Canals, Chocolate, & Charm

There’s something about the quaint towns of Europe that feels like stepping into a storybook—where cobblestone streets wind past centuries-old buildings, flowers burst with color, and life’s pace is a bit slower. If you’re craving a destination that feels both romantic and real, this is your sign to go.

My husband, Brad and I embarked on a 7 day bike trip through The Netherlands, mostly north and south Holland. I can’t say enough about Discovery Bike Tours.  Incredible guides, Ronnie Z, filmmaker and Peter…”The Cycling Dutchman. Amazing people and truly spectacular scenery! 

On this particular adventure, I found myself completely enchanted by a place where canals replace streets, bicycles outnumber cars, and the scent of fresh chocolate and coffee fills the air. (Oh and the pot in the air Amsterdam is pretty potent!) 

There’s something quiet and magical about the Netherlands—a place where water isn’t just part of the landscape, it is the landscape. Our morning rides were surreal— It didn’t take long to understand why cycling isn’t just a pastime here, it’s a way of being. Flat landscapes stretch endlessly, stitched together by canals that mirror the sky, while tidy rows of picturesque homes and immaculate yards.

We followed quiet bike paths that wound through storybook villages and open countryside, passing grazing cows, sheep, fields of wildflowers and tulips and chatted with locals every chance we got! We even had a guy buy us a beer in a small village; the guides said we were the only people in the history of the Dutch race to ever buy a person a beer! 

Crossing into Bruges (or Brugge, as the locals call it) by train felt like stepping straight into a painting. Cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, and canals laced through the city like ribbons. Bruges, Belgium is darling. We loved it! We had to see the places where the movie, In Bruges, was filmed. (Awesome movie, by the way.) It is beautiful, historic, just as most places in Europe are, and the people are wonderful. We even experienced authentic Praline making with Belgium Chocolate.