luxemblog: Holland BIKES holland BIKES holland

This past weekend was our first "we-live-in-luxembourg-so-let's-take-a-trip-someplace" experience. And it was fantastic! We decided to check out this interesting art museum in the Netherlands that has an extensive Van Gogh collection, and it's in the middle of a national park. We couldn't find a hotel near the park so we reserved a room at a place in Utrecht.

I swear, as soon as we crossed the border into the Netherlands there were bike paths and bikers EVERYWHERE. it was unbelievable. i heard that people ride bikes a lot in the Netherlands but i really didn't know the extent of it. it seemed to make so much sense, with the country being so densely populated, and the terrain being so FLAT FLAT FLAT.

All ages, sizes, shapes of people rode bikes. It seemed like there were as many bikes as their were people. definitely more bikes than cars. it was so cool. i loved it. entire families would bike together, grandpa and grandma, mom with one kid, dad with another, and then another child would be biking on their own, with dad holding the cross bar to guide them along. My favorite thing was seeing older couples biking together, holding hands. I tried to get a photo but they usually rode too fast!

Utrecht was a really really pretty city. Very college-oriented with lots of young hipsters, professorial types, and young families. cool cafes, shops, restaurants were plentiful. our hotel was very pretty, on a small, quiet side street with a big garden in the back. the bldgs were gorgeous, with lots of flowers (now past their prime) and lush greenery, and rows and rows and rows of bikes. Canals were throughout adn though the water looked dirty, they were still beautiful. overall the city was kind of dirty but it felt really safe. women rode their bikes, and ran in the parks by themselves at night.

A canal near the main plaza, surrounded by bikes.