Trip to The Netherlands: Part 4

 

April 17-18, 2023

We woke up in Gouda and post breakfast promptly got on to our bikes. First destination was Lekkerkern. Here we took our bikes in a ferry and crossed over to the other side of the large canal to Alblassterdam. From here we biked to Kinderdijk where there was a row of old windmills on either side of a canal . Walking paths and biking routes passed in between the two sides. At the far end of the path was a cafe and gift shop. We parked our bikes at one place and sat to eat our sandwiches on the tables outdoors across from the gift shop. Bonnie was the only one to take off on her bike to see the windmills up close and take pictures. I found some cute souvenirs in the gift shop. 

From Kinderdijk we traced our path back to Alblassterdam from where we took a waterbus to Rotterdam, Europe’s largest seaport. As we got off the waterbus and biked towards the Feniks we passed along big plantings of red and yellow tulips. Once at the Feniks, it was time to retire the bikes for the day. Another 45 km were logged in this day.

It had become a ritual by then for the group to go out for a walk into the city. I changed into a kesapaat Garidiya saree from Assam.  We strolled along the canal trying to catch a glimpse of parts of the old city that had survived bombing during world war ll. Most of the city has a modern architectural landscape having revived after the war. It is called the architectural capital of the country. 

That evening we found a cafe not too far from where the Feniks had docked. It was quite chilly as we sat outside sipping on our drinks. My cider was quite delightful. On our way back to the boat we watched a bridge open up to let some boats pass through the canal. In days ahead we would see several other bridges use different mechanisms to facilitate such passage of boats. 

While everyone else was ready to climb into the boat for the evening Bonnie’s heart was set on taking pictures of the tulips we had rode past earlier when we got off the waterbus. I agreed to accompany her. We took plenty of pictures with the flowers as the sun went down beyond the city’s skyscrapers. I even taught her how to take the back shot of the flying pallu. 

We returned to the Feniks just in time for dinner. That evening Pauline surprised us with an Indian meal. It was evident she had worked hard to prepare dahi wadas, chhole and mango lassi served with naan, basmati rice, mango chutney and a salad. 

Waking up on the Feniks in Rotterdam we set out with Henk on a brief tour of the city. He showed us the Maritime Museum and the architectural marvel of the Museum of Fine Arts as well as the famous Market of Rotterdam. 

Onward to Rotterdam Central Station we took our bikes on the train to Pijnacker ( pronounced pain-ack-er) but not before a rather risky flight down an escalator at the station with our bikes in hand! While rest of us barely managed to prevent falling, Abhay took a tumble!

Getting off at Pijnacker Central Station we took an elevator up to the road before climbing on to our bikes and peddling our way to the city of Delft! 

Henk briefed us about the schedule in Delft as we parked and locked our bikes, before walking past the old church to enter into the city’s main square. Just before entering this square stood a large Purple Heart where other tourists were taking pictures. 

Right as we got into the square we saw a cafe that served coffee with apple pie. We had peddled enough already to deserve the treat. The place was tiny and we were lucky to find a table to seat the nine of us. The apple pie was delicious and so was my hot chocolate. 

Once recharged we were ready to walk the 1.5 miles to the famed Royal Delft pottery museum and factory. The exhibits at the museum were absolutely amazing. It was a nice experience to see the artists at work hand painting the individual ceramics but the pieces for sale in the shop were much too expensive. A tea kettle was over 700 euros! I settled for a butter dish that we needed at home. It is a good sample of the blue and white handmade hand designed pottery that is the hallmark of Royal Delft. 

We walked back from the museum to the Main Square and sat on one of the benches facing the church to munch on our sandwiches. By 2:30 pm we were on our bikes again, this time passing through The Hague to our final destination at Leiden where we would stay for two nights in a row. Once again it was over 45 kms of biking. By now the legs and back were accustomed to the exercise. The menu that night was Italian highlighted by a caprese salad, pasta and a heavenly tiramisu!