Bicycles Forever
October 26, 2026
Bicycles were at the heart of this vacation. There is not better or safer place to explore on a bicycle than in The Netherlands and I wanted to see if it was everything it was cracked up to be. It absolutely was! I love travelling by bike. And it turns out that I love travelling by bike to run errands, to explore new places, and to get some exercise. Basically anything that involves getting from A to B on a bike is amazing. In a car, I’m sitting perfectly still for the duration of the trip. That sounds like it would be relaxing. On a bicycle, I am moving and working the entire time. Even with all of that effort and physical exertion, it’s so much more relaxing and enjoyable than riding in a car. I’m sure if I had to hop on a bike for absolutely everything in all kinds of weather it would lose some of it’s charm. If I ever get the opportunity to live in a bicycle centric haven like The Netherlands and feel my love of cycling waver, I’ll just have to remember what it’s like to live in a car centric place and within ten seconds my love will be renewed.
It doesn’t take long for bicycles to blend into the background when there are so many of them absolutely everywhere. I took this photo to show the wonky buildings and the tippy windows. I didn’t even notice the bikes until I went looking through my photos specifically for bikes.
Red will always be my favourite colour of bicycle. Always.
Utrecht is the Bicycle Capital of the World, at least for 2025. This would be an incredible number of bikes even if this was the only bicycle parking in the city but all you have to do is turn the corner and it looks just like this. Bikes everywhere!
This photo was taken long before cycling became the focus of transportation in the city but even back then they were innovators. Do you spot the bicycle hearses in the back? I wonder if there is a modern version.
This was a marketing prop (and maybe their mode of transportation) for Chris Vos Original Shoes. The only reason I didn’t come home with a pair of gorgeous shoes is that they only make shoes for men. I’m not against wearing men’s shoes but I need some sort of excuse to keep that kind of money in my pocket.
Another photo I took simply for the light and didn’t notice the bicycles until I was specifically looking for photos of bicycles.
More Utrecht bicycle parking. Now think of how much space would have been needed if these were all cars.
I LOVE riding a bike. Maybe not this hunk of junk rental compared to my own bike, but still.
Biking is even better when you go with a biking fanatic. He’s the best! I would follow him anywhere on a bike (that my legs are physically capable of taking me). I guess that means not many places besides the flat land of The Netherlands. Saskatchewan maybe?
This was the first day we rented bikes. We rode 60kms from Bruges out to the sea and back. My legs were glad it was flat and my bum was glad when it was over. I’m not complaining. It was one of the best things we did on our vacation.