Day 3 – Hoorn

Ans and Andre have lived in Warder for 40 years, raising six kids. They’re deeply embedded in the community, from writing the local newsletter to making sure the community swimming pool is locked each night. They seem to love the buzz of social interaction and even after an hour of chatting over coffee when we first arrive, they invite us downstairs after dinner for a beer and another hour and a half of getting to know each other. They’re around our age, big bike enthusiasts, but rarely travel outside of Holland. Next morning the breakfast table is set for four and we spend another hour or two in easy chit-chat, mostly in Dutch but Ans does her best to speak in a labored English when she can.

Hoorn is an easy ride over the waterside dike and we spend the afternoon exploring the ancient seaside port with its many sagging buildings, their front facades leaning into the streets as though the weariness of standing upright for four centuries has gotten to be too much. The Westfries Museum is housed in one of these aged beauties, taking visitors up and down narrow wooden stairwells to exhibits that tell of the rich and sometimes controversial history of Holland’s seafaring imperialism, particularly its Golden Age of 17th century scientific, cultural and artistic expansion.

Left: a municipal building, ca. 1632, now houses the Westfries Museum.

Above: the irreverent leaning buildings of Holland.

The wind has picked up and we’re grateful for our pedal assist as we head west into the wind towards our next overnight, Beleef ‘t Bed en Brood in Wijdenes. George and Arda have created a lovely, homey but elegant B&B upstairs. Both are avid gardeners and their backyard is a delightful place to sit and enjoy the early evening sun with a glass of red and a fresh baguette with aged Gouda.