The dunes, the sky, cold nights, and a canoe ride

With all the cycling signposts it was easy to find our way out of Amsterdam,

and we headed west to Haarlem, a beautiful historic centre with a cobblestone town square, lined with cafes of course,

but the playground on our way in was probably the kids favourite part. 

The next part of our journey looked easy on paper - just follow the path up the coast - but our many wrong turns added significant mileage to the day. At one point we found ourselves at the dock for the giant ferry to Newcastle, England which would really have been a detour. It was a bit of an industrial port, much less scenic than our previous routes, 

but variety is good too and it was interesting to bike by the giant factories, and across the series of bridges over the locks.

 When we finally got to the town of Wiijk an Zee we were happy to see a sign for a campground, and even happier when we saw the quiet but lovely site with a small playground, where we could catch up on our journals and castle building.

We met some other cyclists and absolutely loved the cycle car one camper had, powered only by pedals. 

We've seen several of these futuristic bullet-shaped projectiles on the road, they are incredibly fast and perfect for travelling in the flat Netherlands. We decided we should get five of them and travel in a convoy for our next trip - Jacob suggested we converge in stealth attack mode on anyone in our way.

When camping we often don't arrive at a site until 7 or even 8, but thanks to the many hours of daylight there is still plenty of time left to set up our tents and prepare our meals, though it means the kids don't go to sleep until 11 or later some nights. The advantage works in the morning too - when I got up at 5 am because I was so cold (we decided not to spend the money on a cold weather sleeping bag - back in Toronto with a heated home and warm duvet it didn't seem like we really needed it) there was lots of light for me to go on an early morning walk around the dunes, up to the scenic viewpoint where I could watch the sunrise, somewhat unscenically over the industrial complex we'd cycled past the day before.

After a camping breakfast of bread and peanut butter, fruit and cheese, we packed up, the kids diligently helping as usual,

and set off for our ride up the coast to Groet, where Monique, another generous host we met through the warmshowers website, awaited us. The ride was different from what we'd already seen of the Netherlands - the flat fields, canals and farm animals replaced by scrub covered dunes and grazing bison.

It was a fairly short ride with the wind at our back, though we took time for a short picnic on top of the dunes on our way.

We arrived in the tiny and lovely village of Groet in time for the kids to play a game of soccer with the children and for Paul and I to chat with Monique and her partner Rembrandt about their cross Canada walking and hitchhiking adventure and their previous year where they and their four children lived self-sufficiently in a village in France. Monique took us on an evening walk through the dunes so we could stroll the shore of the chilly North Sea

and the next morning after feeding us breakfast to power our journey she and the younger three went off for their regular 10 km bike ride to school

- meaning her 10 year old has a 20 km daily cycle commute. Pretty impressive.

Monique also recommended that we check out a website called couchsurfing, so with her as a reference we sent out a message to the family forum about our planned itinerary, and ever since we have been flooded with offers to stay with people. It will make a nice change from camping but even better is the chance to meet local families. 

Our next stop was Enkhuizen on the opposite coast, it was raining when we arrived so we went to the library for some down time, then to the campsite where the reception was closed so we were able to stay for free. We set up our tents and relaxed for a few minutes 

before heading into town to have a quick dinner in the old centre and see the marina 

to check out the ferry schedule.

I was freezing most of the night, and when I heard the patter of rain on the tent and noticed the light of dawn I decided to get up and get ready to go. I called to Paul (he was sleeping in our leaky two person tent - not so good on rainy nights, but does provide some sleeping freedom) that we should all just get up now and pack up before it rained too much. He replied that it was not even 5 in the morning so maybe not such a good idea. I went for a morning walk to try and keep warm and was rewarded with another sunrise - I've probably seen more sunrises on this trip than I have in the past ten years or more.

The rest of the family did get up relatively early as we had planned to take an 8:30 ferry across the waters to the province of Friesland, but the high cost of the ferry and favourable winds made us decide to cycle 30 km across the dike instead. We love crossing the scenic bridges in the Netherlands, like the little one in Enkhuizen 

but to be able to cycle such a massive stretch over the water was amazing. We started out up the hill and past windmills to the entrance of the highway, 

the kids thrilled to watch hundreds of bunnies scampering across the grass and into their burrows. The cycle path started off right next to the road, 

but had long stretches separated by an embankment where it was just us, the water and the seabirds.

We often need to cycle single file so it was nice to be able to ride together for a change.

We made such good time that we decided to cycle the rest of the 80 km to Weeribben National Park, a bit of a gruelling journey, especially the last part where it rained as we got lost trying to find a campsite, so that we were all the more grateful to arrive at the camping cabins in Kuiner just outside the park. Cold but dry and with nice comfy bunk beds and a restaurant where we enjoyed hot waffles and apple cake with cinnamon ice cream the next night.

We spent two nights at the cabin so we could have a full day to explore the national park. On our short cycle to the park we were beset by hail, and some of us (me) were not in high spirits when we got to the park and sat shivering and wet eating our packed lunch at a picnic table. But we rented a canoe and a kayak and once we hit the water the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful warm day. The landscape around us was different - a fairly small river with branching canals,

(Tom not looking happy at the beginning- he took a few minutes to get accustomed to being in a canoe again)

some of which were lined with trees,

and others amidst reeds 

- the same reeds that are regularly harvested and used for the country's thatched roof houses

 but as we paddled we felt a little bit like we were back in Ontario.

