Die Klassik-Weltmesse Essen and round Holland on the Clown Bike - Day 3: Lovely, beautiful Utrecht, and clown bike to Amsterdam!

 I Slept like a log last night and once again as I drew back the curtains it was bright blue sky and sunshine. I think I used all the bad weather up last month on the IOM! Umming and arring on what to do, I packed the Brompton bag as lightly as I could as I’d be leaving Jean in the underground car park come what may and cycling to Amsterdam at some point today, put everything I didn’t need in the car and set back off into town for some breakfast. 

Just to see what the other routes into town where like, I ventured to the East of the city and with the sun on my back meandered into the centre to park the bike at the world famous Utrecht central station. Why is it famous? It’s got the largest underground bike park in the world! Completed in 2019 it’s basically a multi story car park for bikes, holding over 12,500 of them. I took a quick video going in and it’s mind blowing. Free for 24 hours as well. With the bike parked and locked on one of the upper bike racks it was straight up the stairs and into the station to put the bag in one of the simple to use lockers (£5 for 24 hours) and time to see what it was like as a pedestrian!

To be fair, it was even better! With the sun out it was busy in all the cafes with outside space on the sunny side of the street, less so in the shady side as the wind was strong and chilly (more of that presently…) but away from the main canal area on a quiet side street I bagged a table in the sun and had an excellent ham and cheese omelette with OJ and coffee. I did all the polemic stuff yesterday so I’ll not bore you with it again, but the number of older people I saw using bikes to get about while I was sat watching the world go by was astonishing…

With it being a Saturday what few streets had been open to cars had been closed off and given over to markets. There was a fabric market that must have been nearly half a mile long (Mizz would love it!) as well as a flower market, food market in the square by the station, all bustling with people in the sunshine. Lovely! I also stumbled across a shop selling reconditioned classic dutch traditional bikes for €99. I’m back here tomorrow, would have time to come back into town pick one up and with the wheels off it would easily go in the back of the 2CV. I’m sure Andrea wouldn’t mind…

I had a list of things I’d like to do over the last 2 days and the original plan was to get to Amsterdam around 2 and do either the Ajax stadium tour or Anne Franks house. It was too lovely in Utrecht though, so I made the decision to go much later and do some stuff in the morning in Amsterdam. Ambling through the myriad of little side streets passed a very happy hour or two eventually leading out into the main Dom area with the famous tower and St Martins Cathedral. The tower is wrapped in scaffolding as it undergoes more restoration work but you could still take a trip up it. In a sign of things to come, unfortunately all the tickets were gone for the day, but I could still wander round the Cathedral. 

Proudly coming from Durham, it was eerily similar to my home town cathedral, if on a slightly smaller scale. Again starting out by the Franks, the history of the cathedral and tower, shows that they were once connected, but storms in the 17th century demolished the nave which now forms the square that separates them. With the nave there, the similarities would have been even more stark, and despite my heathy religious scepticism, there is something about cathedrals that do get to me. 

With the big church Protestant church out of the way, it would be remiss of my not to go to the catholic one as well! Museum Catherijneconvent consisted of the original convent which was very beautiful with a modern annexe at the back and running underneath to showcase a history of Catholic art, icons and treasure. Being brought up a lax C of E, I’ll admit I do find it all a bit baffling, although I am slowly being schooled by the muppets I normally go away cycling with as they have all to varying degrees, been brought up Catholic. Through Ireland end to end where I learned a bit (although much more about Tayto crisps and ham sandwiches to be honest!)  and the very steep learning curve that was Frankie’s mum funeral, I have a basic grasp and some of the stuff on display was very impressive, although one of the icons looked suspiciously like the UEAFA cup won by Ipswich in the 80’s when they beat AZ Alkmaar, not too far away…

It was now 4pm and I’m thinking that I’d probably need to pick up the bag and the bike and get on my way. You know that chilly wind I mentioned earlier? Well the sun had now gone in and as I left the city centre behind and the shelter that the buildings bring, it was pretty obvious that the 30 or so miles to Amsterdam weren’t going to be as straight forward as I thought. Thinking about it, there is a reason why Holland used to have lots and lots of windmills and a reason why they are at the forefront of wind farms!

Turning North, just a few miles outside the city I was to follow the main wide canal linking Amsterdam and Utrecht. I reckon the block head wind was at least a steady 20mph and with the canal on my left and open farm land on my right there was no where to hide. There were a few saving graces. Obviously I didn’t have to worry about cars. It was still completely segregated. The second was it was still busy with other cyclists so you could get a sneaky rest by getting on the back wheel and using their slip stream. One lady was especially helpful as she was carrying a side table (!) on the front rack of her bike which was acting like a giant windbreak for anyone behind!

However as I passed out of the suburbs the number of cyclist sharply declined and I was on my own. To add to the struggle, it was just a dead straight path for around 15 miles with nothing really to see and no gradient to mix things up, just a steady 10mph and gritting my teeth. After what felt like 5 hours, there was a bit of a diversion but only for a kilometre or so and back onto the canal side. Finally after 21 miles I’d reached the outskirts of Amsterdam and with buildings and a subtle shift in direction of travel to the east I was out of the worst of it and trying to navigate myself to the hotel right the way through central Amsterdam.

Although the bike infrastructure was as good as Utrecht there was just lots and lots more everything, cars, trams, mopeds, canals, people and bikes, so trying to keep my wits about me I was folding the bike up outside the hotel just before 7pm. Checking in, I was informed my room was on the top floor, there was no lift and the stairs were steeper than the cost of a pint in London! Lugging the Brompton to my tiny attic room with a shower in the corner and separate toilet down the hall (I am doing this on the cheap!) I risked flooding the floor with a quick shower and then out into the chill Amsterdam air to try and get something to eat.

I’d wish I’d stayed in Utrecht. Although the architecture is amazing, the centre itself was dirty, heaving, and stinking of skunk. I tried in vain to look for somewhere to eat that wasn’t fully booked and just when I was about to give up and cave into a McDonalds, I stumbled upon a tiny Mexican restaurant which had a spare seat in the window. As I rang Andi to catch up on her and Mizz’s day out in York today, she did point out that I shouldn’t go around saying that I’m in a private booth with a window looking into the street when I’m in Amsterdam!!! Anyway the food was absolutely fantastic and as it was digesting I looked at the things I wanted to go to in the morning. Anne Franks house, booked up till May. Rijksmuseum, booked up till May, Ajax stadium tour…you get the jist. 

I think I’m going to get up, have breakfast and head back to Utrecht. There are places on the Dom tower tour available for tomorrow and it also means I’ll panic less about missing the ferry if I get a mechanical on the way back to Utrecht. I’ve just checked the weather as well, it’s looking like the wind direction may change overnight and I’ll be back into a headwind going back! Typical…