July 29 – August 4, 2025 Maarsen on the Vecht
We were happy to arrive at our favorite stop – Nicolette’s beautiful cottage. It’s right on the river and a perfect home away from home with all the amenities. It’s right in the middle between the two towns of Breukelen and Maarsen so we have plenty of choices for rides. It’s just a short ride north of Breukelen to Loenen aan de Vecht which is also a lovely little town. No shortage of supplies and amenities.
The house is so perfect we hope to spend a few more days here toward the end of our trip. The kitchen is tiny but we love being able to prepare our own meals and enjoy them in this lovely setting.
We took a short trip to Loenen aan de Vecht – made quite a bit longer by the main road being closed for roadwork as the edge is being washed into the river in some places. The detour took us on a veyr narros parth just the width of a car with ditches on both sides – not much traffic but enough to be scary. The town was delightful.
The rich farmland and key seaports of the Netherlands has long been a target for foreign invadors. The Dutch are basically peace-loving cooperative people but they’ve been force to defend themselves. The bunkers scattered across dunes and peaceful pastures all across the Netherlands serve as a stark reminder of the WW2 conflict and German occupation – as well as the long history of earlier conflicts involving the French and Spanish until William of Orange won the freedom to form the Dutch state in 1620 with the famous Dutch waterline strategy.
We spent a delightful 6 days at our favorite place in Maarsen right on the beautiful Vecht River. From here we are able to ride for miles in every direction to a wealth of delightful towns including Breukelen, Loenen-aan-die-Vecht, the fabulous Kasteel De Haar and park and parts of Utrecht. Nicolette’s house there is so beautiful and comfortable with a lovely back yard and views across miles of fields full of huge birds, with a dock for enjoying a glass of wine in the evenings. We’ve come to think of it as our home away and have decided to spend more time there toward the end of our trip.
