Biking in Holland

Hot, humid weather is here. I feel it like a fog, pushing down on my lungs, staying on my skin, making me slow down. I can’t rush around when the air is so thick. I just pace myself and know things will get done in their own good time. I remember that plants thrive in this warm moist environment.. My basil and my tomato plants are growing by leaps and bounds. I get to pick oregano, parsley and basil for my spaghetti sauce this week.
As I peddle to work, a slight breeze breaks through the heat rising from the pavement. But as the drops of sweat roll off my brow, I know that it’s for a good cause. This is Bike to Work Week. With the high price of gas, I’ve been trying to be more religious about biking whenever I can and, from what I can tell, other s are also. So I’ve learned to carry a backpack with all the things I might need (including a jacket for drops of rain). I have found several routes to use that are safe and give me variety. I enjoy the daily encounter with the elements. Most days are favourable but at least once this week, I got caught in a downpour on my way home for lunch! I found myself singing at the top of my voice as the rain came gushing down.
On one of our trips over seas, Jim and I made full use of public transportation. We took the train from busy Brussels, Belgium to the town of Bruges, worth a story in itself. There we caught a bus to Breskens, a town on the North Sea. Next we took a ferry through rain and mist to Vlissingen and finally another bus to Middelburg, our chosen destination in Holland.
In this small Dutch town, bikes are as common as cars. The city streets include lanes for bicycles and bikes are part of the traffic as much as cars or buses or trucks. In front of every shop there are rows of bikes awaiting their owners and when you see people riding, you realize that for them it is second nature. Children grow up bicycling and seeing their parents bicycling. People ride their bikes in whatever uniform they wear to work: suits, high heels, coveralls, jeans and sweaters, skirts. We even saw two people biking side by side holding hands. Bikes also carry many things: bread, groceries, papers, laundry, tools, ropes and children to name a few.
So, of course, we went down to the train station on a typical Dutch day. The sky had traces of blue, enough to fix a Dutchman’s breetches. For a small fee, we rented bikes for the day, two very nice Batavus bikes, dark blue, three-speed with traditional handlebars and fenders. We had to first make our way through the city on the designated bike lanes which was like driving a car in an unfamiliar town. Then we got out into the open country and pedaled through fields and by canals and traditional windmills. We finally came upon Gapinge, a small town with its own church and windmill. At a small intersection, we stopped to look at our maps and found ourselves smiling hello to a man biking with his wooden shoes on. That whole day, we spent on our bikes, stopping in small towns, along canals, and sometimes pedaling along below the waterline, next to us, where the dykes keep the water out. We slowly made our way back to Middleburg, after seeing the sight of the massive dam that keeps the flow of water under control so the North Sea will not flood that area of Holland. We were amazed at the mix of old and new and how it all works so well together. And we ended the day determined to come back to the States and use our bikes a whole lot more.
So as summer comes upon us, I encourage you to get out on your bikes, feel the weather, see the sights and save yourself a little gas money. I’ll in turn leave you with this recipe for a waffle common to Belgium and Holland. My next-door-neighbor would often offer me these when I went to visit at her house.

Galettes

1 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs
Mix everything well. Ladle onto a heated and greased wafflemaker. Cook until brown.
These will keep well in the cookie jar.


Originally published in The Goshen News, June 9, 2008