Jo and I decided to take off on a cycling expedition while the girls went to Amsterdam.

I remember Oude Kerk from my gardening days in Amsterdam in 1991. I worked a day a week for Mevrouw Donner with a beautiful garden on the Amstel, close to Oude Kerk. I also worked for a lady called Monique, one day of which I brought Dave Hartshorn who was travelling through Holland with Sarah. I recall we laid a lawn that day – the beer tasted great when we arrived back at Marco Polo Straat.

Jo planned a great route which is used by cyclists for training. The ride from Amstelveen to Oude Kerk was a bit on the dull side. But once we got to Oude Kerk, the countryside transformed into farms land, quaint villages and the meandering Amstel River.

Coffee was the first order of the day. Actually its the first order of every day. Then basically a cruise around the cycle route along the river. About 25 km all up so KAPOW you Taupo round the lake cycle competitors . . Part of the route involved taking a ferry boat which take passengers over the other side of the river – 75c each bike so thats about the cheapest entertainment we have had to date.