Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht to Nieuw-Beijerland - The Bartletts tour Europe on their E-Tandem - CycleBlaze

Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht to Nieuw-Beijerland

When we arrived yesterday, we were hot and sweaty. Yet, here we are, enjoying a welcome coffee and cookies.
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Knowing we have a short day of riding ahead of us and absolutely loving where we are, we took advantage of a reasonable offer that the BnB offers if you want to extend your stay for 2 hours. It’s funny, but an extra 2 hours made us feel like we had added another day.  We have both been feeling increasingly tired and this was a gift. Besides, who knows if we will ever be here again. This BnB has been a labour of love for the family who have converted this long time bakery into accommodation. The quality of the furnishings, the antiques (with special mention to the exquisite lamps), the unlimited access to coffee, tea, cookies and vintage style candies, the excellent service/staff and secure bike storage make this place a 10/10 for us. In all our travels, we have rarely encountered such a wonderful place…except perhaps the hotel in Naha Okinawa.

The breakfast room…a beautiful space. We most often self cater when we are on the road for a long time…we like to eat simply when we can, like museli, fruit and yogurt, plus we save money too.
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A comfortable nook in in our room. A good place for reading by this sweet window.
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Our bedroom has exclusive access to the rear garden, which was perfect for us. Seavo had his own yard for hanging out…but he did have to share it with a robot mower
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Original details like the cast iron oven doors for baking and the brick walls have been kept intact.
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Antique lamps like this one in the “candy shop” are found throughout the property. Guests can drop by anytime for a yummy selection of traditional and Dutch candies in traditional glass jars.
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The staff and family who work here treat you like special visitors. Anything you may need, happens before you know it. This young woman, Jeanette, has travelled all around the world and had wonderful stories to share, as did we. We were intrigued by her accent. Like so many people, she speaks fluent English. When Barry asked about her accent, it turns out she worked and lived in New Zealand for a time, hence the unique melodic accent she had.
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Packing up…how easy it is to be able to load our tandem directly from our room with same level access. We have lost count of the number of places we have hauled our gear and trailer up and down challenging staircases.
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The family have done a wonderful job of renovating the building and have wisely honoured the style and paint details of its history.
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We continue to be impressed by the impressive gardening skills and beautiful flowers we see in people’s gardens.
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This immaculate modern home has an interesting blend of old and new design.
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We don’t often see this older version flag of Holland that has been replaced by the blue, red and white. Note the beloved colour of orange that is on this flag.
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A very modern church with some interesting details we have noticed in Holland….the exterior features more roof than wall space and the solar panels on the roof. Solar panels are often the same colour as the roof which allows them to most disappear from view.
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Why do picnics taste so good? We are enjoying some aged Gouda, meat and cucumbers with crackers and fig loaf….plus coffee of course.
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At a cheese shop we were introduced to this delicious, dense loaf made of figs and almonds. It goes very well with aged cheese. Yum.
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Charmaine RuppoltI love those fig loaves! :)
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1 month ago
An adventure playground up in the trees for adults.
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We have been mostly in the countryside and are now approaching a city. This high rise, of which there are five, was a bit of a shock initially. People seemed very happy as they have a killer view and the windows open fully. As we were riding a couple who live on the top floor were waving in excitement as we rode past.
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Barry, a retired teacher, with a teacher reading from his book. The biggest difference I see is their footwear…Barry in cycling sandals and the other fellow in wooden clogs.
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Despite the modernity of a city, historic windmills still have a place.
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We’d like you to meet this little munchkin called Leo. He is unbelievably soft and eager for attention.
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We have been so happy to find a Vrienden op de Fiets and be able to book a room with them. Some of our best experiences have been staying with them. They are located in the small village of Nieuw Biejerlande and Gerda and Dick are our hosts.
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Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 1,828 km (1,135 miles)

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