I’ve been using ‘alternative transportation’ again.
My bike in the US is referred to as a cruiser or Dutch-style bike. It is big and heavy and has 7 gears. It’s also my favorite shade of green.
I love this bike.
Mijn fiets (‘my bike’ in Dutch) was borrowed from the family I was housesitting for and was big and heavy with cruiser brakes and had no gears. And it was *Chandler Bing voice* perfection.
Getting around in The Netherlands is very easy. The country is famous for its non-car travel options. While I was there, I travelled by foot, bike, tram, and train. Other people also used scooters (big and small) and boats.
I’m not a fan of cars and I’ve been so happy to be able to move about car-free these past few months. I spent nearly 8 years in Chicago and only drove a handful of times in those years (to visit my parents in North Carolina for Christmas). I moved “temporarily” to live with them in August of 2020 to save money since I couldn’t see anyone in the city and it was a drain on my finances. The first year I borrowed a car once or twice a week for grocery store trips and day hikes. Shortly before I left on my European adventure, they gave me a car to use so I drove a bit more frequently, branching out to farther hikes and grocery stores. (I like what I like and what I like is food and walking outdoors.) I didn’t enjoy it but driving is inevitable where they live. It sucks. I don’t want to be where I can’t walk or take a bus or train or subway or bike. I don’t want to try to remember where I left the car. I don’t want to add to air pollution. I don’t want it.
I’ve been happy to travel mostly by foot and train these past few months, but I was missing that feeling of soaring that you get on a bike. Plus, in the summer the breeze it is glorious.
Being given the gift of a bike to use in a bike-friendly place was just the kind of magic I had been hoping for.
I felt I was having a very stylish moment. Plus there were lots of people around and I was a bit self-conscious.
I spent over a week in The Hague.
Now, Den Haag (The Hague) might not be your first thought of places to travel to in The Netherlands, but if you want to experience the country without all the pressure of navigating around tourists, I’d recommend it. It’s got canals and bridges and cobblestone streets. It has a palace and museums and monuments. There are parks and even beaches. And during the summer, these are my favorite places to be.
Plus, it’s an easy train ride away from Brussels, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
I got to spend 9 days housesitting and trying to talk to a dog in English, Dutch and French (the family’s main home language). But I also got to explore The Hague by bike. And find out that you can’t use Visa debit cards or any credit cards I have in most (possibly all) grocery stores there.
I also got to learn more Dutch and each day I got more comfortable (mostly reading) the language.
Visiting The Netherlands ended up being a joyful learning experience for me. Yes, I struggled with language and finances, but I also got the opportunity to learn (often at my own pace). Suddenly being immersed in a culture you know very little about can be a shock. It can also show you how buoyant you can be. You can cry over your lack of Mastercard and then you can get €50 from an ATM and buy your delicious Dutch cheeses and know you’ll share this experience on the internet to maybe help one other person be more prepared.
And then you’ll ride your borrowed bike to a park and enjoy the summer breezes knowing you’ve taken chances and life is pretty good.
Follow along if you like and remember — Even tiny adventures matter.