Playing Hooky from Work

Numbered way-point sign on the bike path - shows all the connecting paths. No need to carry your own map, just follow the signs.


Here is the bike path (busy today) and the guy with the fashionable yellow pants.


See the cows with the white stripe in the middle?

This is a common style of barn here. The roof can move up and down on the big corner poles.

The hay had been cut was getting ready to be baled.

Old ladies with HUGE shoulder pads - the traditional dress of the Netherlands.

I was sitting outside at lunch today and when we had to back to work, everyone groaned. It was about 80 degrees and sunny, not very humid and just a light breeze blowing. It was great for being outside playing, but not so great for being in the office with no air conditioning. As we walked back to our building, I realized that I had no meetings planned for the afternoon. Nada, none, zero. If I was ever going to take an afternoon off, this was the one!

I sent my boss an email and let my colleagues know that I was leaving. Oh yeah, they were jealous. I zipped home and changed into my biking clothes. I even remembered to grab the camera as I left. Oh and I called Dennis to make sure he was also jealous.

I rode south along the freeway for a while and then turned off onto the farm roads. You’ve heard the saying “make hay while the sun shines” and today the sun was shining. The farmers were out making hay. The cows were out enjoying the sun, too. I even got a picture of the funny cows with the white stripe in the middle.

I got on a bike path along the lake and sat for a while having a snack and watching the people going by. This was a very popular path for a Wednesday afternoon. The lake was busy with sailboats and water skiers. I saw a guy with yellow pants and I wondered which store in the Netherlands sells these goofy pants – I see yellow, orange, green and even pink pants ON MEN. With local fashion being that well-developed, obviously I fit in pretty well.

My next stop was the little town of Spakenburg which is known for being very traditional. We’ve ridden through on Sunday and really everything was closed even the cafes. I was excited to see it when things were open. Normally when we ride, we follow the numbered bike paths. At every way-point, they give you a map with all the connecting routes. It’s really a fantastic network and we are getting super-spoiled. The only problem I’ve had with this system is in towns where the route makes several turns and they are not always well-marked. Today was even worse than normal because Spakenburg was having their annual festival. Only a very traditional town would have a festival on a Wednesday – and it was only running until 5:30. That’s so very Dutch! So, the town was crowded with booths and tourists and I ended up walking my bike. I also ended up quite lost. At least I managed to get a good picture of the old ladies wearing their traditional costumes. Apparently the costume involves brightly colored football shoulder pads. These ladies make those 1980’s shoulder pads look subtle!

I finally found my way out of town and thoroughly enjoyed the tailwind on the way home. I’m very lucky to live in such a beautiful place AND have more than 5 weeks of vacation so I can enjoy days like today.