First bike ride for 2010

It was a beautiful day here in Haarlem and we just had to go for a bike ride. The weather report suggested rain – but it didn’t happen.

Because we have not been on our bikes since the end of September, or maybe early October we decided on a short ride without any hills (there are not very many hilly sections here but for the old and unfit any hilly bit is not a joy to behold). We also hoped the ride would be with the wind behind us. Our experience so far tells us this is nigh impossible and true to form, the wind was in our faces on the way out and the same on the way back. Our ride was about 17 k’s (we have a widget that tells us so).

We rode up to Spaarndam to the Cafe Terras Fort Zuid and had lunch and then carried on out onto the polders.

We saw many courting birds, some solitary ones – like the heron and the magpie, and many many birds grazing like sheep on the fields, and some that seemed to be nesting already. We also managed to get a photo of the Magpie. It is such a beautiful bird here with irridescent blue in its wings.

Grebs acourting was wonderful to see. The dance is like a ballet with dips and turns, and floating across the water to meet at the chest and rise up to turn (a graceful pirouette). There were ducks nesting, solitary herons standing, coots, huge geese, and ducks all grazing on the new fresh grass, a graceful pair of swans and much wheeling, singing, screeching and fighting amongst themselves for many of the birds not yet established in a relationship I guess.

We met a beautiful horse, saw many cyclists and walkers – people just out enjoying the gorgeous day.

On the way home we stopped at the park where the tree wore a scarf over the coldest winter for 60 years. Once there I forgot about the tree, I was just overwhelmed by the flowers – snowdrops, crocuses, everything purple and white and then a bright little foreign group of orange crocus, almost a natural graffiti here where the colours were to be purples and whites against the green. The park is so beautiful.

Jusst so you know the Keukenhof Gardens are now open – so if you are coming to the Netherlands in the next 6 or 8 weeks – you must include the Keukenhof Gardens. I know there are churches, canals, and bikes, and museums, and galleries, and architecture, and wooden shoes, and birds and then there is the Keukenhof Gardens. Seriously do not miss it.

My body is asking why I do not have a special seat to protect the nether regions, and my legs are saying “what are you doing to me?” I can’t say old any more – so the unfit are showing they are a little unfit today.

It was a great day.

We came home and wandered down to the canal to feed the local birds our oldish bread. They were not so interested anymore, there must be so much food about now. We then meandered back home via a little side road and there we heard music, live music. So we just had to have a quiet drink and listen to the music for bit at a bar we have not been to before.

Wild Salmon steaks for dinner. Got to go.

Tags: Bike Rides, Birds, cafe, Cafe Terras Fort Zuid, graffiti art, Polders, Spaarndam, Spaarne, Swans, Urban Art