August 4 – August 9 Central Netherlands
Hertogenbosch
Heusden
Gorssel
Zutphen
Deventer
We spent 2 days using Hertogenbosch as a base for discovering the entire area. We enjoyed kitschy artist’s home with a small enclosed garden. From there we were able to all cycle around the charming walled city of Hertogenbosch established in 1185.
We also spent a fascinating day riding out to Heusden, a fortified city established in 1200 on the Meuse River. It was so strategically significant it was still held by the Germans in WW2. It’s been restored to its original double star-shape – you can cycle all around the city and the remains of the castle and also all around the perimeter.
From Hertogenbosch we went on to Gorssel. We originally wanted to be closer to Deventer, but Gorsell turned out to be perfect for us, a charming small town located right on the Isell River. Not only was it a perfect house with lovely facilities all on the ground floor, it’s located in a perfect walkable town right between Deventer and Zutphen with bike trails to both along the beautiful Ijssel River .
The first day we pedaled to Zutphen where we had a great lunch and explore some of the historic sites. One that was fascinating to me was the “chain library” dating from xxx that holds the largest collect of first edition books in Holland. I’m fascinated by books and how they were the sole source of shared information in times past, so valuable but now literally a dime a dozen.
The Librije has been a public reading room from 1564, and is a unitque cultural-historical monument because the building, the furnishings and the collection are untouched by time. “Walk along the lecterns of the Librije in Zutphen and you’ll see the leather-bound tomes still attached in the same places as in medieval times, making it the oldest intact library in the Netherlands. The church itself dates to the 11th century, and it was partly the religious fervor of the clergy that formed the library. They believed that reading the right books would keep people away from the temptations of the Reformation.”
As a confirmed “information junky” who actually made a viable career out of information and knowledge management (at the 3-letter intel agencies where I held contracts we called the specialty “semantic intelligence integration”) So I really wanted to see the library but there was another event and I couldn’t get a time… Because of that and because it was such a wonderful accommodation and town, we made the decision to return to Gorssel.
Deventer
The next day we took the scenic route into Deventer – first a small ferry across the Ijssel, then a gorgeous ride though fields and woods, then a more challenging ferry back across to Deventer. There must be more tidal variation there because the banks were very high with very steep ramps down to the water.
We had high hopes for Deventer and expected to love it. We had a reservation for a week last year that had to be cancelled (no refund) so I had been dreaming of it for more than a year. It is a beautiful city, but seemed touristy and overcrowded to us and we didn’t stay long. We had a lovely ride back and enjoyed and evening in our own courtyard.
