One of the things that makes BRAG International cycling tours so special is not just the miles we ride or the places we visit, but the people we share them with. Every now and then, someone captures the essence of a trip in words so well that it becomes more than a memory—it becomes a story worth sharing.

On our Bruges to Amsterdam Cycling Adventure (August 14–21, 2025), BRAG rider Dr. Jim Mimbs did exactly that. Jim’s reflections are full of humor, insight, and rich detail, bringing to life not just the scenery of Belgium and the Netherlands, but the camaraderie of the group, the character of our guides and crew, and the spirit of exploration that defines a BRAG ride.

We’re thrilled to feature Jim’s wonderful Bruges to Amsterdam recap here as a guest blog. His words capture the color and flow of the bike & boat journey in a way that photos simply can’t.

Enjoy Jim’s story below—and maybe find yourself inspired to join us on a future BRAG International adventure.

A Celebration of the Brag Brugge to Amsterdam Biking Voyage from August 14-21, 2025

by: James W Mimbs

(jamesmimbs@yahoo.com) Copyright: Phoenix Press (25 August 2025)

INTRODUCTION

Yes, we might say “BRAG-in’ Rites” or more precisely say “Bragging Rights,” depending upon your perspective as we have now completed our approximately 180-mile biking expedition. For a few of us, both apply now that we have endured the Rites of a BRAG ride for which we will forever exercise our bragging rights! For the thirty-six of us who explored the countryside of Belgium and the Netherlands, it was a grand vacation. We were blessed with the best of weather, accomplished guides, a very competent coordinator, and the company of a host of great guests.

In this brief essay accompanied by selected photographs, we shall explore the highlights of our journey. These will include a few comments about the company we shared with one another, geographic and topographic selections, comments about architecture and animals seen, as well as general observations about this extraordinary nation, The Netherlands, of which Holland is a province. You will be delighted to learn (Roby) that no one will be named nor commented upon or shared stories revealed although we shall identify the crew and staff.

DIVERSITY IS NOT DEAD AFTER ALL

One of the many interesting aspects of our biking cruise was the diversity including that of the current and past vocations of our group. WE included men and women who worked as electricians, coaches, art and graphic designers, bakers, nurses, armed forces officers, NYC bankers, stock analysts, veterinarian, teachers, product specialists, mechanics, lab technician, Dairy Queen princess, peach-plant foreman, Disneyland consultant, professional musician, and hospital manager. And then as I intimated at our first group meeting, “there are several doctors aboard should there be an emergency.” In fact, there were five physicians of different specialties and interesting personalities. But the “emergencies” were handled, as so often in the real world, by mothers and, notably, our biking leaders.

Walker Percy, a Southern fiction writer (National Book Award in 1962 for “The Moviegoer”) wrote many fine novels and other philosophical treatises. He once observed: “If you get more than two people together, they simply cannot resist talking, telling each other about themselves…and anything else they can think of.” I truly believe Our Group satisfied Percy’s proposal. In fact, during my many travels I have never participated in such a collegial and conversant group. Everyone “got along jess real good” as we say in the South (no duels on the deck).

This diverse nature was spread across other aspects of our varied existences as well. Politics tends to be a big “issue” in the States I am told. Some watch Fox, others CNN or MSNBC, and a few radicals watch PBS (me). We read various newspapers from the N Y Times to Wall Street Journal and everything in between. Not to mention the spectrum of book titles that I observed. Despite these different perspectives, once again everyone discretely shared (some) of her or his opinions while respecting her or his neighbors’ views.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT OUR CREW

We were fortunate to have a seasoned crew and stewards of our trip. That would begin with Captain Michael/Mike whom many of us got to know in the wheelhouse as he discussed his career and as we observed some of his maneuvers. Our Captain came from a non-nautical family, seemingly birthed from the head of Zeus (or Hera for us feminists) as a most gifted sailor. Florendo was his capable mate although he would not let me toss the big ropes to tie us up when I would be up on the bow with him; otherwise, always smiling and informing us. Seen below: Captain Mike, Alistair, and an admiring Raymond/Ray (my fellow early-riser and laptop-user) with Grandmother Mary lurking out of sight.

Peter and Bert were our Guides although Bert led my “Group 2” and proved to be precise in his directions and knowledgeable, like Peter, with his history lessons. I think Bert may have had some reservations about my competence, especially on the first day out when I was “getting the hang” of biking after none for twenty-five years. On that day, Bert was assigning “corners” and at one point looked backward at me and said, “Anybody but you, Jim.” It hurt (though deserved) but by the second day I usurped that privilege and became a full-fledged “corner dude or dudedess.” As we were disembarking, I patted Bert on the back and said, “I am so glad you came to tolerate me, and you were a great leader.”

