A One-Day Rent-a-Bike Trip from Amsterdam
It's October 1975 and I'm in Amsterdam gathering stuff for my "Great Trips / Europe" project. I was a wee bit younger then but still over 40 and slightly overweight from all that Heineken brew. Anyway, in search of another Little Adventure I rented a bike and took off on a 32-mile ride. This is what I wrote about it way back then:
"Holland is an absolute paradise for cyclists. To begin with, the land is virtually flat, with seldom even the slightest rise. Then there are the roads. On all but the most rural of these cyclists have their own lanes, often separated by a divider strip. There are even special roads just for bikes. And cyclists are respected. Motorists and pedestrians alike are always on the lookout for them. The reason for this is simple enough; in Holland practically everyone bikes, which also helps explain the exceptional health and longevity of the Dutch."
"If you enjoy biking and happen to be visiting Holland, a day spent pedaling through the charming countryside far removed from traffic will be a most enjoyable experience. And it's very easy to arrange. The tour described here, which starts and ends in the very center of Amsterdam, takes you well into the countryside, and is of variable length depending on your speed and physical condition."
"BIKE RENTALS: A current list of bike rental shops in Amsterdam may be obtained from the Tourist Information Office (V.V.V.) at number 5 Rokin, by our starting point, Dam Square. I've had good luck with one such shop only two blocks from here, M.E. Fikkert, located ar number 71 Rokin (phone 247608). Prices at all shops are quite reasonable. Most require a deposit and furnish you with a lock and small repair kit. In almost all cases, rental bikes have no gears, a deficit in my mind, but you'll find that you can get along without them on such level terrain. Whichever place you choose to rent from, it's always a good idea to phone first concerning availability and hours of operation, which varies among different shops. Language is never a problem in Holland, where practically everyone speaks English."
"RULES OF THE ROAD: A round blue sign with a white bicycle on it indicates a compulsory bike lane. You must not mix with auto traffic when you see this. A rectangular black sign with the white letters "Rijwielpad" or "Fietspad" denotes an optional bike lane. Wherever you see the outline of a bike, whether painted on the street or on the lens of a traffic light, or on a direction and distance sign, it pertains to you. Bike lanes often tunnel under highways and intersections, and sometimes wander away from the road, only to return to it. With so many cyclists on the road, you really have nothing to worry about."
"TIME AND WEATHER: You'll need a fine day to enjoy this trip, so save the rainy ones for museuming. Since no advance reservations are needed, why not just go out on the first really nice day of your visit? If you think ahead and get a list of rental shops from the V.V.V. as soon as you get to Amsterdam, you'll be all set to get moving on a moment's notice. The summer season is best, for one thing the Marken-Monnikendam ferry dosen't operate other times, although this is only an optional cut-off, and there is a land route duplicating it. Don't attempt this trip in the dead of winter; some of the roads are very secondary indeed. Try to start out by 9 AM if you can, so you'll have no trouble taking in the entire route and returning before the shop's closing hour, which of course you've checked before leaving."
"FOOD AND DRINK: There are a number of reasonable eating places near the pier in Marken. Check the ferry schedule before eating, as you can also eat at Volendam or Monnikendam after the ferry ride. Whatever you do though, go easy on the excellent Dutch beer or you'll be in no condition to pedal back. A good rest stop on the return lag is Broek-in-Waterland, which has some charming cafés."
"THE TRIP: Leaving Dam Square (1), pedal down the Rokin to the Muntplein (2), a big intersection of streets and canals with its famous 1620 Mint Tower. Take the first left after crossing the canal onto Reguliersbreestraat, which leads to the Rembrandtsplein (3), after which the same street becomes the Amstelstraat. Follow this a few blocks to the Blue Bridge (4), a copy of the Pont Alexander III in Paris and painted green, not blue. This will take you across the Amstel River and onto Waterlooplein to the left. At the square turn onto the Muiderstraat, which shortly crosses a bridge and becomes the Plantage Midden Laan, leading you past the Artis Park (5) on your left. After the park you cross another bridge and make a hard left onto the Sarphati Straat, on which in a few blocks you come to a windmill. Just before this, turn right onto the Zeeburgerstraat, across yet another bridge, and bear left onto Zeeburgerdijk, which parallels a canal. Continue along this a while until you come to a complex intersection on the right, following the bike path onto the Zuiderzee Weg."
