Worldly Chatter

I was chatting it up with Dutchie after I received my bike on some of the things one can find in, let us say, Amsterdam for tourists. What could I recommend to those who are interested in vacationing it in Amsterdam? Well for one, stop at the one of many tourist booths throughout the city and two is get a bike or a strippenkaart. You could easily find a bike rental place; you can even make reservations for bike rentals on line much like a hotel, car or flight. A strippenkaart is a strip with slots on it for stamps. When taking a bus or tram in any city in Holland you bring this card and either have the bus driver stamp it or punch it on a machine available on the bus. Each destination can cost you one, two or three slots to get you on your destination. What I find easy is this: if you are not sure of how many slots, have the driver stamp it for you. This and a bicycle is much easier driving in Amsterdam, or any city in Holland for that matter. Being an old country the city and residential areas were designed with bikes and feet in mind. In some of the much older cities such as Utrecht or Amsterdam, car traffic is bumper to bumper because the streets are so narrow. Newer cities such as Almere, only 30 years old, or Rotterdam, rebuilt after the Second World War, the streets are a bit wider but also one has to keep in mind another thing narrowing the already small roads: cyclists and pedestrians. There are bike paths and pedestrian paths on either side of the road, in most cases, so most of roads are one way. Its one-way country!

France, Belgium, the Netherlands or even Germany are older countries with cities developed in the age of horse and buggy, the first bicycles and when the automobile was a rich mans toy. Their buildings were closer together and the roads were narrower making it easier for more buildings and whatever else was needed to make a city flourish. Walking around Amsterdam or Utrecht I can tell you how narrow some side streets and main roads are! I can recall one side street where it would be too small for three people to walk side by side through it! These very same countries use cycling as a major mode of transportation to school, work and leisure. At any bike shop or tourist location, you can find a map of the city or country and a person there to give you the run down on how the bike roads work. They can get you back and forth in the city or recommend a great trail to take to get to know the countryside a bit better.

In my first week of getting to and from work, I have learned a lot about one-way streets, road signs, street signs and traffic lights. While riding in traffic, yielding and stopping I remember these things! One is there are ground markings, street signs and traffic lights; street signs trump ground markings and traffic lights trump street signs. The other is this; the bike is bigger than the pedestrian is and the car is bigger than the bicycle! It keeps me alive and traffic flowing! Now really I have to remember when I have to yield and when I have right away; I have to remember where my wheels can go and when I am off limits. I love that Holland is known for having the most traffic signs in all of Europe! It helps me to remember all this with little trouble!

So, if you are curious I have some links to guild you along your way. Some are for European travel and others are strictly the Netherlands. Check them out and plan your trip! Come see Germany, Holland and Belgium on two wheels. Travel like the French do and see the country of your favorite places!
First we have a site to show road signs in Europe. I know, common, but not all American cities have some of these.
European based cycling and backpacking Here and Here!
Here is a good article on Holland cycling on an idependent travel website and something Dutchie found of interest on Wiki here!
And finally, the kiddie exam I took before I headed on open road! (in Dutch)

backpacking in Europe, Cycling in Holland, Cycling in Europe, Netherlands, Worldly Chatter, bike tours, bike rentals