Bicycle No. 14: Sunday February 18, 2007

Twins: twice the work, the expense, and probably twice the number of stretchmarks. On the other hand, you get to cycle round with one of these specialist jobbies. It's just as well there aren't any hills in Amsterdam, as these things look heavy. You occasionally see them or the bakfietsen stuck at the bottom of a particularly steep bridge, the poor mother desperately trying to gain enough power to get up and over -- while the children are screaming in the front, oozing jam, and beating each other up. A recent newspaper article claimed that Dutch children are the happiest in the world, largely because of the child-centered nature of Dutch parenting. And they're probably right. After all, if you saw your mother sweating buckets "driving" you to nursery or to see Zwaarte Piet while you sat back like a little king in your carriage, wouldn't you feel loved?

Bicycle No. 13: Thursday February 8, 2007

Unlucky 13: well, unlucky for these two bikes, lying entwined on the plaza outside Amsterdam's WTC today. Their snowy embrace looks so ... intimate; I almost felt embarrassed at taking a picture. However, a Dutch woman was also amused by their display and took her camera out, too. I wonder if she has a blog called "Twee-en-vijftig fietsen"?

Bicycle No. 12: Sunday January 28, 2007

Despite the sub-zero temperatures, there are still a few hardy cyclists over here, attempting to cross the Charles River using pedal power (via the bridges, obviously). This lovely pink racer was chained up outside the Miracle of Science on Mass Ave in Cambridge, next to this "smoker's outpost" -- the designated spot for the nicotine-addicted and exiled over here. I can't wait to see similar posts springing up across the UK later this year.

Bicycle No. 11: Wednesday January 24, 2007

Finally! I've been so busy house-hunting that I haven't had time to take pictures of bikes. But the snow this morning prompted me to keep an eye out for something en route from Clive's pad to the bus stop, and I was rewarded with this. Not just snow on a bike, but the typical way of storing bikes in London -- chained to a fence and with the front wheel removed, just in case. What a relief!

Bicycle No. 10: Sunday January 14, 2007

It's been too windy to take pictures of bikes recently, but I snapped this one on the Brouwersgracht just before Christmas and thought it would do. I love the shape -- all curvy lines and almost chopper-like handleb ars. The crossbar isn't too high and looks like it would be manageable for a woman (or man) in a skirt. (For the record, I don't understand why bikes have crossbars now -- can anyone explain?) When we move back to the UK, I'll want a new bike for cycling around wherever we end up, and something that looks like this -- maybe in pink or green -- would suit me just fine. But with gears and brakes.

Bicycle No. 9: New Year's Day, 2007

The aftermath of last night's fireworks, encountered on the way back from the bottle bank -- where we deposited the aftermath of our alcoholic fireworks, including an (empty) magnum of champagne. The rains and high winds of New Year's Eve have given way to a beautiful, chilly day, just right for taking pictures of bikes and rocket launchers.

Bicycle No. 8: Saturday December 29, 2006

This is off-street parking, Amsterdam style. Our apartment building only has racks for the bikes from the front-of-building flats, including ours, but as you need at least two racks per apartment, it can get very crowded. I must confess that I have binned one bike (belonging to someone in an apartment that is now vacant). Actually, I didn't bin it -- I locked it up outside but somebody made off with it, despite the flat tyres and generally crappy appearance. Even off-street parking isn't safe in this town: Somebody made off with one of my bikes from these very racks. Bastards.