Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Before I say goodbye Haarlem, let me talk about bicycles.

The Dutch people ride as if they were born on a bike. They seem to defy safety but yet they endure.  I have seen young children ride propelled by a parents arm, lovers holding hands while riding bikes next to each other,  a father riding with a toddler in the front and an infant in a snugli strapped to him as well as a guy carrying a cactus tree. Rush hour looks like sea of bikes. Many of them are rusted hunks that weigh a ton. 
There are distinct red paved bike paths separated by a curb, separating them from cars & pedestrians. 
The one I used had foot brakes and because of its weight it was difficult for to get on or off. 
Few have gears and because The Netherlands are so flat, one doesn't need them anyway. 
No one, I repeat no one wears a helmet.
Most of the Dutch people I saw were very fit. Obesity seems not exist here.
People do not necessarily ride for fun but as a way of life.




4 comments:

Andrew said...

Danny - Sounds idyllic. Regarding obesity, the Dutch eat a lot of fish. I hope you got some herring on the street near the Prinzengracht canal. I stayed on a canal boat near there for a while called the Zeppelin. I would be curious to know if it's still there so if you go back to Amsterdam, see if you can spot it. It was damp but cozy and was occupied by one of my Stony Brook friends who was in a band called Sweet Smoke. The Amsterdam marijuana club scene, by the way, was created by Howie Klein, who was the SB guy who hired bands for all the concerts at SB. The Dutch government actually hired him to come up with a way to keep the kids happy during the hippie days and that's what they came up with. The Milky Way was the original weed and hash club.

DAEPRO said...

Hi Andrew,
Thanks for reading. Not sure about Zeppelin but Melkveg lingers on. Just missed seeing Michael Franti & Spearhead there two weeks ago.
Holland has become ridiculously expensive. Most essential items cost literally half as much in Berlin. Berlin is quite counter culturally active. You would like and fit right in.

Unknown said...

No wonder they bike all over the place, look at all that cheese !!

DAEPRO said...

Thanks for reading. If you that's allot of cheese you should see the cake. Will follow up with a report on that soon.
Been here in Europe a long time. Remind me again who are those Rangers?