August 21, 2025

 Thursday. Left around 9:45. Blacksmith. Cooler, moderate winds out of the north. Partly cloudy, with mostly white cumulus clouds, but also some other stuff. The smell of coffee roasting at the Gele Brug. Then ARK toward Jutphaas, quiet Schipperspad to the Beatrixsluis which just let a couple of barges onto the canal. Names since forgotten. One barge entering the locks hailing from Switzerland (name ending in ...stad--not stadt). From the Plofsluis a small barge just heading out into an otherwise empty canal toward Tiel, with another small one preparing to do the same. The small barges, those built in the 1950s and '60s, take you back in time, the time of the development of the industrial area at Weesp: from the dike, watching the workers on break swim toward, and try to climb upon, passing barges, ride them for a ways, then being chased off by a member of the crew. Wayen back to town and Mos. Vibrant, what still seemed, rapeseed by the side of the road. In the paper a report on the election platform on the supposedly reasonable populist alternative, the one founded in 2021. Elsewhere we have been able to learn this week that currently there are ten million cars in this small country, and that every year one hundred thousand get added. And yet, this party, which may gain a lot of votes this fall, opposes any measures to discourage the use of cars. 

August 19, 2025

Tuesday. Left a little after ten. Blacksmith. A bright summer day, breezes out of the northeast. Some clouds, here and there, of the stretched-out kind. Toward de Bilt and following the F28 rapid bike route through it and Bilthoven, before choosing the rhythm of the small bricks of the Julianalaan. Eventually back on the route, as far as the railroad crossing, then toward Wieksloterweg and Lage Vuursche. Nature and farms beginning to look a little dry. It has been a while since we had some real rain. Lage Vuursche back to the railroad crossing (concrete trail alongside the dunes from Wieksloterweg), then past the museum toward Zeisterspoor. Dodeweg and past Leusden, left at de Mof. Thriving sunflowers on the edge of the fields after that; split up at Scherpenzeel. Amerongse berg was nice and quiet, with just a few passing cars spewing fumes. On the levee toward Wijk bij Duurstede preparations underway for the coming reconstruction job. The views during those ten kilometers are mostly unspoiled; it will take a while before the reinforced levee will be part of it again (getting used to the bigger dike is still a work-in-progress around Jaarsveld). The first closure already in place at Wijk, so right and through town toward Wijkersloot, Dwarsdijk, Werkhoven (Hollendewagenweg). Fruit ready to be picked and for sale at many farms. Achterdijk to Koningslaan, Kromme Rijn, and into the city. The news dominated by yesterday's White House meetings, which at least weren't acrimonious. Instead, they managed to float above reality, mostly detached from it. Talk of security guarantees is great, and (currently) theoretical U.S. willingness to be part of it too, except that there is no indication that Moscow will accept, for example, Western troops in Ukraine or that the West, especially the current U.S. administration, is ready to force acceptance (if that's even possible). Putin never ceases to point out that to him Ukraine is a fake state, with no right to an independent existence. This goes back to the beginning of his presidency. Bringing the country back to within Russia's fold is the main goal behind the war. Another goal ("root cause") is reversing NATO influence in the former Soviet sphere of influence. It's also something he keeps talking about and so to get Russia to accept the opposite--NATO influence in Ukraine in all but in name--is going to require an outright defeat in the war (but how does a nuclear great power lose a war?), a coup, or perhaps the kind of outside pressure on the country that threatens a regime collapse. That last option is the most realistic, but it's still very far-fetched. It would in any case require that especially the U.S. seriously expands and intensifies its range of sanctions on Russia, its leaders, and its friends, and that military aid to Ukraine (also critically coming from the U.S.) gets stepped up. An indication of whether any of this might be in the cards would be if the people around that table yesterday could agree to use seized Russian assets in the West to aid Ukraine. It would have to be made clear to Putin that this is only the first step. Together with some of the other measures, it's possible that by the end of the year Ukraine will be a little more secure, while Putin could be getting uncomfortable. Perhaps that then the conditions would arise for serious talks. Regardless, all of it would require a major shift in the White House based on the recognition (we still don't have it) that Russia started this war, and that it is Russia that needs to be compelled to back down, give up its imperial delusions, and accept that the old sphere of influence, the old empire is gone. Back in the past century, we didn't believe we'd see the Cold War ending, the Soviet Union disappearing--and yet that's what happened. So perhaps that we can't rule out another surprise (the next stage in the same process, one could say). We won't get there, however, unless we increase the pressure on the Kremlin. And as in the Cold War, we won't get there without the U.S. playing a central part. We've heard a lot of talk the past week, not all of it useless, but without some real action, not much will change. 

