Bike Travel in the Netherlands: Part 1

I'm happy to say that my husband and I arrived in Amsterdam yesterday with our bikes perfectly intact. And, we were able to bike from the airport to our campsite without much trouble, even after dark.

Since we were planning to spend a little time in Amsterdam before setting off for the rest of the country, we booked a little "wagonnette" at a campsite just outside the city for our first few nights instead of camping right away. The wagonette is like a tiny cabin, and staying there meant that we didn't have to pitch a tent when we arrived at eleven thirty at night after more than a day of travel. The area with the wagonettes looks like an adorable and cheerful little caravan encampment set alongside a lake.

There are some overly-friendly ducks who are obviously accustomed to getting free meals, and they've been our constant companions so far.



Our wagonette is right on the shore and there's a perfect spot out front for my early morning yoga practice. I haven't practiced outside very often in the past, and it was revitalizing to look up at seagulls flying overhead and turn to the side to see the drops if dew on the blades of grass and tiny flowers.

It's been a little gloomy and rainy here since our arrival last night, but fortunately this morning was dry enough for me to enjoy my practice. I brought along my Manduka travel mat, which is heavy (about 850 grams), but packs up really small. It's perfect for practicing on grass since it has a great sticky surface but no padding at all.

 

I didn't know I practice with such a serious face! I think tomorrow I'll work on smiling while I stretch.

I'm planning to share all about air travel with bicycles, cycling in Amsterdam, as well as my trunk show at Penelope Craft, so stay tuned. This month is likely to be pretty bicycle-heavy in its topics since I'll be spending so much time traveling by bike, but I'll throw some knitting in there too - you'll definitely get lots of pictures of me in my hand knits! And if you're interested in seeing more photos of the trip, follow me on Instagram.