You started your discovery from the back of the railway station, which was developed as office area in the past 30 years. The front of the railway station is the usual entrance to the city, which leads to the center within a few hundred meter. The front has seen impressive improvements in recent years, with a large underground bike parking and cars replaced by green.
I was thinking the same thing. You basically took the train station's wrong side to exit into the city. From about 5:50 you enter the city center proper.
@@ActiveTownsit’s almost always the lower track/platform numbers in a station that are nearest the old town. Zwolle in particular has some weird track numbering going on though. Nevertheless, it’s a rule of thumb that may help you avoid this in the future. Otoh: it can certainly be interesting and refreshing to visit a spot that never gets to see tourists.
@@MarijnRoorda Its the same thing in Breda but there is also an entree to the city center after a walk treu the Valkenbergpark but its not the main entree
The 5star (pentagon) design of some Dutch cities has a military garrison background designed by the famous mathematician Simon Stevin during the 80 year war (1568-1648)
I live near Zwolle. Close to that square with this big church, you will find a McDonalds....😂 It opens at 11 am on Sundays. It serves breakfast. If you want to experience the interaction of bikes and cars on a busy weekday, I can recommend to have a coffee with some pastry in the cafe of the "Stadkamer", the main library of Zwolle near the railway station. You see an insane amount of cyclists on painted bikelanes and motorised traffic sharing the same road along the canal around the old city. Somehowe it works..... And the pastry is awesome!😊
Yay! That's fun... yes, Part Two with a "big" surprise will be coming on Monday. Thanks so much for tuning in. I hope you enjoy the Channel. Cheers! John
In the 1950s and 1960s, Zwolle also wanted to become as modern as the American cities, so a motorway was planned through the city centre that would cross the city canal approximately at the location of the cyclists' bridge at 8:19 via the market square from 11:10 to cross the city canal again approximately at the location of the cyclists' bridge at the end of the film. The plan ultimately fell through because Zwolle had limited money and space for the grand plans it had. And there were very long meetings and then it was the 1970s and protests against demolition became strong and the usefulness of a motorway through the centre was doubted.
Zwolle is such a pretty city. I pass through it often, but my last visit was probably 15+ years ago. I really need to re-visit this city. If you visit this city on a normal weekday in the afternoon, it will definitely be much more crowded. Great video!
We were in Zwolle in July for 4 days and loved that place! 6:30 Dead ahead is the Sassenpoort and our lodgings were left of there on Koestraat. The only time we left the old town area was to take the train out to Kampen. Our entire 6 week trip and we never spent any time in a car. It was fabulous. Oh, and, not that it helps you now, but there was an Anne and Max, kind of a Dutch Starbucks, I gues you'd call it, but nicer, is open at 8:30 on Sunday. We went there a few times.
not even a (regular) bakery open is surprising… Still remember the last time I visited Backwerk here: Friday, March 13. 2020… At 9:54 my smartphone beeped: "Easter holidays will start today, three weeks early". Took over a year until things were mostly back to normal. That store however sits now empty.
It's different from city to city, but Sunday is usually a "quiet" day in most cities, so most stores and other places open after 12:00 (noon). Many company owners want to be open in the morning, but they are not allowed to. In my hometown, which is in quite a religious region like Zwolle, stores were completely closed on Sunday until maybe 6-7 years ago. Some Christian parties voted against allowing stores to be open on Sunday, but other parties voted in favor. Now they open at 13:00 and it's a busy shopping day. I'm not religious myself, but I can appreciate the quietness of Sunday. It also allows store owners to have some time off, and for some stores it's not beneficial to be open on Sunday. You will usually find open places around busy places like stations or main squares, though.
@@markuserikssen For a long time the Netherlands was a very religious country and shopping on sunday was often considered a crime against religion. There are still plenty of towns, usually small ones, and in the biblebelt of the Netherlands where it's still felt that way. Even the act of spending money on sunday, be it for gas for your car or a icecream cone is often seen as "not done"... In fact, you shouldn't even travel on sunday's, one should walk to church and back. Cycling to church was even seen as a infraction against church law. Fortunately we have come a long way since those days. It has become more common place for people to shop on sunday's, but plenty of dutch folks still have inhibitions against it. I myself have never been religious, but i have lived in plenty of towns where shops were closed on sunday's and i've gotten so used to it.. It's like driving on the correct (right) side of the road. You don't question the behavior anymore.
