Today was the day we weren't tourists anymore. No, we are to experience the Netherlands like the locals do, on mopeds! We had the whole day rented out for experiencing the countryside and old dutch towns on our mopeds. For a marked route and ease of renting out mopeds go check out The Scooter Experience in Landsmeer, Netherlands. The man who owns the place was nice, helpful and did a great job with hitting great towns and marking the routes. We could've chosen between five different routes but we took the longest one. From ten o'clock in the morning to six o'clock in the evening, it was going to be an experience unlike any I've had before.
For our chosen route we were to follow red arrows with black dots in the center of them to guide us all around Northern Netherlands. I am going to admit it was rough for me being a first timer on a moped and getting he hang of turning but once I was on the main roads, I go the hang of it. Sorry mom and dad, the bikes didn't come with helmets...but I couldn't go faster than 25 mph if that makes you feel better?
We struggled for a solid twenty minutes trying to find the red arrows right after we left the scooter property and I almost set a course of how our day was going to go. It was also hard to follow the map and didn't help that some of the arrows were missing throughout the route but we still figured it out...somehow. Above all that though, our first stop was in Marken. An island right off of North Holland and is mainly a water village. We stopped there and saw how the wooden clogs were made, went and bought ourselves some scarves for the bike trip and even ate some poffertjes (per recommendation of course).
Poffertjes are essentially small pancakes with powdered sugar on it. Or any other topping you want. We had powdered sugar, nutella and fresh strawberries and it was gone within minutes. They were so good. Like seriously just go to Netherlands to go try them. We also sat in the harbor and relaxed with cups of hot coco and enjoyed the warmth of the sun for a bit. Driving around with no shield from the wind takes a toll on how cold you get so the scarves came in handy.
Another hours worth of driving around we ended up in Monnikendam, a fishing village with very similar canals and buildings you'd see in Amsterdam but with a bit more charm. We ate lunch at De Koperer Vis (pronounced The Copper Fish). Apparently there was a deal on drinks if we told them we were apart of the scooter experience so we couldn't pass it up (without alcohol of course) and we dined enough to be full the rest of the day. We sat outside the restaurant on their patio to continue soaking up the warmer weather and also people watch and enjoy the canal. I dined on a caprese sandwich with beef, freshly baked wheat bread, parmesan, rocket salad and a pesto spread. Lets just say I could eat that for the rest of my life if I had to. Super yummy and highly recommend.
Another thing worth while trying are bitterballens or croquettes. Which are essentially the same dish. Bitterballens are a meat based snack you'd fry and share with friends whereas croquettes are the same thing but typically served with chips and had for a meal for yourself. It is also always served with mustard. So when I tried it, i had it plain and it probably would've been better with mustard but I am not a fan of mustard. Still recommend trying it!
After lunch we had to make our way back to Landsmeer to ensure we'd make it back in time for our deadline. This is where things in our trip take a sharp turn for the worse. We struggled a lot getting back, and were an hour and a half off route which made us late to our end time of six o'clock. That turned into seven o'clock and our renter wasn't thrilled with us when we arived late but was more stressed as to why people get lost on the routes which he marked. Note to self, make sure you familiarize yourself with the surroundings and have one navigator if you plan on doing a trip across a foreign country. Might save you some troubles.
Overall, I had an amazing experience on the mopeds and really wouldn't mind one for back at home. They are a great way to get around towns and I understand why they are a choice of travel for the people in Netherlands. We ended our evening back at the Airbnb and sadly only have one more day in beautiful Netherlands.