One Road- Ariann Mieka

Amsterdam, like many cities in Holland, is known for its bike riding culture. As I mentioned in an earlier post , people from all walks of life ride happily along the designated bike lanes that crisscross the city. From the time we arrived Verse was super keen to rent bikes and explore. Unfortunately, Amsterdam had gotten colder when we finally had time to bike ride but we couldn’t let the opportunity pass.  Bundling up, we went to the well-known Mac Bike rental company at Central station and started our adventure on our bright red (we are obviously tourists) bikes! Verse is a seasoned bike rider, while I… let’s say… am still marinating. While Verse whizzed ahead loving every moment, I shakily and timidly trailed behind trying to get accustomed to riding in the busy city. (As we rode out the Mac Bikes door, a tram nearly flattened me!) I had to look out for buses, trams, cars, pedestrians and other bike riders while trying to get the hang of my wobbly bike. After...

The people of Amsterdam love their bicycles! Bike lanes crisscross the city and huge bike garages offer good options for parking. There are also several bike rental companies from which to choose. Bikes are parked on almost every street and just like the canals they help to make up the unique landscape of the city. Everyday we marveled at the different types of bikes the locals rode and even more so at the variety of people from all walks of life who opt to ride rather than drive or use public transport. I mean, there were ladies dressed in their work clothes, happily riding along with a baby in a seat at the front of the bike and a toddler in the seat at the back. It came as no surprise when we stumbled upon a bike expo while walking around the city one day. De Fietsfabriek , one of the top bicycle factories that create handmade bikes, had some of their cool and interesting designs on display.  Do you guys like to ride? What would your unique bike design be? Here are a few of t...