Cycling and Cycling

I cycled down to Delft this weekend, there and back in two days. I guess it is about 90 kilometres one way, not too much for a trained cyclist, but I wouldn't call myself a trained cyclist exactly. I cycle in the city, and just outside, but I don't usually travel such distances by bike. But the conditions seemed perfect, dry, not too warm, not such strong winds, just the kind of weather you need for cycling.

It isn't a bad route to cycle, and I had done it before, but this time I didn't take quite the same route. Down to Amstelveen first, where I could have a look at the area where my new project should be developed at some point. Then into the green, mainly farmland with the odd bit of nature in between. Lots of small villages to pass through, all with similar new developments along the edges. There isn't all that much variety really.

Not too many bigger towns, just Alphen, but there is a short way through, which is not bad. You do end up on a roundabout called "Care Square", where you find all kinds of medical shops and facilities, an interesting place from an urban planning point of view.

You also go through Zoetermeer, well, you do if you take a wrong turn somewhere. Which I did. By this time I was thirsty and I could do with a break, but I ended up in the suburbs, and there was no cafe, just a lot of streets and houses, all very similar, where you would get lost. I know this is not unique to Zoetermeer, this happens in many towns, but I feel it is dehumanizing.

After Zoetermeer I get onto familiar terrain, passing through Nootdorp, where I have my family history. I cycle past the house where my grandparents lived, even though the area has changed completely. When I used to go down there to visit my grandparents it was all farmland, nowadays it is a builtup area.

Cycling back today I took a different route, cycling past the Starrevaart, a good birding area just east of Den Haag. There always is a lot to see there. Unfortunately, the bird hide that was there was burnt down in June, which makes it a little harder to sit and watch the birds.

Coming back always seems to go faster than cycling down, even though it takes just as long. There was no strong wind, so cycling was quite easy. I got back to Amsterdam at the end of the afternoon, not bad going really.