Tag Archives: bikes
How to Get a Bike in the Netherlands Posted by Sten on Jul 27, 2020
So you’re moving to the Netherlands and you need to get around. Unlike the United States, the essential mode of transport is not a car, but a fiets (bike)! Their love for fietsen (to bike) is one of the most famous cultural distinctions of the Dutch. But how do you get one? Do you buy a nieuwe fiets (new bike)? Tweedehands (second-hand)? Or…
Who is Mark Rutte? Posted by Karoly Molina on Jun 8, 2018
There has been a video going around about Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, cleaning up after spilling some coffee while entering a building. After the video went viral, The Washington Post has named him a symbol of etiquette while other news sources have called the bluff on his publicity stunt. Regardless of the reasons…
What is a Fietssnelweg? Posted by Sten on Nov 28, 2017
That the Dutch love their bikes is no news. The country is full of bikes – but also bike lanes. The video below nicely shows how the Dutch got the network of bike lanes that they have now. The Dutch continuously strive to make the system faster, more efficient and easier to use, so that…
Book Review: In the City of Bikes by Jordan Posted by Karoly Molina on Sep 29, 2016
There is a section at the gift shop of the Rijksmuseum that has books about the Netherlands in different languages (mostly English and French). Every time I am in the neighborhood, I check the selection and purchase one or two books. On one of those trips, I purchased In the City of Bikes: The Story of the…
How to Ride a Bike in the Netherlands Posted by Karoly Molina on Dec 3, 2015
The Netherlands and the Dutch are usually tied to three very iconic images: tulips, windmills and bikes. These three icons are tightly woven to the image of the Netherlands and it isn’t a mere stereotype. Bikes are one of these three icons that stand out because it is something essential to Dutch life. A visitor…
A new sport: Tegenwindfietsen! Posted by Sten on Dec 12, 2014
We kriehen sturm! That the Dutch are crazy, you probably already know. However, that they invent a totally insane new sport from one day to another might still surprise you. Last year for the first time, and yesterday for the second time, the Dutch NK Tegenwindfietsen (Dutch Championship of cycling against the wind) was held…
The Fietsenmarkt Posted by Sten on Sep 12, 2014
Fietsen (bikes). Yes, another post about bikes. Fietsen are after cheese, weed and tulips the main stereotype commodity of the Netherlands. There are SO many here! There is even a rumor that the country counts more fietsen than inwoners (inhabitants). Eng (scary)! When I was walking through Amsterdam last week, I saw hundreds of fietsen. Locked in front of stores, to bridges, to…