We had big plans today. Get up early, get some bikes, and hit the road to cycle the Waterland loop.

Most of that plan worked out well. We rented a pair of bikes within a block or two of our hotel. A quick bike ride to an even quicker ferry ride, and we were on our way.

Okay, so, the bikes. They were. . .fine. Fine for commuting. We were looking to knock out 25+ miles—which would have been doable without the headwinds and rain. Or maybe our bikes back in Raleigh. But the combination made the full loop a bit ambitious.

In Durgerdam, we met Phil Fertey — a Canadian traveling across The Netherlands on his Pennyfarthing.

We ended up shortcutting the loop and taking shelter in Ransdorp. Laura’s a fan of mint, a fan of tea, and now a fan of fresh mint tea. We’ll have renewed interest in fostering our volunteer yard mint this Spring.

Back in Amsterdam, we hit up Brouwerij‘t IJ for a quick bite and some local beers. It also marked our first windmill.