June 14: Dordrecht to Oudenbosch

Quiet rural roads, a horse fair, ferry, and fortress city

Exiting Dordrecht to the west via a long tunnel.

Typical morning cycling terrain. Mostly barley, hay, grazing land, onions, and other vegetables.

Occasional farm stands. Jams, jellies, and herbal concoctions.

Trash pick-up. Residents separate trash and recyclables and hang them on hooks on lamp posts near their homes.

Below, a canal lock, lower level: the lock; and upper level.

Canal-side Maintenance. Large areas are maintained by sheep. Small areas around rural homes are often maintained by goats.

Numansdorp Fair. The small town of Numansdorp was hosting one of the larges village markets I have encountered. On many bike tours, I arrive in a spot only to discover I missed a major event. You should have been here for  . . .  What first appeared to be a normal village market expanded into carnival rides for the children; agricultural exhibits, especially draft horses; open churches, shops, and public buildings; and nearly a mile long series of street vendors. 

Elly, our Oudenbosch Vrienden host, brought in a newspaper story about Numansdorp. We happened upon an annual draft horse sale, the first one post covid.

A bit regarding town names: dorp refers to a village, and once designated as such, the name does not change. Oudenbosch refers to bosch as a root. Ouden is old, thus Oudenbosch is old root.





Preparing poffertjes




Precisely weighing each piece of dough before shaping, proofing, and baking.

Village Kirk or Church. Large pipe organ.


Aussie Look

Licorice of every description at the candy vendor.

Dog of the Day


Tractor-themed bike jerseys.

Tractor-themed Mugs

Seeking the ferry to Willemstad.  Weekends only. A friendly passer by directed us to another ferry near a large bridge a few miles west. The bridge was closed for repairs, hence a free ferry for bike and foot passengers.


View from the ferry. Crossing the Hollands Diep

Willemstad is a city in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Moerdijk. Its population as of 2021 was 2,490. Willemstad is a small historical town with well preserved fortifications. It lies on the Hollands Diep, close to the Haringvliet and Volkerak. Willemstad is the site of multiple fortifications from the Middle Ages, William of Orange, Napoleon, and the German-built Atlantic Wall in WWII.


Willemstad Armory. Built in 1795. Below are photos of the German-built Atlantic Wall bunker defense system at Willemstad. A grim place to be stationed in winter, but the fortunate Germans stationed here avoided D-Day.












Oudenbosch Cathedral. 

Outside photo of Elly Does not show it's magnificence. Elly and her husband bought the land near downtown Oudenbosch and the train station with retired convenience in mind. It is on a relatively large lot, a single floor to eliminate stairs with wide doors throughout. It was designed by an architect to their specifications 30 years ago, but feels very modern and tastefully furnished. 

Unfortunately, her husband passed after 9 years in the home, so she has lived here alone for more than 20 years. Everything is white and spotless. She is a retired nurse and has enjoyed meeting and hosting Vrienden network cyclists for more than 15 years.



Garage full of bikes and . . .

. . . her 27 year old car with less than 50K miles. Eyelashes are a custom option.

At it again, Kevin found a good restaurant just a 5 minute walk from our lodging. Stir-fried vegetables with chicken for Kevin; stir fried vegetables with beef for me.

Approximate route.

Cycling miles: 35 today; 235 total.

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