When Dutch people aren’t cycling they are sailing… Well that might not be 100% true but let’s just say that Dutch people like boats almost as they like bicycles.

Having an office job has made my life disgustingly routine-based. I was not put on this planet for a cubical or desk but somehow I always manage to trap myself in an office because just like my fellow human beings I sometimes appreciate the comfort of 9-5 (but only sometimes).

So when I received a text at 7am on a Tuesday morning saying ‘pack some warm clothes – we might go sailing after work’ it was safe to say I was about to break my Tuesday routine and couldn’t have been happier to reply with an enthusiastic emoji.

It was cloudy but by some miracle it was not raining and by 6pm we were driving to Breukelen with a car-full of fresh picnic ingredients. Breukelen is a town in the north west of Utrecht, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen.

Within half an hour we were on a boat and blissfully sailing the calm Dutch waters away from the 9-5 civilisation I have such a love/hate relationship with.

Sailing is wonderful. Living in a country well-known for it’s spectacular waterways, sailing is one of the best ways to have an after work adventure on a Tuesday evening.

We sailed, we stopped at a small island, we picnicked and we headed home towards a spectacular sunset.

Such a simple form of fun.

Breukelen is a great starting point for a quick adventure close to Utrecht. And it is also a gorgeous town.

During the 17th century many wealthy Amsterdam merchant families built their mansions along the river near Breukelen and although I didn’t have the chance to explore the town on our way home it was absolutely gorgeous driving through the town.