Bicycles

I bought a bicycle today. Before coming here I was pretty insistent that I would not buy a bike, mainly because I imagined Amsterdam to be covered with snow and ice during this time. While I used to ride a bike for fun as a kid, as an adult I just assumed I'd wipe out while turning a corner. And then get hit by a car.

Anyhow, upon arriving in Amsterdam, I realized that there really aren't that many cars in the city at all. What would freak me out about biking in New York is the fact that I'd be cycling alongside many cars, but here there are special bike lanes, so there's less of a concern that I'd be run over if I happened to fall. So, we went to a second hand bike store. I was told to get a children's bike, since I'm short--it turns out that is very true. It was very difficult to find a bike that fit me. Most of the bikes here do not have hand brakes (at least the ones that I saw), and using a foot brake on a bike that is so tall that my feet don't touch the ground is just a recipe for disaster, since I'd have to work on braking while moving fast enough to catch myself before my bike tips over. I ended up buying a bike that uses a hand brake, although it seems to have trouble going uphill--luckily Amsterdam is mostly flat, except for some bridges.

Bike theft is a big problem here. Apparently it's very common for bikes to be stolen, and then resold on the street for 10-15 euros. We had considered buying a bike from a "junkie," as they are called, but we didn't want to support that system. I actually find that Amsterdam is even prettier on a bike, because you can sort of sit back and watch the scenery as you glide along. I did almost hit a car today while doing that, so I suppose I should ride more carefully instead of staring at my surroundings.