Day 38: Den Haag to Utrecht

I decided to take an indirect route to Utrecht via Leiden. It is wild to think that I lived in South Holland for almost seven months and never visited either of these places. 

The ride to Leiden was only about 20 km and was enjoyable enough. Leiden itself was a charming university town with canals, brightly coloured flowers adorning the bridges, and cafe tables spilling out onto the street (and onto boats). I rode around the area of Leiden University and had a relaxing coffee break on a terrace. 

Continuing on my way to Utrecht I was mainly riding next to the Oude Rijn. After some questioning and eventual Googling I confirmed that this translates to Old Rhine. It is part of the the Rhine Delta and during Roman times was a main branch of the Rhine serving as the northern border of the Roman Empire. 

Many people were out and about fishing, rowing, boating, conducting home maintenance, etc. I stopped for lunch outside an old windmill. I was waiting to find an old Dutchman in a wooden shoe but I figured a windmill would do. 

Utrecht is like a combination of The Hague and Rotterdam, as far as my experiences can inform me. There are tall, modern buildings interspersed with the cute old Dutch facades. There is a deep canal cutting through the city. You can descend stairs to dine next to the water. Overall I feel it has a grunge/punk vibe making it a vibrant place for young people. 

After having a beer in an old church converted to a Belgian beer house, I heard church bells ringing out in a sing song manner for longer than could reasonably be the telling of the time.

Soon enough I found myself inside a cloister of the church where people were gathered to listen to, and watch, a bell ringing concert (is that what one calls it?). There was a visual projection of the Bell Ringer (again, this surely can’t be correct terminology) on the wall of the cloister showing a live feed of the Bell Ringer, bell ringing. People watching were transfixed. 

One mystery that had been nagging me all evening was the purpose of the brightly coloured neck lanyards attached to badges that I had noticed people wearing all around the city. Finally, the curiosity became so great I had to ask one person when she noticed me staring intensely at her chest: Jehovah’s Witness conference. Outside I remained calm, inside I was ravaged with panic. She handed me a card and I said I was a lost cause and got out of there. I picked up my pace as I felt they were following me. I have been on red alert since then.

If I wake up in the morning without having been brainwashed to convert to the cult of Jehovah’s Witness, I will ride to Otterlo to see the Kröller-Müller Museum sculpture garden and then retrace my steps back to eventually reach Amsterdam, where I will stay for two nights!

DOTD

I’m back on my dog creepin’ game!