Highlights of the Low Countries

June 15 - July 4: Belgium and the Netherlands

The stepped rooflines along Amsterdam's canals

Amsterdam's canal bridges

Andy, Sylvia, Aurora, and Naomi reunited with Sue and Ian - fun (and some sun)!

We had great fun meeting up with old Peterborough (now Hamilton and travelling) friends Andy and Sylvia and their two girls (NASA). We explored Brugge, Belgium, while tasting chocolate and then tasting more chocolate! We climbed the famous bellfry there with Naomi and made plans for our days together. Our goal was to reach Amsterdam in time for the Roots Music Festival. With all our gear loaded in the NASA 'sag wagon', we made our way north, still in cool weather and battling strong winds from the North Sea. We had strong headwinds and unseasonally cool/cold weather all 4 days through the western Zeeland islands to Amsterdam. We enjoyed large Indonesian food lunches, camping with Andy and Sylvia each night. The festival was great with an interesting Chinese folk band, East Indian rap group, and artists and food stalls, but the biggest cheers occurred for the sun when it shone! The weather started warming up just as Andy and Sylvia and the girls headed off to visit family in Germany.

Coming up the coast, we loved the towns of Middelburg, Delft and Leiden, and the canalside riding where boats of varying ages and character are parked in front of cute houses. We would have been more impressed with the dunes and dykes along the coast if it weren't for the wind. Best not to plan a bike route along a corridor of modern windmills - those engineers know where to place those things!

We have come 500 km in northern Belgium and Holland without a map, and we have only had to look around a bit for where to go, even in Amsterdam. How can that be, you ask? Throughout the country, yes, the whole country, each major intersection of a bike lane or separate bike path is assigned a number. Every 5 or 10 km, there is a map of the region, showing where all the numbers are. You plan your route by looking at the map, writing down the series of numbers that will get you to where you are heading, and following the directional signs with the numbers on them. Very simple - love it!

We love the numbering system for cycling routes, and we love the cycling facilities. In 500 km of unplanned routing, we have not been let down once! No highways without cycling trails on the side, no thoroughfares without cycling trails on the side, no roads without cycling lanes. Coming to a major international highway, it's easy: follow the cycling on-ramp up and around and take your segregated cycling trail across and down the other side. Or sometimes there are well-designed underpasses. And the routes through the countryside are almost all paved and with a constant flow of cyclists of all ages. We are in cycling heaven, for sure!

Watching the Dutch people cycle is interesting. For them, it seems to be meditative, like spinning. They pedal in a steady slow cadence, never slowing down, never braking. They look like they are going slowly on their upright city bikes, but even the old ladies are breezing past us. The wind knocks us back and they don't seem to notice it at all. If anyone tells you that cycling is so popular in Holland because it is a breeze, they mean it literally. Cycling is not easy here. Yes, it is flat, but the wind can be tough, really tough. Without our baggage, we were working hard on some days to break 12 km an hour. Our usually pace is 18-20 km/h on the flat. And if you think the French dress well, you haven't seen the Dutch on their bikes. We have seen some stunning outfits, including high heels and designer bike bags gliding past us. And the kids get a great ride perched up front or at the back on special seats, or commonly in a big front opentopped box. And the dogs love their trailers and handlebar baskets! Cycling is their meditation here; I think they need to do it like other cultures need to pray. I don't know if we can bike anywhere else now - we are so looked after as cyclists in Holland.

After our friends left for Germany, we spent three further days in Amsterdam at a great campsite and toured the city: the canal cruise at sunset was delightful, the houses and churches interesting, and the masterpieces and art history in the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum were impressive. We both enjoyed watching the cyclists and street scenes. We even tried out the colourful 'Heineken Experience', where we had fun (and of course beer) amidst all the history and marketing. We also took in a modern ballet, entitled 'Najinsky', that included powerful dancing. Both of our bikes got a tuneup at a local bike shop, with Sue´s getting new butterfly handlebars to ease her hand strain.

Then we were back on our (now fully loaded) bikes for a very pleasant ride east through a 10 year old town reclaimed from the sea, shady forests, heath, and easy trails for 115 km towards Arnhem. Unfortunately, Ian´s chain fell apart 12 km from town, so we left the bike at the train station´s secure bike parking with an arrangement for it to be repaired, and then made our way to a Peterborough friend´s sister´s house in southern Arnhem. Geert waited up late for us (she is a night owl, anyway) and was very hospitable. She showed us around the sand hills and heath vistas nearby and then explained the dike system along the Rhine at Nijmegen. She told us stories of what it was like for her family to live through the Second World War, giving us some better appreciation of what that era was like for so many in Europe.

