Utrecht - July 16

Straight south under cloudy skies; short ride planned so OTR around 10. Upgraded my impression of almere - horrid architecture but very functional, and its really a well planned, nature filled, car free city and easy commute to Amsterdam by bike or train. The whole thing is below sea level; couple of feet of global sea rise MAY be a problem here. Detoured through Naarden a double moated city with cool old architecture, fortifications from over the centuries (including the dutch waterline- they'd flood fields so they're too deep/muddy to walk through, but too shallow for boats) and a wedding! Rain returned briefly after lunch so doing more reading in a bus shelter. Then onto Utrecht which to me seems most bike-centric city I've seen. Bike parked for free in secured city garage, with moving bikeway to ascend out and a bike light vending machine. Imagine. Loved utrecht - Cool post office turned into a library, great old buildings along canals, very young population and funky shops with the university. 28 miles