On the Dutch Backroads

You probably already know this about me but it's still one of my happiest, most favorite things to do:  to drive the backroads of this country I have grown to love.  It never grows old.

Did I mention that last Wednesday, February 5, was our 10th wedding anniversary?  And of all the places to choose from for a wee day's outing, we drove to Gouda, NL, 33+ km from home.

Don't you just love maps!  It always helps me to get the lay of the land.

If you squint, you can see we had a river to ferry across around mid-point (thin blue line).

It's the Lek River and is crossed in Schoonhoven for this trip to Gouda.

I snapped the pics from the car while we waited for the ferry to arrive and unload.

This is again from the car while it's our turn to load and cross over.

I was tickled to see that Garmin captured the speed of the ferry while we were crossing on it.

Now we're on our way again, paying attention to every little thing.

See why we love the backroads so much?!

[Why did the swan cross the road?????]

It so happens that this is the one area of the Netherlands that still has old-timey telephone poles.

Astrid still reminds me that this is very unusual...and yes, I do forget.

Almost everywhere else wires are hidden underground.

Do you like road signs from other countries?

I still sometimes have to ask Astrid what a shape or color means.

Surely you can tell here where the bikes are allowed to travel and where not.

Bike paths are so very important to a country that claims more bikes than people!

Surely you know what this is, right?

In the growing seasons, such a stand will be loaded with produce,

an honesty box/jar nearby for your purchase.  

Sometimes Astrid buys goodies for us at similar stands on her bike rides.

I don't care what season it is, however, when it comes to the passing scenery.

With no leaves on the trees now, you certainly see more.

I especially love the weeping willows and the pollard willows, of which I never tire.

The same for the windmills.  They never grow old for me.

After this photo we arrived in Gouda and started our day there with a latte macchiato, followed by an inside tour of the Sint Janskerk, the longest church in the Netherlands, which was our main goal for this trip.  And THEN a celebratory meal for our anniversary.  But that's all for another post.

So, now we're back in the car on our way home.

Here's a postal worker on her bike, getting ready to cross the white bridge shown earlier.

You never see PostNL post being delivered by car!  Either by bike or by foot with a cart.

Speaking of bikes, the backroads are often where we see the race bikes, like Astrid's.

They slow things down of course, but...isn't that the point?

You get to see the things that make this country "more Dutch you cannot get,"

like the 3-poled silo (top-left) loaded with hay.  The roof slides up or down on the poles,

depending on the amount of hay stored.  Usually we see 4 poles, in the corners...

...like in this image Astrid took that same day (because she likes a "men at work" theme).

You can see the 4 poles with the silo roof lowered down behind the house.

By the time we get to the ferry, the afternoon is waning.

We watch the ferry arrive, unload, and then follow the first car on.

Notice that even heavy trucks (bottom-right) are ferried across!

As an FYI, Schoonhoven means we're leaving the city. Don't you love it!

Passage is cheap each way:  €2.20 for the car and driver (Astrid).  €.70 for the passenger (moi).

What's left to be seen is priceless.

And yes, I still pinch myself, after 10 years here.