.

We stopped for lunch at a lovely cafe on the waterfront where beer and sandwiches (a salmon and a tongue for us) revived us.  That's Dede on the left with Loni. He's a student of American politics, god knows why, and got up at 4am to watch the first Democrats debate.  Not for me.  Run away, run away!

In the background is a group of school kids on an outing.  Couldn't resist the shot:

We are relaxed!

Well, as I write this, it's almost a year and a half since I posted the above.  I figure it's about time I finished this trip before we all expire of old age.  Using Loni's notes, I'll pick up from here.  We continued on to the small town of Noorden to our accommodations at the Hotel De Watergeus, situated on one of the large, shallow lakes that cover the area.  While the rooms were ok, it was the gardens and the setting that made this place stand out.  The tired feet were drawn straight to the water.

Not wanting to get on the bikes for love or money, we took advantage of the hotel's very nice dining room for dinner.  Dorado for Loni and sea bass for me. We retreated to our rooms and took in the nice view from our room's porch.

Loni battled a pesky mosquito for much of the night until either she or it gave up and she got some sleep.  Have to say that bugs have not been a problem on our tour.  Maybe it was all the water surrounding us here.  The next morning we had a feast of a breakfast in the library room, which had windows giving out to the gardens.  Cereals, yoghurts, a variety of breads, cheeses, meats, coffee, juice.  A nice, relaxing start to the final day on the bikes.

We're on our way back to Haarlem, and today's route takes us along literal cow's paths with plenty of bovine company.  The girls loved getting up close and personal with the cows; Loni, not so much.

 Unfortunately, we had one final disaster awaiting us.  At one point, DD missed a turn and stopped, causing JC and Meghan to brake suddenly.  Loni, following, was looking elsewhere, and was trying to avoid crashing into them when she fell.  Again.  This time she hit her hip, knee, and elbow on the concrete curb.  Abrasions, goose egg on elbow, bruise on other arm.  She's a walking wreck.  But, she soldiered on!  DD took one last group photo in a beautiful area of fields.

Back in Haarlem, before hitting the hotel, we gathered with DD and Emil, from the bike service, at a rooftop bar to critique the trip.  Despite Loni's mishaps, we all gave it two thumbs up, and would recommend it to anyone.  They did a fine job.  

John & Meghan took a "date" night, so we ate with the girls in the hotel dining room.  Only ok, but we weren't complaining, as the hamburgers came with onion marmalade.  Yum to that.  Afterwards, we collected some paddles and a ball from the front desk and went across the street to a park where the girls played "tennis."

Back to the hotel for pajamas and a bedtime story, which Isla helped to read.  And excellent day to end an excellent bike tour.  We had one more day in Haarlem, and spent it at the Teyler Museum which was a mishmosh (in a good way!) of science and art, which we all enjoyed.  Afterwards, tho, Loni's back hurt too much to continue so we returned to the hotel for an afternoon rest while the family went on some more touring.  That night, we ate at an Indonisian restaurant recommended by DD and Emil.  Lots of rice, of course, and a couple dozen small bowls of meats, veggies and condiments to put over it.  Some satays as well.  I didn't much care for it because of the spiciness, but the other adults liked it.  Isla had a meltdown and said her stomach hurt, so Meghan cabbed her back to the hotel while the rest of us strolled back through the city.  Tomorrow, they will catch a morning flight to Stockholm, while Loni and I will make our way to the harbor for our cruise to Norway.  We had our final breakfast together that morning with the girls asking for Oma to sit between them.  Much smiling by Oma!  Sorry about the glarey eyes, I did try the redeye tool, but this almost looks worse.

Their taxi picked them up at about 8:15, and with much teary waving we parted ways.  We didn't leave until 11:00 and when we got into our cab, it turned out to be the same driver that had taken them to the airport.  She was making major dough off our family today!  She was really nice, tho, and gave Loni two drawings the girls had made for her.  One was a giraffe, and we think the other was an elephant.  Guess she knew they'd be more appreciated by Oma.  We ended up taking the Great Circle route to the harbor.  She said this was because the direct route was blocked today by a festival.  Hmmm.  That "festival" cost me 99 euros!

 

 

G-OW-DA

 Tour Date: June 26, 2019  [Click on photo to enlarge]

Well, that's how it's pronounced, apparently.  Today was a "stay" day off the bikes, so we got a local guide, "Bep," to take us around town.  She was a little academic, but friendly and very knowledgeable.  We are in Gouda, so cheese is everywhere.  Note the rounds hanging over the street.  We saw these all over town.  Yes, the girls love cheese.

 One of the stops was at the Weighing House, built in 1668.  Carved reliefs show the process of the weighing, including the not-so-subtle efforts to tip the scales.  Note the left foot of the seated man is on the left scale, while the hand of the weights man to the right is pulling down on the rope on the other side.  The building today houses a museum dedicated to the cheese manufacturing process.

