Leiden, The Netherlands: A Cyclist's Look

It seems that everybody in the Netherlands bikes.  They have special lanes for bicyclists and heaven help you if you're in their way.  Well, that's not quite true.  They are very nice people and I only heard the ding of a bell a few times.  I think it is terrifying because of the speed with which they zip around.  Their presence goes before them and makes me run out of the way.  But I digress.  On Rachel's birthday we joined the ranks of the cyclists and went out into the country.  She really wanted to see the tulip fields, of which the most famous is Keukenhof 17 km outside of Leiden.  Normally people take a bus to get there but we aren't normal.  7.50 € later and we're riding through some neighborhood towns on the way to Keukenhof.

Beautiful scenery, quaint and quiet suburbs, lush gardens, ducks, chickens, and bees all were sights to see.  A little windy on the way out there but that just meant it would be smooth sailing on the way back.  We only had a general map of the area consisting of 120 square kilometers give or take.  It definitely did not show well defined roadways let alone bike paths so we merely followed road signs to each town listed between Leiden and Keukenhof on the map.  Once we reached one town, I looked on the map for the next closest town on the map and said "keep an eye out for such and such because that's next."  It worked and though it wasn't exactly as scenic as I'm sure it could have been, our path eventually took us to the fields.

Unfortunately we were either too early or too late for a vast majority of tulips.  Many many daffodils were there though and were sprouting in vivid colors.  Hyacinth were also blooming creating an aromatic sensation on my nostrils.  Though there were only a few tulips it was still beautiful to see.  After about 17 km we wound our way off the main streets following signs towards the main entrance of Keukenhof.  We had no plans to go inside since we didn't want to spend the 14 € on the entry fee.  We stopped next to some fields in the woods and had some lunch.  We brought along our cheese, bread and apple repast that had worked so well the night before.  After that, we continued along and instead of doubling back, we made plans (based off of the vague map) to come back via a main roadway that passed different towns.

The way back was much more off the beaten path than the road we took to get out there.  Several times the bike path disappeared altogether and we trusted that by making our way through an apartment complex's parking lot we would find our way could continue.  It did, but then the road was under construction and we had to take a detour that involved going along a one way road that was now being used as a two way path for both cars and bikes.  Several times I feared I'd get driven off the road into a canal.  Also on our way back was a farm with Shetland ponies and a Wallaby.  Kind of odd to run across but I would love to have a Wallaby.  They are incredibly cute and I don't mind saying that.

All in all we biked for about 4.5 hours over 35 km with absolutely gorgeous weather.  Once we dropped off the bikes, we decided that we would have Rae's birthday dinner at a pancake house we had spotted during our wanderings of Leiden earlier that day.  Take a look at the picture and tell me this pancake doesn't look amazing!  Mine was brie, honey and bacon while Rae's was apple, bacon and cheese.  The pancake itself was flavorful in itself but the toppings took it over the edge.  It is safe to say it is on the 'Top 5 Things I Ate in Europe' list.  The waitress who helped us was very nice and enjoyed how much we enjoyed the pancake.  

We took the train back to Amsterdam and swung by the amazing beer store (more on that later) and grabbed a few beers.  We ended the day sitting on a bench near the canal drinking a beer and just being together.  Happy Birthday Rachel!