A couple of people in our group were interested in biking around Texel (pronounced "tessell"), the southern Frisian Island accessible by ferry from Den Helder. I decided to join them on the spur of the moment.
We caught the train to Den Helder and walked from the station to the port, stopping at a candy stall at the market on the way to stock up on varieties of licorice.
From Den Helder we took a 20-minute Teso ferry to Texel, which was an experience in itself. To begin with, the ferry felt luxurious--there were a variety of places to sit indoors and out, with groups or on one's own, and the cafeteria was stocked with the requisite high-end coffee dispensary and a mouth-watering assortment of dessert items. All this for a 20-minute voyage!
Upon arrival on the island we saw sheep. Then we bused to Den Burg. There were lots of sheep along the way.
We found a place for coffee and a snack in Den Burg. We poked around the town a little and then went in search of a bike rental shop but we found that bikes would be due back for the day in 90 minutes.
Instead we caught a bus further north to de Koog to see if they had rentals. Unfortunately, they also closed at 5 p.m. so we decided to head out to see the water.
It was a great choice. I had no idea the Dutch had such wonderful sandy beaches!
We played in the sand for some time.
I enjoyed the sounds around me.
We eventually packed back up, found dinner in de Koog, and made our way back to Amsterdam.
Tomorrow we move on to Delft!
