This is the last of four "catchup" emails sent by Luisa:
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007
Subject: fietsen=bicycles...and we got 'em!
Hallo!
Its been a little while--sorry
This past week we finally got bikes, ie, at last we're living the full dutch experience! A girl from my softball team told us about a guy named mario, who sells second hand bikes from his garage, very cheap price, 25EU each...the operation is slightly questionable, but the price is very right for the amount of time we are here.
So bikes here are a culture all on their own. EVERYONE rides their bikes everywhere. the country is set up for bikes: bike lanes on every road, traffic lights specific for cyclists, bike stands on every corner to lock them up (80,000 bikes are stolen a year in Holland...hmmm, enter Mario?!?!), incredible paved trail systems for recreational biking...its great. and no one wears helmets--cyclists pretty much always have the right of way, and drivers know it so i'm guessing bike/car collisions are rare. People's bikes are like our cars...while they are biking home from work, they chat on a cell phone, smoke a cigarette, chomp a sandwich, hold hands with their boyfriend/girlfriend on a bike beside them, give their buddy a lift to wherever...we even saw a 75 year old woman strap a mini washing machine to the back of her bike and take it home! Its not uncommon to see a business man with his briefcase in tow, or a woman in a skirt and heels...its funny!
I have seen an adult bike that can hold up to 3 kids on it...the youngest in the front with a face shield, a seat on the very back and then a plastic platform right behind the parent. I didnt get a picture of it, but enjoy the 3 seater shot--although it is a little hard to make out with all the other bikes! (new, this type of bike, only 3 gears is about 1200EU--$1800!!!).
This past weekend was a big Cricket match...South Africa vs Australia. So Saturday we stayed in Breda to watch it--yes, i now know more about cricket than i ever imagined i would .
Sunday we drove up north to a picturesque town called Haarlem (see pictures of mark). It is said that it was here the printing was actually invented, 16 yrs before Gutenburg. We then drove to Hilversum to visit Mark's Opa. (I think she means Blaricum - Terry)
We went on a hike in the woods nearby then went for supper at a Pannakeuken house (pancakes!) in Lage Vuursche, where the current queen, Beatrix, lived in the Drakenstein Castle before ascending to the throne. very quaint!Mark got home last night--he was in Budapest, Hungary with work for the past 2 days. He did get some sightseeing in and a couple of meals and beers on the company card.
We are going to Luxembourg for the weekend to see some castles and sample some wine :)
Hope everyone is well! Give us updates!
Dag!
Luisa & Mark (in spirit as he is at work!)
