Day 1 Thursday Amsterdam, sailing to Oude Wetering, cycling around Oude Wetering, 10 km
You are expected to arrive on our barge on Thursday no later than 1.30 PM. The barge needs to leave the mooring place in Amsterdam at 2 PM. It is very important you are on time. The barge can’t wait due to the opening hours of bridges and/or locks. Boarding time is between 12.30 PM and 1.30 PM. When you arrive on board the barge, you can put your luggage away in your cabin and then enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. It is also a good moment to become acquainted with the guide, skipper and crew and of course your fellow passengers. During dinner aboard the ship, the program for next day and the global planning of the week are discussed. After diner the guide will take you on a short ride around Oude Wetering to try out the bikes.
Day 2 Friday Oude Wetering – Gouda, 45 km
From Oude Wetering you will continue your tour over country roads, along river banks and channels through the Green Heart to the city known for its cheese: Gouda. Who thinks of Gouda, not only thinks of cheese, pipes, ‘stroopwafels’ (treacle-waffle) and pottery, but also of beautifull stained glass windows, a fairy-like town hall and atmospheric canals. Gouda is a beautiful Old Dutch city with a mostly intact city centre. As on most days, after dinner you can take a walk through the city.
Day 3 Saturday Gouda – Delft, 40 km
From Gouda you cycle past scenic polders via Kinderdijk to Rotterdam. Kinderdijk has the largest group of windmills in the Netherlands. The windmills at Kinderdijk were still actively used until 1950. These days, a large pumping station is responsible for controlling the water level in the polder. After visiting the windmills of Kinderdijk you take the ferrey to Rotterdam. In Rotterdam you embark and from there the ship takes you to Delft. Delft, the town famous for its pottery, the ‘Delft blue’. The Prinsenhof Museum is housed in the former St Agatha’s monastery. In 1572 William of Orange chose the convent as one of his residences. It was from here that he led the revolt against the Spanish tyranny of Holland. He was murdered on the steps of the Prinsenhof on July 10, 1584, by Balthazar Gerards, a Spanish sympathiser. Two bullet holes in the wall of the stairs bear witness to this event.
Day 4 Sunday: Delft - Leiden, 36/48 km
Today is Sunday, the day on which most Dutch take out their bikes for a ride. From Delft we cycle in the direction of The Hague, through ‘het Haagse Bosch’, a large park, and past the former Royal Palace ‘Huis ten Bosch’. The long tour leads you over tranquil cycle paths through the dunes to Wassenaarse Slag. Here you can see the remains of the Atlantikwall. Five bunkers are connected by nearly 3,000-feet-long brick tunnels. Now the underground network serves as a bat reserve. The route continues through the dunes, to Katwijk aan Zee, an old fishing village. The old inhabitants of Katwijk still speak their own dialect, ‘Kattuks’. Following the course of the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river we cycle to Leiden. Leiden boasts 14 museums, including the Rijksmuseum. The ship is moored near the Zijlpoort, a gate that once formed part of the city walls. The shorter route leads you inland after ‘Huis den Bosch’ and brings you along ‘Vlietlanden’ a 130 ha big recreational lake to Leiden.
Day 5 Monday: Leiden - visit to Keukenhof by public transport.
Today you visit the Keukenhof gardens, the most beautiful spring park in the world. An overwhelming blaze of colours of seven million flowering tulips, in a magnificent 80-acres’ background of traditional and modern gardening architecture. The many blossoms, the flowering rhododendrons and azaleas are a feast to the eye. The pavilions will surprise you with unique flower shows. And amidst the wealth of colours there are surprising objects of art. This unequalled combination is extremely pleasing to the eye. In the Keukenhof various gardens and gardening styles can be found: the English Landscape Garden, the Historical Garden, the Natural Garden, the Japanese Natural Garden, the Formal Garden and three special colours gardens. Spread throughout the entire park there are approximately eighty sculptures from well-known Dutch artists. There are also several other art objects, such as the collection ‘Surprising Tulips’
Day 6 Tuesday: Leiden – Haarlem, 40 km
From Leiden you cycle through wonderful flower beds in the direction of Haarlem. In the period of March to May the bulb fields are blooming, starting with daffodils and followed by hyacinths, tulips and lilies. Once in the city of Haarlem you make a short tour through the city to see some typical ‘hofjes’ (almshouses), old houses around a central courtyard, now usually housing elderly people. These ‘hofjes ‘ are definitely worth a visit. Haarlem, which rendered its name to Harlem, New York, is a lively city with good shopping possibilities. The barge is berthed in the city centre, with a view of St Bavo’s Church and with easy access to the Grote Markt with its many outdoor cafés
Day 7 Wednesday Haarlem – Amsterdam, 40 km
From Haarlem you sail to Spaarndam, a picturesque village on the edge of Haarlem, in the direction of Amsterdam. Spaarndam’s name comes from the dam built in the Spaarne River to limit the danger of flooding from the sea. Here you can find the statue of Hansje Brinker on the IJdijk. Hansje is a character from an American novel. He was said to have saved the country from flooding by putting his finger in the dike. The Buitenhuizen ferry takes you across the North Sea Canal and from there you cycle to the Zaanse Schans. The Zaanse Schans, with its traditional weatherboard houses, warehouses and windmills may give you the feeling of stepping back into the 17th or 18th century.Yet this is no open air museum, but a lively neighborhood where people live and work. Among other things a cheese farm, a clog maker and an old bakery can be visited here.
Day 8 Thursday Amsterdam, end of the tour after breakfast. Disembarkation before 10 AM