At the town hall in the main plaza a wedding was underway, with a very cool escape car waiting out front.  Love the basket!  The wedding party was quite happy to have tourists and townsfolk watch the proceedings.

All around Gouda there are these marvelous carvings over entryways and sticking out of walls.  It would be fun to make a serious effort at cataloging all of them, but these were just a few that caught our eye.

One of the big attractions in Gouda is the Church of St. John, the longest in Holland, and boasting the Gouda Windows, the biggest collection of 16th century stained glass in Europe.  I couldn't get the right lighting to show off the windows, but they were stunning.  I nicked this one off the internet:

We'd had enough walking around for a while, and it was time for lunch.  Right next to St. John's is the Museum Gouda, which has a very nice courtyard cafe.  Loni & I shared a nut bread/cheese/fig jam sandwich and a slice of carrot cake.  Yes!

Suitably tanked up, we hit the Museum, which was an eclectic mixture of objects.  We each found something fascinating.  Loni liked the pencil drawings, I went for the scientific stuff, and the girls were wowed by the minerals.

After the museum, we decided to call it a day.  Loni's back is hurting badly.  One more archway pose, then back to the hotel for a nap.

 After some Z's, we connected with the family for a pizza dinner on the main square, followed by a gelato fest for dessert.  Another fine day!

 

FONDUE, ANYONE?

 [Trip Date: June 25, 2019]

Today we ride from Delft to Gouda, about 41 km.  That's not too long, but it's 94 degrees outside!  We'll be melted by the time we get there.  This, however, would prove to be the most scenic day of our bike rides.  We took off about 9:45 after breakfasting just outside our room.  Yup, that's the door to our room.  Ta, Royal Bridges, you were quirky but just fine.

Our ride today took us through rural countryside along pathways everywhere.  I don't recall more than a couple of stretches where we shared with motor vehicles.

At one point, construction dictated that we had to take an unpaved road where the surface was littered with enough rocks and granite bits that DD suggested we get off and walk our bikes to avoid someone going down.  Eventually, we reached a canal with a line of windmills!

By following the path we ended up close to one for a family portrait.  That's my inside-out hat in my hand.

The moms.  The panniers were supplied by the company and were nicely waterproof.  Luckily, we didn't need that feature our whole trip.  Nothing but sun!
 

 

After some sandwiches for lunch, we took off again with about 25km to go.  The heat started getting brutal.  At one point, Addie looked like she was starting to doze off and we were concerned that she might be getting some heat stroke.  Found a shady place to stop and poured water over her head to cool her down and that seemed to do the trick.  We made sure both girls drank extra water, and we tanked up as well.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, altho there was much pondering which way to go by DD.  One option for these trips is to go it alone, without a guide, using maps and a GPS to steer you.  Believe me, we were thankful to have DD.  We never would have figured out the route without him.

Upon arrival at Gouda, we checked into the Best Western City Center Hotel.  Wow!  The rooms were huge.  Ours was a suite, with large sitting area, bed area, and giant spa-bath area.  I was pretty close to heatstroke myself, and didn't bother to unpack before shucking my clothes and making for the shower.  Ahhhhhhh.  The room-sized shower is behind the wall with the hair dryer.

 

After recovering, flat out on the bed, we went down to join the family for a stroll into the town, which is quite beautiful. There are churches galore (left, below) and of course there's a town hall on the main square (right).  We had a nice dinner on the square.  We split a goat-cheese and apricot salad and a nice cod fillet, then took a stroll around the area.
 

 

A nice spot to relax before heading back to the hotel.  These smaller cities in Holland really are peaceful and beautiful.

VISIONS OF VERMEER

 [Trip date: June 24. 2019]

After rising and shining, we opened the door cautiously so as not to bump into anyone's breakfast tray, and had a plain but plenty breakfast.  Once everyone had eaten, and the girls were prepped for the day, we headed off for the Vermeer Museum.  He lived out most of his life (1632-1675) in Delft, and almost all of his paintings are set in two small rooms of his house.  Both of us have long admired his work, re-kindled by the film "The Girl In The Pearl Earring."  So, this was a must-see on this trip.  His output wasn't that extensive, and his works are in museums around the world, so what we were seeing were reproductions. 

Not a problem; from several feet away I can't tell the difference.  The display materials were excellent, pointing out details and stories about each painting that made them much more interesting.  The 3rd floor showed modern interpretations of his style, while the 2nd floor had a setup of his imagined workshop, including a place to pose for a picture in the lighting style of his girl by a window.  Here's Isla doing her best impression.  Our girls were given a treasure hunt to keep the interested.  When they found all the objects, they got a cookie and a picture postcard.  An excellent museum!

