So Much for the Daily Blog Posts

2011-06-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

So, we're back and you may have noticed that a lot of time has passed since our last blog post. Our intention was to post every evening of our trip. Alas, this was not meant to be. Just with the time spent getting dinner and tents set up for 2 families of four left little time to go to the campground's internet site. If the campsite had internet. One of our campsites was on a farmer's field so you can understand our dilemma. Next time we're planning on finding a way to charge an iPhone off of a bike and getting cheaper roaming fees so we can simply post from an iPhone.

Hindsight

Because we didn't get around to making a journal of our trip, I'm going to write this writeup by trying to remember the tips that we learned each day. Those interested in bike touring with kids should take note - you've probably heard this a thousand times but should definitely consider this statement when it comes to touring with kids - every child is different. We had a good range of ages with us and a variety of dispositions: a very energetic 3-year old, an energetic 2-year old who loves to copy 3-year olds, an independent 1-year old and a 7-month old who prefers naps in dark spaces i.e. not bike trailers.

Trailer Training

Our 7-month old, Isar, used to screech when it was nap time and he was still in the trailer. Before the trip, we used the bike trailer in it's stroller mode and took the kids out in it a lot. We'd like to think that it helped Isar get used to taking his naps there. Start training the kids early for things like napping in bike trailers.

People Give You A Lot Of Room When You Have Kids

Definitely reserve the Kleinkinder (Small Children) section on the ICE if you're travelling with kids from Germany. For us, we started our trip by biking to the train station here in Munich early enough so we could figure out where our train was coming in and so we could buy breakfast at the station (we had a 7:30 departure). We also had time to fold the bikes on the track before the train got there (folding bikes folded up don't require a train ticket and can be kept close to our seats on the train). We had reserved the Kleinkinder section which turned out to be a separate room with tons of space. By reserving adult seats and 2 kids seats, we ended up with seats around a table. Sweet!

We were bike-touring with another family of four (our friends Tarang, Leo and their 2 boys) who arrived before us on an overnight train from Switzerland. Breakfast was included with their trip! They had two bunks reserved and one adult and one child slept in each. Apparently it worked out okay.

Elevators

When we arrived in Amsterdam Centraal, we disembarked and immediately unfolded our bikes and hitched up the trailer. Then we looked around for our exit. Oooo-kay... A passerby noticed the confusion on our faces and said "You have to take the elevator". We looked at the one in front of us with the door no wider than Frank. Somehow, we managed to jam Frank in with the trailer and his bike (which we popped into wheelie position) first and I followed in after he was out. Later on, we found out that there actually is a big elevator (that can fit all our stuff in one go) on the West end of the platform.

Our friends met us immediately after our elevator fiasco. OK, I'm making a long story short here but I should elaborate. The truth is, only 1/4 of their family met us by that elevator. Leo and the boys were somewhere unknown in the station and unfortunately no meeting point was planned. One of those common mistakes and luckily it was only within a station and not the whole city of Amsterdam :). We eventually found them in another part of the station. It was nice that they came into the city to meet us after setting up their tents at our campground. We just followed their lead back to the campsite from the station.

Listen to the Locals

Our Dutch friend, Liska, gave us a great tip for a campground that was close to the city centre (Thanks Liska!). The campground had a nice field, modern facilities and even a happening bar that played live music on the weekends. With the high probability (no pun intended) of our fellow campers being stoned out of their tree, we didn't feel it was a good idea to leave the kids sleeping in the tent to check out the night life there (everyone was nice and friendly but stuff like someone stumbling into the wrong tent and onto our kids in a stoned stupor could happen). We also got to meet up with Liska in a nice bistro with lots of space for the kids. Before Liska left us she suggested an area that we might be interested in. Unfortunately we didn't take her advice there. We decided to hit the main tourist area (the Dam) because, well, it just seemed like a good place to start. And, yup, it's touristy. Should've kept listening to Liska.

Drempels!