August 18, 2025

 Monday. Left around 9:30. Blacksmith. Mild and overcast, with in the east some clearing; various types of mostly gray clouds, various shades of gray. Light winds out of the northeast. A Monday morning, but during summer vacation time, so quite a few people out, although not busy anywhere. Motorized nuisance in just a few places. Singel to Koningsweg to Wayen. Langeweg, then ARK to Schalkwijk bridge. An old sailboat motoring north near Houten. Tetwijksepad and the five towers of Culemborg. ARK was quiet, and so was the Lek. Light still a bit dull, but toward the northeast more lively. Corn still in the fields everywhere; large mushrooms beginning to attach themselves to the trees. Beatrixsluis and Plofsluis to Jutphase brug (the old sailboat just passing underneath) and Merwedekanaal. The news is full of the White House meeting later today. A new attempt by Europe and Ukraine to swing the administration back toward their position. It should not be necessary, but it's where we are. Theoretically, there's a way to inch forward, thanks to U.S. noises about a possible role in a security guarantee. But for real steps toward some kind of peace we first need some jolts to get Moscow to back off. Little sign of those being lined up; no sign of any Russian inclination to pull back. Even a cease-fire-in-place seems out of reach for the foreseeable future.

August 16, 2025

 Saturday. Left a little past 8:30. Blacksmith. Overcast, moderate breeze out of the north. Cool-ish, even some very thin drizzle leaving the city, but not enough for wet pavement. Straatweg to Maarssen, then across the ARK and north, all the way to the Nescio bridge. Few people, some good views, and the trucks of the waterways with their curious names. Fishermen (all men, apparently) with their gear north of Maarssen. Nescio to Schellingwouderbrug, then into Waterland. Bike path on the southern edge to Zunderdorp (still torn up) and on to Broek. The little road to Broek empty as usual, save for that humongous tractor and trailer. Why would someone farming in that area need such huge machinery? It's not the only thing that's out of proportion there these days, because the greatest deception came on the way back, via Zuiderwoude (still fine), Uitdam, and Durgerdam. The road along the dike has reopened even though the upgrade of the dike is ongoing. First, between Zuiderwoude and Uitdam a new village has appeared north of Uitdam, apparently vacation houses. At least they've tried to build in keeping with the area's architecture, more or less, but it's still more stuff where we don't need any. Worse is that there already, sticking up above the dike, are the high rises on the Almere side. It comes in addition to the new windmills north of the village--not great either. The worst comes after the right turn in Uitdam, when the proliferating high rises in Amsterdam, particularly those at the Oranjesluizen, might as well be in Waterland proper. There appears to be more on the way, so Waterland coming from the north is definitively ruined. The new dike, judging from where is has been completed, one may yet get used to, but it really doesn't matter. IJburg to Muiden. A detour led to the straatweg, the first time in several years. Where there used to be just trees, up ahead on the left, now a big apartment building looms (containing, it became clear later, a supermarket). The whole Krijgsman wilderness has been turned into a posh neighborhood to feed the hungry city, and they're not done yet. The old buildings are still there, but they almost disappear amid all that's new. Apparently they're planning to build on the south side of the straatweg also. No great loss at this point any more, what with the new freeway, and the way they're filling in the Bloemendaler Polder. Vecht from Muiden all the way to Utrecht. The monstrosity at the end of the Spiegelweg has ruined that view. Along the Zuwe toward Vreeland the tentacles of the city are also visible, just as earlier on the eastern shore of the Vecht, outside Weesp. In the news of course the upshot of the Alaska meeting. The picture of an applauding U.S. president on the tarmac really said it all. To underline how things are, the president afterwards just repeated what he has said before: having been attacked by Russia (he left that out, naturally), it's Ukraine's problem to achieve peace. End the war in a day? Deadlines and ultimatums, threat of sanctions? If stuff gets real, it's someone else's problem. And yet, it could have been worse, and maybe all (of a constructive U.S. role) is not lost. That's what others in positions of responsibility (Zelensky, European leaders) are clearly thinking, also because having the administration openly speaking and working against you would certainly be worse. The president added that the Europeans should step up too, which is, indeed, good advice given how he sees the world. More than ever, this part of the world has to put itself in a position to defend its own interests, starting with helping Ukraine enforce a durable peace. Let's hope it will happen, and still in the current decade, and that in the meantime Ukraine can maintain itself. 

