April 14, 2012
Amsterdam to Utrecht: a surprisingly rural ride
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WEATHER: mix of sun and cloud, light tailwind, nice!
After breakfast we carried our assembled bikes and all the panniers down the steep staircases (easier than going up) and left Hotel Verdi about 11:00. We cycled east through the city and then south out of Amsterdam on the bicycle path along the Amstel river. There were quite a few recreational cyclists about since it was a Saturday and pretty good weather. We went along several waterways before crossing the main Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal. Water, birds and green fields were everywhere, often below the level of the cycle path.
We stopped for lunch at the Cafe-Restaurant de Punt in Baambrugge, where we had surprisingly good crab and avocado sandwiches--the first avocado we'd encountered in the Netherlands--and latte macchiatos, tall glasses filled with steamed milk and espresso.
After lunch the route followed the east side of the Vecht river, through several small towns (some of them with brick streets) before coming to the northwest outskirts of Utrecht, where we passed our first working windmills. We followed bike paths into the city, and just as we came onto a road along the river, were unexpectedly confronted with a long line of red light district houseboats. Scantily clad ladies posed in the windows, and middle aged men were slowly driving by, one to a car. Not the sort of thing we're used to seeing at home in small town Canada! We continued around the city centre past more canals, and arrived at our hotel about 3 pm.
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The Hotel Malie is a kilometre from the centre of Utrecht in a quiet, leafy residential area. It's usually quite expensive, but we had booked a special two night weekend rate including breakfast at a very reasonable price. We parked our bikes in the enclosed garden and rode the elevator(!) to the third floor and our small room under the eaves with its French door and tiny balcony. Eva was delighted to find a bathtub in the white tiled bathroom. After cleaning up and resting for awhile, we walked a few blocks to the 'Inspired Restaurant' where we had a not so inspired main course of lamb, fries and overcooked vegetables. Dessert was better--an interesting selection of four cheeses served with fresh figs, pear slices and red currants. We returned to the hotel for a good night's sleep after our first day on the bikes.
Today's ride: 55 km (34 miles)
Total: 55 km (34 miles)
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