Drempels are speed bumps in Dutch. We had a few of those on our tour due to kids. Everything takes about 5 times longer with the l'il rugrats. This is because more mouths need to be fed, diapers need to be changed, hazard avoidance needs to be addressed (like finding them playing with nice and sharp tent pegs on the Thermarest mattress), and tantrums need to be sorted out just to name a few reasons. We found this especially at the start of each day. The first week was just a series of late starts (around 11AM or even noon) and it just felt like we'd set off on our bikes and then be stopping to unpack gear again for a lunch stop followed by grocery shopping for the next day's meals and then going on to our next campsite to get dinner ready. You might be wondering at this point why we even bothered to continue. Well, we actually started to find a rhythm and eventually things started to work like clockwork. By the end, we were having breakfast at 8:30 AM and able to leave the site by 10:00. I think if we had another week we could've shaved off another hour ;)

From our Amsterdam campsite we only had to make it to a campsite in Uitdam, which was only about 14 km. That day we checked out Marken and then back and the following day we biked to Edam and Monnickendam and back to the campsite (so no taking down tents and setting up tents time)

No Reservations

...is not a good idea. Even if you're just a group of cycle tourists with tents that don't take up too much room. And especially during a long weekend. From Uitdam we planned on biking to Zaanse Schans area and finding a campsite there. Our Amsterdam campsite doesn't accept reservations for tents according to their website (first come, first serve) and at Uitdam, we had the place practically to ourselves. So we figured that we would have no problem for future campsites. We packed up and set off for a destination that was a good 40 km away. Around 4PM, as we got closer to our destination, Frank decided to call our intended campsite to ask for directions.

"Sorry, but we're full for this weekend!"
(Frank, flabbergasted) "You wouldn't even have room for tired cyclists?"
"No, sorry!"

We even called another campsite that was a bit further but the story was the same. We started brainstorming on what to do, take a train? But the accommodation situation is probably the same everywhere. Go back to Uitdam? The kids were getting tired and hungry. Then a solution hit us: Formule 1. Formule 1 is a super cheap motel chain that is normally located off of highways or industrial parks that caters to business people just looking for the basic of basic needs. So, tourists wouldn't normally go there for a getaway. Frank looked up the nearest Formule 1 (located in Zaandam) on his iPhone and called them. They had space. We were forced to stay at a cheap (but clean and comfy) motel for the busy long weekend. And we were thankful for it.

That's Why There Are So Many Windmills Here!

From Zaandam we went North because our Michelin map told us that this would be a scenic route. With lots of windmills. Windmills were used, among other things,to pump the water out and make the land liveable in the Netherlands. And they chose wind power because it's really windy here. And it really bites when that wind is a headwind. After a long, head-windy day, the bike-touring Gods gave us a reward of a nice campsite (Ursemmerplas) with a great lake for swimming.

Money Changes Everything

We stayed 2 nights at Ursemmerplas then took the train North to Den Helder, where we then took a ferry to the island of Texel. We were a little less than impressed with the train system in Holland. Firstly because if there are no kiosks open around on the station, you can only buy your train tickets from machines that don't accept bills. It only accepted coins and we didn't have 48 Euros worth of coins on us. The machines also didn't accept our credit cards or our European debit cards. We did everything we could to buy tickets there. The cashier at the little convenience store on the platform (that didn't sell tickets) told us to ask the conductor if we can buy tickets from him. The train only stopped at our stop for 2 minutes so when our train came in, we all jumped in with our bikes and trailers in a mad panic. But when we asked the conductor, he (angrily) informed us that we couldn't buy tickets from him. Then after a lot of yelling at us ("Why didn't we ask before we jumped on?" and the like) he stomped off away from us. So we got away without paying. Sweet! Just joking, but seriously, Netherlands, upgrade your ticket machines so people who are willing to pay CAN. We were also surprised that, for such a bike-friendly nation, the bike section of the train was lacking in space and places to hitch your bike so they won't tumble around everywhere. We've found these in other countries so why not here?

We had a run of bad luck with public transpo this day. Anyone planning on taking the ferry please note, the ferry ride does not take a half an hour. Or that was the shortest half hour ever. After locking our bikes up and getting the kids upstairs to the lounge area we thought we had enough time for coffee. But as soon as Leo had them in his hands, the announcement came on to go to our vehicles. We amazed ourselves with our new-found ability to juggle kids in one hand and hot coffee in the other while going down quickly on a steep flights of stairs on a moving ferry.

Meanwhile, the rain just seemed to keep pouring and pouring. We're talking deluge here. When we managed to get off the ferry, breathe properly again and finish our coffees, we sheltered in the ferry terminal on Texel to have lunch and change the kids, etc.

What The Hey Is With The Crazy Opening Hours?!

