Earnewald - Bolsward/Hichtum - To France the Long Way 2009

July 14, 2009

Earnewald - Bolsward/Hichtum

A few raindrops before we leave, then the sun and clouds jockey for supremacy until finally the sun wins, the day is lovely.

Again a breakfast worth mentioning: The camping shop also offers breakfast which sounded like a good idea to me. Croissants, scrambled eggs, oranges with an orange press to make your own fresh orange juice, ... All in a very homey setting, a good start for the day.

Canals, lakes, cows, views to very distant horizons, a tremendous feeling of space in this small country.

Canals in the distance: It looks as if the boats were sailing across the fields.

We have two crossings on ferries only for bicycles - where else in the world are cyclists so well provided for? For the Dutch, having two wheels under you is almost the same as wearing two shoes. Everyone rides a bike.

I didn't really believe the sign saying this is the way to Sneek.

The tiny path led us to a little ferry crossing - just for bicycles.

And nowhere are cyclists given so many rights on the road. Often a country road will have three lanes, the left and right outside lanes are for bikes, in the middle is a single lane for cars.

Three lanes: Two are for bicycle traffic

We make a point of cycling to the lovely town of Sneek that Janos visited several times by sailboat many years ago. Today it is more touristy than in the days of yore - it was too pretty to go unnoticed - but it is still a very worthwhile stop. The old part of town is surrounded by water and the traffic must pass over drawbridges - all very picturesque for a landlubber like me.

Motor af: Turn off your engine - if you have one.

In Sneek we take time to visit the Frisian Maritime Museum which has a wonderful collecton of old and model sail boats as well as sailing related exhibits.

Historic poster in Sneek's Maritime Museum

Sneek's Maritime Museum illustrates the roll of ice skating on Friesland's canals.

We cycle on to Bolsward, another beautiful Frisian town which dates back to the Middle Ages. Bolsward, as well as Sneek, is one of the eleven Frisian cities in which the Elfstedentocht is held, a rare ice skating marathon which can only take place when the ice is thick enough.

Bolsward comes as a surprise to me. It is smaller than Sneek but is one of Friesland's oldest towns. At one time it was a member of the Hanseatic League and a busy port before the Zuider See was closed off. The outstanding Renaissance town hall and fine facades lining the streets pay tribute to the town's wealthy past.

The beautiful Renaissance red brick town hall in Bolsward

Detail from the front of Bolsward's town hall

Now the search begins. Bolsward is said to have a camping ground. It takes us a while to find the place, only to discover that it is closed for renovation. We are directed to another camping in Hichtum, a few kilometers down the road. This farm camping, boerencamping, is a great find. It's even organic.

The flag for Friesland at the entrance of our camping in Hichtum

The woman running the campground is the farmer, a young and vivacious lady farmer. "You will have very nice neighbors," she tells us on the way to our site. I am looking forward to a chat with our nice neighbors. Oh, they are sheep! "Do you have a stove?" our blond farmer asks us. Yes, we do and as a matter of fact I found fuel for our Trangia cooker today and bought some kind of curry in a jar and rice for dinner.

The farmer lady says she'll be back soon. She returns with six fresh, organic eggs from her free-roaming chickens! What a treat. What I had taken for curry turned out to be just the sauce, not a particularly substantial evening meal. Perfect, we make hard boiled eggs and have them in the curry sauce with rice. Our field next to the sheep paddock even has a picnic table and benches. We are two happy campers.

Our camping site in Hichtum. Caravans are on another field. Being the only tent campers, we have this field to ourselves.

We sleep soundly in these peaceful surroundings, the only sounds are the bleating of sheep and the call of a distant cucoo.

Today's ride: 53 km (33 miles)
Total: 1,576 km (979 miles)

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