Bert has an attractive significant other who is also a champion of biking with whom he is quite happy. Clearly, he “cherished” (my) Mary’s expertise as a “Super Sweeper” for which she was accorded a specially painted bike ringer as well as the aplomb and applause of the entire group. Pictured below is this dynamic dyad:

Jeff who is retired from many years with Proctor and Gamble moved recently to Aiken, SC with his family. He has long been a biker and has interests in classical music, attending symph ny and chamber music. He was probably devastated to learn that Franklin had b latedly awarded me the only vacant bed which happened to be in Jeff’s room. W both got along swimmingly as they say. He may not be aware, but I would use he communal toilet for certain maneuvers and slip out of our room barefoot quiet between 5 and 6 am each day. Jeff would get my highest marks for handling is Coordinator responsibilities. His directions and encouragement were ac ompanied by his fine sense of humor in his daily talks with our group. Since he is relatively new, anyone with contacts with Franklin should share our views of Jeff’s excellence in his new position.

A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE OF THREE OF OUR CREW

Because I am an early riser (“early bird gets the worm”), I had a “bird’s eye view” of the awakening of the ship. Our Chef Michael was exceptional, and we would chat each morning. His artistry was on view at our meals, especially the various planned dinners. What is NOT known is his level of devotion. Namely, he personally sliced every (small) piece of meat and cheese as well as our vegetables.

I once “caught” him making an unusual and time-consuming coconut sauce even for our small number of vegan sailors. His music was a bit unusual, but he was always so dedicated to serving us.

Mieka was such a wonderful assistant and performed various duties from serving our meals and retrieving our dishes (after formally “setting” the tables). She and Lina shared many duties including making our beds and caring for our cabins (also a full-time job). I have also seen her at the far end of our ship ironing napkins and covers for our duvets. You probably do NOT know that toward the end of the cruise when everyone is biking, there is a “deep-cleaning day.” That involves special floor cleaning but even removing the drains and traps in the showers and cleaning those areas!!! It was Mieke’s assignment the week of our cruise. What a lady! She is shown above with an admiring patron (unless it is vice versa). I also learned on my off day from biking the music on the boat is turned up real loud. WE ROCKED!

And finally, there is Lina. A more delightful countenance and agreeable spirit one will rarely encounter. Whether departing, returning, or ordering your favorite drink or wine, there she was, always smiling and so cordial. Off the record, I told her after our first day that she resembled Paloma Picasso, the model and entrepreneur, with her dark eyes and hair and unspeakably unbearable beauty. Paloma is our famous artist’s daughter. (If you are ever in Barcelona, do not miss his museum or

those of Miro and Degas for that matter; they are all quite different). Below is a portrait of Lina. (Oh, to be forty years younger; but don’t call your lawyer, Mary). Yet!

OBSERVATIONS OF THE COUNTRYSIDE

Although Mary and I had been to Amsterdam for the spectacular Vermeer exhibit several years ago and walked/hiked some of the area before embarking upon an AMAwaterways river cruise, one is exposed to so much more of the countryside when biking. We enjoy the outdoors both in Georgia and at our cottage near Brevard, NC. Late in medical school I also toured Europe alone for three months. HOWEVER, NOTHING COMPARED TO THIS JOURNEY BY BIKE.

Breathtaking views every day and my only regret was that we could not stop more often for photographs. To keep our essay manageable and succinct, I have elected to not emphasize the old architecture, amazing buildings, forts, fortresses and castles including the “bewitching” castle. I regret this but I did not want to try my readers’ patience. One example of wanting to stop for more photographs was on our last day when we saw that most peculiarly colored nanny goat and her son who had precisely the same coat. Another is the range of individual homes (many of my favorite contemporary Mies Van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright styles). And then there were the gardens of so many homes, planned, precise, and scintillating in their many styles.

Canals are of course the reason the Netherlands exist or continue to exist. I have read a lot about the Delta Works Project of dams, dikes, locks, sluices, and surge barriers initiated after the devastating floods of 1953. These Herculean efforts were accomplished on a national scale from 1954 until 1997 and are now recognized as one of the seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World.

The contemporary sculpture of this nation is not merely in the arts but equally in their architecture. Shown above are two examples of the many we observed including the “Diamond” leaving Antwerp by Zaha Hadid from Iraq. This “Queen of Curves” as she was called became the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Award before dying of a heart attack in Mount Sinai Hospital while being treated for a simple bronchitis. (Fair warning: Try to stay out of ANY hospital, even famous ones, and don’t get sick). The second of these photographs besides Hadid’s “Diamond” is an unusual building comprising a square section complemented by a circular upper story. I do not know the architect.

One cannot bike through the countryside without seeing the many and varied windmills with which we associate Holland and the entire Netherlands. Some are for grist (like our stone-grain-grinding, water-driven mills in nineteenth-century USA), some for wind and a major function was and is to GENERATE LAND MASS. The term “polder” (found in Rick Steves’s excellent chapters) alludes to two things: water management and the creating of land mass. The earliest windmills of the Netherlands date from the thirteenth century, many with thatched roofs as seen above (it’s new). We also saw hundreds of electricity-generating wind turbines.

