A watery tour of Linschoten, Montfoort, and Oudewater

7/28/2018

Paddling through the centrum of Oudewater, at the intersection of the Linschoten and the Ijssel River

Linschoten is a small village (~3500 inhabitants) in the Netherlands, between Gouda and Utrecht. Juliette, a fellow kayaking club member, recently moved there, and planned a trip for all of us to explore the area by kayak. This day trip took us from the town of Linschoten through some canals to Montfoort. From there, we rode the Hollandse Ijssel River to the old town of Oudewater, turning right onto the Lange Linschoten River. This lead us back to the starting point, but not before stopping at a "tea garden" along the way!

Group photo by Marianne. From left to right: Henk, Erik, Mike, Harold, Amelia, and Nena. Missing: Marianne and Juliette

Today I just have a short blog post to share some photos and the route with you! Some of my favorite photos were captured by Marianne (as noted in the captions). Along the route we passed through two locks. The first was operated by a volunteer, who pulled some chains and daringly straddled the doors to acrobatically push them open with his feet. When he was done, he grabbed a long pole with a wooden clog tied to the end of it, and dangled it down to us. Apparently this is how you tip! I had never seen this before. Amelia dropped some coins into the clog. The second lock was controlled remotely, and we had to push a button to request it be opened. We waited a little while, and a small crowd of bikers piled up along the canal to watch. It always amuses me how raising/lowering of bridges and opening of locks never ceases to amaze people, even the locals! One onlooker attempted to make a joke by taking off his sneaker and holding it out to us for a tip. To be honest, I wasn't sure if it was a joke or not, and almost reached for my wallet...

Artsy bridge photo by Marianne

We made a couple stops along the way. The first was at small grassy patch with picnic tables along the river. The second was at a tea garden -- a big grassy field spotted with colorful glass decorations and shaded by a few large trees and parasols. The garden was filled with (mostly) women and children drinking tea and eating delicious cakes. It was a pleasant but surreal experience.

See some photos from the trip below!