In the two days since leaving Amsterdam, we have had great days and what everyone voted (except Ben) to be the most beautiful biking of the trip. Leaving Amsterdam, we followed the perfectly marked bike lanes towards Haarlem, where we got a tour of a renovated wind mill. We then biked to the well known town of Noodwijk and spend a relaxing afternoon on the beach.
After swimming and sleeping on the beach, with no precise campsite in mind, we headed south along the dunes (and this is where the amazing biking occured). If you think you know what dunes are as I did, you should note that the dunes in Holland are perfect for biking. (Side note: Holland is very flat and much of it is reclaimed land from the sea. Amsterdam and many other places are below sea level, and in order to keep the sea out, they have created these rolling dunes with small green shrubs) They completed the dunes with a winding bike path, and we followed this for around an hour when we pulled into a cute campsite -- we were a spectacle as apparently our style of tent has never before been seen in the Netherlands.
Today we had another chance to ride in the dunes as we approached Den Haag. We went to the Maurilshuis (a museum) and saw Vermeers Girl with a Pearl Earring. We then biked to Delft where our campsite awaited, complete with a pool. The pool meant that we delayed dinner and played extra rounds of Marco Polo.
We have an easy day tomorrow and in the evening will hop another ferry back to England (and hills).
