Bike & Barge in Belgium and Holland 25 - 31 August 2019

The trip was booked through MACS but operated by Boat Bike Tours using the Magnifique III. The Magnifique III is a 220 x 24 ft. canal barge that is fitted with 20 beautiful, airconditioned cabins. Ours was on the first deck and had big sliding windows.

We had 37 passengers. There were Lauve and I and two other couples, friends from Tucson, and the rest were all Canadians. Twenty of the Canadians were members of one extended family celebrating settlement of the estate of two relatives. They were a fun, diverse group.

Most days we road right from where the boat had docked the night before and met it again 40 - 60 km further on where we docked again for the night. We packed lunches from the breakfast buffet and had picnics along the bike route. There were guides, but you could also go self-guided using the map and cue sheet they provided. The six of us did self-guided because we wanted to bike in a smaller group  supplementing the map with a GPS app and a Garmin to take some of the guesswork out of navigating.

Ready to ride

Hybrid with 7-speed rear hub - men and women the same style

Frances had an electric assist version - easier for us all to stay together

Our picnic venue one day

We only had one morning with about 45 minutes of light drizzle where we really didn't get wet. The other days were either sunny and hot (90 deg. sometimes) or overcast. Later in the week it cooled off to be perfect riding weather.

                                        Dramatic contrasts in architecture - Gent, Belgium

Castle with friends

Tulips were finished but commercial flowers farms were everywhere

One ride took us past a popular beach where some of us dipped before our picnic

One of our frequent beer or coffee stops

One of our "deck hands" serving white sangria before...

...dinner  on deck

Dinner out one night in Antwerp - mussels

A picturesque square in Antwerp - typical of other towns

Some were cute rather than spectacular

A ten-story view from the tower in Antwerp

                                        Coffee stop with apple cake and whipped cream

Windmills are mostly for show, but saw one used to maintain canal levels

Stately manors on the way into Amsterdam

Muiderslot, a 13th century castle protecting Amsterdam

Our last night on the boat was docked in the Amsterdam harbor. We disembarked in the morning, found a local laundry and washed clothes before going to the airport for our trip to the Middle East.