The dunes of Katwijk

Natural sand dunes protect several coastal towns, we were treated to these dunes through Wassenaar on our way to Katwijk.

by Phil Carruthers

Recently we rode our bikes along the western coast of the Netherlands, to the city of Katwijk in the province of South Holland. During this ride, we traveled through what I think was some of the coolest scenery I have ever seen. We departed from De Haag and traveled North, and then we hit the sand dunes of the West Coast. This area was completely different from anything else we had ridden through during our trip. Instead of flat roads through small villages and vast agricultural land, this bike path twisted, turned, rose, and fell through the massive dunes. On top of the dunes themselves, fog began to roll through, making the environment even more surreal. Continue reading “The dunes of Katwijk”

The cube houses of Rotterdam

Architecture? Sculpture? Our hostel in Rotterdam was an interesting sight

by Preston Richardson

As we biked towards Rotterdam, we spent most of the ride surrounded by fields and small villages. Suddenly after crossing a bridge the city began to reveal itself seemingly out of thin air, evidence of the Netherlands strict spatial planning. I had been noticing the creative modern architecture throughout our trip, but in Rotterdam I realized that it had been taken to another level. Continue reading “The cube houses of Rotterdam”

Kyle the ‘Helpwagen’

Kyle the “helpwagen,” or support car, has transported the group’s luggage, scoped out hotels and hostels before the 16 cyclists arrive at the end of the day, provided water mid-route on especially hot days, and picked up a student or two when needed.

by Kyle the Van (edited by Carolyn Goodwin Kueffner)

Hello, my name is Kyle and I’m the transport van for the NR 195! This very special university course is being taught via bicycle, with the classroom on the road, traveling in a GIANT circle starting and ending in Amsterdam! This was the brilliant idea of the instructor for the class, Kristine Stepenuck. Continue reading “Kyle the ‘Helpwagen’”

Celebrating a birthday

by Giuliana Frizzi

Here is a video of me celebrating my birthday with the group. Everyone was so great to surprise me with two cakes (and a mango for Ava and chocolate for Nina). I especially enjoyed Kris’s Dutch Happy Birthday song!

Today was a great day because we went on multiple tours and the biking was not too rigorous. I especially liked to see all the windmills, and even though it was my birthday, I was able to get some great gifts for my family.

De Biesbosch

Bikes were on the road before the sunrise to get to an early tour 40 km away

by Jenna Bragdon

Today’s journey started off bright and early with a 5am roll-out from Wallwijk. As exhausted as we were, it did not stop us from enjoying a beautiful sunrise on our 40 km journey to Dordrecht to see the the Biesbosch, a National Park in the Netherlands. Continue reading “De Biesbosch”

Den Bosch’s historic canals

The group saw the city’s canals by boat – some of the passageways date back to the 13th century!

by Ava Schwemler

On Saturday, we traveled from Almere to Den Bosch by train. The bike cars that were designated for bikes were just barely able to fit our bikes, even after we split the 17 of us into two groups. After a 30 minute train ride, we arrived in Den Bosch and had time to explore the open-air market in the city center. We tried some local cuisine, such as “ice koffie” which, to our surprise, was ice cream blended with coffee. Some members of our group were daring enough to try a local delicacy, haring, which is pickled fish with white onion.

Continue reading “Den Bosch’s historic canals”

Nijmegan on the river Waal

A view of downtown Nijmegen at sunset

by Nina Truslow

Hallo! Today we are in Nijmegen, the oldest city in the Netherlands. It is situated on the river Waal, a major tributary of the Rhine, which flows in from Germany close by to the east. The city took part in a large national program called Room for the River, which encompassed several town and city infrastructure projects intended to give rivers more room to flood.

Continue reading “Nijmegan on the river Waal”

Exploring Amersfoort

In Amersfoort, students took a tour of a wastewater treatment center where 40% of the phosphorus received is converted into fertilizer

by Ava Schwemler

We biked from Lelystad to Amersfoort, adding 36 km to our total biking distance. Amersfoort had the appearance of a large city, but the feel of a small town. After visiting Amersfoort’s water treatment plant and learning about how the city recycles phosphorus from waste to make fertilizer, we had some free time to explore. Dani, Preston, Guiliana, Morgan, and I stumbled upon an antique shop in one of the smaller alleyways in town. The two-story shop was full of historic trinkets from the Netherlands and all over the world. Continue reading “Exploring Amersfoort”

Biking Past Sleeping Sheep!

by Morgan Heyl

Here we have a video of the group biking past some friendly locals! These sleepy sheep barely got out of the way of the group on our way to Lelystad from Amsterdam.

It was awesome being fully immersed in the land and all those that inhabit it! Can’t wait to see more beautiful land and animals in the many days to come.