We had made arrangements with Andy and Sylvia to meet again in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, just north of Arnhem. The park, the largest in Holland, was acquired in the early 20th century by a wealthy merchant family who purchased estates of ´wasteland´that had been overgrazed, deforested and become depleted heath and sand dunes. Mrs. Kruller-Muller also acquired a large art collection, including many Van Goghs and sculptures, and set up a museum within the grounds of the acquired lands. These were later turned over to a foundation and state to be managed as an integration of art and landscape, both nature inspired and human maintained. The availability of 1000 free white bikes made exploring the scenic forests, savannahs, heath and dune systems, plus the intriguing museum and sculpture garden, very accessible. Ian also got his repaired bike back, in much better shape!

We continued north through wonderful pastoral landscapes full of sheep, dairy cattle, and surprisingly many horses and ponies. Crops of corn and reeds for thatch, plus many baling systems, were evident along the way. We enjoyed watching several World Cup football/soccer games with the Dutch, who wear lots of orange and cheer with much enthusiasm! Forested parks with beech and oak tree lined avenues then made way for canals, lakes like the Kawarthas, and quaint villages such as Geithoorn. After too quick a tour of Assen, we were off by train to the bustling northern city of Groningen as we prepared for the next stage of our journey into Scandinavia.

Normandie and Northern France

May 29 - June 15:

Poppy season

Impressive family veggie plots

Honfleur, Normandy

Etretat, Normandy

Now we are in Normandie - home of soft cheeses (like Camembert), Percheron draft horses, hard and soft ciders, fish and Sue's ancestors. Ian was reminded often that if we saw something lovely, it was likely created by one of Sue's ancestors! The cycling is a little hillier in southern and northwest Normandie, with quaint houses splashed with rose trellises, daisies and irises. Like in the Loire, the window boxes add charm and colour to the streets.

We had a tail wind to the town of Vallieres where we stayed at a gite - a lovely cabin in the back yard of a house, complete with kitchen, fireplace and bed! The weather had turned quite nasty, so we were thankful for our cosy home for the night. A windy and challenging ride brought us to Canare, followed the next day by a splendid ride traversing a higher elevation protected forest affording broad vistas of the Normandie countryside, bringing us to the southern town of Mortagne.

We stayed at the Gros Chene (large oak) farm for 2 days, thoroughly enjoying participating in the table d'hotes. Table d'hotes is where we join the family hosts in a typical French meal. The meal was incredible with fresh bread and baudin noire (cold meat roll), local white asparagus in a rich cream sauce, fish, local soft cheeses like Camenbert and Livarot (cheese is served after dinner and before dessert here) and finally, fruit flan, all served with copious amounts of local hard cider with a splash of cassis. Local food specialties are core to the French culture and Normandie prides itself on fish, cream, hard and soft ciders and soft cheeses - we indulged ourselves accordingly!

We endured steep hills to reach the town of Talouvre and the museum featuring information about the people who emigrated from Normandie to settle old Quebec in the 1600's. Sue's father's family comes from this area in that era. The ride from Talouvre to Vimoutiere was heavenly, gliding through a small valley populated with horse farms, passing a handful of cars in hours, the last road being only 10' wide. The small D roads are heavenly in France. It is easy to get lost as signage is sparse at intersections, but when we can use these roads, it is a dream. Other times, a lovely cycling lane or trail can quickly disappear, launching us with no warning onto busier highways and thoroughfares. The further from the Loire that we travel, the more inconsistent the signage and cycling conditions seem to be. The campsites are all great and easy to find. Our camping neighbours are usually sociable 'caravaners' from England, Germany or Holland and other touring cyclists (more so in the Loire).

We reached the Atlantic Ocean/English Channel at Caen and met many friendly folks, including Stephan, an awesome bike mechanic who helped with bike adjustments. We participated in the D-day ceremonies on June 6 commemorating the start of the liberation of Europe. We were moved by how the war affected this area (and Allied families at home) and the warmth still extended to us as Canadians and cyclists. Many of the towns had streets and plazas named for Canada and the towns' liberation dates.

We had some highlights and lowlights along the next section of coast. We loved Trouville, Honfleur and St. Valery, but had a hellish ride through Le Havre, being dumped on a truck route from a dedicated cycling lane off the huge Normandie bridge. Apparently there was some sort of cycling trail 1-2 km after the bridge that no signage or tourism folks directed us to.

