What beautiful weather today - it was so sunny! Eva, Calvin and Kate walked to Utrecht Central Station via the local windmill and dropped in to a wood working shop, Draaj, before taking the train from Utrecht to Amersfoort - only a short 20 minute journey. At the Amersfoort station we hired bikes for €3 each. The challenging bit about the bike for Kate was that the seats were so high (even when adjusted to be at their lowest) so Kate's feet could barely reach the floor. Surprisingly she got the hang of braking by back pedalling quite quickly! After a bit of cycling we met up with Jeroen and then the four of us cycled into the centre of Amersfoort and then walked around the centre. It was a great day for a visit as there was a festival happening so there were lots of stages set up with groups of older people singing Dutch songs! Such a great atmosphere! Not long into the walk, we came across some markets and each had an apple flap which was yummy!

Then we wandered along the quaint streets and along the canals, taking in the nice atmosphere of the place! Jeroen was our official tour guide and told us about the original gates to the town, the house with purple windows that used to be clear glass, and the birthplace of artist Piet Mondriaan. We also saw the church tower, not quite as tall as the Utrecht one, but it is the reference point for the Dutch RD coordinate system.

We then got back on our bikes and cycled to a cheese farm and had a few tasters of cheese and sausages!

We cycled on a bit further to see Rianne's horse, Melissa.

We then cycled through a forest and ended up in the desert!!! In the middle of the forest was this huge open space with dunes everywhere and only the occasional tree! It really felt like we were in the desert! We had a picnic lunch on the dunes whilst soaking in the sun! As we were a little unprepared for lunch, lunch comprised lollies, chocolates, cookies, nuts, some cheese and sausages (from the cheese farm).

After lunch we cycled further on to an old military airstrip. There was a glider overhead so Kate was a bit concerned it might have forgotten that the airstrip was no longer in use! Luckily it did not forget!!

It was quite a cycle back to the centre of Amersfoort. Tim, who had been out with a friend, arrived at Amersfoort station at the same time as we got back so the boys went on their bikes to get him while Eva and Kate went and found a place to rest. We found a lovely seat outside on a terrace beside the canal in the sun at a pub and the boys met us there. We had some drinks and bitterballen and then, as the sun started to disappear a bit, we found some different seats at the next door pub with more sun. Rianne joined us there for dinner - yummy burgers for all!

After dinner we went to a cafe for a coffee / beer and lots of chatting.

Then it was time to cycle back to Amersfoort station to drop our bikes back and then we caught the train back to Utrecht. Our legs and bottoms were ready for a rest tonight!