This bike holiday would be dedicated to riding (obviously), a bike meeting (what's new?) and ... art. I'm a teacher at an art academy and, as an experiment, I wanted to combine my passion with my work.

Preperatory I invited friend, colleague and art history teacher Peter Smeets to drink a beer and plan a nice trip along museums. Thanks, Peter.

Friday July 12: my first stop was at Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle. Very recently rebuilt so no, I did not Photoshop this alien sphere onto the neoclassical building. Truly a bizarre extension, or call it 'striking' if you like.

For my backpack, helmet and handlebar bag I got assigned two lockers. Friendly and very helpful staff.

I liked this painting ('The crowned king', 1962) from CoBrA's artist Karel Appel, with his typical ferocious painting style.

There was a temporary exhibition dedicated to actor / painter Jeroen Krabbé. His naive way of painting did not appeal to me.

Richard Ziegler's monotypes did. Here's a striking characterization of Hitler from the risky year 1935.

Outside the CBX did not remain unnoticed. It was nice to keep an eye on the bike while being inside.

The futuristic extension of the museum yielded ​​a huge additional exhibition space. This was completely filled with artwork from the Dutch filmmaker and photographer Pieter Henket.

Since he photographed pop idol Lady Gaga in 2008 his career went sky-high. His style can be described as 'glitter & glamour' ....

... sometimes with a firm gay-erotic touch. However: very carefully composed and ​​very skillfully done.

I was even more impressed by his 'Interrogation Project' in which he made ​​eight two hour films starring eight Dutch actors. Endlessly long, minimalistic, sometimes pure photography due to the absence of any action. In this art I can immerse myself for hours.

After several hours at de Fundatie I continued my trip towards Den Helder, to the bike meeting. On the way I passed Nieuwleusen, and obviously I had to pay a visit to Bert Vonderman from Six Center.

Always a kind of homecoming at Bert's place: coffee, herring sandwich, and smalltalk about CBX's and rallies.

The weather got gloomy as I rode towards Den Helder, and occasionally there was a drop of rain. But it also provided me with characteristic Dutch skies (including a gull!), like here on the dam.

MC Roadrunner's bike meeting was found by my bike pal Willi Mecklenborg (aka 'Hammer of Justice'). I'd never been there, and I'm not to fond of MC's but according to the pictures from last year's weekend it seemed like a nice party.

Also present, although for a short while, was John Nobels.

At first sight his CBX looks quite original but in fact it is state of the art: six-in-six Pipemaster exhaust, USD front, sturdy swingarm. It still has all the classic looks, combined with the driving characteristics of a (more or less ...) modern motorcycle.

Talking about 'classic': in the evening there was a band, a campfire and there were drinks.

Saturday July 13: in the morning a perfectly tuned team rapidly made omelets, pancakes and sandwiches. By far the fastest way to get rid of evil substances in your blood.

It was my first time at the 'Vloottreffen', as its official name is; some visitors had evidently been there before.
My height of 1.93 meter did not stand out between Den Helder's marines and shipbuilders.

In the afternoon there was a ride-out. Riding without luggage and backpack, the hangover was gone and the weather was beautiful. We had a nice mix of bikes: allroads, Harley's, and sport bikes.

We made a beautiful route through the north-west of the Netherlands (for me a totally unknown area). Only these many cobblestone roads remembered me that I'd already rode 281km the day before. A coffee break halfway was more than welcome.

As I returned Hammer of Justice stood, as planned, next to his tent enjoying a beer.

It was pleasantly busy again around the CBX.

There was some knocking ...

... and petting.

The dinner had the same quality as the breakfast.

An old acquaintance, second from left: Roger, sidecar builder, next to a ZZR 1100 with EML sidecar.

I sat down for about fifteen minutes to study the construction of this sidecar: tubes, hoses, springs, a very complex but fascinating puzzle.

At the evening: same procedure. Walking around, looking at bikes, talking bikes ...

.. and toasting. The atmosphere was very good.

One hour later...

Then suddenly there was an announcement that my CBX had won the first prize, and a note was stuck on my bike. A nice surprise.

The award consisted of two drinking vouchers and the autographed book 'Het aarden Beest' by Benno Graas.
Afterwards I had a nice talk at the bar with MC Roadrunner's president Marc van Schaik (center), about horrific European regulations and motorcyclists with fluorescent vests and ditto helmets.

And yes, again there were bands.

As I walked back to my tent about 2:45 am, I stumbled upon two visitors that crawled around the CBX with a flashlight. They whispered so I could sleep peacefully.