Amsterdam, my new favourite city

 As much as I love cities, generally I'm not so interested in visiting them with the children. Our kids have a limited tolerance for museums, galleries and concerts, they quickly tire of exploring the streets on foot, and it's not possible to linger over meals at local restaurants or enjoy cafe ambience over glass of wine when Tom is likely to start running around, pouring out salt shakers, or fighting with Jacob at high volume. But when it came to selecting a place to meet up with my family, Amsterdam seemed a natural choice. It was a direct flight from Toronto, an easy train ride for my sister from England, and we figured we could easily amuse ourselves for a week there. By the end of our week I was a huge fan, happy to adopt the city's unofficial logo, spelled out in block letters around the city, including in front of the famed Rijksmuseum:

Having my mom and dad, Marty and Sam there was terrific. We really miss seeing our parents, since we're accustomed to spending time with them weekly if not daily, and we all cherish visits with Marty and adorable Sam. Paul and I also enjoyed the added bonus of having some time to explore the city on our own, while the kids were delighted to spend time with their grandparents and aunt enjoying time playing in parks, 

taking a canal cruise that disembarked by the Rijksmuseum

and indulging in treats of ice cream and pannenkoeken filled with caramel cubes, apple slices and slagroom (I can't get over their word for whipped cream).  We had rented apartments next door to each other. Each morning the kids would race over to my parents' place to eat cereal and play with baby Sam, 

and each night we would all reunite for dinner, usually at our place,

but once at a terrific friterie that had a kid's station so they could train for future careers as fry cooks.

There were so many things to love about Amsterdam, first and foremost the unbelievable cycling culture. To experience life in a big city where you could go everywhere by bicycle without fear (except possibly of other cyclists) was glorious. Everyone cycles, no matter what age or income level. I saw people doubling their friends standing on the racks on the back of their bikes, moms and dads with children in front and back seats, and people with cargo bikes carrying all manner of things - I wish I had a picture of the musician I saw cycling with a double bass strapped to his back. The massive four storey bike parking lot outside the central train station was a thing of beauty.

While other cities ban bicycles from roads either explicitly or through dangerous designs, Amsterdam streets had countless prohibitions against cars and trucks, with one way and no entry signs always posting that the interdiction was "uitgezonderd" (not applicable) for bicycles. 

Bicycles are allowed almost everywhere, including the path running through the Rijksmuseum, despite an attempt - foiled by politically active cyclists who gathered petitions and lobbied intensively - to close the path during a major renovation of the museum. It's a one of a kind experience to cycle such a path, which we did, to the echoing chords of Vivaldi's Winter played on the accordion by a busker in the tunnel.

Walking through at night allowed us to peer through the arched windows 

and see the architectural splendour of the space, finally empty of people.

Another part of the charm of the city was its incredible vibrancy. Street cafes - so pleasant to be at since the streets were much less noisy and polluted since bicycles were the predominant traffic - were crowded with people night and day. Everyone seemed gorgeous - stylishly dressed and effortlessly beautiful - probably because of their healthy cycling lifestyle (am I starting to sound biased?!) and their evident enjoyment of life. The Amstel river and countless canals were criss-crossed with bridges, including the "Torontobrug" commemorating the twinning of two cities in 1974, inscribed with David Crombie's name.

Private and public life are inextricable, with people's lives on display either in windows (as in the red light district - sorry no pictures of that - this is a family blog) or on front steps and promenades. The lack of space means people don't confine themselves to backyards but instead sit on their front steps or bring chairs out onto the sidewalk to relax and socialize. 

Watercraft were everywhere - houseboats, pleasure boats filled with revellers,

barges with landscaping and flowers in lieu of a front yard,

and floating playgrounds for neighbourhood children.

The city itself is dense and functions like a well oiled... bicycle. Tall narrow houses mean innovative solutions for moving furniture are needed.

Garbage collection is crucial in such close quarters, and is done by very official looking bureaucrats who comb through refuse put out on the wrong day and fine those responsible (these two are conferring after such a crime was committed one morning on our street - they asked my mom if she had any knowledge).

Parking is tight and there is little space for conventional towing, so they airlift errant cars onto the backs of small trucks.

The many transportation modes in the city come together at chaotic intersections that seem like an accident waiting to happen,

but in practice function far better than our own - pedestrian and cyclists fatalities are rare in the city.

I wish Toronto's politicians (and voters) could understand that bicycles are not a left wing instrument of revolution in a war against cars, but just a basic mode of transportation that makes sense in a busy city. It doesn't have to be cars vs cyclists - there are plenty of cars around

- it's just that they all share the road (even with segways).

The density of the city is well contained, and taking a free municipal ferry across the river brings you quickly to pastoral countryside instead of the massive sprawl we have in Toronto.

We took several cycling day trips. One day we went with Marty and the kids to the city's bos (forest),

where they have a Riverdale Farm on steroids. The animals frolic in the kids playgrounds,

and the kids are free to go into the enclosures to play with the baby goats

or in Tom's case cower in the chicken pen (he stuck close to Jacob for safety)

Another day trip was to Zaanse Schans to see a historic set of windmills, but it was so crowded we could barely tour the site. We lingered long enough for lunch and a cheese making demonstration before heading off on our bikes to cycle home, enjoying the architecture of the surrounding towns on our way.

Paul and I had our own day trips without the kids, free to cycle at our own pace. We cycled a loop to and from Edam, via the lovely town of Broek in Waterland, peaceful and picturesque with beautiful homes right on the water.

then past small markets,

and onto the ferry to cross the water between Volendam and Marken,

enjoying the sun as we watched the sailboats breeze by.

Our final morning we packed up our bikes and set off on our journey, bidding adieu to my parents and Marty.

We miss you all and can't wait to see your smiling faces in September (or hopefully sooner for you Marty)!