We moved to the Netherlands a few years ago. It was early winter, the COVID pandemic was in full swing and we didn't have much to do in spare time. Once we got our first bicycles we wanted to have a little adventure and explore the country a bit.

We decided to go to the closest beach which is the North Sea seaside near Zandvoort. It is around 30 km from the place we live and it took us about 2 hours to get there on city bikes. It was January 1st and despite a frosty weather, we really enjoyed the trip.

This week, to celebrate a little anniversary, we decided to repeat the ride.

The weather promised to be good, with no rain and not much wind. So I took a day off on Wednesday and that afternoon we headed to Zandvoort.

This time the ride took a bit longer as we got a bit lost in Harlem thanks to Komoot. On the way back, however, we found another route around the city and managed to skip almost all traffic and traffic lights crossing the river on a little ferry.

In the middle of the route, a few kilometres before Harlem, there is a spot close to one of the Amsterdam Schipol's runaways where you can watch aeroplanes landing. We watched a few while taking a break for a snack and some water.

Once we reached the seaside, we walked a bit along the coastline, took a few photos, and headed to the nearest cafe for lunch.

We would have loved to spend more time on the beach, but we were short on time and had to head home. It was a great way to break out of the routine and enjoy time together.