August 14, 2025

 Thursday. Left a little before ten. Blacksmith. Warm again, but with more of a breeze, out of the east. Very thin white clouds to the east, insufficient to do anything about the sun. Grass cutting season everywhere. Young swans with their elders at several points. Blauwkapel, Ruigenhoek, to Westbroek. Tienhoven, Scheendijk, Bloklaan to Loosdrecht. People out, but given the weather and the time of year it wasn't bad. 28 degrees on the way to Nieuw Loosdrecht. Past the airfield and on the trails through the fields toward Groenekan. Newspaper from Van der Neut. By the trail underneath the freeway, the blackberry bushes seemed thoroughly picked over. In the paper reports on the on-line meeting yesterday previewing the Alaska summit. A cease fire would be nice, but without indications (there are none) that Moscow has given up on the goals behind its war, it won't mean too much and it will not last very long. The president is going to find out, perhaps now in earnest, that his envisioned partner in the Kremlin could not care less about stopping the killing. It is somewhat of a question what he'll do next, but I would truly be surprised if a reaction centered around confronting Moscow. 

August 13, 2025

Thursday. Left at ten. Blacksmith. Warm already, bright sun, hazy in the distance, a hint of a cloud here and there, uninteresting light, light winds from the southwest. Merwedekanaal to the refreshingly unassuming, mid-20th century waterfront at Vreeswijk's Handelskade. Then Lekdijk beyond Jaarsveld. Quiet on the river; cows standing in the water. Lopik to Polsbroekerdam. Young swans practicing floating with one flipper on their backs. Benschop to Zijdewetering and Zuid IJsseldijk. Loosestrife still going strong; brown plume reeds in many places. Meerlopad to Nedereindseweg, and eventually parallel to the freeway, then underneath toward the Leidsche Rijn and back into town. The on-line discussion today between the Europeans and the Americans in anticipation of the Alaska summit is all over the news. The impossible European task to influence a president who tends to see the Russian president as a partner at least as much as he sees Europe as one. And even if today yields some kind of common approach, it could be easily be discarded on Friday. There is news that Russia may be behind a hack of U.S. Federal Court filing system; if Putin says it wasn't them, the president will probably believe him. Europe's task today is impossible also because Europe has only recently begun to make itself a little less dependent on Washington for defense. There are serious plans, but most still need to be developed. In the meantime, the Russian president does not have to take Europe so seriously. With a U.S. president who is incapable of defining the war in Ukraine properly--as a Russian campaign to beat a neighbor into submission--he may not have much to worry about from Washington either. 

August 9 and 10, 2025

 Saturday. Left a little after nine. Sunny, a trace of white cloud cover in the distance, light southwesterly breeze. Still vacation time, but the students are beginning to return. Nikor. Yellow bridge to 't Zand and Alendorperweg. Rivierpad and Breudijk. Everything quiet, plant life still flourishing, where it is allowed to. Full willow trees, small and larger, in Gerverscop limiting the views to the North. Perhaps one car the entire stretch, perhaps none. Two white herons alongside the Schutterskade, together with a stork. Galgerwaard a little busier, and Breukelen, Gunterstein, and Scheendijk too. Veenkade deserted. Herenweg and Oud Zuilen back to town, with plenty of people heading out along the Vecht. Cycleworks, and home on the Blacksmith.
Sunday. Left at ten. Blacksmith. Sunny, a few clouds, light winds from the northwest. Blauwkapel to Groenekan. Paced by a six-man group to the Soestdijkerstraatweg. Right toward Soest and the Eng: corn and in the middle a different crop, just getting started. Eemweg, Hilhorstweg, and at Amersfoort left at Birkhoven to Soesterweg. Up Utrechtseweg (quiet), down toward the grandparents (save for solar panels in the Lorenzstraat, everything just as it used to be), then up Aruba and de Genestet. All quiet. Zeisterspoor to Mercury to Schaerwijde. Around Zeist to Amelisweerd and Mos. In the news the Alaska meeting. Its scheduling alone is a victory for the Kremlin. The more people during the run-up speak of a new Munich, the less likely we will actually get one. But as is now the rule: whatever the outcome, it can all change again within a few days. What is unlikely to change, are Moscow's ultimate aims or its president's willingness to have his people pay any price in their pursuit (to say nothing of what the Ukrainians have to sacrifice every day to fend off Russia's attacks). We need more economic and financial measures against the regime, more assistance to Kyiv. A dictatorship is strong and robust, until cracks start to appear; then the whole thing can come down fairly fast. Unfortunately, we have a president primarily interested in some kind of deal, one to precede all kinds of other deals with Russia, a president who still needs to show himself capable of confronting the tyrant and follow through. (What he has shown, is the ability to bully weaker, dependent parties). And so, five days before the meeting, the chances we'll get another Munich scenario are far too good.

