Our time at Utrecht seemed all too fast. We enjoyed our night stroll around the market Square of the old town, busy with bikers and people all rushing home or out for the evening. We noticed particularly the almost complete lack of cars in the entire city centre last night as we walked, but a ‘thousand’ bikes – everyone gets about by bike, usually one speed – fast!
Our room at the Stone Hotel was quite okay, not quite ‘roomy’ but for sweaty cyclists it was nevertheless good for a night stop-over. Somehow though, we always seem to score the 2nd floor of these quaint Hotels that also have near vertical staircases. Anyway, the stairs keep the blood circulating, but often brings the lactic acid to the muscles all over again!
We were a little slower getting away. By the time we made two trips down the two flights of steep stairs with our four panniers and two back packs (which we strap to our bikes), it was 10am as we competed with the hundreds of other cyclists all heading the same way we were. I was responsible for my first genuine ‘bike rage’ incident. We had to cross the road to go back into the centre of the city. My bike was facing the wrong way. I just wheeled it around and started walking to the roadside. I could hear a guy screaming ‘hello, hello’ which didn’t really register. But as he passed at a great rate of knots, I could see his fury at me for walking across his path. I cannot begin to translate the mouthful he gave me in his own language!
I followed Julie into the main centre – she is far more astute at handling the bike culture, the bikeways, the separate walking paths and the traffic lane, often all the same, as I am. We made it alive to the centre and picked up the bikeway signs that, despite being rather complicated, helped guide us through the maze of traffic, serious roadworks, tunnels and the whirlwind of bikes going in all directions in a hurry. Once on the outside of the city itself, we stopped to draw breath, and settle down to the lovely paths through outer suburbia which almost always followed water or a canal of some kind.
The signs of the bikeways sound simple and easy, but if you want a day of frustration, try it sometime. I had my map in my back pocket which I consulted frequently; even then we got disoriented several times. We headed out to the west, then turned north through De-Meern heading for the tiny village of De Haar, especially to behold the magnificent ‘Kasteel (castle) de Haar. Built in only 1892, it resembled something out of King Arthur days, more like a 12th century castle on a large grassy estate surrounded on all sides by a moat and beautiful elm and oak trees – a photographers paradise! In the adjoining village of Haarzullens, Julie found her retirement home.
The bikeway then turned us due south to Woerden, where we stopped for a while for some sustenance, a typical Dutch lunch of ‘frites’ (chips) smothered in mayonnaise with a few scrapes of carrot and a slice or two of cucumber to balance the vitamin intake! Across the road was the 15th century moated castle alongside the 1892 neo-Gothic church, the Bonaventurakerk. As we left town, I couldn’t pass up a photo in front of the beautiful historic windmill.
We decided then to make a straight run for Gouda, which would take us through the centre of the large lake, the Reeuwijkse Plassen, a stunning ride for about 10-15k from Driebrugen to the edge of Gouda. We initially passed through many farms, all ‘moated’ by the high water levels with the narrow roadways built up just above the water levels, as are the areas on which the houses have been built. It seemed to us Aussies that it was a maze of narrow water channels, often filled with bird life including lovely swans and geese.
Once we hit the outskirts of Gouda, it was difficult to know which way to turn. We were not confident that the bikeway would lead us to the Hotel De Utrechtsche Dom, so we put our faith in the GPS I had carried this time in my back pocket. It was wonderfully clever, and led us all the way into the most magnificent market centre of this very ancient town. We marveled at the sight, the ancient ‘Stadhuis’ (city hall) stood like a medieval tower alone in the centre of the large cobbled ‘marktcentre’, surrounded then by hundreds of old buildings that make up the ancient heart of this town famous for cheese.
After some confusion we found our way to the Hotel. We assumed the Hotel was next to the Dom (Cathedral) so we ignored the final instructions of the GPS and went straight to the Dom that stood as tall as the Stadhuis. However, the Hotel was not attached to the Dom (as we thought the name suggests), but in a narrow lane more to the edge of the central market place. It takes its name from the Dom at Utrecht, being the Hotel originally on the road that led to Utrecht, presumably for pilgrims on a journey.
The hotel is small but lovely inside. The manager is a wonderful host who cannot do enough for us. This time we are on the first floor, but more regular stairs and a nicely warmed room. We showered and warmed up a bit from the cold day outside, and being dark now, we walked a short way to a most beautiful pizza shop where we shared a large pizza for about $10. The pizza was lovely, but the Italian atmosphere of the quaint restaurant was worth the experience also.
We have decided to perhaps have a bike free day tomorrow and enjoy this lovely place on foot. There is much history to appreciate and many sights to see, rather than the 60k tour through some of Holland’s loveliest windmill districts.
We covered just on 50k today, which allowed us plenty of time to stop and appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of the rural countryside between Utrecht and Gouda. Both bikes are performing well, although Julie is working a bit harder keeping her heavy bike rolling.
From our lovely Hotel room at the De Utrechtsche Dom at Gouda, and completely surrounded by the great canals Burgvlietkade and Karnemelksloot, we send our love, encouraged by the clear weather forecasts for the next few days!
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