Sunday July 14: for whatever reason the vouchers were consumed and I found a spot for the 1.126 grams 1.060 cc book, which wasn't that easy when you consider that I break my toothbrush in half to save space and weight.
I said goodbye to Willi and left for Amsterdam. Along the way I passed villages where I'd never heard of.

When I arrived at campsite Zeeburg it was already very hot outside.

I put up my tent and decided which book to read. No matter how little I can take with me, books are essential. I had the choice between 'Stil de tijd' (Joke J. Hermsen, about experiencing time), 'De donkere kamer van Damokles' (W.F. Hermans, a famous book from a famous Dutch writer), and, of course, 'Het aarden Beest', about a couple's trip from South Africa to the Netherlands on an Enfield.

Zeeburg is a cozy, crowded youth campsite where you breathe 24 hours a day the air of famous Dutch weed. Dreadlocks, skates, today's hippies.

Monday July 15: diving into Amsterdam, visiting the recently reopened Rijksmuseum.

Every visitor was welcomed with a cake; I'd forgotten that it was the 406th or the 407th* birthday of Rembrandt, stupid me. ;)

* July 15 is for sure, but not the year. Doesn't matter: it was very tasty.

A museum with gray walls: that I had not seen before. Fine choice though: photographs do very well on a middle gray background, so why not paintings? The Nachtwacht was, like most famous artworks, more photographed than viewed (read: experienced). That's a pity, but given the crowds that's no wonder either.

What an impressive building the Rijksmuseum is, beautiful. I almost looked more up than in front of me.

However, ancient art does not appeal to me as much as twentieth century art does (shame on me, I know).

The twentieth century art department is represented quite poorly in the Rijksmuseum: a minute collection, tucked away on the top floor. I was alone there.

Here some beautiful typography from the magazine 'Wendingen'.

Outside, in the renewed gardens of the museum, were sculptures from Henry Moore. His main theme: iconic reclining female figures, largely abstracted. Impressive, not only in size.

I continued the trip to the small but fine photography museum Foam.

Unfortunately, the museum was partially inaccessible.

I was most impressed by the photography of Edward Steichen, a controversial and influential portrait and fashion photographer. He took this poignant picture of Princess Youssoupoff in 1924.

In the annex of Foam there was an exhibition of the photographer Duffy, on his groundbreaking album cover photos he made with and for David Bowie in the seventies. Even more than the pictures I watched the 'making-of' videos that presented a good picture of the creative (and commercial!) brain of Brian Duffy.

Back at the campsite, riding through the mile-long Piet Hein tunnel (what a feast for the ears!), I devoured Hermans. After reading the pages I tear them off and throw them in the bin. After all, why carry along what's in your head?

I could not do this with the book 'Het aarden Beest' as it was an award, and a autographed one even more. I read the 423 pages almost in one take: an absolute must for every biker!

Toothbrush in half ... but I took my cooking kit with me. Fun and very relaxing, preparing a meal entirely according to the slow-food principle.

Afterwards, on the beach relaxing with a cold beer between the neo-hippies.

This tent was funny: basically it's nothing more than a poorly covered huge air mattress.

Tuesday July 16: to Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen.

Hungry as I was – leaving without having breakfast is never a good idea – no less than four female volunteers made me a nice breakfast. Theme: Russia, 'with real Russian pickles, so be careful as they are sharp!'. It tasted as good as it looked.

Again a special location, and very stylish presented contemporary Russian sculpture. All the work was made after the tumultuous year 1989.

The theme was quite heavy because all was politically influenced. The arrangement, however, was airy.

This installation, by Kirill Alexandrov, is called 'Heda'. The aluminum pyramid turns over slowly, fully unwinds and then rewinds. Slow and enchanting, and undoubtedly full of political symbolism that, fortunately, did not disturb the experience.

Rather stodgy was this installation by Sergei Shutov. Twelve black veiled figures bending forward and mutter prayers from different, for me unknown, languages. Are these Muslims (my first thought), or maybe monks? Or Jedi warriors? Dementors from Harry Potter? Look longer and you think wider.

A short break on the roof: indeed, Beelden aan Zee ('Sculptures by the Sea'), the North Sea in this case.

Then off to Rotterdam: the Submarine Wharf, to the exhibition called 'Painting XXXL'.

