Netherlands....

after all the hype in the news regaurding flights cancelled into the weekend, i went online to get a refund wednesday evening and all flights were back on!..yeehaa...pack the backpack up late wednesday night then up at 4.30am and i arrived at amsterdam 9am...

so my first visit to the netherlands and from the air it really does look flat after scotland but as i discovered over the next 5 days its scenery,villages and towns are scenicly breathtaking...

to avoid the city rush hour traffic hanneke headed to her home village via the poulders region...an area of manmade (reclaimed) farmland and bulb fields...


hanneke lives in a small village beside the river ijessel in the veluwe region which is renowed for its scenic beauty and wildlife...and it is stunning...


the village and surrounding farmhouses and gardens are immaculate...








we walked along the riverside through meadows of flowers that reveiled hidden beaches...and postcard picnic sites...




alongside the river from zwolle to deventer is the raised dyke road which must be one of the most scenic cycles i have ridden...

first time i have seen storks...


a WW2 roadside defence bunker...




unlike scotland i saw no litter anywhere in the countryside,small towns and villages...




there is also alot of woodland...sandy undulating paths through heather floored woods of scots pines, silver birch and alder amongst other familiar trees...
if you have ever been to rothiemurcus forest and the surrounding woods of avimore in the scottish highlands you will feel at home deep in these woods...
the woodland are populated with boar and red squirrels...only the latter are still in scotland in small areas...





we cycled to the towns of zwolle and deventer and the towns arcitecture is lovely...and cafe lifestyle is right up my er...street...

zwolle had a really nice pancake shop...love the apple and ciminom pancakes...





daventer is a larger town and despite a weekend and being real busy everyone was chilled out and just strolling about...








i liked the charles dickens street with themes from his most famous novels...


most days the temperture was around 24-26C...warmer than the UK with a chill air after sunset...

i didnt get to meet up with tommy as he was working but hope to meet up next visit soon though i met some of hanneke`s friends and family and everyone made me very welcome...including hanneke`s best friend...diesel!..

all good things come to an end and soon enough it was time to come home...

oh i havent mentioned the famous dutch cycling culture yet?...oh dont worry fellow bike geeks!...loads and loads of pics and film to edit still...
i will do another post soon on cycling and bikes dutch style...