Our eight-day boar-and-bike tour began on Saturday afternoon when we boarded the Fleur, a two level modified barge with a length of 38.7 meters (so that it can fit inside a French canal lock which is 39 meters long). It has 10 cozy guest rooms to hold a maximum of 20 guests (plus six additional crew members and guides). The bikes are included and stored on the barge, and there is a dining room for all and relaxation areas inside and on the back deck. We sailed for a couple of hours out of Amsterdam and did a short 10 mile bike ride to get acquainted with the bikes and rules of the road. Each day we’ll ride at least 30 miles with many stops along the way.
For our first big ride on Easter Sunday we left from Haarlem, Netherlands and were thrilled to cycle past multitudes of colorful tulip fields. From a distance, each field is dazzling, but seen as a solid block of color, or different blocks of colors. Up close, though, there are countless varieties, and some tulips even have mixtures of colors within one flower: red with a yellow lip, pink and white, white and red, yellow and red…and each year new tulip shapes and colors are announced. We heard about a new one this year that has a very dark hue of blue.
Our primary stop along our bike tour today was to visit the Keukenhof Gardens of Holland. It is one of the largest flower shows in the world, with 80 acres devoted mostly to tulips, but the gardens also include lilies, daffodils, orchids, and much more. Beginning as a herb garden in the 17th century, with winding flower paths designed in 1830, the year 1949 is when it became commercialized to show off new varietals to support Dutch export of flowers. Over seven million flower bulbs are planted annually and no other country exports more flowers than Netherlands.
After visiting the gardens, we cycled out to the beach where Ted waded into the North Sea. We’re rode past fields, through forests, along canals, and through smaller towns with ease. Most of our routes are below sea level, but the Dutch are experts at water control.
We are also enjoying the company of eighteen new friends. Dividing into two groups, each with a local guide, we ride paths in a country that really knows how to support cycling. Bike paths are filled with cyclists, parents carry up to three children on their bikes, and hardly anyone wears a helmet. Motor scooters also buzz by amidst bicycles and pedestrians, except within the city limits of Amsterdam. Routes are not numbered, instead, every intersection where two bike paths intersect is numbered. Our guides are experts and taking us through the maze of bike paths.
Netherlands is beautiful – the country-side and the people. All in all, we love our choice of this particular small group biking trip with Boats and Bikes in the Netherlands. It is meeting all our high expectations with six more glorious days of biking to go!
