I had a vision for my time at the Regina Coeli Language Institute (a.k.a Dutch Princess School), and that vision involved biking to and from school, in order to give myself a physical break after a long, mentally challenging day. I admit that almost an Eat Pray Love-style cliche, but I don’t care. I’ll own that’s it’s something almost exactly like this European fantasy.
I searched the Google maps nearby towns looking for a B&B, and mapped out my route using Google street view. It looked like the total commute time by bike would be 30 minutes, 45 tops. After my freakout about how it would work and my test drive in Delft, I found out that the Netherlands really makes biking easy, no matter where you are.
Video of my daily ride after the jump.
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Tags:bicycles·Netherlands·Regina Coeli Language Institute
When I decided to attend Dutch Princess School–an intensive language immersion at the famed Regina Coeli Institute–I chose to stay in an apartment in the town next door. Would I be able to actually bike between towns every day?
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Tags:bicycles·Delft·Holland
When I used to travel for a living, updating travel guidebooks, I would often think to myself: Why isn’t this making me happier? After all, for lots of people who don’t know better, being a travel writer is a dream job…in theory.
I realized that when you’re being paid to do something, it’s work. Period. It might not be anything as difficult as working in a coal mine, but it still is work. When I was in the Netherlands, rocketing from place to place, I would sit on the train, noticing the neat bicycle lanes that ran out across the flat fields into infinity. Where were people biking to on those paths?
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Tags:Amsterdam·Holland·Netherlands
I’ve already posted about how much I love the Dutch relationship to bicycling. I love Copenhagen Cycle Chic, and am trying to help bring Seattle Cycle Chic into being. But Dutch biking is simply beautiful.
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Tags:bicycles·Delft·Dutch·Holland
We’ve had an unseasonably gray and dour June in Seattle, which is why I’m in love with this photo series from Amsterdamize called “Love Is Bike.”
This one is a favorite, of two people catching a quick smooch, probably at a stop light:
I’m also fond of this photo, which shows a dad clearly gleeful about taking [...]
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Tags:Amsterdam·bicycles·happiness·love
Hooray for the weekend! I have big plans. They include a three-day getaway to the Oregon Coast (whose virtues we’ve already discussed) and not wasting two hours at Sex and the City (which Betty and I expressed doubt and concern about, just based on the trailer). I’ll be trip planning for my upcoming adventure at [...]
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Tags:Holland·national parks·Van Gogh
Yesterday was truly the first beautiful day of spring in Seattle. I dusted off my Dutch bike to ride into work, and loved how this dark purple tulip looked next to its Dutchie kin.
Readers of this blog know that I’m obsessed with the Dutch, and with Dutch biking in particular as the ultimate, elegant solution for [...]
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Tags:Amsterdam·bicycles·Copenhagen·Seattle
One of the most life-changing ideas that traveling taught me about was the beauty of a bike.
I love the idea of bringing Dutch-bike-love back to U.S. cities, but New York seems the most daunting place of all to contemplate biking through. (Although I also thought NYC would be the last place for a Siena-style pedestrian-friendly [...]
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Tags:bicycles·cultural exchange·New York City
After ignoring the internets all day, I came home to see not only was one of my favorite sites Copenhagen Cycle Chic now also on Twitter, but that this amazing artist, Genna Campton, had created the incredible illustration you see above as an homage to that site.
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Tags:bicycles·Copenhagen·cultural exchange·great design
I love this incredible video of Dutch cyclists. The men completely remind me of Paul’s grandfather, from one of my favorite movies.
Via Amsterdamized.
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Tags:Amsterdam·bicycles·Netherlands·retro
