SO. I had thought it would be fairly easy to ride a bike here where the land is very flat and just barely above sea level. Piece of cake, right? But, well, hmmm. I was wrong.
Yesterday we bicycled another 25+ or so miles through small villages, medium sized towns, and the lovely countryside. And windmills abound! They’re powered like sails on a sailboat, angled to catch the wind and turn. They are just charmingly picturesque and we couldn’t begin to see enough of them as we rode (and rode)!
Yet as we cycled through a gorgeous countryside rife with sheep and their babies, horses and cows, and more tulip fields of course we also faced that same wind that was powering those beautiful windmills! And wind, at least wind in your face, is not so enjoyable or picturesque for riding. That's a major understatement - many of us were quite at our limit. But hey, we finished!
And so now TODAY we are just back from yet another ride, this one nearly another twenty miles from the town of Alkmaar, through Bergen, and on up to the sand dunes (um, not flat!) that line the coast of the North Sea - with the wind in our faces nearly every single mile!
Oh and yes, we’re also doing ukulele every chance we get. Every evening we are treated to Ralph Shaw, an internationally known ukulele teacher from England who is on board with us. Ralph also rides our rides with us and then teaches us ukulele! Today we learned some finger-picking arpeggios. Such energy and fun!
