On s'amuse sur La Meuse

Today was the first time on this trip where we had to put our rain covers on. Which is not to say that it actually rained; it was merely spitting a little from time to time. But we wanted to be prepared. It was also quite cool, hovering around 16C (a full 20C lower than a few days ago in Cologne!).

Paved cycle path alongside a dirt road for cars. We're not in Kansas anymore!

 But you know what, it was one of the nicest days of cycling on this trip. First off, have I mentioned yet how nice it is to be back cycling in Holland? Because this country truly is a paradise for cycling. There's so much infrastructure for cyclists, and bikes are simply considered vehicles like any other; car drivers treat bikes with as much respect as they do trucks. Only in Holland do you see a dirt road for cars, with a paved cycle path alongside it. It's so refreshing. 

A couple of happy cyclists

Holland the beautiful

Another thing that makes touring in Holland great is the LF routes. They are not direct routes, but they do take you though some really beautiful countryside, and unlike the routes we rode in Germany, which in our experience tended to avoid or merely skirt small towns, the LFs in Holland take you though picturesque little towns and villages too, so you don't just see the country, you also see the people. 

Today's ride was incredibly varied. We rode through both forested and open parkland; various kinds of farm fields growing corn, barley, potatoes, wheat, and turnips; pasture land, with horses, cows, goats, sheep, and chickens; lots of canals and lakes; and through various sized towns. There was something new and interesting to see around every bend. At one point, we rode through a wide swath of potato fields in bloom, and the scent of all those flowers was incredible. Who knew potato flowers smelled so good!

Nous étions dans le champs de patates, mais sur la bonne route quand même.

Before lunch, we stopped at a bakery for coffee in the little town of Gennep, where I had one of the delicious sausage rolls you find in Holland, which I had totally forgotten about from our last trip. I look forward to having more of these over the next few days!

The perfect mid-morning snack on a cool day.

We ended our day in the barely-on-the-map town of Wellerlooi, halfway between Nijmegen and Roermond. We are in a lovely little housekeeping suite with a small farm behind it. I'm looking forward to getting a good night's sleep and getting another good ride in tomorrow.