After breakfast yesterday, I got ready to leave The Hague. I decided to follow the EuroVelo 2 Capitals Route and not use Google Maps this time. I had downloaded all the EuroVelo routes to Organic Maps so I will be using that instead.
I didn’t take too many photos on the road this time. I really wanted to enjoy my experience and the phone camera, or any camera, will not do justice to capture my feelings. The breeze, the sounds, the smell, and the view are so much better if you are there with me. Unfortunately, my photographs can only capture a limited segment of what I see.
I rode through more farms and passed by more houses on the water. The Dutch wonderland continued as I cycled mainly on bike paths. There was an area where I biked with the canal on my left side and people’s backyard on the right side. It felt like trespassing, but that’s what the route indicated. I guess these people are so used to cyclists.
I was about 7 miles west of Utrecht when I stopped at a farmer’s stand to take a break. My Warmshowers host, Laura, told me I should arrive at 5 PM. I was a bit early so I took my time at the farmer’s stand to get a drink and ate some raspberries and a prune.
When I was ready to leave an older Irish man started chatting with me. His name is Francis. He was with his son Mark and Mark’s young daughter Hazel. We talked about traveling and US politics for a bit. Mark informed me about some German food that I must try, such as schnitzel and broodje döner. It was nice talking to people after a day of solo riding.
I cycled through downtown Utrecht before arriving at Laura’s apartment on the south side. I rode about 54 miles that day.
At Laura’s, I also met her boyfriend/partner Koen. Both are avid cyclists and have bicycled in Asia. They made a huge homemade pizza along with beet salad for dinner. I was so full after the meal that I had food coma and opted to stay in rather than go with Laura and Koen for a sunset walk.
My sleep last night was so good that I didn’t get up until after 9 AM, which was quite late for me.
This morning, I did a load of laundry and had breakfast with Laura since Koen left early to do some errands. I peppered Laura with questions about cycling in Asia since I will go to Southeast Asia after Türkiye. After the conversation, I’m still not sure whether I want to bicycle in Southeast Asia or backpack there.
Today, I will go back to downtown Utrecht and visit some museums. It’ll be somewhat of a rest day for me.
 |
| Passed by more farms |
 |
| Cycling next to the canal |
 |
| Windmill in Benthuizen |
 |
| Am I trespassing? I don't know. |
 |
| Downtown Woerden |
 |
| Cycled by Castle De Haar on the way to Utrecht. |
 |
| This farmer's stand is very popular among the locals. |
 |
| Left to right: Me, Francis, Mark, and his shy daughter Hazel |
 |
| Crossing the bridge to Utrecht |
 |
| Molen de Ster |
 |
| Dom Tower from the base |
Comments
Post a Comment