Delft to Leiden: via den Haag, the beach and tulip fields

April 19, 2012

WEATHER: cloudy, windy, mixed tailwinds and headwinds

Breakfast at the hotel was the best we've had so far. Besides the usual bread, cheese, ham and boiled eggs, there were croissants (our first in the Netherlands), apple cake, scrambled eggs and freshly made pancakes with golden syrup. We sat in the window with a great view of the brick paved thoroughfare between the hotel and the church. It was about 8:30, and hundreds of people on bicycles were going by. Parents were cycling with their children to school, some kids on their own bikes, and other younger ones on kiddie seats on their parents' bikes. Businessmen and ladies in suits were cycling to work. It was a wonderful vantage point and we lingered over breakfast on this very cloudy morning.

After breakfast we packed up our bikes in the courtyard. The 20 or so other guests in the hotel were on a fully supported bike tour with a guide and a sag wagon to haul their luggage. Most of them were from the US, mostly Texas, but there was also a couple from Alberta. They were packing up at the same time, and we chatted a bit. We didn't envy them their sag wagon, because the terrain in the Netherlands is so flat, that hauling extra weight is not really an issue. We would highly recommend this hotel, de Emauspoort. It has been in the same family for four generations and originally was a corner store and confectionery.

We took off around the church and along the north side of the very picturesque market square. Then we headed north on paths along several canals, before we switched to cycle paths along busy streets to and through den Haag (the Hague). Beforehand we had anticipated stopping at the Hague and looking around. After all, the world court and the famous Escher museum are there. As it turned out, the city seemed far too busy and congested (population 486,000) and not very inviting, especially under the grey skies, so we circled the Binnenhof, and headed for the beach resort of Scheveningen on the North Sea.

Near the Binnenhof in the centre of The Hague.

Here again, Eva had an image in her mind of a beach town with a few shacks serving clam chowder, and we hoped that perhaps one of them might be open for lunch. The reality proved to be somewhat different. Although it was far from high season, a few swaddled strollers were bravely walking along the broad restaurant-lined promenade in front of the rather outlandish Kurhaus hotel casino. It was reminiscent of countless other overbuilt, architecturally bankrupt seaside resort areas. We didn't have to worry about finding a place for lunch, but we did have to figure out which one to choose--they all looked equally empty and uninviting. We had okay smoked salmon sandwiches with dill sauce in one of the glass-fronted cafes, so we could easily see our bikes while we ate.

Even with the dark clouds, it still hadn't rained, and after lunch we set off through the coastal sand dunes on the way north to Leiden. The dunes were obviously quite a contrast to all of the urbanization we had just come through. This time of year, the dunes covered with scrubby bushes gnawed on by the odd grazing cow, were still quite bleak. The cycle path was paved with brick for the 10 kilometres through the dunes, and we met only a few other cyclists and walkers.

Looking back south over the dunes to the buildings in The Hague.

The path through the dunes was paved with bricks, but there were a few welcome, if short, uphill interludes.

We came out of the dunes and after a bit of residential area, suddenly happened upon the first tulip fields that we had seen so far! The bright saturated colours of the flowers looked incongruous among the grassy fields and under the grey sky. The last four or five kilometres through the southeast outskirts of Leiden went through a mixture of fields and light industrial development, and we were pedalling into a strong headwind. Since it had just started to shower, we were quite relieved to see the train station and soon a windmill and an arched entrance to the street in the old town where our B&B was located. By now it was close to 4:00.

Bed&Brood&Bloemen was our first B&B of the trip, and we were very satisfied with the bright skylit room with kitchen area, an outdoor patio and an efficient heater! Our hostess, Janeke was cheerful and friendly and gave us a warm welcome along with chocolates and local advice. Just after we arrived, the heavens opened and the light shower turned into a huge rainstorm with hail pounding down on the roof. We were so glad to be off the bikes and indoors!

The bright, cheery room at Bed&Brood&Bloemen in Leiden.

After we cleaned up, we set off on foot to explore Leiden and to look for a place for dinner. By then the sun had come out between showers. The old town is very scenic, with canals and historic brick buildings. We found a French restaurant, Troubador, where we enjoyed excellent braised lamb shanks with mixed vegetables, and for dessert Al had apple cake and Eva had a lovely assortment of tiny chocolate dishes including a chocolate covered cape gooseberry.

Today's ride: 41 km (25 miles)
Total: 196 km (122 miles)

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