Leeuwarden to Deventer: by train

May 2, 2012

WEATHER: sunny and warm, rain shower in the evening

Our train was scheduled to leave at about 10:30, so we had plenty of time for breakfast and packing before the short ride to the station past the canals and shopping streets of downtown. Leeuwarden is the northern terminus of the train line, so all the tracks were on one level and it was easy to walk our bikes to the correct platform and the waiting train. We quickly folded the bikes into their bags, packed the panniers into the duffels and hauled them aboard, where there was surprisingly little room for bulky luggage. We managed to stash everything in the space between two carriages, and found seats in the empty carriage where we sat for about ten minutes watching the car fill up completely with families on holiday.

The street outside our hotel in Leeuwarden as we were heading for the train station.

Street scene in Leeuwarden in the morning.

Our route required a change of trains in Zwolle, and we only had eight minutes to make the connection. Not knowing the layout of the Zwolle station, we had no idea how far we'd have to carry everything and whether stairs would be involved. The Bike Fridays are wonderful, but when packed in their bags they are quite unwieldy and heavy to carry any distance, especially up or down stairs. The duffels are also heavy and awkward, so we're not very mobile with that arrangement. It's difficult to move anywhere fast, especially for Eva.

As it turned out, we did have to go up and over an overpass, and then down many stairs to the connecting platform. Luckily there was an elevator to take us up, but not down, and we just barely made it in time. We climbed onto the train and discovered that the luggage area was completely filled with a baby in a giant stroller and several large people holding live goldfish in plastic bags. Eva made her way to the only seat left in the adjoining carriage while Al stood near the door hanging onto the bikes for the 20 minute ride to Deventer. We got off with a sigh of relief, put our bikes together on the platform, loaded them up and easily wheeled them into the elevator which took us down to the street level exit.

The ride from the station to the B&B was very pleasant in the warm sunshine, through a park and nice residential neighbourhoods and then along the river Ijssel, a branch of the Rhine. Our B&B, the Ijsselpaleis is a large old house with a big garden overlooking the river. Our hosts Marc and Margreet, both artists, had asked us to arrive either between 12 and 1:00 or after 5, so we had told them we would head right to their home from the train. We got there about 12:30 and rang the bell several times, but no answer. Finally the door opened and a young German fellow greeted us. He was a guest who had arrived the day before, and he told us the owners weren't there. Of course he was reluctant to let us in without permission, so he very kindly phoned Marc who confirmed that we were bona fide guests, and he'd mixed up our arrival time. We quickly unloaded the bikes and rode 2 kilometres along the riverside path to the centre of picturesque Deventer to look for some lunch. We found an Italian restaurant with a nice terrace and had lovely caprese sandwiches outdoors in the balmy air. After lunch we cycled around to explore the town, and then headed back to the Ijsselpaleis where we met Marc and got settled in our very colourful and comfortable room.

The room at the B&B looking toward the terrace.

The sitting area in our colourful room in Deventer.

These Brahma hens at the B&B were working on the next morning's breakfast eggs.

French doors in our room opened onto a shared a terrace which overlooked the river. Eva looked forward to sitting out there with a book, and watching the boat traffic travel back and forth along the Ijssel, but it was not to be. The friendly German guy and his two roommates soon appeared on the terrace with their cigarettes, and they proceeded to chain smoke for the whole afternoon. They were still there when we headed off on our bikes to dinner.

There was lots of traffic going by on the river Ijssel (a branch of the Rhine); most of it was freight.

The bike path along the river leading toward the centre of Deventer.

Deventer seems to be something of a counterculture town with a large organic food co-op and more bookstores than we'd seen anywhere. The largest book fair in Europe is held there every August, attracting 125,000 people and every other December a Dickens festival brings in an equal number of visitors. There is a large Turkish population, and Marc recommended a good Turkish restaurant for dinner, where we enjoyed lamb shish-kebab. A heavy rain shower started as we arrived at the restaurant, and we managed to park our bikes just in time under cover of the roof overhang. The rain had stopped by the time we rode back to the B&B, where our neighbours were still smoking on the terrace.

The church in the parking lot in Deventer reminded us of the elephant in the room.

Today's ride: 17 km (11 miles)
Total: 555 km (345 miles)

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