 

Our next stop was the "new" church, which was quite plain when compared to Romance catholic churches, but it was lovely with its wood ceiling and 3,000 pipe organ.  Queen Wilhelmina commissioned 16 colored glass windows for the "altar" area, which in reality is a monument grave site for William of Orange and his progeny.  The relative plainness is because the Protestants, when they took over, stripped the interior of all the Catholic trappings.

The new church sits on the town square opposite the impressive town hall (below)
 

After the church, we had to bag out of our planned walk to the Delft Museum as Loni's back was hurting too much.  Back to the hotel for a rest, and more ibuprofen. She's concerned she won't be able to ride tomorrow, so we'll have to check with the tour company about transport. We stayed there the rest of the afternoon before joining the family for dinner at a place with an unpronounceable (and unspellable) name which offered a 3-course prix-compris meal that hit the spot.  Satays, penne pastas, prawn croquettes, custards with raspberry coulis, and you get the picture.  The only downer was they could not accept our credit or debit cards, so we had to scrape the bottoms of our collective wallets to pay the bill.  Before we returned to the hotel, we located and drained an ATM in case this was going to be a thing.

We checked with the tour about Loni, and they were not permitted to transport guests between destinations, and there would be an 30 euro charge by the baggage boys to haul her bike. Loni's transport would have to be by taxi.  Hmmm. Not all the way to Gouda.  She decided to tough it out, claiming she felt better.  We'll see.

 

"BACK" TO THE FUTURE

[Trip Date: June 23, 2019] 

Disaster strikes in the most unlikely of spots, with consequences that could not be foreseen at the time.  Who'd of thought an instant's mistake would lead to a world of hurt.  I say this with the benefit of hindsight, as I am writing this a full 1 1/2 year after the fact, and unfortunately have observed the effects on Loni's life.

We had a good night's sleep and decent breakfast.  No so elegant as the Staatz, but still very nice.  At 10 we met the family and DaeDae (hereafter DD) to start the ride to Delft where we will stay for two nights.  We took DD's shorter route option (37km) as our rookie bike muscles are protesting from yesterday's start.  All went well until we approached a footbridge that had a sharp 90 degree turn leading into it.  Loni & Meghan decided to walk it rather than risk the maneuver.  That was prudent.  Sadly, in getting off her bike, Loni got tangled and fell hard into a side wall, bending her back awkwardly and hearing a pop! pop! crack, followed by her back muscles seizing.  After a rest, she was ambulatory, but in severe pain in the back and the pubic bone.  The rest of us didn't learn how bad it was until later in the day, because she insisted she could go on, like the trouper she is.  She was going to need a diet of major ibuprofen for the rest of the trip.  This undoubtedly was an exacerbation of her crushed vertebra from her car-vs-pedestrian disaster earlier.  Again, as I write this, she continues to have almost constant pain, has had scans galore and pain specialist treatments with steroid shots, etc.  It is looking like surgery is in the offing, which isn't even possible in this height of the Covid pandemic.  She will soldier on, that's what she does.  

We made it to Delft without further incident, DD said his goodbyes and headed for the train station and, as our rooms weren't ready at the Royal bridges, we walked to the town square for ice cream.  John, Meghan, and the girls piled into a horse drawn carriage for a tour around the town while we were content to sit and watch the people in the square.

After the carriage ride, we checked into the hotel.  This is a very quirky place, and it's pretty clear it was cobbled together from 2 or 3 adjacent buildings without a lot of thought for integration.  The family's room was at the top (garret) level, while we ancients were given a ground (actually, sub-ground) floor one.  It was really a strange, although perfectly adequate, setup.  

On the other side of the wall is the reception desk.  I have no idea what the fireplace is all about or what this room was in an earlier life.  The wall to the right of the fireplace (not shown) has three steps which lead up to the door, which opens directly into the dining room, and immediately adjacent to one of the buffet bars.  I was originally concerned at check-in that this would be too noisy, but it turns out those brick walls and thick door did an excellent job of soundproofing.  Still, it felt a little weird to exit the room and be face-to-face with a stranger with a plate in his hand.  The wall to the left of the fan has a series of windows that are at about kneecap level of the pedestrians on the sidewalk right in front.  Thankfully there were blinds and curtains so we didn't feel we were in a fishbowl.  None of the windows opened, and there were no air ducts at all.  Apparently, the only fresh air it gets is when you open the door.  So, this ranks right up there with the strangest rooms we have occupied.

After Loni got a few winks, courtesy of the pain meds, it was time for dinner.  We decided to just stroll around and see what we encountered.  That turned out to be the De Delft, a canal boat restaurant.  Although an idyllic setting, the food was a little overcooked.  The appetizer tray, however, was a hit, as was the beer.  After a leisurely meal, the kids all went for a walk and we went for an early crash.  For Loni's sake, come on drugs!