Volendam and more

I bought a new road bike ("racefiets" or racing bike, as it's called here) in April, since the one I purchased when I moved to Amsterdam two years ago wasn't quite working for me. Our spring and early summer weather was terrible, in terms of temperature and precipitation. But it has warmed up and dried out a bit in recent weeks. I tried to bike from Amsterdam to Volendam, a small "traditional" town north of Amsterdam, on Wednesday, but I misinterpreted the sign posts that direct cyclists, and I ended up going in a rather unsatisfying loop through dairy land on a cloudy, windy day.

Temperatures were supposed to be in the upper 60's on Saturday, and the skies were forecast to be mostly clear, so I set out for another attempt, with two modifications: 1) I researched the route a bit more, and 2) I decided to try strapping my camera around my back so that, unlike the ride on Wednesday, I could take some photos of the countryside. This was the route that I ended up taking (which was pretty close to what I'd initially planned).

After crossing the IJ river, the city quickly dissolves into countryside. My route took me along the western bank of the IJmeer, which is an artificial lake created by damning the sea. The water is brackish, and it is bordered by lands that used to be regularly flooded during high tides and heavy rainfall. Much of the path is located on a dike, and it is wide enough for an elevated bike path and a road for cars below. I alternated between taking the lower car road (as most of the road bikes did) and the elevated path, which allowed for some cool views of the IJmeer and the surrounding countryside.  

A group of adolescent girls rode toward me, and I stepped off the path to allow them to pass. A group of men cycling were coming up from behind the girls, and they decided to pass as this point. The horses remained calm throughout.

After riding the dike, I turned to the east and then to the north. I managed to use the sign posts correctly this time, and I passed through Monnickendam before heading north to Edam and then back down through Volendam before taking a ferry to Marken and then cycling back to Amsterdam.

Animal friendly meat does not exist

Street in Monnickendam

A scene in Edam

Houses along a canal in Volendam

Houses in Marken

Cheese shop in Edam

Sign advertising the weekly (Wednesday) cheese market in Edam

Canal in Edam

One of several Volendam shops in which you can take a picture in traditional Dutch clothing

Outdoor restaurant in Edam

Street in Edam

Departing Volendam on the ferry

Beer break after 20 miles

Apart from the obvious beauty of the scenery, I noticed a few other things during the ride. First (and this is not exactly surprising or new for me), the landscape is remarkably flat. The winds were calm, and there was little resistance from incline. It made for excellent riding. Second, most of the trip was spent on paths that were only for bikes, and driver behavior was exemplary during the few times I shared a road with cars. Third, there were a lot of cyclists on the paths, and at least half of them were not on road bikes; they were simply, leisurely, riding around on their "city bikes," which are the big, clunky, heavy bikes that typically don't go much faster than ten miles per hour. And, finally, as a summary of these observations, I reflected upon what a biking utopia this country is. Where else on earth could you have such an experience?