September 28, 2025

 Sunday. Left a little before ten. Nikor. Cool, calm, sunny--a fine early fall day. Marsdijk to Achterdijk. People were out, especially on bikes. Not too much motorized traffic. Werkhoven en Hollendewagenweg. Fruit off the little trees there. Leaves and gardens still mostly summer green. Nachtdijk to Goyerbrug and Lekdijk, by which time it had warmed up. River very calm, but migratory birds (geese) making a ruckus in the marshy areas below the levee. Culemborg and its towers calmly sitting where it is supposed to be. Since the growth of car traffic remains unstoppable, the Hagesteinsebrug will be widened, so for the time being the road on the levee will be closed and we'll have to see what we're left with once it's all said and done. Beatrixsluizen to Vreeswijk and its good old waterfront. Merwedekanaal back into the city.  

September 26, 2025

Friday. Left at 10:30. Nikor. Cool but dry, with initially, and toward the end, some sun. Otherwise skies showing many shades of white and gray. Light to moderate breezes from the east. Straatweg to Maarssen, then ARK. Turning onto the dike, a beautiful mid-20th century barge on its way north. A right onto the Maarssenbroeksedijk, back to the Straatweg. From Breukelen, Vecht east side to Vreeland, then west side to Nigtevecht. Fruit still on the trees, but also on the ground, and for sale by the side of the road. Palmgrass thriving in many places, along with NIMBYism between Vreeland and Nichtevecht. Across the ARK (good, long views in both directions off the bicycle bridge), and toward Abcoude. Gein has mostly been left alone, and it was nice and quiet. Eendracht. Next the Winkeldijk. In itself, it's a fine little road, but headed west, there's just too much freeway and city interfering with the vistas. Things improved along the Waver, after Stokkelaarsbrug, and then past Botshol to Vinkeveen. Donkereind to Geerkade, Spengen, and Hollandse Kade. Houtdijkerpad to Houtdijk and Breudijk. Haarzuilens to Maximapark, Gele Brug; and home amid the school kids and other commuters. 

September 19, 2025

 Friday. Left a little after 11:30. Blacksmith. A summer day, mostly sunny, some blown apart, stretched out white clouds here and there, moderate breezes from the south. Merwedekanaal to Nedereindseweg and the bikepath to the Meerlobrug. IJsseldijk, and around IJsselstein to Benschop. Around the town toward Jaarsveld. Detour through the business park. The river very peaceful, but enough people taking advantage on the dike. Lopik, Polsbroekerdam, Oudewater. Mowing going on everywhere; lots of corn still upright. Snelrewaard to Montfoort and Harmelen. Zandweg back to town. Russian provocations in Eastern Europe continue, but in spite of empty expressions of disappointment in the Russian leader, the White House keeps confirming that it will not undertake anything to push back. And so the assaults on Ukraine continue as will, in all likelihood, the provocations. The best hope for a way out is for Ukraine to inflict so much damage on Russia's fossil fuel infrastructure, that the Russian economy will enter a real crisis. But even then, being all-in and maintaining many lethal military options, how is the Kremlin going to lose this war?

September 14, 2025

 Sunday. Left at 9:50. Blacksmith. Sunny, but, as became clear within the first kilometer, wet roads everywhere from overnight showers. Southwesterly winds at the back toward de Bilt, Zeist, Woudenberg. People out, but not busy. Some corn fields now bare, but it still didn't feel like fall, although early on it was on the cool side. Griftdijk, Haarweg to Amerongen. Hill quiet, except for motorcycles from both directions at the same time. Almost as bad as being passed by one of those stink diesel cars. The two fields between Amerongen and Leersum. Ginkelduin back to Haarweg. Company for the second time. Hoogstraat, Ruiterberg, wet and dirty. Maarn to Zeisterweg and back home. Wind making itself felt after de Bilt. On tv protests cancelling the final stage of the Vuelta. Apparently, the protesters are "pro-Palestinian," whatever that might mean exactly. There are many ways that can be defined. Apparently, they are also anti-Israel Premier Tech, one of the teams sponsored by a supporter of Israel. (But what does that mean: supportive of Israel's right to exist, or perhaps of anything the current government does?) The protests have been an ongoing phenomenon during the race almost since the start, and obviously, there's nothing the cyclists can do to stop the war. But the race is on tv every day, and interfering with the race (even at the risk of endangering the riders) gets you attention. Perhaps the idea is that this attention will add to the pressure on governments, especially the one in Spain, to take (more) measures against the Israeli government and its warfare in Gaza and, might as well add it, the West Bank. Perhaps there is no clear idea about what these protests should accomplish; perhaps in the end they are primarily an expression of the anger and desperation people feel watching the horrors from Gaza every day, and of the urge to do something, no matter how inconsequential for the course of events in Gaza. From the perspective of the bike race and those who like to watch, it is a drag, because it affects the racing, or even cancels it. But that's the world we live in right now: you may think (especially in this part of the world) that you can just live your life while other regions burn, but you really can't. In some respects globalization has been beating a retreat in the past decade, in other respects it remains a defining characteristic of our time.

