Cycling along De Alde Feanen's waters

This morning, I anxiously peered out from under the covers. Something was different than it had been for the past few days. Sure enough, the sun was shining through the window. I jumped out of bed, completely electrified, and onto the balcony. No wind! Unbelievable. I rushed out. I had a quick breakfast and loaded my bikes into the car. The tour was supposed to start about 15 km from here. The journey didn't take long. But during the journey, something disturbing happened. The sun disappeared and the sky turned dark. Oh dear. The day seemed over. My mood darkened as well. When I arrived in Grou, I drove to a parking lot. I had found it using an app from a major German car manufacturer. After a quick search, I realized there was no parking space. I was parked on a company premises. So I kept looking. A few streets further on, a beautiful spot by the water, I found something available. I put my bikes down and off I went. Then I noticed that more and more signs were appearing in the area that somehow referred to parking. This made me uneasy. An inquiry at a nearby shop revealed that these were exclusively parking spaces for residents. So, I went back, loaded the bikes into the car, and continued searching. I just realized I'm not even writing about my tour. Who cares about my parking problems? Long story short. Later, I finally found a spot. Shortly after setting off, we crossed the first bridge. There were lots of boats below us. Interesting. You just have to stop. Our destination was a nature reserve, crisscrossed by countless islands, canals, and waterways. It's called "Alde Feanen." Rare bird species live and breed there. We didn't see any. We came to cycle, not to birdwatch. I think the area is huge. Sometimes the route took us along narrow roads (without car traffic), sometimes on narrow gravel paths around various lakes. Mostly through tall grass or reeds. All around, nature was lush green. There was a lot of traffic on the water. From sloops to oversized barges, everything was represented. There are plenty of benches along the route from which the activity on the water can be wonderfully observed. The temperatures were mild. Even the sun suddenly broke through the clouds and wanted to highlight the natural beauty even more. I don't know how many bridges we crossed. I've lost track. But I do remember one thing: We had to take four different ferries. Each one was different. From tiny to quite large. The last one was transporting cyclists and even a huge tractor with a fully loaded trailer. Sensational! And all the ferries had one thing in common: the unusual friendliness of the passengers and crew. On one ferry, the helmsman handed out sweets to his passengers. There was a friendly word for everyone. We were wished a wonderful holiday countless times and asked where we were from. We were amazed to experience so much good humor. We enjoyed it. No wonder, we are on holiday in Holland. Many thanks to the people there. I'd love to take a bit of friendliness and openness back to Germany and spread it there. By the way, the rest of the day was sunny, lasting until late in the evening.

Staying at a campsite in a beautiful nature reserve, I'll take you on this tour through the beautiful countryside of Friesland, Holland.

With the preloaded route, I can conveniently use the app offline

It was very windy, but manageable with an e-bike. The small ferries are great for crossing. It's fun. The national park is easy to navigate. Overall, a nice tour.