It’s not only China that’s going bike crazy, Amsterdam is following the craze with bike rentals by the thousands. If you’re heading the windmill country you may want to consider breezing through the many wonders this city has to offer by riding one of them bicycles.
CNN travel correspondent Rick Steves has written a good piece on CNN.com today. Funny how he writes that even while riding a bicycle he would get flirted to by “business women” in red draped curtain windows. That’s a great snapshot to take, but for privacy purposes, we won’t post it here ok?
Much of my Amsterdam experience is framed by my black bike handlebars — shiny wet cobblestones, powering up a bridge to coast down the other side, hearing bells from passing bikes and pinging my bell to pass others. I wish I had better peripheral vision as cars, trams, bikes and pedestrians seem to float by from all directions in silence — their sounds lost in the white noise of this uniquely lively city.
I think there is added mystique added to your travel experience when you feel the culture through and through. You can’t bring a taxi or a rental car to every nook and corner of Amsterdam. But with your trusty two-wheeler, you get to the good stuff Amsterdam is known for.
You gotta learn a few Dutch sentences though… like “where’s the nearest toilet” or “get out of the way” or “please call an ambulance, arrrghgghhggh!!!!”