Yesterday we went Saturday morning shopping. Which means going to cool little neighborhood shops - the baker, the butcher, a fish monger, the cheese shop, the wine shop, etc. We found a little chocolatier, and bought different flavors confectionary including cognac, ginger and marzipan, green tea. Tamara decided the overall experience was "Whole Paycheck times 11" (our pet name for Whole Foods is "Whole Paycheck," because that is what you give them when you visit) - the price, the quality of the food, the audacity of the excess. I think I'll like Holland.We then took our bikes and rode out to the Haagse Markt, a huge open-air market near HobbemanPlein that calls itself the biggest in Europe. It was packed with people of all backgrounds, African, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Indonesian, Southeast Asian. There are hundreds of food stalls. The Turkish pizza and fried Lekkerbek (Haddock) were to die for, and worth the visit on their own merits. You can buy produce, meat, and all manner of household goods and clothing here inexpensively. It's where real people shop, as opposed to the expat yuppies that we are. We loaded up on produce and then rode our bikes to the beach (Scheveningen).
You can sit outdoors on the beach in glass sided booths open to the ocean and order coffee, beer, and snacks. It's a popular Saturday afternoon outing here. Even though you are mostly shielded form the gale, the North Sea wind blows cold, so everyone bundles up in the jackets, hats, scarves and sunglasses and shivers through a round or two of drinks and apple-tart. To take your mind off the cold, you can watch the kite-boarders. The surf is filled with them. They pound monster waves while attached to surfboards and giant kites. The good boarders will launch themselves off a wave and careen 15 feet up into the air, blown along by the kite. It looks like a great sport, but hard to get life insurance. They must be clad in inches of neoprene to stand the ice-cold water.
Speaking of bikes, we found our dream bikes. I bought them second-hand from a great bike shop, one of the best used-bike shop in Den Haag called "Technica" in Scheveningen. (I know, because I visited many shops.) Technica's owner stands behind the bikes he sells with a two month guarantee, and completely refurbishes the used bikes - new tires, everything works like new, not very expensive. I surprised Tamara with her bike, and she looked like a little kid at Christmas, riding her cute self and bike around the parking lot with a big smile on her face. It's the Dutch bike she's always wished she could ride on the hilly streets of Seattle. My bike is the touring bike I've wanted ever since I saw a Dutch couple touring the US on this kind of bike. This touring bike is built for long-distance riding, and rides like a Cadillac. It's got fenders, 18 gears, and pannier racks front and back. (Jan, you should buy your next commuter bike here in Holland, it is worth the trip.)
6 comments:
Man, I've wanted one of those bikes for my whole life! Will there be extras when we come to visit? Tamara has the cooler bike, Erik. Her's is totally dutch, but I guess if you hadn't seen the things your whole life then you wouldn't know that. Looking good.
P.S. We need your address SOON. SO we can mail you an invitation to the wedding.
Groetjes
-Alex
We need to see pictures of the bikes. Both of them!
Oh, how a new bike, even used, can make you feel good !
You two seem to be getting into the thick of living there. Sounds fantastic.
Ah, I see both pictures now. They don't look used at all. I see you have two kinds of locks, a chain and a wheel lock?
Erik, your bar-ends are backwards - or else the bike is too long for you, or else you're getting old and you can't bend over to reach the handle bars. I won't tell anyone either way.
Jan, those bikes have integrated locks. The way they work is that the key is always in it and won't come out until they are locked. It is a fast and convenient way to lock your bike while out and about shopping.
The handlebar extenders are backwards so that I can sit in the classic Dutch upright position while riding. It is fun and makes me feel like a native. You ride slower that way, as most folks ride here - unlike the states, where we ride musch faster while commuting probably because the distances here are much shorter.
I can understand how much slower the Dutch ride in the inner city - I've seen the videos and considering how many people on bikes there are over there, there's no wonder you can't ride faster - there's no room!
I wonder what the average commute distance is for a Dutch worker. These days I'm commuting from my new rental in DC to Rockville - 27.6 miles (44.5 km) per day. (Since last August I've kept track of my miles on the bike at Velog.com )This is atypical even in the US - but I wonder what the comparison is to the Netherlands. I figure the big difference is in the Netherlands people make the use of the bicycle an integral part of their day, for all activities, not just commuting.
In addition, I think I'm envious of the Dutch cycling/transportation infrastructure system allowing cyclists to feel safe enough on the roads/paths to avoid having to wear a helmet. Cyclists just don't have a presence here - cars still dominate the transportation culture, and hence cyclist safety is less on drivers' minds.
I hope you continue to report on "life on the bike" from over there. Very interesting to hear. Cheers.
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