Today was a super fun day; we got to go on a bike ride through the Dutch countryside. It was so beautiful and our guide stopped at several different spots so we could take some pictures of the gorgeous scenery.
Our first stop was at the Iamsterdam sign and we spent a lot of time trying to get the perfect pictures. I got a couple cute ones, but there was a guy climbing the sign behind me and it makes for a cute little photo bomb.
Then we stopped at the only remaining windmill in the area and got to actually go in and see how it works. After the guy told us about how the windmill is used to grind chalk into a fine power to make cement he let us climb up into the top of the windmill because the gears weren't turning since it wasn't a super windy day.
We continued on from there and saw some cows and sheep as we traveled through the countryside. Our bike guide told us that there has been very little change in the Dutch farmlands over the years, apparently they have even been around for longer than Amsterdam itself which was formed when the farmers started trading with sailors passing through. It was really cool.
We also saw an old church that was also a prison and where important documents were kept (kind of ironic that prisoners were held along with important documents).
After we looped around through the countryside and ended up biking through a little fishing village and then a small forested park. It was all very beautiful. We did stop for a little picnic lunch, the only downside was the very large amount of bugs because we were in a swampy area. I'm pretty sure I got about 10 in my eyes as we were biking and then stopped eating lunch.
Our bike ride started and ended with a short ferry ride and overall went very well with only one little mishap when a girl stopped suddenly and the girl behind her crashed into her. Luckily she turned her bike in time so nobody got hurt and just the light broke off of her bike. Very little damage when it could have been worse.
When the bike ride ended I got back to the hostel to drop off my backpack and then went to the Dam square to wander around for a bit. I actually stumbled upon a man playing the bagpipes, which was really cool. Then when I was trying to head back to get dinner at the hostel I accidentally missed my tram and ended up waiting for a bit at the stop.
I finally got back to the hostel and ate dinner and then repacked my bag because it was getting a bit disorganized.
Tomorrow we head to Belgium for a day and then we are off to Paris!
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