We headed out again in full rain gear (I even put on my neoprene paddling socks) to look for a campground. And, y'know, we really had crazy luck with campgrounds on this trip. The problem this time? The opening hours of the campground reception. Apparently campground administration takes the afternoon off on Sundays and close at 12PM. Really. So, there we were, going from campground to campground (there are plenty on Texel) when we really should have been building an ark and rounding up animals two by two. At one point we saw a Bungalow Rental place. They were closed, too, but at least they had a phone number. So we called them to see if they had anything available and got a flat out "no". Once our minds started into that idea of a dry, indoor accommodation, we decided that we'd take that money that we saved from the free train ride and splurge on rooms. We biked on to De Koog. While Frank went on foot to check out some lodging options, the rest of us kept warm in Timmers Café and Bakery with cakes and coffee (and warm milk for the kiddles). The whole thing was a blessing in disguise. We found a gem of a guesthouse, Hotel Het Gouden Boltje. Talk about cute and cozy! And the owner was so warm and hospitable,we really got the feeling that he was looking out to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. We took full advantage of the hot showers and in the evening, after kids were asleep, the parents chilled out with some port wine in the winter garden.

I should also mention the excellent, kid-friendly Pannekoeken (pancake) restaurant in De Koog. Pancakes are a staple in Dutch cuisine and here you can get them sweet or savoury. The restaurant in De Koog serves them up nicely in a quirky little setting which has plenty of space and toys to keep tykes busy! Definite parent approval!

Tick Talk

We reluctantly said goodbye to our warm, cute and cozy hotel and set our tents up once again. Our original plan was to do some island hopping from Texel and maybe even seeing a bit of Friesland but we changed those plans when we found out that the ferries to the other islands only run once or twice a day. So our next basecamp was on a farm (there are a lot of these Camp on a Farm setups in the Netherlands) just outside of De Koog. Facilities were basic but we had a nice, green field to ourselves. The owner was also very friendly. We spent 3 nights here which gave us enough time to check out what De Koog had to offer. We visited Ecomare, an aquarium and seal/ marine animal sanctuary. The sanctuary is small but the kids loved seeing the seals and the aquarium. We also had a beach day and did a small bike tour day. On the bike tour day, we also gained some insight into the medical system in the Netherlands. Or at least what happens when one of the kids has a tick bite. The farm was a prime tick area (and around the grassy dunes that abound in the islands, too). Luckily Tarang and Leo were prepared with Tick Tweezers and we all had the knowledge of what to do (and not to do) in the event of a tick latching on to you. After removing the tick, we asked the farm owner where the nearest medical clinic was (which was close) and biked over there. The clinic staff were friendly and waiting time wasn't long at all. The doctor took a look at the bite and just told us to note the date of the incident and monitor it (the dangers are the plethora of tick-borne diseases that you can get from being bitten). The doctor also gave us a bit of comfort by informing us that the tick bites in Texel rarely caused diseases. From then on, we told the kids to stay away from the tall grass and checked them daily for ticks. Yeesh.

The Train To Delft

The running joke throughout the trip was that the our default backup plan was "...we'd just take the train to Delft". It was originally our next stop after Amsterdam but it was decided that, because we wanted to spend a good amount of time there, we'd save that area for last. That way, we could cut out other plans to make sure we had quality time left for the last few days.

Our journey to Delft was surprisingly uneventful. Likely because we had learned so much and were then applying our learnings on that day. We had an early start to pack up and bike to the ferry terminal. We knew how long the crossing took so 2 people went and bought coffees while the other 2 locked up the bikes and looked after kids. From the ferry in Den Helder, we made our way to the train station and bought our tickets at the kiosk there. The only bump in the otherwise smooth ride was having to transfer in Amsterdam but we managed since trains from A'dam to Delft ran every half hour. And then suddenly we found ourselves stepping off the train into Delft.

Our initiation into Delft was a bit crazy since the no-holds-barred biking culture took a bit of getting used to (Tarang likened it to traffic in India). That first night in Delft we just took a quick peek of the city then made our way to our campsite, Delflandhoeve. Although it was a nice place and the staff were friendly enough, I would suggest camping at Delftse Hout just for location (ours wasn't too close to the city centre) and services offered (like a restaurant and playground). Delflandhoeve didn't really offer anything more than camping space.

That travel day was actually Frank's and my 10th anniversary but we postponed it for the next day because we were just too knackered to bike to some restaurant to celebrate. So, the next day we went back into Delft and Tarang and Leo took care of Sierra and Isar as their anniversary gift to us while we went out for lunch and strolled around town. We could rave on and on about our lunch café find, Café Zondag. We chose it just because it was the place that seemed to be buzzing with people when all the other restaurants were dead. The place offers gourmet sandwiches and salads. At first glance I was like, "Sandwiches and salads? How boring." But then we took a look a the menu (and we even ended up taking a picture of it to get ideas for our own home-made meals). Salads with grilled goat cheese, club sandwiches with a special avocado sauce. It was SOOOO good. I can't remember when I last enjoyed a restaurant meal like that. And to top it off, they had an awesome beer selection (we went for the Dutch Hertog Jan Grand Prestige and a Hertog Jan Bock). The smile is still on my face from that memory.

