Today, insult was added to injury. The day started with riding in the hail. It was 44 degrees with a wind chill reading of 39 degrees. Winds out of the north at only 9 mph with gusts of 17 mph. It wasn’t supposed to rain until later in the day, but it just wasn’t meant to be. When we were near Zoeterwoude, we stopped at a local farm that still produces small batch Gouda cheese. The farm has been in the family for over 100 years. While touring their barns and cheese making facilities, we were offered four different cheeses to taste. They may not make large amounts, but the taste was delicious.
Just as we were ready to depart the farm, it started to hail again, only this time in large amounts. We all waited till the hail stopped and then proceeded to ride again in the rain. About five miles down the road, we were greeted by Lia who was dressed in traditional Dutch clothing and wooden shoes. She had snacks for us and three different cheeses that we could but on fresh sliced bread. From there we finished the days ride ending in Gouda whose namesake cheese is among the Netherlands best know exports.
Back at the barge, we changed into warm clothes and headed to the town center looking for the main church devoted to St John. The church is famous for its stained-glass windows. Unfortunately, we entered the wrong church into our GPS and missed entry into the famous church. By the time riders Joyce and Balt informed us of our error, we were already sipping wine and had ordered an early dinner. As our luck would have it, just as we arrived back at the barge, it started to hail again!! I cycled just over 22 miles today.
As a few of us were playing a card game (99) with Sue, our barge had to move from its slip to accommodate a larger ship. In the end, three ships moved about to make room for all of them. It was quite interesting.
P.S. Alan, I think we need to invest in the best rain gear for our future rides together.
The local cheese farm that we visited. The photo in the foreground was taken when the Queen visited the farm and the owners’ daughter asked to show the Queen her kittens. It was not part of the itinerary and made “news” at the time because it was not on the Queen’s itinerary,
Fred and Gayle enjoying the ride (in the rain).
A waterway on the farm property. There are waterways everywhere in the Netherlands.
Where the cheese is made by mixing milk and microbes. If the cream is skimmed off the top of the milk during the process, it is considered “light.”
The current method used for pressing chees into molds. The cheese in the foreground were some of our samples.
The older type of equipment that was used to press the cheese. Not that there are “shapes” as well. The local farm patented these forms, however the patent is only for three countries, including the Netherlands. It would be cost prohibitive to patent it world-wide.
It’s hard to capture in a still photo, but the white dots on the cobblestones is hail. Note the thatched roof on one of the buildings on the farm. In 1966, the farm was designated a national monument which means the outside of the buildings must remain true to its roots, including roof type and paint colors.
There was just few hundred yards of dirt path that we had to ride today. Riders from the front back: Gayle, Sue, Ellen, and Sherri.
Lia at the snack stop today. Some of the Gouda was more than a year old and some six months old. All of it was delicious.
Lia demonstrating how the locals ride in the rain. Photo courtesy of another rider.
Along the trail into Gouda.
The six of us that rode the last six miles together into Gouda. Left to right: Lorie, Ellen, me, Fred, Sue and Sherri.
On the walk back from dinner - yes, it was raining.
With Sue, you can always count on card games. This night was a game of 99. From left to right: Lorie, Sue, Maggie, Ellen, Gayle and me.
This was the larger ship that pulled up alongside our much smaller barge.
Just how close our barge was to the larger ship before three ships shuffled among the slips.
The larger ship ended up along the pier, with a smaller barge docked alongside it. We moved up the the spot that the barge on the left had been occupying. It was an interesting shift.
