14 From Rehnen to Nieuwland - Utrecht and a small low

After a cozy start to the day, wrapped up in my sleeping bag, a little yoga and breakfast, I continued towards Utrecht.

This year is somehow the year of 'revisiting cities' for me, at the beginning of the year Hamburg, then Würzburg and now Utrecht - but they are all really worth seeing corners ;)

Actually, I had considered staying in Utrecht and taking a little kayak tour on the canal. But as no one had responded on Warmshowers in the afternoon and it also felt much too warm to be in the city, I actually had something like a little low for the first time and questioned a bit how things should continue and stuff.

So, since I didn't feel like being in the city, I found a shady spot by the canal and spontaneously planned to continue cycling. Fortunately, I quickly found a host in a small village south of Utrecht, which suited my plans to cycle down to the Rhine again.

Unfortunately, on the last kilometers there, the first rain front caught up with me, so I couldn't really enjoy the great cycle path along the canal. Nevertheless, it was very cool to see how the waterways here are part of the transport network and how standard it is to wait at drawbridges when a boat has just passed through :)

And my host was once again a soul of a human being, welcoming me in his typical Dutch house with large windows without curtains in the living room and a super steep staircase.

I learned so much from him about the Netherlands, for example that a part of it exists only because a large dike was built and this country is therefore below sea level - including his own house (-1m above sea level) and the general importance of dikes and canals for the Netherlands. He also told me that in the countryside, all children ride their bikes to school and those who take the bus are somewhat laughed at - I know it's exactly the opposite at home ;) He also gave me the great tip for the website https://drinkwaterkaart.nl/waar-kan-ik-gratis-water-tappen/ to find spots to refill drinking water - mega helpful!

He also recommended the island of Texel and a campsite there in the dunes. Let's see if I have to take a few days off there ;P

All in all, another great, warm Warmshowers experience, thank you very much for that!

And when it started storming and storming in the night, I was even more grateful for this wonderful community :)