Nice ride. Would have liked to see the breakfast menu. In most places I've ridden, Sunday morning is the best, or at least easiest time to ride, maybe because people were partying Saturday night.
John, did you say Austintatious ?? (love the word game hehehe) But really, when you tend to come back, I'd love to show you my hometown, no plan can show it better as an actual human being. So just let me know. I'll buy you an actual coffee instead of an online 1 hehehe. There are however quite a few things in regard to cycling in my town, that I think might need to be shown.
Still some footage left from your visit last year? If you’re ever in a quiet Dutch town on a Sunday again, turn back into the train station at the least they will serve coffee at a ‘kiosk’. Or look for a hotel 😅
When ever discussing cycling/active transport infrastructure with people trapped in the car culture mindset, inevitably they'll ask, "What about handicapped people who can't ride a bike?" Judging from your video, it looks like they do just fine.
Yup. Absolutely. For many people, it seems to be impossible or unlikely that people with disabilities would benefit from All Ages & Abilities cycle networks and safe slow street environments, but they really do. Thanks so much for tuning in. Cheers! John
You started your discovery from the back of the railway station, which was developed as office area in the past 30 years. The front of the railway station is the usual entrance to the city, which leads to the center within a few hundred meter. The front has seen impressive improvements in recent years, with a large underground bike parking and cars replaced by green.
I was thinking the same thing. You basically took the train station's wrong side to exit into the city. From about 5:50 you enter the city center proper.
Yup! Done that before. Hehe 😂 Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
@@ActiveTownsit’s almost always the lower track/platform numbers in a station that are nearest the old town. Zwolle in particular has some weird track numbering going on though. Nevertheless, it’s a rule of thumb that may help you avoid this in the future. Otoh: it can certainly be interesting and refreshing to visit a spot that never gets to see tourists.
@@MarijnRoorda Its the same thing in Breda but there is also an entree to the city center after a walk treu the Valkenbergpark
but its not the main entree
The 5star (pentagon) design of some Dutch cities has a military garrison background designed by the famous mathematician Simon Stevin during the 80 year war (1568-1648)
Yeah, I believe Mark with BicycleDutch mentioned this when we met in 's-Hertogenbosch
I live near Zwolle. Close to that square with this big church, you will find a McDonalds....😂 It opens at 11 am on Sundays. It serves breakfast.
If you want to experience the interaction of bikes and cars on a busy weekday, I can recommend to have a coffee with some pastry in the cafe of the "Stadkamer", the main library of Zwolle near the railway station. You see an insane amount of cyclists on painted bikelanes and motorised traffic sharing the same road along the canal around the old city. Somehowe it works..... And the pastry is awesome!😊
Yeah, I definitely need to make a return visit. Thanks so much for watching and for the helpful tips. Cheers! John
Very cool to see you cycling through our beautiful city! I live right across the street from where you got breakfast, can't wait for part two!
Yay! That's fun... yes, Part Two with a "big" surprise will be coming on Monday. Thanks so much for tuning in. I hope you enjoy the Channel. Cheers! John
In the 1950s and 1960s, Zwolle also wanted to become as modern as the American cities, so a motorway was planned through the city centre that would cross the city canal approximately at the location of the cyclists' bridge at 8:19 via the market square from 11:10 to cross the city canal again approximately at the location of the cyclists' bridge at the end of the film. The plan ultimately fell through because Zwolle had limited money and space for the grand plans it had. And there were very long meetings and then it was the 1970s and protests against demolition became strong and the usefulness of a motorway through the centre was doubted.
Wow! Great context. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. Cheers! John
Zwolle is a very nice town. I went north there from Eindhoven several times for a ham radio convention. Thanks for the revisit for me.
Cool! You are quite welcome... more to come in Part Two. Cheers! John
The relative lack of cars driving around is just so nice...
It was quite peaceful... I definitely need to go back on a busy day as a comparison. Thanks for watching. It is much appreciated. Cheers! John
Zwolle is such a pretty city. I pass through it often, but my last visit was probably 15+ years ago. I really need to re-visit this city. If you visit this city on a normal weekday in the afternoon, it will definitely be much more crowded. Great video!
