Gouda to Breukelen

We set off mid-morning to cycle from Gouda to Breukelen.  The sun was shining and the sky was blue, but there was a cold wind blowing.  All went well for a while until we tried to find the route from waypoint 21 to 20.  We failed miserably.  There was no indication whatsoever as to which direction we should take after we found and set off from waypoint 21.  We had to resort to Mr Google.  We were once again going along nicely when we came to a village that was having a running race and had closed off the village to traffic, including cyclists.  Once again we lost our way but, fortunately, found it again and all was well.  Then, a third time we missed a turning and had to turn back but eventually ended up at the waypoint we were trying to find.  From there it was a short distance to our hotel.  We are impressed with the hotel - a very good lock up facility for our bikes, a lovely room, sunshine and the entire population of the surrounding area turning up for dinner.  We were completely gobsmacked.  We sat out on a deck in the sunshine enjoying a pre-dinner drink, but when it came to finding the a la carte restaurant it was somewhat difficult.  There must be at least four restaurants, if not more, and they were all packed.  At least two of the restaurants, if not more, were buffet restaurants.  There was even an ice cream stand.  We had an interesting supper.  We chose two dishes from the English menu, however the sea bass was no longer on the Dutch menu but hadn’t been updated on the English menu.  So, we both chose the salmon with a barley risotto.  When it came it was with white asparagus and scrambled egg, as well as a hollandaise sauce. Not only that, all main meals come with chips, mayonnaise and apple sauce with a cherry on top.  It was certainly an experience.  We can’t wait to see what breakfast will bring. Tomorrow we plan to go for a walk along the river and find somewhere for a late lunch/early supper.  

We had a lovely ride today, despite the mishaps.  There were beautiful houses and gardens to admire, lots of water birds, other cyclists and lovely canals.  It was a very enjoyable day.

The main blip shows various view from the day, including horse-drawn carts in Woerden-Center, where there was obviously some sort of celebration taking place.  The extra is our hotel.