Heron on the shore, killer swan on the water.
Dennis loading the kayaks on the car - not a job for short people!
Homes along the canal.
Dennis on the canal near our house.
After a week of absolutely gorgeous weather during which Dennis and I were working way too hard, we had a disappointing weekend that was cool and cloudy. But at least it wasn’t raining and at least we weren’t working. Phew!
On Saturday, we decided it was nice enough to go kayaking even though the sun was not scheduled to make an appearance. Dennis got the kayaks on the car – a process that only takes about 10 minutes. We drove over to the boat launch at Naarden Vesting, just a few minutes away. We explored around the vesting and then paddled back into Bussum. We were able to paddle just a block away from our house. It’s too bad that there’s no way to get the kayaks into the water that close to the house. It was cool to see the nesting birds up close. One swan came swimming out to us. As it came closer, I realized that it was being pretty aggressive and was coming right towards my boat. I figured I could beat it with the paddle if it attacked, but it finally backed off as I past the nest it was guarding.
We paddled for about 2 hours and realized that we don’t’ go very fast. Dennis ran the numbers on the GPS and figured we travel about 3 miles per hour. That’s about the same as walking – slowly.
We left the boats on the car Saturday night, but decided to go biking on Sunday morning. We rode about 30 miles and had a great time. It was cloudy and foggy most of the ride, but as we got back to the house, the sun came out. We decided to get some lunch and then take the kayaks out.
We put the kayaks in at the same place in Naarden Vesting, but this time we paddled down another canal. First, we went past the bird sanctuary where a pack of swans was hanging out. There was also a heron on the shore. After that, the canal ran along side a bike trail and between farm fields. It was not very picturesque, but we were able to see tons of people walking, running, roller blading, and biking along the path. It was very soothing and relaxing to paddle slowly in the sunshine. After two days of paddling though, arms were starting to feel like lead.
When we got back from kayaking, Dennis and I went out to dinner with one of my co-workers here from the US. We walked around Bussum a little bit before heading to the restaurant. There was a carnival in town and it looked like all the little carnivals they have in the US. Even the signs were all in English. We also walked by a restaurant that looked like they were having a wedding party. There was a party tent set up outside the place and there were dozens of people dancing and partying. That’s a lot of activity in Bussum on a Sunday evening!
When I go to work tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll be happy to sit at my desk and get some paperwork done. With all the paddling and biking, I’m exhausted. To me, that’s a good weekend.