Thanks! Yeah, I definitely didn’t get the full Zwolle effect. 😀
Nice city! Great for biking.
It sure is! 😀
We were in Zwolle in July for 4 days and loved that place! 6:30 Dead ahead is the Sassenpoort and our lodgings were left of there on Koestraat. The only time we left the old town area was to take the train out to Kampen. Our entire 6 week trip and we never spent any time in a car. It was fabulous. Oh, and, not that it helps you now, but there was an Anne and Max, kind of a Dutch Starbucks, I gues you'd call it, but nicer, is open at 8:30 on Sunday. We went there a few times.
Oh, man! That would have been helpful. More Zwolle highlights to come next week. Cheers! John
not even a (regular) bakery open is surprising…
Still remember the last time I visited Backwerk here: Friday, March 13. 2020… At 9:54 my smartphone beeped: "Easter holidays will start today, three weeks early". Took over a year until things were mostly back to normal. That store however sits now empty.
It's different from city to city, but Sunday is usually a "quiet" day in most cities, so most stores and other places open after 12:00 (noon). Many company owners want to be open in the morning, but they are not allowed to. In my hometown, which is in quite a religious region like Zwolle, stores were completely closed on Sunday until maybe 6-7 years ago. Some Christian parties voted against allowing stores to be open on Sunday, but other parties voted in favor. Now they open at 13:00 and it's a busy shopping day. I'm not religious myself, but I can appreciate the quietness of Sunday. It also allows store owners to have some time off, and for some stores it's not beneficial to be open on Sunday. You will usually find open places around busy places like stations or main squares, though.
@@markuserikssenin Germany regular stores are closed on sundays, but bakeries are usually 7-11 in the morning, so that's quite different.
Yep. Lesson learned 😂
@@markuserikssen For a long time the Netherlands was a very religious country and shopping on sunday was often considered a crime against religion. There are still plenty of towns, usually small ones, and in the biblebelt of the Netherlands where it's still felt that way. Even the act of spending money on sunday, be it for gas for your car or a icecream cone is often seen as "not done"... In fact, you shouldn't even travel on sunday's, one should walk to church and back. Cycling to church was even seen as a infraction against church law. Fortunately we have come a long way since those days. It has become more common place for people to shop on sunday's, but plenty of dutch folks still have inhibitions against it. I myself have never been religious, but i have lived in plenty of towns where shops were closed on sunday's and i've gotten so used to it.. It's like driving on the correct (right) side of the road. You don't question the behavior anymore.
Nice ride. Would have liked to see the breakfast menu. In most places I've ridden, Sunday morning is the best, or at least easiest time to ride, maybe because people were partying Saturday night.
Oh, just wait... the episode will be full of surprises. hehe 🤣
John, did you say Austintatious ?? (love the word game hehehe) But really, when you tend to come back, I'd love to show you my hometown, no plan can show it better as an actual human being. So just let me know. I'll buy you an actual coffee instead of an online 1 hehehe. There are however quite a few things in regard to cycling in my town, that I think might need to be shown.
Hehe 😅Love it. Yes, maybe next year... I am hoping to raise enough money for another extended trip in the summer.
Still some footage left from your visit last year? If you’re ever in a quiet Dutch town on a Sunday again, turn back into the train station at the least they will serve coffee at a ‘kiosk’. Or look for a hotel 😅
Hehe 🤣 Yeah, milking that three week trip for all it's worth. Yes! Great tips. I hope all is well. Cheers! John
What do the yellow pentagon signs with numbers signify? I've seen these is a few of your videos.
Marked detour. There would have been another (yellow) sign that says something like: “To reach x, follow 1”.
Thanks, @abel6846, for the quick answer.
Thanks! 🙏
Thank you.
When ever discussing cycling/active transport infrastructure with people trapped in the car culture mindset, inevitably they'll ask, "What about handicapped people who can't ride a bike?" Judging from your video, it looks like they do just fine.
Yup. Absolutely. For many people, it seems to be impossible or unlikely that people with disabilities would benefit from All Ages & Abilities cycle networks and safe slow street environments, but they really do. Thanks so much for tuning in. Cheers! John