Upon departure from Haarlem you will first cycle to the ‘Cruquiusgemaal’ (Cruquius Pumping Station): one of the three steam-powered pumping stations that drained the Haarlemmer Lake between 1849 and 1852. Now a museum, it gives you an excellent idea of the Dutch ‘battle against the water’. From this monument you ride towards the coast and into the dunes. On the way to the sea you will pass many beautiful country estates near Vogelenzang, and near lunchtime you reach the seaside resort of Noordwijk. Over separate cycling lanes through more sanddunes and via the fishing village of Katwijk you reach the university city of Leiden. Do not foget to bring your swimming gear when the weather is fine. Leiden is a historic city with many little courtyards, façades, and historical buildings built between the 15th and 18th cen- tury. It also is the birthplace of the painter Rembrandt van Rijn. Leiden houses the oldest and most prestigious university of the Netherlands. All members of the royal family have studied here in the recent past. The right to found a university was given to Leiden after the city broke the Spanish siege in 1574. Still today this event is celebrated each year on the 3rd of October. The ship is moored near the Zijlpoort, a gate that once formed part of the city walls.

You leave the city in a southerly direction and cycle along the Vliet canal. In Voorschoten you turn westwards towards the coastline and through some of the richest villages of the country like Wassenaar. At ‘Wassenaarse Slag’ is an entrance to the beach and here you can take a nice break. The beach stretches for miles on end on both sides. From here we cycle through extensive dunes to Den Haag (The Hague), where you can visit the Binnenhof with the houses of parliament, the royal palace Noordeinde and the Vredespaleis (Peace Palace). The route to Delft takes you along different waterways once again. The old centre is well worth a visit. This is a well-conserved medieval city with canals, a magnificent town hall and a royal tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk.

Today you can stay in Delft and discover the old centre or visit The Hague or Rotterdam by public transport. Delft is a beautiful town to wander round in, please visit the Oude and Nieuwe Kerk. Bustling Rotterdam has many architectural highlights, some interesting museums and is the main port of Holland. Skyscrapers rise steadily towards the stars. On the Maas River, Erasmus Bridge is the new icon. Den Haag (The Hague) has an international character with its wide avenues, parks and stately mansions. Possible visits are a.o. Peace Palace (housing the International Court of Justice), the ‘Binnenhof’,seat of the Dutch Government and Parliament, royal palaces Noordeinde and Huis ten Bosch or the Maurits- huis museum with paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Rubens.

From Delft the barge first sails to Rotterdam where you board a fast ferry to Kinderdijk. Kinderdijk has a UNESCO cultural World Heritage listing and is the largest group of windmills in the Netherlands. The 19 windmills at Kinderdijk are an im- pressive sight and were still actively used until 1950. These days, a large pumping station is responsible for controlling the water level in the polder. Here you can visit a windmill from inside. An impressive piece of centuries old technique that is still functional today. From Kinderdijk you will cycle over quiet countryroads and narrow cycling paths to Gouda. You ride past scenic polders and through the beautiful Alblasserwaard and the deepest lying polder of the Netherlands, Krimpener- waard. Along the way you will pass green meadows with cows that produce the famous Gouda cheese. Who thinks of Gouda, not only thinks of cheese, pipes, ‘stroopwafels’ (treacle-waffle) and pottery, but also of stained-glass windows, a fairy-like town hall and atmospheric canals. Gouda is beautiful Old-Dutch city with a mostly intact city center.

Before we continue on our way to Amsterdam a visit to the ‘St. Janskerk’ is in fact a must. Gouda’s 123-metre-long church, is home to its renowned ‘Goudse Glazen’ (stained glass windows). You will also see the beautiful gothic town hall and the ‘Waag’ (a building once used for weighing cheese) before embarking on a ride through the Reeuwijkse Plassen, a nature reserve and well known wetland. Later this day you ride through again typical Dutch landscape filed with green meadows, wetlands, canals, rivers and small villages. You will cross waterways on small ferries and over bridges. Our last mooring place before Amsterdam is the quiet village of Oude Wetering.

Today you will first ride along different small waterways that lead you to the village of Uithoorn on the Amstel river. From here you will follow the Amstel river all the way to the mooring place of the barge. Along the way you will see several for- tifications. They are part of De Stelling van Amsterdam, a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam from 1885, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Amsterdam’s name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city’s origin as a dam of the river Amstel. Almost wit- hout noticing you enter Amsterdam, following the Amstel River. The extensive network of bicycle paths ensures a relative- ly easy way back into the city, showing you some remarkable sites in the centre. Then it is time to say goodbye to your bike. Before the fare-well dinner you may want to go for a walk in town. At night there you may want to take a canal trip or go on a city walk through the centre of the city