I Like to Ride my Bicycle, Bicycle.doc

Well, it's official: I've joined the large population of Amsterdam cyclists maneuvering through the streets of the historic city on their way to work, school, and play. Just call me Lance Armstrong.

Not quite. It was a lengthy process to obtain the bike (locating the friends of my Canadian friend for keys and having the RAs find the bike in permanent storage) but it was well worth the perserverence. Biking isn't just a mode of transport in the city, it's a way of life. There are bike lanes on every street, separate lights for cyclists at every intersection, a bike service wherever you turn, and a constant hum of pleasant sounding bells used to push wandering tourists out of our lanes. That's right, I'm now "one of them" and not just a mere pedestrian. Being a pedestrian is just so...pedestrian.

The transition to being a member of the biking community wasn't without its "speedbumps." The bikes here in Amsterdam are much different than the ones you see back home. The design that rules the streets is a high-seat, one gear bike a la the one the Wicked Witch of the West rode off on. It has neither handlebar brake nor a sporty look. Instead, you must peddle backwards to brake and the design is one of sophistication. My first official ride was to my morning class on Tuesday. That was my first mistake; It was 8:30am and the absolute peak time of bike traffic. It was like learning how to swim during an Olympic freestyle race - the cyclists are veterans and need to get to work just as fast as the other guy. The bike was hard to maneuver into the bike traffic lane just due to the fact that it's a lot bigger than I'm use to, and takes more starting friction than the bikes back home. I was able to get into the lane from outside of my apartment, but was visibly slowing traffic down with my slow start. Picture a lanky Steve Martin in a pea coat trying to battle a bike the size of him into a lane of full traffic. That's a pretty decent picture.

Once I got my legs under me, I embraced the liberation that came with breezing by my former pedestrian cohorts, I smiled at other cyclists denoting some sort of solidarity on the paths, and I relished the wind in my hair and the sun on my forehead. The bike to school went extremely well. Since then I've rode the bike a half dozen of times - now I'm able to add sunglasses and an ipod to the cyclist aesthetic. I'm still getting use to the ettiqute of my new transport class and the feel of my own bike, but I'm looking forward to the time it will save getting from point A to B. We've already made plans for a North-Holland bike trip once the tulips start to blossom and I'm thinking it will be a good way to get some exercise if I just want to get out of the house for a bit. It's going to change my whole Amsterdam experience.

Yesterday, after our six hours of class, the group went out for a few pints to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. You might expect that St. Patty's would be a big day to celebrate in Amsterdam (since most hip spots embrace the day as another excuse to drink) but you'd be wrong. There was a splash of green here or there, but all in all I didn't see much celebration. My theory is that the Dutch are proud enough of their heritage to have to appropriate another culture's holiday, but more importantly, the country is saving the celebrations for Queen's Day at the end of April. It's the biggest party of the year in the Netherlands and it just so happens to take place while I'm here (score). Something to look forward to. I caught up with Tory again and we continued talking about the good times - the group of students here really like her and Zoey.

Today, I biked all the way to Central Station and then to the Amsterdam Public Library for school research. I spent a good four hours this morning trying to formulate thoughts for the dissertation proposal that will be submitted on May 1. The To-Do List I set myself for the past four days how has more things crossed off than needing attention so I'm feeling good. I leave tomorrow evening at 11:30pm for Berlin with Courtney where hopefully I'll be able to sleep the whole way. Here is an idea of my schedule:

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Berlin
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning in Prague
I return back home on Friday morning at 7:00am where I will greet Emily and Raffi who are in town for two full nights. Amazing.
What an amazing Reading Week break ahead!

I will, of course, take loads of photos and will try my best to provide updates on the road. Wishing you all the best back home and I'll be in touch after I return from the trip.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: When was the last time you were on a bike? Maybe it's time to embrace the great weather and go for a ride. I'll try to take a bike photo shoot to inspire y'all to join the team.