And that name covers it pretty well. Three painters (Klaas Kloosterboer, Chris Martin and Jim Shaw) created their artwork on location during the past months. Again: what a building, and what an art. The building still has the shipbuilding atmosphere, an atmosphere that appeals to me as bike builder. I felt completely at home.

The artwork matches the space: XXXL, so sometimes 5 by 14 meters. The artist utilized the volume but mostly made no effort to match the wharf in color and image, and that contrast made the combinations even more interesting. The making-of videos completed the projects.

I created, albeit on a smaller scale, my own work of art in the lockers.

The day before departure I received an enthusiastic email from www.cbx1000.us. They want my bike on their 2014 calendar and asked for a photo. I have enough photos of course but a 'fresh' one would be more fun. So behind the building I shot a few pictures, like this one ...

... and this one.

So colorful as the Amsterdam Zeeburg campsite was, so sober and pragmatic was city campsite Rotterdam. The clichés of both cities were fully confirmed.
Another example: while waiting for a traffic light in Amsterdam the indicators of the van in front of me started to flash, the driver got out and started to make pictures of my bike. As the light turned green again, the driver in the car behind me got irrated and started honking. The photographer gave him the finger, continued photographing and ended his session with a thumbs-up to me.
In contrast to Rotterdam: frowning people walking around the bike, no talking, until one asks: 'Costly to build a bike like this?'. Beautiful.

I'm no fan of campers but this Magirus Deutz was really great. A '50s fire truck converted to a camper with a dry (!) weight of five tons. Fuel consumption? 'Don't know.' Very 'just do it'.

As I said, there was not much going on at the campsite. Totally fine with me, as it was a perfect opportunity for reading.

Wednesday July 17: on to Ghent (B). Passed the magical 30,000 kilometer milestone. Quite remarkable, for such an often declared unrideable motorcycle.

I rode to the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, S.M.A.K..

The contemporary art (= Actuele Kunst) in this museum was anything but easy to digest. Upon entering, you were confronted with a shocking video of Koen Theys in which a dead dog was chopped into pieces with a blunt ax ('Crime', 1983). No picture of this.

Also very oppressive was his movie 'Mediastudien' (2001) in which he brought Hitler (yes, Hitler again) 'to life' with photographs. You do not want to look but you look anyway; very intense and effective.

Fan of inertia as I am, I fully enjoyed his 33.37 minute film 'The vanitas record' ( 2005) in which he incorporated 125 skulls, computer screens, candles, beads, bells, clock radios, 20 tons of books and 20,000 live snails in an installation of 20x12x4 meters. He filmed this grueling slow. Loved it, best artwork I've seen all week.

You heard this huge installation ('Otra Fiesta', Massimo Bartolini, 2013) throughout the whole museum, which was not a good thing for the perception of the other work. It is built from the metal pipes of a scaffolding. As air is blown through the pipes, it functions as a huge air organ.

The afternoon was hot and muggy so I granted myself a cozy place near a lake.

There was a lot not allowed at campsite Blaarmeersen. Hikers are not tolerated ...

... caravans: not beyond this point ...

... and guests do not seem welcome either.

No wonder it was very quiet at the campsite.

Nevertheless I took the risk to prepare a meal. ;)

Thursday July 18: saddled my stainless horse and rode to the Design Museum Gent. At first sight a rather dusty museum, and inside there was a genuine odor of mothballs.

Thinking of 'design' you think of contemporary applied products but utensils of course are of all time. Like this colorful jug from 1750: applied art.

Such flamboyant styles do not really appeal to me, despite their ingenious craftmanship. Similarly this reception lounge from the Rococo period (1730-1760). I immediately noticed a stranger in our midst: the jug at the right on the picture.

Indeed, a vase by Dutch ceramic artist Hella Jongerius, made in 2008. Obvious where her inspiration came from.

Halfway through the museum the old blended with the new, '18th century meets 20th century' so to say. A bit similar to the architectural mixture at the Museum de Fundatie: bold but refreshing.

And bam, suddenly you are in the glassware department, with glass cases, white floors, white walls and white ceilings.

With remarkable 'seating elements'; you were not allowed to call them 'chairs' during my time at the Eindhoven Design Academy. And they were right.

Finding the boundary between art and functionality: 'Jar sculptures' by Tjok Dessauvage (1992).

And, oh yes, the leading design trend while I was student: Memphis. Here with cupboard made by founder Ettore Sottsass. Today it looks quite outdated.

In a separate room the 'Aprilia Moto 6.5' by Philip Starck was parked, temporarily placed outside the collection because of a renovation. But I was allowed to see it.

