On the gear to 't Woudt !

I am now biking :-) This is my longest way in the saddle. We cycled from home to my parents-in-law's house to 't Woudt part of Schipluiden about 14 kms back and forth.
Above shots are on our way there taken last Saturday for a family reunion. Actually, this is already our three-times of biking going there. (The reunion entry will be posted some other time :-))

Welcome to our destination! Infront of the house is the church. Foto from Flickers.

We took the easiest way and get intimate with the villages and canals where we passed through. 't Woudt is a small village with an old church standing in the center and has few inhabitants, making it as one of the smallest villages in the Netherlands. The Dutch countryside is the main attraction during summer. Many fine bicycling destinations are arranged for bicycle tours provided with a cycling map. t' Woudt is one common spot to explore the green pearl of the Midden-Delfland. A relaxing cafeteria (a hay storage baarn before) is just before the church where we can pass.

A picturesque view of the church in 't Woudt. Fotos from Flickers.

Along the lanes we can see unlimited waterway canals, goats and cows in conference, windmills, and greenhouses. However, as you are biking, fresh air and combined smelly perfumes are just free on the air. You can choose any variants of smells such as compost heaps, and animals' grassy waste plus numbers of insects uninvitedly but welcoming to your eyes.

This is the scenario as you enter the diverse village biking routes.

Biking fotos are courtesy of my husband's mobilefone.
For now, it is a big relief for me at least my bike adventure is doing smoothly without any big hazards. My new task now is to embrace bike traffic rules...What is this?

In the Netherlands, every road is adjacent to the network of cycleways. Bikes have special lanes and traffic rules too. People travel to work, go to the local supermarket and go to school by bicycle. In fact, one can travel almost anywhere by bicycle in the Netherlands. This is why tourists, when they visit the Netherlands, often rent a bicycle and cycle around the countryside or the city. Dutch cycling community is very diverse: kids on their first bike, children riding to school, people commuting to work, couples on holiday, families on a leisurely Sunday ride, racing professionals, people from all walks of life, they all share the same network of cycling.

Kids in the last year of basischool (elementary school) are actually given traffic lessons and must pass for their biking license :-) Now, we actually ordered a cycling traffic book from the internet. Though there are free lessons in the cyberspace but then we just order one to ensure my head won't forget :-) So, I will learn basic rules and traffic signs. We already bike going to the centrum and to my school but quite scary for me when caught in the middle of intersections. Huh! Another thing to add to my integration course here in Holland :-)

Check my first entry about my bike :-)
Tags: "Ik heb een fiets gekocht !"