It's a different world over here...

[PabloElFlamenco]

Just a general observation: during weekdays, I now live in the Netherlands, in the southern smallish city of Breda. When the weather is good (dry...), I go to work on my bicycle. Holland (another name for this country) mostly has geographic resemblance to a pancake, and many people use the bicycle (often high-wheeled black things, not the kind for climbing mountains) for the purpose of getting around. It's wonderful: small children get an education on how to behave on the road, accompanied by their (usually) mother, advising them where to stop, etc. Great!

I always wear a hat. They don't fly off, provided they have a leather headband. I mostly wear my Campdraft, or my Nutria campaign hat, or my early 1950's Adam Executive. And I make a habit of greeting people as I ride by.

One unexpected side benefit: behold the nice looking women passing me on their stately Dutch bicycles: I must clarify, I'm just about the slowest cyclist in town... I try to catch up, if I'm not out of breath already...

Greetings
Paul

 

[T Rick]

Breda sounds very pleasant. I know a Gentleman who lives there, he owns Watchuseek, the busiest watch forum on the 'net. I've seen him mention the city many times.

 

[mattface]

Yes indeed, cycling in a fedora is very nice, and getting passed has it's benefits as well.

 

[Sam Craig]

Paul,
It's Thanksgiving Day on this side of the drink.
Sounds like you have a lot to be thankful for over there.

Have a great day,

Sam

 

[scottyrocks]

Sounds pretty idyllic. It's too fast paced here. Wait, fast paced? An hour in auto traffic each way to travel 20 miles? That's not fast.

I'd love to be able to ride a bicycle to work.

 

[rrwine]

^^^^^ What he said! ^^^^^

 

[J.W.]

Sounds pretty idyllic. It's too fast paced here. Wait, fast paced? An hour in auto traffic each way to travel 20 miles? That's not fast.

I'd love to be able to ride a bicycle to work.

Well, 20 miles takes you about 1,5 hours by bike. If you're enthusiastic about it, you could give it a try...

 

[BR Gordon]

My older brother lived in Utrecht for a number of years. He loved it there, other than the winters. The house he lived in didn't have central heating, only fireplaces and stoves. Granted that was forty years ago.

 

[DesertDan]

The drummer in my last band is from Holland. His family would come over to visit from time to time and I would talk to them about their country. It has always seemed to be the type of place I would most want to visit should I ever have the opprotunity to travel to Europe.

 

[scottyrocks]

Well, 20 miles takes you about 1,5 hours by bike. If you're enthusiastic about it, you could give it a try...

That's not much longer than my commute by car. And I'd be in a helluva lot better shape. Now I just have to find a safe route.

 

[Edward]

SAfe route, that's the trick. I would adore to cycle to work, but for all our current Mayor's posturing about encouraging cycling, central London just isn't that safe a place to cycle, IMO.

 

[Cicero]

I love to ride my bike in Holland.
Great roads, even for bicycles and mostly kind people there.

 

[PADDY]

I was in Amsterdam & Apeldorn a few weeks ago. I'm a keen cyclist and loved the variety of bicycles there!
My early model Triumph Roadster.

A Dutch friend who enjoys her cycling & vintage.

My trusty "Bessie"

 

[esteban68]

Hi Paddy , my mother in law lives over there and as you say it is a different world cycling wise though many of the cycles are pretty new in Dutch 'old time style' for some really stylish old cycles look at some of the old French stuff from the 1940's to the 50's real class I have two here http://www.blackbirdsf.org/french/semper/ and here http://www.blackbirdsf.org/caminade/similar.html (the second Mecadural with red tyres).
Cycling in Holland and France is a real joy much better than over here were you are seen as a nuisance!

 

[Joe Rotax]

... but for all our current Mayor's posturing about encouraging cycling, central London just isn't that safe a place to cycle, IMO.

It's like that in Toronto. The last mayor and his socialist toad eaters were pushing like mad for people to use bicycles in the city which was irresponsible of them because the roads are not set up for it. The result is that we have cyclists who think nothing of coming down the inside of a large truck while it's already making a right hand turn and they fully expect the truck driver to stop and let them through - kind of a high risk activity and a few of them get squashed.

 

[masiaka]

Cycling in Holland and France is a real joy much better than over here were you are seen as a nuisance!

In the States we have a saying, "As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists." I tend to bike a lot since I live in a college town, but sometimes I swear that there's a target on my back. I've had to swerve out of the way for drivers that drift into the bike lane.

 

[Steven180]

The place sounds great P E F...nice to hear that there are still places where you can slow down and enjoy the world, and the cycling is green too.

Thanks for the scenery PADDY...

M.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Sounds as though one could traverse the entire country by bicycle. Would make for a great extended vacation.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Wow, I'm really charmed by you guys' responses, I didn't expect that! Thanks for the pictures, too, because I don't have any of me 'n my bike 'n my hat (see that "Dutch friend"..her bike's one of those "stately black affairs" these bicycles are proportioned so that ladies could, and can, ride them sitting straight, not bent over the steering ...er... ¿wheel? The sitting position, however, is such that it is nigh impossible to go uphill: see the position of that steering wheel, see how high it is?)

There's plenty of central heating nowadays, not to worry, in the Netherlands. The days of the wooden clogs are long over.

But I need to explain that "road management" over here is exemplary: there are bicycle paths almost everywhere, separate from the automobile traffic, with separate traffic lights et.al. All the traffic lights here have a sequence of (1) red stop (2) green turn left (3) green turn right and (4) green go forward. When your bike path light is "green", you need not worry about getting hit by a car etc. etc. and, when there's no separate bike path, the automobile drivers give cycles a wide berth. I guarantee you: in Belgium it is very, very different. In my (original) Brussels vicinity, almost no one (except macho mountain bikers) goes to work by cycle, and I wouldn't recommend it, because of the relative danger (and because it's much more hilly than Holland).

Thanks guys, greetings
Paul

 

[Cicero]

Very true Paul.
While the Netherlands is heaven on earth for cyclists, is Belgium a total disaster and a very dangerous place for cyclists.
And for god's sake don't forget a bycicle helmet when riding in Belgium!!!

I have two bikes at the moment.
A brand new roadbike, Cube Agree pro.
Also a vintage Gazelle "path racer" style bike with some work on it.