BONDING BY BIKE
Lee Kingma and her daughter ride from Utrecht to Brussels
FROM time to time, I am invited by the Business School of the Netherlands to lecture an MBA class on the topic of human resources. It is a three-day course and I try to fit in some travel adventure with this opportunity, as my airfare is paid for by the school.
Last year, my eldest daughter, Lauren, accompanied me and we visited the Amsterdam art museums, explored the Negen Straatjes neighbourhood and sailed on the beautiful canals. She is an art teacher so this experience was rich for her.
My challenge was to think of a way for my “Action Barbie” daughter Kirsty to share the travel opportunity during my July trip. She is very sporty and has completed a Cape Epic mountain-bike race; has ridden the Argus since the age of nine; has a black belt in judo; surfs; runs mountain trails; and generally leaves her parents gasping for air.
So we decided to cycle from Utrecht to Brussels over a four-day period.
Kirsty planned our route and organised the bike hire. She also took her skate board along and was taken for a local while zooming around Amsterdam while mom was doing her lecture.
We set off from Utrecht on a cool day and cycled to Gouda, the quaint cheese city. I was so relieved to get there intact, as my only training had been a few spinning sessions at Virgin Active and some leisurely rides on my new birthday bike.
To keep up with Kirsty, I hired an e-bike, a bicycle with an integrated electric motor. You still have to pedal, but the bike gives more power to your every push.
Cycling through the quiet farmlands was a soulful experience. It was only Kirsty and me and some mildly surprised cows checking us out as we whizzed by. Rotterdam was frighteningly busy. Although the cycle paths are excellent and safe, as a novice city cyclist, I stayed very close to Kirsty’s tail. It is an energetic harbour city with whacky modern architecture.
I was booted out of bed early in the morning and breakfast was only allowed en route by my strict tour guide. Breda was our next stop and we got lost a few times along the way. Kirsty viewed getting lost as another adventure, while I would be anxious as this meant more hours on my tender behind.
She got a flat tyre but the little villages are so close and we soon reached a friendly little cycle shop, where they fixed her bike and in two ticks we were back on the road.
Antwerp was our favourite city. We had made no hotel bookings and when we reached a town would just head for the Information Centre and find a place in our budget range. Here we could only find a boutique hotel, which was a tad more expensive. They welcomed us with Boschendal sparkling wine so we decided we were meant to be there. We negotiated a cheaper rate for two nights as mom needed a rest and we loved the Antwerp vibe. A merry beer festival beckoned us.
Our last stop was Brussels. The famous Manneken-Pis statue was less impressive than all the chocolate shops. They lure one in with samples. Needless to say we were both slightly nauseous from all the tasting by nightfall.
A high-speed train took us back to Utrecht and we enjoyed a last fun day in Amsterdam.
This was the adventure of a lifetime. Cycling with my daughter in the European countryside and experiencing those amazing cities has bonded us in a very special way. — © Lee Kingma