European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The first Day s route included a Detour to Kinderdick above where windmills Are everywhere. At right an abandoned bicycle in Haarlem. At far right a cyclist presses a special Button at a Busy Oesterberg intersection to get a crossing Light. C continued from Page i 1 Central Square where it s Worth stopping at one of the outdoor cafes to Sample Pannek Oeken the traditional dutch pancakes. Alter Delft the Bike signs led us through noot Dorp to l Eidse he dam where we picked up a Trail that ran beside the Rion Schie Kanaval. This path set Back from the major roads was one of the quietest and prettiest trails we cycled along. As we headed North toward Leiden keeping the canal on our left we passed one quaint dutch Home after another. We also saw plenty of cyclists including several who whizzed by in sleek flashy biking outfits. Leiden about 20 Miles North of Delft has a major University and 1 i Art and history museums it also is the former City of the Mayflower pilgrims. Just outside town we asked an elderly Man about Leiden s Mayflower connection and he led us whipping through the Cobblestone streets on his Bike to a plaque in the City Center that commemorates this fad. Dutch a amps James Derheim we hoped to make it to Lisse in time to visit the Keuken Hof gardens before Nightfall. A few wrong turns set us Back a Little but with some help from the locals we got on track again and cycled the eight mile route in plenty of time. In Lisse we again used the Vav to find a room in town this time in a private Home. We then cycled Over to the gardens where we wandered among the Flower Beds and greenhouses. Day 3 Lisse to Amsterdam 40 Kilometres 24 Miles we set off Early on our final Day of cycling hoping to have time to be tourists in Amsterdam. Our first Stop was Harlem about 20 Kilometres North of Lisse. The route was along a Bike Trail that runs beside the main Road and directly into the City Harlem is a Large provincial town with a Busy shopping District. But it also has a impressive medieval Square the Grofe Markt which is circled by a number of Well preserved classic buildings and an excellent Art collection at the Frans Hals museum. Outside Harlem we picked up the Bike path toward Amsterdam. This Trail runs beside a Busy Road leading into the City but it is a surprisingly Short ride about 20 Kilometres. At the outskirts of Amsterdam signs Lead cyclists away from the Busy traffic through a amps James Derheim the Back roads of Northwest Amsterdam and thus into the heart of the City. Taking a Bike with packs into any big City is a Challenge. With the extra Width you have to watch out especially sharply for pedestrians and other bikers. This proved especially True in Amsterdam where there were bikers pedestrians and cars galore. We quickly decided to drop our packs off at lockers in the Central train station and then Rode around the City with less extra baggage. There Are endless amounts of things to see and do in Amsterdam. Tourist attractions Range from the special Van Gogh exhibit now running at the Rijk museum Vincent Van Gogh to Madame Tussaud s Wax museum and the red Light District. We visited the Anne Frank House for a bit of history sampled some Beer at the Heineken brewery and wandered along the City s canals for a look at its livelier Side. Because our time was running out we headed Back to the train station to catch a train to utrecht. Trains run almost every half hour Between Amster Damand utrecht and within an hour we were Back at utrecht s main station with our bikes. 7 he hardest part about getting Back to Oesterberg from there was finding our Way out of utrecht s station a huge Complex. But we finally found on  out and retraced our route Back along the Scenic  to Oesterberg Back to the airbase and Back to car a. Stripes Magazine May it1990 pedal traveler a tips planning a Bike trip to the Netherlands is easy because of the wealth of information available. There Are several tour books designed specifically for bikers in Europe. Europe by Bike by Karen and Terry Whitehill describes a Lour Day North to South tour of the Netherlands. Biking through stir opt by Dennis and Tina Jaffe details two seven Day circuit Tours through North and South i Lolland. We adapted segments from both books for our trip. T he Netherlands tourist Board publishes a free brochure cycling in Holland which is available in English. It outlines seven routes through the country and lists organized Tours offered by several travel companies and tourist offices. Copies Are available from Central offices of the Netherlands tourist Board. In West Germany Niederland Sches Biro fur tourism us Laurenz Slalz 1-3, d-.301 0 Kiln 1, Tel. 0221-2.3620 2. It you opt to plan your own trip it s important to supplement a Ravel itinerary with Good maps. Bike maps published by the automobile club of the Netherlands Are available in tourist offices and bookstores throughout Holland. They Are available for 14 regions and Cost approximately b duty h guilders $4.20. It might also help to supplement these Bike maps with a Good detailed Road map of the area in Case you get sidetracked. The dutch train system makes picking a Starling and finishing Point fairly flexible. Taking a bicycle on the train is fairly common and there Are often special Luggage cars designed for bikes you can unload and Load your bicycle yourself. Wit i the Purchase of a ticket the Cost for transporting a Bike ranges trom 7.30 guilders to 16 guilders $3.90 to $6.40depending on the distance to be travelled. We paid it guilders $4.20 for each Bike on the train from Amsterdam to utrecht. The Only restrictions Are that bikes cannot be put on trains during Rush hours 6 30 to 9 . And 4 30 to 6 . On weekdays Bike trip through the Netherlands does t have to be expensive. We stayed in moderate hotels and private Homes that Cost 60 to 73 guilders $32 to $39 per night for a double room with breakfast. Youth hostels Are also fairly common. A list of hotels pensions and private Homes that rent rooms is available from the tourist Board of the Netherlands. What to take the key Factor when trying to determine which Bike to take on a Lour is Comfort. Having an expensive Mountain Bike or Light weight touring hike won t make a difference if its seat is too hard. Some of the Bike paths in the Netherlands Are made of cobblestones bricks and other Humpy surfaces that can Start to Hurt after a few hours. Most of the dutch ride one Speed thick wheeled bikes that look sturdy and comfortable. We Rode our 10-Speed bikes but thought that we might have been More comfortable with softer seats. Ii is also fairly easy to rent a Bike once you arrive in the Netherlands. Bike dealers and repair shops in towns and cities throughout the country rent bikes. Bikes Are usually one Speed versions and baby seats and tandems also Are available a rices average 3 guilders $2.60 per Day and 22.30 guilders $11.80 per week. More than 100 railway stations rent bikes for about 7 guilders $3.70 per Day or 28 guilders $14.70 per week with the Purchase of a train ticket. Information on Bike rental facilities is available from tourist offices or at Central train stations. The Best advice when you Are loading up your panniers is remember to pack Light Hon though the terrain in t Lolland is Flat you Don t want to in t carrying extra weight especially it you encounter Strong winds. The essentials Are rain gear the Netherlands is wet and a windbreaker biking tools Chin be limited to a few Basic s Sim e Ihme Are repair shops even in the smaller towns. I helmets Are optional in i Lolland hut Smail riders will worn them to be on Ibe Sale ado. P.>3. Power Tolu Tois i 41 a a lit a