This past weekend, Cole and I went on a biking adventure to explore a nearby fishing village, Marken.

The wooden houses, boats and canals all make Marken a picturesque spot to relax for an afternoon. We thought it would be a nice quiet escape from Amsterdam and apparently so did many other visitors, as the town turned out to be full of tourists. We did not expect it to be touristy since someone local recommended the bike ride, but we really enjoyed the bike ride and sites along the way. Since we went into the midst of summer and on a weekend, it would obviously be different during an off peak time, but for anyone wanting a countryside bike ride outside of Amsterdam, I’d recommend the trip!

We stopped for lunch at a fresh market grocery store we spotted along the way, which had had a restaurant

View from my bike

The ride was full of sheep…

…wind turbines…

..and cows

Durgerdam, a town along the way,

The total ride was 50 km and we felt like we accomplished quite a lot for a Saturday! The brutal wind on the way back added some resistance and by the time we got home, we were pretty tired.