Biking to the Beach

Biking requires fuel.

Since we had so much fun on Wednesday, riding bikes around Alkmaar, we wanted to try riding around Haarlem. We started by getting fueled up. This is the breakfast at the Malts B&B Hotel where we're staying. It's really a nice place, and the owners are very friendly.

We made it to the North See

Looking for a bike route, I downloaded a turn-by-turn guide from Holland Cycle that I could read on my phone. It was a 15 mile triangular route from Haarlem to Bloomendaal ann Zee on the North Sea, then down the coast to Zandvoort, and finally, back through what we were told were sand dunes, to Haarlem. There was a bike lane all the way to the coast. I had hoped it would be more remote, but it followed the highway the whole distance.

Lunch on the Beach at Bloemendall ann Zee

We took it easy, and got to the beach a little after noon, where I had a nice steak sandwich and Kathy had a spring roll that she couldn't stop talking about. It was so nice to sit in the shade, under an umbrella, that we just sat there for a couple of hours, eating and reading our books. (I brought a Kindle on this trip; I didn't think I'd like it, but it's really handy.)

Cycling Past the Windmill in Haarlem

On the way back, we intended to follow the more rural cycle path that was supposed to take us through the National Park. I kept pulling out my phone and checking the directions with Google Maps. In the end, we found one (of five) sections of numbered bike paths and never did find the section that went through the dunes. When we got back into Haarlem, though, our route took us by the one remaining windmill (now a museum) on the outskirts of town. So, that's something.

By the time we got back to our hotel, I was feeling every one of my sixty-seven years. Since we had a late, and filling lunch, we both decided just to go up to the room and relax instead of heading out again for dinner. That was a great decision.