September 13, 2025

 Saturday. Left around 9:15. Nikor. Cool, so long sleeves, but when the sun came out that was on the warm side. Partly cloudy, breezes out of the southwest. People out, doing Saturday morning things. Gele brug to 't Zand and Alendorp. On the early part of the Rivierpad beautiful borders with grass, brownish weeds, and reeds, and behind two fields with sunflowers still up. Breudijk to Gerverscop (one car). It all felt more like late summer than early fall. Hollandse Kade for a change (hardly anyone), then Spengen, Geerkade, Portengensebrug (also quite peaceful). The view north from Galgerwaard, the bow of a big barge on the canal. Breukelen to Scheendijk (south), Veenkade and Bethuneweg. Lush grass or reeds in many places with red-brownish plumes. It was the nationwide open day at architectural monuments, which may have been why both windmills outside of Oud Zuilen were spinning, the small one quite fast. Just beyond, several storks in a field (and a woman trying to photograph the scene). Vecht back to Mos. Saturday paper looking back on the week in Eastern Europe (Russian drone provocation in Poland). By now, no one is waiting any more for a response from the White House. The best we can hope for is that U.S. representatives at NATO can continue (as they currently are) their constructive participation in the alliance's response (enhanced and coordinated air defense in the region). As far as more direct pressure on Moscow is concerned, that's just not going to happen. The decisive struggles in the interest of Ukraine's survival and a credible European deterrent vis-a-vis Moscow increasingly take place, first (of course) in Ukraine itself, and, second, domestically in the major European states (those whose governments are "willing" to step up). Ukraine increasingly is able to take care of its own needs; whether willing European leaders can continue to bring their constituents along, or whether too many will get suckered by one Moscow-friendly populist or another, remains an open question. 

September 6, 2025

 Saturday. Left around 10:30. Blacksmith. Mild, light winds out of the southeast, some vague white clouds here and there, but mostly sunny. West side of the Vecht all the way to the end of the Daalseweg (suspicious look out of a car window departing from those exclusive homes). Then Oostwaard to Zuylensebrug and through Maarssenbroek. At the other side of the freeway some new access road construction going on--the beast that is the city/suburb automobile remains hungry for yet more space. Through the fields around Haarzuilens to Laag Nieuwkoop and Gerverscop. The latter busier with bikes, tractors, and cars than on weekdays, but still pleasant. To Woerden and Cattenbroek. A mostly quiet, sunny Saturday morning; people, but no one in the way, little motorized interference. Bridge open in Montfoort, so left through Achthoven. Highlight was the green, peaceful IJsseldijk toward the Meerlobrug. On the bike path beyond, the one obnoxious, loud light motorcycle of the day, ruining things for a moment. Nedereindseweg and Ringkade to de Meern, and back into the city and Mos. In the paper a piece on how the interference with Von der Leyen's airplane's communications system may be a more complicated story than an unambiguous one of targeted Russian intimidation, although that last option cannot be ruled out. Just because of this weekend's drone attacks on Ukraine Moscow does not deserve the benefit of the doubt. Meanwhile, the American president, once more, talks about how he may impose new sanctions on Russia. Let's have some walking of the walk, finally.

September 5, 2025

 Friday. Left a little before 9:30. Blacksmith. Shower in the area, pulling away toward the east; no one drop from above, but wet roads all the way to the Goyerbrug. On the cool side at the start. Southwesterly winds, and excellent clearing skies full of white and gray clouds. Wayen to Langeweg and 't-Goy (Groenedijkje), and across the Goyerbrug. Beusichemseweg just a few cars, same for the Lekdijk toward Tull en 't Waal. First the fine and shifting views of Culemborg. Riverbanks as lovely as ever, with or without summer-levee. Strijpweg to Beatrix- and Plofsluis; Jutphase brug and Merwedekanaal back into town. Leaving from CW a big downpour that continued for fifteen or twenty minutes, so bikewash in the backyard. In the news reports that the administration will end security assistance programs to bolster NATO's eastern flank, the one facing Russia. Not only will this president not take direct steps against the thug in the Kremlin, apparently he is working to make life easier for him, undercutting what are supposed to be allied countries. Par for the course and yet another argument for redoubling European investments in its defense.

September 1, 2025

Monday. Left a little after 10:30. Blacksmith. On the cool side and overcast, but gradually the sun and southwesterly winds started pulling things apart, making for good-looking skies. Back in the home territory: gele brug, 't-Zand, then right at the Lint as far as the Smalle Themaat. Then the bike path to the Rijneveldse Bospad, right at Haarzuilens, toward Kortrijk. Some weeds by the side of the roads and bike paths either brown, or mowed down. The smell of cut grass; good views of Kockengen from Kortrijk. Through Breukelen and Scheendijk south, then the Strook to Griendweg and Middenweg, Heuvellaan, Nedereindse Vaart and Molenpolder to Kooijdijk. Paper from Van der Neut (not appreciated, basically a failed experiment) and back into town. The news of the jamming, most likely by Russia, of Von der Leyen's plane, forcing the pilots to navigate to the ground using paper maps. Sending the head of the organization most engaged in supporting Ukraine--or opposing Russia's goals on the continent--an unsubtle signal: we'll mess with you to the point of endangering your life, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's up to the EU, or at least willing European governments, to prove the thugs in the Kremlin wrong. The American president remains missing in action when it comes to measures that make life difficult for Moscow, and there's no indication that this will change any time soon.