Day 19: Victor's hot new ride

I have finally purchased my first dutch bike! A bike is indispensible in the Netherlands. The towns and cities so compact, and with the profusion of bike lanes, they are an easy way to get around. I bought my used bike for 30 euros from a roomate who was moving out. It had a few problems... a broken kickstand, only one brake, but another 30 euros later and it was fixed. An easy task considering that within a five minute walking distance of my house, there must be at least three bike shops.

It's not the prettiest bike, but in a country where 800 000 bikes are stolen annually, it's probably better not to have the best looking bike.

For the reason stated above, a sturdy lock is definitely in order.

This is at the bike lock up at Rotterdam Centraal. As you can see, there are many bikes. It is important to know exactly what your bike looks like, and where you left it, or you may never find it again. There are a lot more racks that can't be seen in this picture.

Riding a bike in the Netherlands is an interesting experience. Most roads have separate bike lanes. However, don't let this relax you. The bike lanes are also used by motorized scooters, and if you block other bikers by going to slow, they'll snap you out of your reveries with a sharp tinkle from their bell. Bike lanes also have their own lights at intersections, and it is important to pay attention to these. They often don't work in unison with the crosswalk lights or the traffic lights. Also, not everyone pays attention to these lights... It seems the Dutch know when it is safe to go, even if the light disagrees. Often at big intersections a number of bikes will crowd up, and then even though the light is still red they will all go at once. It's almost like those wildlife videos of the widelbeest in Africa on their annual migrations. When they get to the river infested with crocodiles, the first one will stop, until more of his fellows join him. Then they'll all jump into their river together, perhaps hoping their numbers will confuse the crocodiles, and they won't know which one to chow down on. Perhaps dutch bikers feel safer in numbers, and don't think cars will hit them, if there's a bunch of them together...