No one ever answered my question of: “If you face the wind turbine propellers, why are some turning clockwise and others counterclockwise?” However, on our last day, Victor (Vic to some) educated me about energy and the phases of electricity (wind turning of blades>kinetic>mechanical>electromagnetic induction>transformer>electrical grid to simplify the concepts). Below is Victor receiving his Academy Award with great humility and a humble smile.

A brief testimonial to the animals we encountered seems appropriate. Endless species of birds: cormorant, various types of heron, seagulls (both laughing and morose), various types of ducks, poor little city sparrows, one owl, pigeons, the distant call of a willow tit, probably a great spotted woodpecker, many moorhens, dove, white stork, tern, crows galore, ruff, swifts, mallard, and geese. The occasional large black birds we saw in the fields spreading their wings to dry after “going fishing” as we said in the old days, is the cormorant. In the Southeast, we have its cousin, the anhinga (aka the “snakebird”). Below with the cows is Family of Swans.

Among the animals we saw were llamas, horses, pigs (hawgs we say “down here”), dogs, cats, sheep and goats including a very attractive country young, tattooed lassie shoveling straw from the goats’ shed on one of our windmill adventures. Since we have a holy-terror and very demanding border collie, I was quite aware of their presence although most were smaller than usual. Finally, there were cows of many varieties including this cow enjoying an automated backscratcher at one of our last stops. Swan family babies barely visible near shore.

As the sun set on our magical mystery tour of the Netherlands, we should be reminded that no day was complete without one of Michael’s superb dinners compliments too of Mieke and Lina serving. Of the two photographs below, one is that of a selected coterie of beautiful ladies enjoying an end-of-day Jacuzzi under the watchful eye of a male “lifeguard.” (I learned everyone’s name but, as promised, will use none: anyway, YOU know who you are!).

Although I am not very smart, I especially enjoyed my afternoon conversations with so many of you who are so knowledgeable about so many topics: one of the highlights of our voyage and I really mean that! The other photo below is my capturing a conversation about music theory, cymatics, and harmonics by two of our intellectuals (loosened up over a bottle of wine). Cymatics is the study and visual art of how sound affects matter although that is WAY over my (slightly) balding head, but you may research it through Al as cymatics is most intriguing!

CONCLUSION

We hated to see our journey conclude that final night of comments and awards (with the Smith Family Robinson cleaning the table). As I too conclude, I would say that The Netherlands has got it all “figured out,” meaning I wish our country could function, appear, and appreciate in a manner similar. Everything is clean (did you notice that almost ALL the eighteen-wheeler cabs were newly painted and washed?), the streets not strewn with papers, the countryside pristine and bucolic, shops so well organized, and, of course, those exceptional museums.

In some ways, I think “FLOW” best describes my impression of how the Netherlands and her people have conceptualized and manage their wonderful country. FLOW as in public transportation, road construction, railways, architecture, and museum management. But also as in “LET IT FLOW” with people and cultures comingling, restaurants open and inviting, instead of “amoral” a sort of “super­ moral” order of common “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” as Otis Redding (from a small town, Bradley, between Macon and Milledgeville, Georgia) wrote and sang in 1965 and Arethra Franklin performed so breathtakingly in the “Blues Brothers” movie in 2000.

The People? Everyone spoke English (not with resentment that one even today encounters in France) and was eager to help you find your destination or tell you a little story. Most are handsome and I did notice that a FEW were taller than my five-foot, eight frame. I would never attempt to compete with them in the broad jump. Courtesy was observed and the only challenging walks in Amsterdam were during the early days of SAIL 2025 when the city was swamped with visitors.

Why can’t we do it? Maybe decently in DC and NYC, but very few adequate systems especially of transportation in the USA. Everything about the cities, villages, and countryside venues in Holland just seem TO WORK! I have no idea what the evolution of our country will be. Each day becomes darker, more dangerous, more disheartening. “Vengeance is mine (and) I will repay” is from Romans 12:19 but my God is not named trump.

The more I contemplate the state of our nation, the more convinced I am that the almighty dollar reigns, even the yearly salary per capita in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is $500,000; hardly comprehensible or fathomable. Hell, for that amount, I could join the new “Executive Club” (its real name) of the trumpian sons. Or, instead of “In God We Trust,” we might adopt from Thucydides: “The strong exact what they can and the weak yield what they must.”

In concluding conclusion (whatever that means), besides the primary museums in Amsterdam, I visited the MOCO Museum that hosts contemporary art (Warhol, Basquiat, Koons). There was a special exhibit of Banksy, the famous “street artist” from England whom I love and have followed for years. Yes, he is a bit iconoclastic (he would consider that a compliment) and radical with a “special” view of society, politics, and anything else you care to mention.

Sooooooo, HERE IS THE POTENTIAL SOLUTION via Banksy and where we may be headed. Although I hope not because I’ve never invested in monkeys though as a loosely practicing Buddhist, I cherish all living and sentient beings including taking roly-polies outside for one last chance!

EPILOGUE: A FEW RANDOM PHOTOGRAPHS OF OUR POSSE

This article is copyrighted by its author, James W. Mimbs. The views and opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) or its affiliates.