Day 67--A Night With the Dutch!

Olga and I headed out at 10:00 this morning. The route, LF 1b, that we would follow to Haarlem was right next to the camping place! I also discovered there was a great grocery store directly across the street from the camping. I'm telling myself it was probably closed yesterday when I went in search of food!

The Dutch have got cycle routing perfected! It is really quite amazing! Completely separated paths, with excellent signage. This being Sunday, I think there were, perhaps, a few more cyclists out for the day rides. But, Olga and I also saw many many bike tourers. 

We followed LF 1b which is also the North Sea Route (the same that I followed in Norway). We rode through the dunes along the Coast.

Due to a detour in Den Haag, we ended up going up some stairs which was rather difficult, but part of them had a ramp for the bike. We just worked our way back to the Strand. 

I saw a few of these, but don't know what they are.

We rode at a comfortable pace. The route through the dunes is not "pancake" flat, but just some rolling hills (like the dunes).

It was fun having someone to ride with for the day. And, it was special for Olga as it was her last day.

We came to the end of our Coastal riding at Zandvoort. From there we turned inland toward Haarlem. Olga had Jonas' address, so I put it into the Garmin and we rode straight there. Olga had said I should come with her because maybe Jonas could tell me of a camping place.  

We arrived at 4:00. I was immediately welcomed into Cornelius, Caroline, and Jonas' home. Olga and I left our bikes out front, but then Jonas said we should move them to the back. He asked if I was staying for the night. I said I didn't want to impose and would be happy to go to a camping place. He said it was no problem. I accepted, and have had the most delightful evening with Olga, Jonas, and his parents. They all speak French (Caroline just retired from being a French teacher), which is good for Olga. They also speak English, which is good for me!

We had a great dinner! I learned that tulips did not originate in Holland. They came from Turkey (granted, it was a long time ago). They said there are many fields of tulips in the area. I saw these flowers from afar, but they are not tulips (not in summer).

After dinner we put my camera on the timer and took a group photo.

This was a most wonderful first day of cycling in Holland! Many thanks to Olga, Jonas, Caroline, and Cornelius. You are all welcome to come to Washington anytime!

Interesting sculpture.