We didn’t manage to cycle at the weekend as the Dutchie only picked up his bike on Sunday evening (after it had been lovingly stored by a friend for the past 3 years) but we went on our first bike ride together yesterday. The Loosedrechtse Plassen didn’t disappoint and I’m so glad to have them on our doorstep! (In Dutch terms, 30 mins by bike is “on your doorstep” :))

I was quite proud of myself for getting there without doing something embarrassing like crashing or falling off my bike… you see, I’m not a natural born cyclist. The Dutchie on the other hand was born with a bike between his legs it seems. He was happily speeding along, beer in one hand, phone in the other taking photos!  (He’s one of those annoying people who are good at everything: cycling, snooker, darts, ping pong, even football. You name it, he’ll do it well.) But we eventually reached a happy medium once I’d gained a bit of confidence and speed!

We arrived at the lakes at the perfect time, just as the sun was beginning to set, which made for some spectacular views!

We also saw some people water-skiing which looked like fun, but far too dangerous for a scaredy cat like me!!

After we had soaked up the views and taken some pictures, it was clearly borreltijd so we went off in search of beer and bitterballen! Whilst we passed at least 5 cafes en route, it was hard to find one which was actually open at 9pm on a Monday evening. We wanted to stop at “The Quiet Piss” (De Stille Plas – it actually means The Silent Lake, but plassen also means to pee, so I prefer my translation!) but unfortunately it was gesloten (closed.) Sad face.

Instead we found Het Praethuys (Old Dutch, it means the Talking House) which was an excellent choice. The lady behind the bar was extremely friendly, nothing was too much trouble and the other patrons were really friendly too – greeting us when we arrived and when we left. It’s located on a caravan/ holiday park (one of many in the area) so maybe that’s just what the community is like there 🙂 Gezellig! 

We had some lekker bitterballen and kippen vleugels (chicken wings). If I’m Bitterballen Bruid, the Dutchie should be re-named Kippenvleugelman! He’s obsessed!

I have to be a bit critical and give the bitterballen a 7/10. They were quite small, a bit too much colour on them for my liking and the coating was quite thin. I’ve had better… although they were perfectly edible and served with a tangy mustard (it tasted home made) so props for that!

I don’t think I’ve had a BAD bitterbal yet to be fair!

A lovely evening in Loosdrecht! I’m sure we’ll visit again very soon! My best friend is coming to visit in 2 weeks, so I’m definitely adding this to our to-do list!

Where’s your favourite place to cycle?

Hayley x