Leaving Voorshoten was fun. The bridge that we would normally have to take was unavailable due to repairs. So instead they'd created a short path over a gravel front yard of a private firm to a temporary docking place for a small ferry. We were probably it's third customers, and the nice chaps on board were still refining their approach and docking techniques. A fun way to start the day.
From there we cycled along the polder direction Waddinxveen. A polder (for the non-Dutch followers) is essentially a drained swamp or lake. Many of the polders are more than five metres below sea level, and some parts are up to 30 metres below sea level. As a consequence all water needs to be collected in drains and ditches (sloten) and pumped uphill in to bigger kanals (grachten) until eventually the water can be pumped into rivers that flow to the sea (or wherever). Most of the roads and cycle paths are on the tops of dikes that help keep the water where it should be. It is quite common to be cycling along with the water level about 20cm below road level on one side and 5 metres below road level on the other side. We even came across this situation where the sloot (at least 5 m lower) was guided BENEATH a canal at road level. Nearly all the houses in the polder are built well below sealevel and usually also below the level of the nearest gracht or river.
I lived in Waddinxveen for about 5 years as a kid to the age of 12. I still remember lots about it. Not, unfortunately, all the newly built industrial area, or the three electricity generating wind mills, and we probably came from a direction that I might never have come from before. The beautifully straight cycling path along the edge of the wheat field was completely new to me. It was fun cycling along there scaring all the birds away, and dodging the many slugs crossing the path (George had to scrape one of his mudguard, after it dangled there for most of the day). Anyway, we had to use Thingy (GPS) to get us to the centre of town where I had a look at my old school, and chatted to the head master for a while. The school only has about 50 kids currently, spread over 6 classes from age 5 to age 12, there were heaps of kids when I was at school, probably nearer 120. They put a new school room in the playground some years ago to deal with the large roll, but haven't used it in 5 years now.
Then we rode to Dorpstraat to go the the bicycle shop for some new headlights (we discovered yesterday that the head of both stopped working) but they don't open on Monday (we checked out a bike shop enroute earlier it was also closed on Monday). It was quite weird for me though, because I used to cycle this way to horse riding lessons, and it was such a long way to go................ Almost enough to discourage me from going at all. Actually it was probably only about 5 or 10 minutes on a grown up bike. After coffee and cake, we had a look at our old house on Brugweg, and surprised the neighbours with a visit. The road through the Reewijkse Plassen to Gouda was also much shorter than I remember from childhood.
George was a bit daunted by the amount of water everywhere. The houses are essentially built on islands, and the water level is only about 10-20cm below ground surface. To stop buildings sinking the foundation piles are sometime driven more than 30m into the ground to reach a more solid base. Having grown up here to me this seemed normal, but I guess it is a bit unusual.
After Gouda we headed direction Bergambacht to visit my cousin with a dairy farm who make proper Goudse kaas (Gouda cheese) that won best farm cheese in Nederland this year. She served up pancakes for lunch and we had fun meeting calves, cows, dogs, seeing the stable that is big enough to drive a tour bus through (happened several time last winter during a illuminated farm route in the Polder), and a circular milking shed that can handle 24 cows at a time. Circular milking sheds are quite unusual in NL. They also have an unusually large herd of cows, 160, for NL, and with a circular shed one person can milk the whole lot in a couple of hours. Cheese is made 7 times a week, twice on Monday, and once Tuesday to Saturday, and is mostly computerised. We just witnessed the end of the process.
We then went on to Bergambacht itself to see the house that I was born in (literally, the front room) and the church where I had my head dunked. The bicycle shop was closed on a Monday, but the bakery was open :-). After a bit of discussion we decided that we were really starting to run out of time to do things and only had a quick cycle to and through Vlist before heading to Leerdam. We had intended to stay with an Unlce of mine, and have coffee with another Aunt the next morning, but time seemed to be rapidly running out to do any family tree stuff. So on to Leerdam via the Schoonhoven car ferry. We were luckly enough that the only hotel in Leerdam still one room left. The bicycle shop in Leerdam was open on a Monday, but closed by the time we got there (6 o'clock). On the way to Leerdam we saw three storks, two intially sitting on the lights over the road, a third one wanted to join the party but was warned off by vigorous beak clapping, wing flapping and shoulder hunching. It then decided that the lights over the motorway were just as attractive.
Traffic rules for bicycles are great. On a bike you are just about invincible. If anybody hits you they are in the wrong. Rule one: going the wrong way on the cycle path around a round-about gets you dirty looks. Rule two: Do whatever else you want. The one way traffic street rule (there are heaps of narrow one way streets) applies to everybody except bikes. Stopping for a red light is optional. Give way signs; well you can stop if you want, but the cars usually stop and give you right of way so why bother stopping? Pedestrian only area; get off and walk if you want, but you can keep on cycling if there is room. Want to make a left turn, stick your arm out and cars will let you through. For nearly every other turning option sticking your arm out is optional. Bikes RULE!!!
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