Hup Holland Hup

The first thing to say about Holland is that it is cycling paradise.  Everyone here cycles; children, old people, families – everyone! Many countries could really learn a thing or two from the Netherlands – the bike here is king! Cycling is easy and safe; there are separated bike lanes everywhere, pumps on the roadside to inflate your tires, and all road users are courteous and considerate of each other, which is a big change from cycling in London.

When we crossed the border from Belgium to Holland we managed to find a free campsite link HERE (a tip we found from a very good touring website by the TravellingTwo). It had rained for most of the journey from Antwerp so we were a little soggy on arrival and happy to pitch our tent and dry off. The campsite was a little off the beaten track and we were the only people there which was nice.

Nearby is a peculiar town called Baarle-Nassau which is divided between the Dutch and Belgians and the border starts and stops with seemingly no pattern or reason, so some shops and cafes are Belgian and some are Dutch! It is also where Andre’s grandfather was born.

Our trip in Holland was largely spent with members of the Jacobs family! Our good friend Roos’s brother Rob and his girlfriend Deke very kindly let us stay with them for a few nights in Utrecht. We had a fantastic time exploring the city and supporting the Netherlands in their second round match against Mexico. The entire city seemed to be dressed in bright orange and everyone was in high spirits before the game – it was a great atmosphere. After a nerve-wracking 88 minutes, the game turned around and luckily ended well for the Dutch!

We also managed to fit in a day trip to Amsterdam which I was really happy about as I have never been. Roos was an excellent tour guide and we sampled many delicious Dutch treats, poffertjes (small, light, little pancakes) with chocolate and icing sugar, the second best frites in Holland (apparently – as voted for by the Dutch public) and two types of kroketten (fried meat ragout wrapped in breadcrumbs), one from a vending machine!

Apart from the food, we meandered along the canals admiring the architecture, which is pretty impressive. I was (probably naively) surprised by the red light district area and the scantily clad women posing in the windows on a Monday afternoon. It felt a little sad and I don’t really buy the idea that they are all there by their own free will. One of my favourite areas was a little walled courtyard area called Begijnhoff. It was built in the 14^th century for women who lived like nuns but didn’t take any of the monastic vows.  Inside the courtyard is a pretty garden surrounded by beautiful old houses, including the oldest house in Amsterdam. A beer, or two, in the sunshine completed the day.

After our restful and fun visit in Utrecht we cycled north to Flevoland – which is not a tacky food theme park – but a tranquil and beautiful area of Holland reclaimed from the sea in the ‘50s and ‘60s. We discovered another free campsite using the map mentioned previously that had little wooden shelters you could camp in and we decided to head there for the night. The camping spot was inside a nature reserve called Horsterwold and we were more than a little disappointed as we approached the area to hear multiple voices and what sounded like a party taking place. We assumed all the huts would be full and we would have to move on, but decided to go and say hi anyway. Our disappointment soon turned to happiness when one of the party approached us and invited us to join them for a BBQ and beers, they also told us they would be leaving in a couple of hours so the huts were all free! It turned into a really great evening and the campsite was perfect apart from the mouse that tried to break into our panniers!

The beer must have affected us more than we realised as the next morning we overslept by a couple of hours! This, coupled with the route being longer than we anticipated, meant we ended up arriving at Roos’s parents in Diepenheim fairly late in the evening.  The day was a good one though, we cycled across the Veluwe which is National Park and reminded me of Exmoor (Back in England) a little with the heather. And when we did finally arrive it was to a very warm welcome by Herman and Janneke who kindly hosted us for our last night in The Netherlands.

Holland has been a great place to cycle, however, we can’t avoid the hills forever (though we will try) so onwards to Germany!