Actually I felt sorry for the bike, being in a museum. With almost vaporised brakefluid ...

... and ... fluffy dust on the chain! That makes my biker-heart ache.

From Ghent I rode to Stekene. It was roasting hot and the Belgian roads were just as I remembered them: terrible. So bad that I lost a stainless steel cap in my handle due to the vibrations.

Anyway, Stekene, the Verbeke Foundation to be exact. The entrance was quite promising.

A post-apocalyptic Mad Max architecture where my bike and I felt right at home.

The Verbeke Foundation is a private museum, founded in 2007 by art collector Geert Verbeke and his wife Carla. It includes a exhibition space of 20,000 square meters and an area of 12 acres of land. Their statement: 'Our exhibition space does not aim to be an oasis. Our presentation is unfinished, in motion, unpolished, contradictory, untidy, complex, inharmonious, living and unmonumental, like the world outside of the museum walls.'.
Actually it wasn't as rough as the statement suggests: look at the details to see that the overall concept is anything but untidy and inharmonious ...

... as you can see in the decorative and consistent use of wooden strips.

This toilet 'unmonumental'? I have rarely seen such a beautiful loo.

Verbeke sees himself as the gadfly of the established art world and provides a platform for unknown artists. I fully enjoyed this museum-that-does not-want-to-be-a-museum. Like this installation by Stan Wannet with a zombie-robot hare drawing / writing on paper which then passes on through a shredder. Fascinating, hilarious and freaky at the same time.

A genius pun but with a grim reference to the concentration camps. That's what good art should do: put you on a different track and thus make you think.

This installation is from Stan Wannet too. It's called 'The Doctorate'. Everything's ticking, pounding, rattling, and even a shelf in the table slides along.

Because I would stay at the Verbeke Foundation, Carla Verbeke kindly allowed me to put the bike in the entry.

Because Frederiek and I (and dog Yoda, sitting on the ground) would spend the night in an work of art: the Camping Flat by Kevin van Braak. It is a 12 meter high structure of scaffolding pipe – not an organ this time –, divided into four floors. Including artificial grass and a plastic campfire it's a wonderful parody of our modern desire for experiencing nature and freedom.

Of course we chose the third floor: high in the air but with a tent above and one below. Together with a beer ...

... and a self-prepared meal it was a good place to be.

We also set up my small tent for the dog; as you can see he also had a good time.

In the evening we made ​​a tour around the terrain. This is 'CasAnus', by Joep van Lieshout. This artwork can be rented as well for an overnight stay. But you know: nothing beats camping.

Although I'm quite experienced at dealing with art, sometimes even I got puzzled whether is was art or a piece of junk. Or is this what Verbeke means with 'unfinished'?

Wonderful to encounter Ronald Winter's 'horses' around sunset. Yoda also found them fascinating.

Nature itself knows its way with beauty as well, like you can see in this detail picture of a thistle.

Friday July 19: sunrise in a work of art. We imagined ourselves in nature but, because the campsite flat was placed right next to the highway, the cars told us a whole different story. Entirely according to the vision of the artist.

We were served a delicious breakfast.

During this holiday I met a lot of interesting museum visitors and some designers and artist (like this Frenchman). More than ever I noticed how different the conversations with these people are compared to those with most motorcyclists. The conversations were about the idea behind the use of stainless steel instead of talking about welding it. They were about the minimalistic concept that underlies the camera system and hidden switches rather than their technical aspects. We discussed the Spartan consequences for comfort (as 'function follows form') instead of well-intentioned solutions to increase comfort. It was great fun to experience this.

Designers are not always techies. Like the question a lady asked me as she pointed to the handle: 'Made it ​​with the carousel?'. Well, almost. ;)

On our way to the last museum: de Pont, Tilburg. This is one of the museums I visit the most because the work appeals to me, as does the tranquility of the place.

The beautiful spacious layout of the museum ...

... where I looked at an inverted version of me in polished stainless steel, in my 'museum outfit' (leather motorcycle pants and boots). This work of art is Anish Kapoor's and called 'Vertigo' (2008). No less than two attendants guarded it to avoid it getting touched. Understandable because that was very tempting.

An old acquaintance by video artist Bill Viola: 'The meeting' (1995). However excruciatingly slow, yet I viewed this video work twice because once is just not enough.

It was a wonderfully intense week: riding 1,161 kilometers and feeding the mind with a bike meeting and nine museums. Certainly a combination that is worth repeating.