Biking in the Netherlands, and Utrecht in particular, is both an exhilarating and meditative experience. The utterly flat terrain, and more over, the certainty of the flatness of the terrain, lends itself to a cathartic and expansive ride that indulges exploration and cardinal direction, landmark recognizing, old school orienteering to arrive at one’s destination. Canals serve as the main conduits (and real estate properties for the many houseboats) in the city, and typically finding any location around Utrecht, or any city in the Netherlands I imagine, laden with water ways, is a matter of locating this primary artery and traveling its length to the general area of the destination. As such we have navigated Utrecht the past few days, learning and relearning the landscapes and the locales, cruising on our one-speeds, and earning hardened butt calluses on our long rides in de Neederlands!