Heading north up the coast, we landed on a hilly campground at the ancestral home of Sue's family at Fecamp. The town is an intriguing mix of old and new, having a long history of boating and fishing, including early expeditions to the cod banks of Newfoundland. The local archivist dug out the baptism records of the two Marcotte brothers that emigrated to Canada from here, the ancestors of Sue's grandmother's family. We were quite surprised when the archivist pointed us to the 'rue des freres Marcottes', named after these same two brothers. We were even more impressed when exploring this 200 m section of road in the heart of town to find a house with a plaque commemorating the Marcotte 'pioneers to Canada'. After almost 400 years, a revolution, wars, etc., their memory lives on. And just around the corner from the street the city's ancient wall and the palace where William the Conqueror celebrated the conquest of Britiain in 1066!

Fecamp boasts 5 modern windmills on the top of the hill overlooking the town, alongside a windy campsite. Our riding from here on north was studded with windmills, all with their backs to us - i.e. headwinds for we poor cyclists!

The town of Etretats, just north of Fecamp, is stunning, with sculpted cliffs and limestone arches adorning both sides of the town. We visited the awesome Marquenterre bird sanctuary adjoining the Somme river estuary (storks, egrets, spoonbills, and lots of other waterbirds) and pounded our way north against continuing strong headwinds and increasingly cool and cloudy weather. We finally ran out of stunning white cliffs (up), flax and corn fields (flat), interspersed with cute coastal fishing villages (down) in Boulogne, where we hopped the train via picturesque Lilles to Brugge, Belgium. Here we met up with our great friends Andy, Sylvia, Aurora and Naomi from Hamilton, near the end of their own year of adventure that began in Asia.

We walked into an unknown train station, bikes in hand, and had a choice of several trains going our way all day - how awesome is that? We are grateful to be able to bring our loaded bikes on the trains, but a few ramps rather than stairs would be helpful! Once in Belgium, the train disembarking was MUCH easier! While the French have a deep love of cycle touring, and wished us 'bon courage' throughout our 1200 km of riding here, some of the details (and us, too) get lost along the way. We had to lift our bikes up and down flights of stairs and about 3' up onto and off the train.

In France, we felt so welcomed, both as cyclists and Canadians. Never once did we get a strange look from people that we would be cycling over hill and dale, along isolated country roads or along highways as needed. They appreciated and complimented our French, despite our language stumbles. The drivers, whether in minis or transports, are always respectful and gave us a safe wide berth. Our experience would have been improved if the signage and consistency of cycling facilities were better, but wow - thanks France for a real ride of discovery!

Paris et La Loire

May 9 - 28:

Putting the bikes together at Charles de Gaulle Airport

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Chombord, Loire Valley

Azay-le-Rideau Camping

Well, the European phase of our travels has begun! We landed in Paris and assembled our bikes at the airport (it took only 2 hours) before venturing into the Mont Martre district near downtown. We had arranged to stay with some fellow cyclists and enjoyed their company before shifting to a lovely youth hostel. During several days, we visited many of the highlights of the City of Light: the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Luxembourg Gardens, Arc de Triomphe and Champs d'Elysses, Notre Dame Cathedral, Rodin and other museums, plus the ancient twisting streets and public spaces. We also used our own or rented bikes to go from place to place or along the Seine River; the bike public rental systems and paths are impressive. We enjoyed the ballet one night - choreographed by Nureyev - and a visit to the Fontainebleu forest and palace.

But we wanted to get cycling, and thus took the 1 hour journey by train to Versailles, site of a fabulous but overly extravagant palace and gardens. A great start to our camping, followed the next night by arrival in Chartres, home of the famous cathedral. A magnificent light show lit up the cathedral and other ancient sites in the city along a designated path. We then headed southwest to the Loire River valley and its famous chateaux (castles and gardens) of Chambord, Chenonceau, Blois, Azay-le-Rideau, and Villandry. Still, we also loved the ordinary small towns with their stone houses, old churches, and curving roads through the wheat and canola fields. We learned about the history of the common people in the Middle Ages as some lived in dwellings carved out of the limestone rock, once the stone for the chateaux had been removed - some people still live in such openings, or at least use them to store farm equipment and age their wine!

Yes, we have been enjoying French cheese and wine, and fresh croissants and pain au chocolat (or raisins) ordered the night before at the campsites. The bike trails and mostly quiet roads have made for good travelling, between 45 and 80 km per day, but the winds from the south and west have been strong at times, slowing us down a few days. Our cycling muscles are starting to tune up as our bodies adjust to our road routines and camping beds, but our butts and hands still get sore near the end of the day as we work out some kinks.

We are now pushing north past Le Mans into Normandy (Normandie) and look forward to the English Channel coast (called Le Manche in France).