Biking the loop Amsterdam-Monnikedam-Zaanse Schans

The weather report seems to be favorable to biking, so we’re off to the city to rent bikes and head north along the edge of the Ijsselmeer(formerly the Zuider Zee), along some of the Netherlands’ oldest dikes and some lovely old villages.  We pick up some rather heavy albeit comfortable bikes near the Leidse Plein and tool off along the Keizersgracht(one of Amsterdam’s lovelier canals) to the central station.

Behind the station we join the throngs of pedestrians who are getting ready to cross the river Ij, on one of a handful of free ferries for walkers and bikers—make that commuters—who need to be in the northernmost part of the city.  The ride is literally a couple of minutes—it takes longer to dock than to cross the river, and we’re off—not without the very kind advice and directions of a fellow passenger, who helps send us off in the right direction.

Almost immediately we’re in another world.  Tiny narrow streets lined with minute and immaculately kept houses, adorned with assortments of flower pots and often with huge stalks of hollyhock literally growing out of a hole in the sidewalk.  It’s wonderfully quiet, and the sun is warming us and lighting the surroundings to their best effect.  As we pass from village to village we course through fields and treelined streets, while still noting the endless waterways, distant bridges, dockworks and traffic.  The worlds are parallel:  close yet not touching.  As we move further from the city, the way winds out of towns and along the spine of the dike, providing wide open views of the now long closed Ijsselmeer.  Before the huge dike was completed to protect the heart of the country, this was literally open sea—or better put—a huge inlet of the sea that delved deep into the heart of the land, filling the center of the U-shaped country.  This huge dike is much further north and certainly can't be seen, but has affected the lives and the livelihoods of all who live along the edges of the sea-now-lake.

**6/24/12 An added note courtesy of my Dad:  the huge dike which closed the original Zuider Zee and turned it into the Ijsselmeer(known as the Afsluitdijk, and completed in the early 1930's), was originally designed not as flood protection(as I'd erroneously believed), but to begin the arduous reclamation of land, at a time when land was needed to provide more food for a growing population.  The reclaimed land, known as polder, was built up on the eastern edges of the Ijsselmeer. Interesting is to compare a map of pre and post polder lands on older and newer maps of the Netherlands.  Yes, really!!
We bypass Marken, the old island that is connected to the mainland by a 5 kilometer causeway, and instead head into Monnikedam—named for the monks who founded the settlement there.  Arriving in the main street we happen upon a bakery/café and have a well-deserved break, before continuing on westwards towards the Zaandam area.
 
To reach the Zaanstreek(Zaan area), we head across more bucolic countryside, at one point having to cross a wide canal on a tiny pedestrian/cyclist ferry, before finding ourselves close to the busy northbound highways out of the Amsterdam area and back in the more densely populated areas.  I’d wanted to take Andres to see the Zaanse Schans, which, when I last saw it was a mere shadow of the craziness it has evolved into now.  About six grand windmills as well as a handful of other historic houses, including the original Albert Heijn market(presently the country’s largest supermarket chain) were set along the River Zaan close to the mostly industrial town of Zaandam.  Along with the tour busses and hordes, there are now untold cafes, tourist shops and the place has sadly lost its older-worldly flavor.  The views of the mills—from a good distance—are still very much worthwhile. 

From this juncture the pastures are behind us, and the way back to the city is one long path of eyesores including factories, shopping areas and the like—but eventually we’re back at the river Ij and cross back into Amsterdam.  We’re now much further west of the city, not its prettiest face, near dockworks and warehouses, but soon we’re back in the center, making our way alongside the various canals to return our bikes.  A good introduction to the countryside, and a gentle first reminder of Dutch landscape painting’s origins.

		First ride: Monnikedam & Zaanse Schans VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL