Very late, leisurely start today. Rode to the ferry (!) which was so short a ride that we didn’t have time to take our gloves off, get our money out, pay, and get reassembled before docking on the other side.
The initial rides through some small towns were a bit eerie, since as it was Sunday, they all looked like ghost towns. Fortunately, this meant almost no traffic. We saw some familiar purple B & R bikes parked outside a pub while biking through one small town and stopped to find Philipe and, of course, John and Debbie. I pointed out that Wikkse Witte (the weiss beer I’d had yesterday) was available, so Philipe and I shared one though it was 11am.
We then rode many km along a somewhat narrow road bordered by a canal on each side. Certainly couldn’t let your mind wander, or else risk going for a green swim, but the serenity and pastoral scenery was perfect accompanyment for this long stretch. We then arrived at the famed 19 windmills on the famed Kinderdijk.
In order to best drain water from low-lying areas to make them inhabitable (much of this country is below sea level) in many places multiple windmills needed to be placed very near each other. Most were taken down over the years, but here 19 still remain from 1740. We toured one, which was interesting to see, sort of like a lighthouse inside where people actually lived. We also used this opportunity for Milton to apologize to John for his indiscretion of the previous evening, though he was later complimented by Philipe (who had been mysteriously briefed) for the incident.
We then peddalled on and came upon a surprise picnic prepared by our guides at the base of a large windmill that is the summer home of a Dutch couple, and sits alongside a canal. Various delicious and fresh cheeses, of course, as well as salami, chicken and a very good spicy mustard. A few of the group then went for a swim in the canal. We rode around the lovely countryside for 30 minutes or so, then got on the bus for the one hour ride to our hotel. We were given a huge room, with a nice patio (upon which Milton is sitting typing this under a full Dutch moon) that was so hot in the afternoon we had to stay out on the patio for our few hours of reading, deciding to pass on the cooking demonstration.
Allegedly, dinner was jacket and tie, but as we could spy on the group during cocktail hour from our patio, we saw that Philipe was tie-less, and our room was just too hot to even think about putting on a tie in, so Milton went with a neru collar and a jacket which never left the back of his chair. Just long sleeves for the first time in a month was trauma enough. Dined with Ronnie and Julian — he’s quite nice, she’s quite interested in whatever she’s talking about and not much else.
Four courses of seafood: mussel mousse, lobster salad, sea bream (or skate, we’re not sure), and sea bass w/fennel, accompanied by a 1st Cru Chablis. The food was good but not great (no memorable seasoning/flavoring was the problem), but the wine was very good, especially with these dishes. (We gave it 2 1/2 smiley faces). Dessert was tasty apple tarts from the afternoon demonstration.
We came upstairs and enjoyed the moon rise from our patio.