Sunday - Off to Utrect

The day dawns with clearing skies.  Jayne's still feeling ill and elects to skip breakfast and spend the day on the boat.

Breakfast is cereal (granola or corn flakes with milk or yogurt), fruit, and juice.  An interesting array of cold cuts, cheese, and bread is available to prepare our sack lunches.  Some of the cold cuts bear no resemblance to anything natural (I didn't know you could get processed coconut slices).  One of the choices distinctly resembled the pink gum you get with baseball cards, though not as brittle - though some of the kids seemed to like it.

At 9 am, we head out for Utrect along the Amstel river, watching the rowers and see our first windmill.  After an hour or so, we stop for hot drinks at the Cafe dePunt, where I get to visit with our guide Armand.

The Philosopher Armand

Armand, our guide for the week is a 33 year old who has been with Cycletours for 3 years.   He fixes the bikes and provides leadership and advice coupled with typical Dutch pragmatism.    As the week progresses, we see more of his quick wit and good humor (he must have a good sense of humor to deal with a group like ours).  Whenever we have questions about the culture or locale, he is ready with a quick quip or insight. Armand on public art: "If you don't know what it is, it's art." (Though this is a phone booth , and this is  actually a urinal  in Amsterdam.) I think his Dutch pragmatism and thrift is somewhat perplexed by us Americans - why on earth would we pay to eat lunch in a restaurant, when we have the sack lunch made with the lovely cold cuts?

While we rest, the skies open for a brief shower, then we're off to "Brooklyn" (I can't spell the Dutch version, but it is the namesake of the New York borough) for our lunch stop.

Since it's Sunday, we see a number of recreational bikers, among them a few recumbent bikes.  During the lunch stop, I meet Reinko Abels who is riding a Challenge Wizard (another Dutch manufacturer).  Reinko and I chat about recumbents and I get a photo for my article.

As we enter Utrect, the bike path terminates onto a dead-end road that fronts a canal.  There is a solid line of cars bumper to bumper coming down the road, then turning around and heading out.  At first we are perplexed, then we realize that the row of houseboats on the canal are not just houseboats, we're passing through Utrect's red light district.  The girls give us a cheery wave or jiggle as we pass, though none of the group opts to stay for a short visit (we hear the going rate is around 50 guilders).

Back at the boat, we find Jayne feeling better, so after a dinner of spring rolls, rice, and baked fish, we join the New Jersey Johnsons (as opposed to the Norwegian Johnsens) and Armand for a stroll into town for a beer.  As he does in each town, Armand hosts a short walking tour of the city and points out sights of interest.  Utrect reminds us of San Antonio, as some of the canals have walkways and restaurant patios  similar to the San Antonio Riverwalk.