List #33: My favourite bike rides

Multilevel bike parkade at Centraal Station in Amsterdam

It's Monday List time again. Today I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite bike rides of all time. On most of these rides we were having way too much fun to take many pictures so this one will have to suffice. :)

1. Amsterdam to Durgerdam. We rode from our hotel to the little free ferry near Centraal Station, then after a quick crossing on what was barely more than a barge, we rode through parks, neighbourhoods full of brightly-coloured houses & areas of severe modernist architecture. We rode a long while along the dike there (inhaling way more gnats than were really necessary) & stopped at a little mom & pop run diner with a great ocean view. 
2. Southern Galiano Island to Dionisio Point. It's a seriously hilly island with some loooooong climbs, as I recall, but there's virtually no traffic on Galiano. Plus, due to a land dispute, the private road to Dionisio is blocked off to drivers, so the park is technically water access only & very quiet. Dionisio features some of the gorgeous sandstone formations that look like swiss cheese, plus a midden site & a very basic provincial park campground.
3. Paris to Versailles. Okay, we didn't actually ride from Paris--we took the train most of the way, but the ride from the station & around the expansive grounds of the palace is really fun. This was the only guided tour we did in Paris, with Fat Tire Bike Tours.
4. East Van to the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve Trail. Okay, the part where we rode to the LSCR wasn't my favourite, it was the trail to the Seymour Falls Dam that's awesome. The Seymour Valley Trailway is a paved 11-km-long road for cyclists, hikers & skaters along the west side of the Seymour River.
5. Around Brussels on Car-Free Day. We happened to be in BXL the week of their car-free day on the year that they launched their public bike share system, Villo. We bought a 24-hour 'subscription' to Villo & rode around the city, the entirety of which was closed to cars. Not just a street or four like in Vancouver, but the whole damn city of Brussels. We took our Villos to tour Cantillon Brewery & stopped at a park created from sand & turf rolled out all over a public square, complete with beach chairs & a beer garden.
6. Critical Mass rides. Every one I've been on was tons of fun. Whether or not you agree with blocking bridges or taking over both directions of main streets, it's exhilarating to ride with hundreds or thousands of other cyclists.

 What's your favourite ride? Let me know in the comments below!


- - - - - - - -
Why Monday lists? Reading the lovely Chloe's blog, Tea Swamp Park, I found an idea I had to 'steal': a list of all her Halloween costumes, with quite a few photos. She got the idea from Hula Seventy's List Project. I've decided to do the weekly lists for a year that Hula Seventy is doing. 

Tea Swamp Park & Hula Seventy are not the only ones doing lists, however. Check out NorthWestMommy's list & 'assignment' for next week.

- - - - - - - -

Psst... The Sprog now has a Facebook page! Head on over & click 'like' to get even more Sproggy goodness delivered to your feed. :)