Amsterdam is a fascinating, energetic and diverse city.   There are people everywhere

and you will find every type of hairdo on every shape and size wearing every fashion imaginable.  If you can dream it, you can probably find it walking the streets or in the gazillion stores in the center of the city.

Walking is easy and scenic

but your head will spin with the different characters to see,

from top to bottom.

There are beautiful parks around the city with miles of walking and biking trails,

beautiful architecture and incredible museums.

Though we walked by at least half the city’s famous museums, I was only allowed one to go in, so we went to The Van Gogh Museum.  If you are at all a museum fan, Amsterdam should be on the top of your list; experiencing the original works of art and learning a bit about the artists will leave you breathless and at the very least, speechless (so the museum trip was worth it for Jerry, too).

But we’ve played tourist for much longer than I thought possible, so tomorrow we Ride.

Hope to see you on the road.

It was a glorious morning.

The past two overcast days broke to a crisp, cool breeze and warm sunshine that made the 50 degree temperature very comfortable.  We didn’t get started until 9:30 as our breakfast companions had just arrived from Australia.  We compared notes on our planned trips down the River Rhine and then on to Budapest; of course they were going via cruise.

Biking, versus walking, gives you an entire different perspective on the town and a special appreciation for the ease in which the locals maneuver their bikes; poetry on wheels.  We managed to struggle through the intersections without getting run over or yelled at and find the safe bike paths.

We had not run into a language barrier until we started trying to read maps and street signs, we are sure we lost a lot in translation.  One gentleman even came out of his apartment to chat (and help with directions).  Hank had biked the United States coast to coast when he was 66; he still rides everyday at 80.

Once out of the city we biked a delightful bike trail along the Amsterdam canal. very similar to biking the C & O Canal outside of Washington DC, except this was paved.

and the cruise boat and barge traffic was substantial. The Amsterdam canal is one of the main thoroughfares that connect the commerce of the River Rhine and the North Sea.

By lunch time we’d only done 30 miles, somehow lost the canal but reached the town of Utrecht and almost the end of our navigational skills for the day.  But after some nourishment, caffeine, sugar and questions to a lot of different people, we were encouraged to press further.

We continued through the city to the River Lek.  This bike path took us through beautiful farms, green from the spring rains and filled with horses, cows and sheep.

We stopped at every road to make sure we were heading in the right direction.  It became frustrating that a runner kept passing us.  Jerry finally biked up beside him and they chatted for miles, think we succeeded in slowing him down a bit.

He did mention a town we MUST stay in, so we had a goal.  By 5 pm we reached the enchanting town of Dijk Bij Duurstede.  Like going back in time, which is very romantic if you have a hotel reservation; not so happy when you’ve biked almost 50 miles for the first time in two years.  Luckily, we found a room in the ONLY hotel in town.  A hot shower, deliciouso bowl of pasta and a stroll through the town center to watch the sun kiss the roof edge (at 9:30 pm)

then off to bed.

Our lovely hotel, De Oude Lantaarn,  served breakfast at 8 am, so we stuck around; and SO glad we did.  A typical and bountiful Netherland breakfast of many fresh breads, homemade jams, meats, cheeses, granola, fresh yogurt and cream, not to mention some seriously good coffee awaited us.

After breakfast, we walked around town, even sat on the hotel rooftop trying to find a good internet signal to post the blog, but when the church tower rang 10 am, Jerry said we had to go.

So we pedaled down brick-paved roads past the bakery, butcher shop and windmill to the bike path along Amsterdam canal.

Almost the entire ride today was on a nicely paved road that was lined for one car and generous bike lanes on either side.  Though there were a few cars from time to time, it was filled with bikes of all kinds enjoying the weekend’s beautiful weather.

The path was along the top of the dike, so we were afforded delightful views of the little towns with tidy homes and perfect yards

and beautiful churches.

At two o’clock we took a break to make a plan for the rest of the day.  With a 24 oz beer down the hatch,

we decided to take the small trek across the bridge, find a place to stay and enjoy the oldest city in the Netherlands, Nijmegen.

As we checked into Hotel Courage, directly on the River Waal, we learned of the historic bicycle museum that adjoined our hotel.  Though quite small, it had dozens of bikes dating as back as far to the early 1800’s, looks pretty comfy, hmm?

After our quick history lesson, we strolled the waterfront enjoying the constant traffic on the river and the sites and foods from the riverside restaurants.

We enjoyed a couple delicously fresh dinners at La Pasta and some very entertaining conversation with the owner, Mike.  We are still trying to get used to the sun being high in the sky at 9 pm; so we slowly strolled back to the hotel and called it a night.