We had arranged to meet with our friend, Mario, who lives close to Delft, that evening. The rain started up again so we decided to meet up with him at a restaurant in town. We had our bike trailer with us as a stroller and, while it's been able to squeeze into surprisingly small spaces in Munich, Delft was proving to be a different challenge. We fled from the rain into our Café Zondag but found out it was only open until 6PM. Mario met us here so we had a drink and snack with him at the café (he couldn't stay too long so it turned out okay). We then proceeded to try to find a dinner spot. The restaurants in the main square were far too small so we moved on to the Beestenmarkt which is a square with only pubs and restaurants. There we found our answer: Billy Beer. Once we realised that beer in Dutch means "bear", we looked into it more seriously and found that it was indeed a kid-friendly place to eat.

Crayons and Colouring Books

Billy Beer was the last dinner in the Netherlands for Frank, Sierra, Isar and I on this trip. We had a train from Amsterdam to Munich the next day and the Fäh family had their train from Amsterdam to Zürich the following day. The kids gave us a really pleasant evening out by being on their best behaviour. No tantrums, no running around, no "outdoor voices". We were so impressed. Pencil crayons and colouring books seemed to have saved the day for the 3-year old. The 2-year old sat still because she usually does when it comes to food, the 1-year old was fascinated with the whole party atmosphere (and was even boogieing throughout the meal) and the 7-month old passed out. Happy kids, happy parents!

We still had the long bike ride to the campsite in the rain to contend with. Luckily our bikes were parked in a bike garage so they were nice and dry. By the time we had our bikes back on the road, the rain had let up quite a bit. We actually ended up drier after the ride back. Important learning from our ride: Bring your bike lights and rain gear on day trips. You just never know when plans will change or when a gorgeous sunny day will turn on you.

Pancakes! and Jordaan

We packed up our tent while the rain spit on us occasionally then we all biked together to the train station, we were heading to Amsterdam and the Fähs to Gouda. The Fähs helped us one last time by being on the platform to help us quickly load our gear into the designated bike section on the train. We just can't thank you enough guys!

We arrived in A'dam in time for lunch. We thought about putting stuff in lockers and then stashing our bikes in the bike garage but then we just said, "To heck with it, let's bike around". We made our way to the Jordaan district, where I would send all the travellers who want to see the pretty part of Amsterdam and not the harsh clichés. Lunch was in the rain in the tiny but worth it Pancakes! This place does great pancakes, full stop. No, scratch that, this place does great pancakes, exclamation mark!

After lunch we biked a bit more around Jordaan and then went to the museum district and let Sierra loose in the park behind the Rijksmuseum. It had a small playground where you can find children and young potheads alike giggling gleefully on the swing and jungle gym.

A fun tip, if you use the bathroom in the café by the playground you'll find that the stalls have transperent doors. No worries, the tranparency turns to a fogged window when you lock the door.

And so ended our Netherlands Family bike tour. We caught our train from Amsterdam to Munich at 4:30 and made it back home around midnight. The kids slept for most of the train ride (as we had planned/ hoped). All in all, a hilariously great trip. "Really? With all the craziness with the kids?" you ask? Yes, really. It sounds nuts but those crazy stories are the stories that I know I'll be telling them with a laugh when they're older. And our eldest enjoyed bike touring so much, she's still asking to get back in the bike trailer. Success!

Lesson Learned

2011-04-28T13:24:00.001-07:00

We went to Lago di Garda, Italy last weekend (the Easter long weekend) and used that trip as the first camping experience for Isar (our 6 month old). So, first lesson learned from that test weekend, don't use a multi-day camping trip as the test run for camping with an infant when temperatures are still in the "pretty freakin' cold" range. Poor little guy didn't take to the cooler temperatures well at night so Joce had to give up her sleeping bag for him. Luckily our camping companions had an extra blanket along. Joce found that out the morning after...she improvised and made a sleeping bag using the bike trailer cover (like the one in this picture) that first night.

Planning Stages

2011-04-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

"We'll need a big-ass pot. How else are we going to feed 4 adults with 4 kids?"

These are the types of revelations that we've been coming up with recently as we gear up for our first big bike tour with our 2 kids. We'll be in the saddle along with another family of 4 and we're planning on camping the whole way through (well, okay, we may retreat to a hostel if things go all pear-shaped). So, yeah, big-ass pots are on our minds these days.

Family Fietsen Fun in the Netherlands

So Much for the Daily Blog Posts

Lesson Learned

Planning Stages