Willemstad

May 07, 2023

There are many nice things about riding in Holland. It's flat...very flat...We're experiencing less than 150 meters of elevation change every day. A 40 kilometer ride in Ardrossan by comparison will see around 250 meters of elevation change presuming one doesn't intentionally seek out hills to climb. On one day in Portugal the elevation change was over 1000 meters - 10 times what we're experiencing in Holland. Secondly, about 95 percent of the riding that we're doing sees no vehicles other than the odd scooter and other cyclists. To be honest I expected much of our riding to be in areas that were significantly built up. Holland's population is a lot higher than Canada's; it's land base is much smaller; and about 80 percent of the population lives in the areas around Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague and Haarlem. I've been completely surprised (pleasantly so) by the areas of park land, farms and other rural areas through which we've ridden. That it's spring has also been a bonus. Flowers, baby animals - lambs, goat, birds of all shapes and sizes...On the other hand, there's also wind. It seems to come from every direction - although when it's at your back on a bicycle it's a bonus. That was our ride from Dordrecht to Willemstad. Suddenly we were riding with the wind at our back. As a result the miles clicked by rapidly. Unlike some of our experiences in Portugal and Spain where the departures and entries into cities were complicated by early morning traffic, pedestrians and such it was not the case in Dordrecht and we were out into the countryside quickly.

This day would, eventually bring us to the coast, riding along the estuaries of the rivers that come to the North Sea along the southern coast of the Netherlands. We followed the river for about 20 kilometers to a bridge that crossed from North to South out of Rotterdam. We'd been seeing the buildings of Rotterdam, and some of the river activity, along the route. We stopped to visit the sheep, to climb up dikes for a better view on both sides - river and farm land. Many of the dikes were populated with sheep and lambs keeping the grass down. People were out cycling, walking the dikes and trails along the river. It, in many ways, reminded me of the areas around Pitt Meadows in British Columbia where we'd spend time as young adults walking, enjoying the scenery. We didn't have the mountains in Holland, and the immensity of the task that comes with controlling the water, protecting the land that has been recovered and utilized over centuries boggled the mind. The bridge over the river was a culture shock. Six or eight lanes of traffic - mostly transport trucks - speeding by on the other side of the barrier. The traffic beside us was travelling North - we were going south. The noise after several days of riding quiet paths was overwhelming. It was a relief to pass over and have the trail turn away from the freeway back into the quiet of country paths.

Our destination for this day was a small village, Willemstad. Willemstad is one of several historic communities along the Dutch coast that was created for defensive purposes. It maintains many of the features of it's early design and the fortifications are easily seen and experienced. The walls form a star pattern of sorts around the town and provide, in these days of relative peace, park space and playground for the people of the village and it's visitors. Many of the buildings can be dated to the 16th and 17th centuries. The small harbour is lovely and active with visitors from near, and far. Finding our accommodation was a little confusing. We were staying in the "Bella Suites" but the address took us to a hotel by another name. The hotel did not have our reservation and until I mentioned the Bella Suites there was some concern we might not have a place to sleep. With the mention of the suites the hotel manager brightened and excused himself - I wondered what was happening. He returned to explain someone would momentarily come to take us to our room. It turned out to be a unusual design - two suites, at the back of a nearby home, that are rented for such short term stays. The room was lovely with an extended garden. Our neighbours for the night turned out to be a couple from Maui following the same route we were riding. Over the next couple of days we encountered one another several times along the road. What follows are a few pictures of our ride, and the town of Willemstad - enjoy.