It was three countries in one day, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, covering 500 km on mainly straight flat roads.
I stopped off a couple of places along the way. The first was Zaanse Schans The area has had lots of industrial old buildings placed here to protect from the ravages of time. Really an historical village with lots of tourists. Nice to see the old Dutch culture.
From there I headed to Elburg. Elburg has Neolithic routes but the town was established in the Middle Ages. Today it s solely reliant on tourism. There are lots of eateries and lots of tourists.
I finished the day at a farm camp near Zwolle.
Chickens strolling around and pony’s just over the fence.
I headed for Germany today. On the way I stopped at Giethoorn. It’s known as the Venice of the Netherlands with its canals and 176 bridges. It has a population of under 3000. Tourism is its claim to fame. Over one million visitors a year visit the little village. That’s an average of 2740 per day, pretty much the same number as the permanent residents. I was there early so no crowds for me.
From there I headed into Germany. Once inland I was able to get on some twisting roads, finally
Petrol in The Netherlands is very expensive. Unleaded €2.24 which is NZ$3.90 per litre. I see why so many cycle