I AMsterdam..part 2……

Does “flat” = “zero fat”??????........…..as you know Holland is incredibly flat and so the cities are a cyclists heaven….not only the terrain, but thoughtfully, the city fathers have designed the cities for ease of transportation i.e. bicycling. The roads have tramtracks down the middle, a space for cars (not that many), then a space for cyclists (heaps) and then a footpath. There are huge parking buildings – just for commuter’s bikes. It’s great …….even our Sera (who is living in a village outside Leiden….mentioned a few weeks ago “when I get my bike”!!!!). The bikes are brilliant, not the scary racing sort where you have to hunch over handlebars with millions of gears to change and multiple brakes and stuff. Lovely big comfy bikes where you sit upright and a brake you work with the pedals – front wards for moving forward, backwards to stop – what could be simpler? – I’d love to ride one. We opted not to because it’s all driving on the other side and we were even hopeless walking, looking the wrong way and stepping out (in front of bikes usually). While all the bikes are the same style essentially, some have wheelbarrow things in front to put the family and shopping in, some have baby seats and child seats, some even have a little bike in front where the child can ride and pedal and hold onto handlebars, but steered by the parent behind. We saw multiple decorations and colours, but all the same big comfy shape. We saw cool dudes, geeky dudes, grannies, kids, girls in their high heels and office clothes, men in their work suits, workmen in their overalls; everybody you could imagine rides a bike!!! We saw one overweight person in 3 days in Amsterdam (probably a visitor from Hawkes Bay!)………. we are talking about a country of people that have copious amounts of bread, cakes, cheese, ham and hard boiled eggs – and that’s just for breakfast!!! I wonder if the city fathers in their thoughtfulness were aware of the health benefits of what they were doing…….mmmm! Didn’t see a single gym, but then why would you???
Amsterdam to be continued………