Wanderings

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Castello del Catajo

August 13. 2026

Cycling path, Eugenia Hills

Castello del Catajo

The castle gardens

Very dry and hot summer

The winery

The Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) express train

Welcome fountain, Montegrotto

Friday, July 31, 2026

A flight home scheduled for late today had been cancelled and rebooked for tomorrow. We therefore had a day to poke about. After donating the old bikes we had flown over (1), we wandered to the Botanical Garden, where Hugo de Vries had done much work to bolster Darwin's work by studying genetics (2). A canal cruise followed.

Notification of the flight change came early enough to book a visit to the Anne Frank House (3). After an introductory lecture (4), the crowd moved in respectful silence through the secret annex in which Anne Frank and others hid for two years during World War II before being discovered and deported to Auschwitz. Only the father survived.

(1) Uncertain about the difficulty of flying with our bikes, we opted to bring old bikes on the one way trip and donate them in Amsterdam. With a trip of over 200 miles, it was good to have our own bikes which fit well. Also, what we saved in bike rental cost (almost) paid for new bikes at home.

(2) Neither Darwin nor de Vries was aware of the Gregor Mendel's studies on genetic inheritance in peas.

(3) A common destination in Amsterdam, the memorial tour regularly sells out.

(4) Drastically oversimplify Hitler's rise to power as a direct result of America's Dawes Plan. They also displayed a map incorrectly marking Hungary's 1932 borders.

Goodbye to our old bikes

In Amsterdam

Hortus Bonaticus

Carnivorous plants

From the Canal boat

Lowering furniture down the outside of a building

Common sign in Amsterdam protesting Gaza war

Last night in the Netherlands

Next morning: train to the airport and home

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Cycling down the Vecht to Amsterdam

July 29, 2026

Having coffee outdoors in Utrecht, a man approached and asked where we were cycling to (1). Replying "Amsterdam," he told us to follow the Vecht, which is a sinuous river between the two cities. While a little longer than the direct route along the canal, I'm glad we took his advice.

The ride was through lovely suburbs south of the capital city. Many people were out cycling, boating, and watching the world go by on this warm summer's day. We popped back and forth across the river various times. Our hotel in Amsterdam was near the Concertgebouw (2) in the southwest of the city. Given our approach from the south, we thankfully avoided cycling in the central part of the city. Rode 32 miles today.

The German National Youth Orchestra performed this evening. Rachmaninof's 3rd Piano Concerto was performed with gusto by 26 year old Georgian pianist Giorgi Gigashvili, who banged his feet on the stage and thoroughly enjoyed himself (as did the audience). The progran ended with Pictures at an Exhibition, one of my wife's favorites before the orchestra performed another (unannounced) short piece to conclude the evening.

(1) Our friends had a time commitment, so they had opted for the train to Amsterdam.

(2) The name means "Concert Building;" simple enough

Riding through Utrecht

Church tower chimes at Maarssen Dorp mark 11:00.

On the Vecht River south of Breukelen

Drawbridge at Breukelen (Brooklyn)

Back on the east bank of the Vecht

Waiting for the bridge at Mijndense Sluis lock. My wife was wearing a small painted birdhouse at her waist which we had bought earlier in the trip, drawing questions from a Dutch cyclist. "All the cool kids are wearing them," I replied.

Across the river from Loenen aan der Vecht

The bridge tender at Vleeland rigged a hose to keep the metal bridge cool and prevent expansion in the heat (which also sprayed the passing boaters) on this hot day.