Ride like you have somewhere to go

Posted by Beth. We're in Haarlem now which is a beautiful town just outside of Amsterdam. Everyone commutes on bikes in Holland. It's crazy. People in suits and heels going to work, parents transporting kids to school and back, grocery shopping and more. They mean business.

It's not casual tour around town biking. They've got someplace to go. That doesn't mean they are in a hurry. Quite the opposite. No one is speeding along trying to pass other people (except passing us because we are super slow! "Ride like you have somewhere to go" said Griffin to Elizabeth).

They all ride pedal bikes or three speed fat tire bikes with milk crates for baskets. Some parents have wooden wheelbarrow shaped carriers between the handlebars and the front wheel for carting toddlers (sometimes up to three kids). Often parents will have multiple children on their bike. Yesterday we saw a woman with an infant strapped on her chest (I swear she was nursing) and a toddler on her back. Nary a helmet in sight.

We all love the biking culture here. Bike lanes are everywhere so no one has to compete with cars. Bicyclists even have their own traffic lights. Because everyone bikes it's not contentious between cars and bicyclists. Did I mention it's completely flat here? We could ride all day and not break a sweat.