We experienced a special treat today - a bike-riding tour through the polders north of Amsterdam with our guide, Jelte. We tracked him down after our fabulous foodie tour with him on Thursday to ask if he might be available for a private tour this weekend, and he was free today. He arrived at our apartment at 10:00 with bicycles.
"What would you like to do?" he asked. As soon as he mentioned riding in the polders in the countryside, my hand shot up. He had very considerately made arrangements for Mark to ride along in a crate with a seat in front of the cyclist that is usually used for freight. This way, Mark could experience a tour he otherwise would not have been able to.
The rest of this post is just going to be pictures. Most of them have been enhanced with filters. I don't apologize for this. It is so difficult to convey what we see, particularly when riding through countryside that is as flat as a pancake and where the cloud-scape is amazing. Filters highlight what we have seen. In this regard, I liked a quote by Vincent Van Gogh that we saw painted on the wall of the Van Gogh museum the other day:
"Instead of trying to render exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color to express myself forcefully."
I'm not Vincent Van Gogh, obviously, but I enjoy creating art through my humble iPhone pictures.
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| Lunch in Durgerdam |
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| Durgerdam |
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| When we arrived back in Amsterdam, we concluded our tour with a visit to Cafe Papeneiland for one, last piece of heavenly apple pie with oodles of whipped cream. |
We are ready to move on to Fuessen, Germany at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, but this city of canals, trees and beautiful buildings ... It's been a wonderful few days. I love this place.
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