August 7, 2025

 Thursday. Left at ten. Nikor. Summer, with partly cloudy skies and light breezes from the southwest picking up a little along the way. Quiet city on the way out by way of the Merwedekanaal. Detour in Nieuwegein with the signs eventually leaving you to your own devices. Vreeswijk to Beatrixsluis to the oasis of Tull en 't Waal. Lange Uitweg to Lekdijk. The river very quiet, and especially the marshy shores beautiful. Left at Beusichemse weg to Nachtdijk (apples) and Werkhoven. Achterdijk and Vechten back to town and Mos. In the paper early reports on the latest talks in Moscow. The president's deadline was tomorrow, but of course there will be no action now since the two presidents may meet soon (or not). Meanwhile, according to Moscow the talks had been very good--naturally--and also went into the possibilities for broader U.S.-Russia cooperation. Speak loudly and carry no stick.

August 3, 2025

 Sunday. Left a little after 9:30. Blacksmith. Summer, partly cloudy, white and gray-ish clouds, uninteresting light. Fairly stiff breezes from the northwest. Back to Amersfoort by way, mostly, of the F 28 bike route: de Bilt (my own route on the outside), the bricks of the Julianalaan, then alongside the tracks. Run in, once again, with German. Amersfoortse berg "best kant," then Lorenzstraat and Stepensonstraat on the way to Arubalaan/de Genestetlaan. Konijnenbos to Mercury. Various authorities in the hunt for the delinquent wolf. Back through Amelisweerd. Nature just a tad less vibrant than last week, though still lush. People out, but never busy. 

August 1, 2025

Left around 9:15. Nikor. Rainy with some intense showers and occasional clearing, so interesting skies and vistas. Gusty breezes from the northwest, and on the cool side. Straatweg to Loenen, then Vecht to Nigtevecht and across the ARK. Back in the '80s, the (non)view of the city, including Southeast, was interrupted by the new hospital colussus; now, that's dwarfed by the soccer stadium, the ever increasing number of high-rises surrounding it, and even the distant towers on the city's southern edge. Velterslaan with its tight rows of willows, now in full leaf. Together with the high and thick reeds, they provided considerable shelter from the wind. In other places also help from bushes and trees. Gein to Gaasp to Diem. There a serious shower, but most of it caught by the tree cover. ARK to Ringvaart to Javaplein. In the paper a long story on the Russian (shadow) fleet and what countries especially buy Russian oil and petroleum products. Those countries are unlikely to change their transactional (often explicitly anti-Western) approach, and so other ways have to be found to increase the price of the war for Moscow. On the Ukrainian battlefield and in the skies above the country simultaneously, it has to become clear that all Moscow can achieve is a stalemate that's at least as costly for Russia as for Ukraine, if not more so. With the administration in Washington focused, let's say, on other things, we're not likely to get the comprehensive pressure campaign on Russia that's required. And yet, we have to try, which also means somehow getting the U.S. to do more. This month we may find out if the U.S. president is actually capable of confronting Putin. From Javaplein to BG2 through the tourist zoo that is downtown Amsterdam right now. Then a quick trip back and forth on the ferry across the IJ. Busy on the ferry, but on the way back a clear view of a ridiculously tall cruise ship visiting the city, obscene, really. Amstel to Ouderkerk, there a couple of detours leading to the Amstelzijweg and eventually the Holendrechterweg. South, parallel to the freeway. Spectacular wild roses among the reeds on the other side of the sound wall. Oukoop, Nieuwer ter Aa, then tailwind along ARK to Lage Weide. Daphne back into town.