July 3, 2022
Day 2 - Weesp to Utrecht
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The boat is amazingly quiet. We couldn’t hear anything outside of our cabin except the quacking ducks outside our window. We were sleeping soundly when the alarm went off at 7AM. That’s really too early for us, but on a group tour you have to adapt.
Breakfast at 8AM was good but not spectacular. We made some sandwiches as suggested by the crew in case no lunch options appeared. By 9AM we were on the road.
Today we were on our own, so we were able to ride at our own pace and stop whenever we wanted. There was lots to look at as we wound our way along the river Vecht.
Our ride leader had scheduled a visit to a cheese-making farm so we stopped there and waited for everyone else to show up. We got a tour of their Gouda cheese operation and tasted a number of their flavored cheeses. Good stuff! And of course we got to visit the baby cows.
This country is so darn picturesque! On a summer Sunday morning, the river was busy with small boats, and the old-fashioned drawbridges were working overtime. Each one seemed to have a designated bridge keeper.
Robin continues to marvel at the flowers. Our attempts at hydrangeas are looking pretty poor compared to what was on display this morning. How do they do it?
This part of Holland was known for its stately homes/castles in previous centuries. Some examples still line the riverbanks.
And of course there were windmills.
We think you could grow almost anything almost anywhere here. But maybe we’re just being jealous…
Despite having sandwiches onboard, we decided to stop at a riverside cafe, the “Gessberge Restaurant” for a drink and maybe some food. Great timing, as the wind picked up and the day’s most substantial rain shower passed over. And as a bonus, the food was really good! We resumed our ride in bright, hot sunshine as the streets steamed themselves dry.
Eventually, our circuitous path led us into the center of bustling Utrecht. Things have really changed since we lived here briefly in the 1990s. I remember Sundays as being quiet and dead. Today all the stores were open and there were people everywhere!
We dodged the days second shower (a little less successfully) in downtown Utrecht, and then headed off to the rendezvous point with the Sarah. Robin is still marveling at how everything grows here.
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The Sarah was waiting for us, as promised, even though we were an hour plus ahead of the scheduled rendezvous time.
After a lazy afternoon in the sun, the boat sailed to the small town of Vianen, where we had dinner on the boat followed by a walk around the old town.
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 95 km (59 miles)
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