![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLqi7tw-bUEXaIod9NxcxAgtv60VtxnsqOtgJyNeYcHga5z3Bnx1mueGr5OPueKyYVLWJ3Fe6diXU1HQKM8smbnSODjwQV6P4fchDr5YNyIRelv_6kZDqdZNaNfGeQB6WUSbvcwKk9Wsz/s320/IMG_7131.JPG)
We had originally planned to do a 90 km bike ride through the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium on Saturday morning. Our first obstacle was the weather - instead of heading out at 9am like we planned, we had to wait until 11:30 when the rain stopped.
After the sun started shining we took a 4 km ride out to St. Pieterberg - an old Roman fort on a hill. This is when we discovered all of Holland isn't flat; Limburg has hills. Big hills with steep ascents and descents. The 90 km plan was officially canceled.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDIu7xPnS3303ciEKHq-Ybza_0BJCRqMFdy9FwJtTq1wAWeG-zrlifjJgrT5AFfRnU2er-d5O0orOgrAoHsfncvGF8Px8TuV2RiaZuF0G1n5j3DaZJWsYr2JTp8X-6MZPrMNaJ6ND_6uH/s320/IMG_7897.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDtmB79Qf7FNRfZ9tOXqkuwpaQNYKT5-e_GCWccDNBoscsTvPSMg4O-YkOSJw7OLYwr0ez35XvnNeYGOswM1HA8k959fgGsVI2o0LrVaGt4NHs7PGs10al8xeU8JijUGLCq4v_KIeAmYV/s320/IMG_7898.JPG)
After visiting the fort, we started a 40 km loop through Gulpen to Valkenburg and back to Maastricht. The countryside was beautiful and the hills added a nice change in scenery (and a burning feeling in our quads).
The first stop along the loop was the
Nederlands American Cemetery and Memorial. It is a beautiful tribute to the soldiers that died during WWII, particularly those that gave their lives at
Operation Market Garden.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg419hT9qAa8lRU5OLVZ7QK-eRwhSABm5PFufMWvocfQhcs4Qwpf1MaUhHB-VJDD8YJ_pGnJuDqEoDZmGq14sxjP8o7J-cfk5hSTSR6ujJ2JGD_DXtP7cgXK5tqJusI-ORRQbBPxT1KovEU/s320/IMG_7116.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZXbPcUOONWmci1nD-kRwidrV9AxZEzQKgM8VB6f-EfdqjapETD4kIWbXVUF-aJQ3zagBilYma8we2PCKJuKz5rGErQC65Z41r7Q3PB72HZcN2S7FiIkrFwv7UzpdMNNMK-SEkcCOVnCw/s320/IMG_7931.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5pVE6PB4bdnTuRYZpe68JAs81y6jP0vncUriqfSF7ZR94FrCVaIXKKWb9YjVvTW9H9T3BVeE_5fv7vD5CFxxfVZvweylk7aHsJVUng-kD_CIzSYsv5mTxfqHZrMdxf9L5X8cMI-M-YUS/s320/IMG_7939.jpg)
Next we coasted down a large hill into the town of Gulpen - where they make the popular
Gulpener Pilsner. We stopped for lunch at a local cafe and enjoyed mustard soup (a regional specialty), a melon and parmaham salad, and Gulpener Pilsner.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57DTg9KEZz6rur_MfjhUJMT_DOJfQnQj-LsQDf8X5nfn0qwqECFQlKPyMeCc3HeBGtMG_5oooBX2fgXZG0XBo_09k3vngYGqYGtfmU_jMl3rZYA7om2aLlNJmcu1qLsQOPcJq_2juKofC/s320/IMG_7121.JPG)
Next we climbed - and I mean climbed - out of Gulpen and headed to Valkenburg. On the way we took a little detour off-road to ride by the Oud Valkenburg Castle.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JCplMe8UJYcMIgIwSf89i2zi3vUYgOnV-CX5KmLGGfG3KDifdEKelv0DbcvSkf2ks5W8jk1KzyPEBqjP-W9tSYwRjfgVL7z6x1ha_ZqXT8TY4zNF_zadrvTK8NtsPtpJGN8F_zVd0PGg/s320/IMG_7136.jpg)
The town was too touristy for us - their was chintzy swag being sold on every corner - so we only stopped long enough to try
Leeuw Pilsner - another local beer.
We got back to Maastricht just before the store hit and were treated to a view of complete double rainbows over the Maas River. How often does that happen?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKEW5hiY_f19XHAeJ4rIWgTBfzvjDeJjLN-NOICifsuvw7x_hbZgAHPCNkREumYp9wcwQR_7y8J51qDYK3LE5wmT9NHVPsSXqyuo1TBMjvgegBZkua6tKgLaFJIukoRlgMpU3v-XT0yTN/s320/IMG_7152.JPG)
We were exhausted after the ride and hung out in the boat's bar watching The Netherlands beat Scotland 3-0 in the a World Cup qualifier and playing Scrabble. It was a great day in Limburg.
You can see the rest of the pictures from the day
here.
1 comment:
So fun! I would love to bike through a few countries...(better start training) Love the photos! Thanks for sharing!
Post a Comment