Edam to Amsterdam

A local sharpens his scythe while chatting up a musician.
We stop by this store to see what treasures we might find...
I found this cute sheep who we named Heineken.
Stopping in to visit a cheese factory....
where we get to sample cheese...
and learn about how they make cheese...mmmm, my favorite!
This church was built in the 1620's and has beautifully restored...this is the same town where the book Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates originated.



These Delft blue tiles tell biblical stories...
Then back on the bikes for the last leg to Amsterdam...
Here we catch the ferry across the canal to the Amsterdam train station.
We were all hungry and stopped for falafels just out side the Amsterdam train station.
We'd completed the entire trip and covered 475 miles by bicycle! Seeing Holland on bicycle was an experience I will look back on with many fun memories.

A canal ride through Enkhuizen

From this house we rented a boat to ride through the Enkhuizen canals...
Case inspects the electric boat...
Uncle Gary offers to be our Captain....hang on for a scary ride!
Case points out the way...
An entrance to the city via a canal.
WHOA.... a close call with another boat!
Back in the middle of the canal after a close call with the berry bushes!

Enjoying the ride.

The Enkhuizen cathedral...
With amazing hand carved wood work.

Enkhuizen to Edam

Helpful signs to point the way...although we found the km markings to be a bit random.
A nice harbor to take a break...
and hang out with the locals...
before getting back on the fietspad (bicycle path)....
and we are back in Edam! Where we once again went back to Jimmy's for Chinese food. When we arrived Jimmy smiled big and remembered "Vegetarian! Vegetarian!"

Texel Island to Enkhuizen

A Texel Island local and his wooden shoes...
Leaving Texel Island and on the road for another long ride...
Aunt Gail waits....
to wheel on to the ferry.
Gotta love those long Dutch words!
Crossing the beautiful farmland of Northern Holland...
we're due to take a break....
before continuing on through wheat fields.
After crossing through the farmlands we come to the Ijslemeer.
Leaving the dike along the Ijslemeer. The Ijslemeer is a huge man made fresh water lake.
An old ship sailing the Ijslemeer.
Flowers along the way.
aaahh!
The harbor in Enkhuizen....happy to arrive after a long ride!

Texel Island

A beautiful dark cloudy sky...a common sight in Dutch landscape paintings.
A thatched roof house on the island.
We stop to watch the sea lions feed...the Dutch call them sea dogs.
Which way to California?
The Dutch learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels, instead they use their feet to propel themselves and balance.

Bergen to den Berg

This day was one of our longer rides and we rode into a head wind most of the day. Here we look at Dutch engineering, to protect their coastline from erosion it is lined with rock and concrete securing the dike against pounding waves.
Riding behind the dike we are partly protected from the winds.
A modern windmill.
Winding our way...
to catch the ferry...
to Texel Island.
The ferry is wonderfully designed for bicycles....the bike path loads right onto the ferry and connects to the bike path on Texel island.
A headless Dutchman in his wooden shoes :).
Arriving in den Berg.