Bicycles

I just got back from doing errands, on my bike, in the rain, and I thought it would be a fitting time to write about bikes.  All of the following statements are things I have seen or experienced while here in Barneveld.  I wanted to wait until I got a picture of each situation, but for the sake of time, I'm going to resort to google images for a few.


- Bikes come with locks on them.  When you lock your bike, it basically locks the rear brakes, so that it can't be ridden.  Before you start, you put your key in the "ignition", which unlocks the brake, and you ride with your keys in the bike lock.

-  Bikes are ridden by people of all ages.  I have seen two or three grey-haired people with walkers, and dozens riding bikes.

-  It's raining?  No problem!  You're welcome to borrow my umbrella!  (Picture from Google Images, but it looks just like it does here.)

-  A young child, just learning to bike is taught to brake by riding beside mom or dad, with mom or dad's hand on his shoulder, through town.    (picture from Google Images)

-  No need for helmets.  This means you can do your hair in the morning, and still ride your bike.  (The two pictures below are my pictures, from here in Barneveld, on a school morning.)

-  Kids have "Traffic" courses in school when they are about 10 yrs. old.  They also have a bike exam that they must pass (in school).  Since there are hardly any stop signs, it's important to know who has the right-of-way.

-  You meet up with your friends in town, and you want to "hitch a ride" with them?  No problem, just hop on the back of their bike!  It's just like the back seat of a car here, except better, because you get the wind blowing in your face, and it's a little more adventurous.

As I was searching for pictures, I found this website,  Bicycles in Amsterdam  which is almost exactly what I've been noticing, except I haven't noticed any of the big bike locks.

Bikes around here are worth a lot.  Since everything is so close, and the streets are not grid-like, in many cases it's actually faster to bike somewhere than to drive a car.  Take into account the numerous bike paths, plus the limited parking, plus the unlimited driving age... bikes are very valuable, regardless of how new they are, or how much monetary value they have.  If it gets you there faster than your feet would, then it's worth a lot!

-  One of the two bike-parking areas at one of the two train stations in Barneveld.  It almost always looks like this.  I think this is why people have brightly-coloured bikes.

Martin and I were given bikes as a wedding gift, and this has been most helpful!  Thank you!!  We went for a long bike-ride on Sunday afternoon, just for fun, and so far, I have done errands every day, on my bike :)  If you look closely, you can see my keys in the ignition :)

My detachable basket :)