Next stop Freissland

We took a leisurely 40 mile ride to Medemblik, the rout took us through parks, forests and very flat fields. We were protected from the wind and marveled at how organized the fields are, the politeness of drivers, and how impeccable the maintenance of homes were. We noticed no rubbish, nor lawns that were unkempt. I sense the haberdashers all moved to the New World.

What we have yet to see are powerlines, everything is underground, this makes for unobstructed sight lines and adds to the sense of being without clutter.

We have seen one high tension powerline above ground, an anomaly which must have had an explanation. Twenty percent of Holland’s electricity comes from wind mills, thus these structures are really everywhere, and off course vast farms are on the coast. We have yet to see any power generating stations. Last year while on the Loire, there seemed to be a nuclear reactor every 10 miles, no such structures are seen here. We are told the main fuel is natural gas from the North Sea reserves, thus no imprint of high smoke stacks which would readily identify a power station.

We have been in Holland almost a week and have seen 3 gas stations, fuel is about 1.7 euro a litre, slightly more than Vancouver, but we are getting closer!

As we returned from Medemblik, through Oosterdijik, we rode the dikes. To the left was the Ijsselmeer, or lake Ijssel. This is now a fresh water lake, demarcated by the long dike, connecting Den Oever and Zurich a distance of 30 km ! This dike protects Holland from tides and the influx of salt water. The dike upon which we rode was at the roof height of the houses to our right. These houses looked out onto a grassy hill, not the lake. I expect no premium for these houses!

We continue to enjoy the lack of hills and gentle winds. On our trip we stopped for some roadside berries, an elderly couple stopped as well and were curious as to who we were. The man was 80 years old and out for a ride with his wife, he looked 65 years of age. In our conversation he mentioned the wind and the fact he always had it at his back. Only on close inspection did I see that his bike was electric!

This trip is different, the folks in the tour are very nice, but the inherent need to zap and cabitz is somewhat muted as I worry about offending proprieties ( an emotion I feel infrequently)

I am now at a slow internet location so photos will have to wait.