"At this point you are out of the city proper. A separate bike lane takes you across a series of large highway bridges over the Rijnkanaal and two inlets from the Ijsselmeer (pronounced Eye-sel-mar). Back on land again, make the first right and again right onto the Durgerdammer Dijk. With the dike rising on your right and land on your left, you have no view of water yet. But soon you'll come to the first village, Durgerdam (6), and a very pretty one it is. Sailboats are moored on the right and quaint houses line the road to the left. Follow the road a few miles to Uitdam. On the way there is a place where you can stop and climb to the top of the dike for a good view of the Ijsselmeer, formerly the Zuiderzee. A little over a mile past Uitdam you come to an intersection. Take the road to the right, which leads you over a narrow causeway to our first destination, Marken (7). Just before the village there is a large parking lot on the left. Pedal through it and over the wooden draw bridge into the village. Except for those belonging to local residents, cars are not allowed here, but bikes are."
"Marken is one of those quaint Dutch fishing villages where traditional costumes are still worn, a tourist trap in fact, but fun anyway. After the drawbridge, go first to the right into the center and see the old church. The village is so small that you can't get lost. Absorbing the atmosphere of this seafaring place, which is being closed in by land reclamation projects, head for the pier area. The body of water between here and the mainland will become a large lake, the Gouwzee. Around the pier are several eating places and shops, a fine place for a lunch break. At this point you can take a ferry to either Volendam ot Monnikendam. If you go to Volendam you add almost two hours to the trip, but this is still practical. It is larger than Marken, and more touristy, with quite a different atmosphere. Check the ferry schedules and make your choice. In either case you will see Monnikendam, which should not be missed."
"Putting your bike on the top deck of the little ferry, sit outside for the half-hour ride to Volendam (8), where the inhabitants make a business of being quaint. You can take all the pictures you care to of them in their colorful costumes without causing offense. If you haven't eaten yet, Volendam is a good place to do so. Cycle around the side streets as well as the pier area, you can hardly get lost."
"From the main street along the pier, head south alongside the water out of town through Katwoude towards Monnikendam. When you get to the E-10 highway, go left onto the bike path on the opposite side and across the bridge, then right down under the highway and into the town of Monnikendam (9). This street will lead you to the pier area, which is where you would arrive had you come here by ferry direct from Marken."
"Unlike the two previous places, Monnikendam is not at all touristy, though it is certainly a lovely spot. This makes it all the more interesting, for it is a real, functioning small Dutch town. There are no sights as such, although the Great Church (Grote Kerk) is worthwhile. Just pedal about, particularly around the piers and the canal leading from it, and soak up the atmosphere. When you've had enough here, follow south from the pier area, keeping the water to your left, until you come to the first right turn after the town. This will lead you to the Zuiderwoude, where you make a right to Broek-in-Waterland. This village lies on the opposite side of the E-10 highway, which you cross."
"Although small, Broek-in-Waterland (10) is permeated in charm. The 15th-century church should be visited, and perhaps one of the nearby cheesemaking places. This is your last chance to fortify yourself before the seven-mile ride back to Amsterdam. Fortunately, there are a few nice cafés in the village."
"Crossing the E-10 highway again, bear right to Zunderdorp, then south on the Zunderdorper Gouw, which becomes the Beemsterstraat. At the Ijdoornlaan, make a right, until you get to the big highway, the E-10, here called the Nieuwe Leewarder Weg. Don't cross it. Instead, make a left following the highway, which is on your right, all the way to the Johan Van Hassel Weg, then a right over the highway and the Noord Hollandsch Kanaal, then immediately down and around onto the Buiksloter Weg, keeping the canal on your left. Stay straight on this road and it will lead you right onto a ferry boat (free!) which goes to Amsterdam Centraal Station (11). When the boat docks after crossing the Het Ij, pedal to the right and make the first left after the station. Continue bearing left to the front of the train station, then across the second bridge onto Danrak, the main drag with many hotels and restaurants on the right, and in a few blocks you will be back at Dam Square (1), where you started."
Quoted material © 1977 by Earl Steinbicker.
The photos were taken by me on that trip, using a very pocketable Rollei 35 camera loaded with Tri-X B&W film.
Remember that this was written in 1976, before I really learned to write, and that a few of the details may have changed after all those years. Check before using it as a guide today!
Whew! I'm tired just reading that, and thankful for all the guidance I've received from various editors in properly composing English in the years since 1976! But not as tired as I was at the end of this bicycle ride back in October 1975. Fortunately, right next to the bike rental place was an outdoor café, where I plopped down and ordered a Heineken. And another, and another. My hotel was just across the street.
Interested in photography? Check out my "Assisting Avedon" blog.
SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging ones of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.
For more about the Great Trips/Europe project, CLICK HERE.
For a sample chapter covering much the same area from my 2006 guidebook Daytrips Holland, Belgium & Luxembourg, CLICK HERE.
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To read about Bicycling in New York City, CLICK HERE.
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