Playing Local for a Day

I was totally unaware of this until I visited the city, but Amsterdam loves to bike. I mean, they really love to bike. Everywhere you turn, there are bikes, bike racks or bike signs. It's everywhere. You don't believe me? Well, facts don't lie, and here's Amsterdam's Fun Fact #2: Amsterdam has roughly 800,000 residents, but more than 1,000,000 bikes.

Continuing with my ongoing goal of immersing myself in another country's culture, I figured there would be no better way to do so than by renting a bike during my weeklong stay in Amsterdam. I like walking around cities (mainly so I can stop at many of the countless bakeries and breadshops along the way), so I only rented a bike for a 24 hour stretch. For the cost of 8 euro, I was able to feel like a Dutchman, avoid long walks to and from the city center and actually not mind getting lost. There were periods of time where I didn't really know where I was going until I biked upon a sign for a museum or a sight I had wanted to visit.



Biking in Amsterdam is more convenient than biking anywhere else I have ever been. Most of the streets have bike paths - designated by burgundy pathches - located between the driving lanes and walking paths. I looked to stay on these particular streets whenver possible because I HATED biking on streets without bike paths. Instead of sharing a lane with the pedestrians, I had to share one with all the cars traveling in the same direction. This continued to freak the hell out of me and often resulted in me swerving uncontrollably back and forth. I would try to hug the righthand shoulder of the lane as much as possible, which would lead to me getting uncomfortably close, which would lead me to try to go back left. This process sucked for me.

There was one time in particular when this process almost proved disastorous.

I was riding back home from the Red Light District when I turned on a dark, narrow road which I figured would be exempt from cars. Nope. Not exempt. Unable to turn off of the street for a few blocks, I had to manage to avoid car after car at all expenses. Then along came a BMW. I'm not sure what the model was, but it was a good size, so I'm guessing it was a 7-series (impressed, Brandon?). Looking back, the car was barely narrow enough for this street and my presence certainly did not help the situation. I was hugging the line as the car approached, and then swerved just a tad.

And we collided.

I never came into contact with the car, but my bike handle connected with what I think was his sideview mirror. I hopped off my bike and walked up to the now parked car. He rolled down the window, and with some apprehension in his voice, asked if I was okay. I was. Being the idiot that I am, I countered with, "Are you okay?" Shockingly, his body remained unscathed while seated on his leather upholstery. He asked if there was any damage to the car, and because it was dark, the most I could do was feel along the passenger side door for scratched paint. Luckily, there was nothing. I explained to him my theory of his mirror and my handle, and he seemed satisfied.

Before he changed his mind, I thanked him and ran back to my bike.