There and Back Again

Total number of kilometers: 1268

The past few days have been a dizzying whirlwind of cities. By the time I had pedaled halfway across Belgium last Friday, it was quite clear that I no longer had enough time to bike the full distance to Amsterdam before my return flight departed for Seattle. I opted to switch my method of travel to train for a few days, which afforded me just barely enough breathing room for rushed visits through a handful of major cities, including Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam.

Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam are all part of a formidably sized conurbation known as the Randstad, with a population of more than seven million individuals. Here, city borders grow into one another to create one giant, well-connected urban area. Despite this gradual merging, each city maintains its own separate identity: Rotterdam is a powerful, industrious town that boasted the world's busiest port for the latter half of the 20th century, until it was overtaken by Shangai in 2004. During World War II, almost 40,000 homes and buildings in Rotterdam's historic downtown were completely leveled in the space of fifteen minutes during the German invasion of the Netherlands. A somber and striking monument demarcates the fire boundary around the city, inside of which everything was destroyed. The Hague is home to the country's government, parliament, and supreme court, even though Amsterdam is constitutionally defined as the capital. Amsterdam, of course, is one of Europe's most cosmopolitan destinations, and for a time, was the world's leading economic power and artistic center.

Rotterdam's Fire Boundary, lit up by searchlights
for an anniversary of the bombing.

One of my favorite science fiction series takes place partly in the gritty streets of future Rotterdam (internet challenge: which series?), and it was really fun to soak in the atmosphere of the streets and shipping canals, and easy to imagine the characters scrapping through their misfortunes in front of my eyes. My visit to Rotterdam happened to coincide with a number of festivals, including the annual Wereldhavendagen, which celebrates the city's port industry and history with a tremendous showing of boats, fireworks, and waterfront activity. By the good graces and social connections of my host, a young man named Daan, I ended up at De Nacht van de Kaap, another annual celebration that fused the Dutch genre of Levenslied music with old-timey sailors, sea shanties, burlesque, and excessive costumery. We stayed until 3:30am, shantying and singing at the top of our lungs with a crowd of people, accompanying a little band on an impromptu stage cranking out an odd mix of sentimental American standards like Queen and the Everly Brothers, and a bunch of European stuff I'd never heard.

I woke up the next morning with a sore and raspy throat and stuffed up sinuses. I crossed my fingers, drank some ginger tea, and hoped that it was simply a consequence of too much singing and too much exposure to cigarette smoke. I set off on my bike for The Hague, and was immediately met with a monstrous rain shower. It passed quickly enough, but by the time I got to The Hague, soaking and sniffly, it was clear that I was just plain sick. I took some refuge indoors by exploring the M.C. Escher museum, one of my favorite artists and childhood heroes. After an inspiring and moving couple of hours in the museum, another cup of tea, and a plate of fresh poffertjes, I was feeling a bit better. I paid a quick visit downtown before continuing on to Amsterdam.

The Hague's scenic downtown.

The countryside between The Hague and Amsterdam was as Dutch as it gets: ancient windmills surrounded by resplendent fields of tulips stretched in every direction. I missed the height of the tulip season, of course, but there were still a surprising number of flowers in bloom.

Holland's tulip fields in full spring splendor.

My excitement for Amsterdam was comprised of many facets: it marked the final destination on my month-long trip; most everybody I'd met over the last month would wax poetic about how much I would love Amsterdam whenever they heard that's where I was headed; and of course, to finally see a city where the bicycle reigns as king.

In the States, however just or unjust this reputation may be, Amsterdam is synonymous with three things first and foremost: legal marijuana, legal prostitution, and bicycles. Regarding the first, I live in Washington, one of the few states in the country where pot is already legal; it's also been more than a decade since I've smoked anything, or had any interest. Regarding the second, well, let's just suffice it to say that some tourist attractions are better left unexplored. But the bicycles! Oh, the bicycles. Amsterdam is consistently recognized as the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. (For some perspective, not a single city in the US even places in the top twenty.) There are more bikes than there are people, and bikes outnumber cars 4 to 1. The network of bicycle lanes through the city are as well-developed as the road network for automobiles. At the central train station downtown, there is a 3-story ferry parked permanently outside whose sole purpose is to provide additional parking space for bikes. What a joy to ride around a city where a cyclist is in the majority for a change.

Bicycle parking outside of Amsterdam's Central train station.

Of course, Amsterdam is famous for many other things as well. The complex network of canals that permeate the city are nothing short of an engineering marvel. There are countless museums, many of which are grouped together in the Museumplein, including the Van Gogh Museum, and the world class Rijksmuseum. I visited the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, which house countless masterpieces from artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Pollock, Warhol, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. I also visited the house where Anne Frank and her family hid and were ultimately discovered during WWII, which I had absolutely no idea was located in Amsterdam.

Chagall's celebrated The Fiddler, on display at Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum.

There was a lot to explore, and not much time to do it. I arrived in Amsterdam on Sunday evening, and flew out early Tuesday afternoon. Given the time I needed at the airport to take apart and pack up my bicycle, this really left me only one day to take in the city. Add to this a fair amount of rain, and the fact that I was still sick, and I can't help but feel, in retrospect, that I didn't get my fair chance with Amsterdam. I rode my bike around a lot, and spent a good amount of time inside the warm and dry museums, but I think a good solid week is needed to do that city any amount of justice.

And just like that, I'm home again. The trip back was blessedly uneventful, and made easier by Delta offering a direct flight all the way back to Seattle. My house is still intact, my garden is bursting with still-not-quite-ripe tomatoes, blooming cyclamens and love-in-a-mist, and I have a new pair of roommates to get to know. Last night I slept alone in my own bed for perhaps the second time in the last two months. It feels good to be home.

Some happy little Seattle planters!

Looking back on it, I consider my trip successful in pretty much every way: I didn't get my bicycle or anything else stolen, I didn't cause any major international incidents, I learned a lot in my class, I met some wonderful people and saw some beautiful places, and had a great time doing it. If I were to do it again, though, I think I might do it differently. I either wouldn't get a return ticket on a set date, or I would let go of some of the attachment I had about making it the whole way by bicycle. I passed through seven different countries on my bike in the space of three weeks; there was so much to explore that I just didn't get to do, because I didn't have the time. Much of the travel between major cities could've been skipped altogether without missing much, which would've freed up my time to visit cities like Munich, Berlin, and maybe even Paris. The highly-developed, functional, and reliable light rail network  that connects virtually all of Europe makes travel between cities so much easier than I'm used to. Given a limited amount of time, the choice between biking through endless miles of farmland and getting to explore major European cities seems like a no-brainer.

Finally, a quick word of advice, for anybody considering a bike trip through Europe of their own: don't do it on skinny little road tires under any circumstances; you will suffer immensely with cobblestone and rail lines, and probably get a lot of pinch flats, especially if you're carrying a lot of weight. I used tires that were 1.5" wide, which is a good compromise between mountain bike and road bike tires, and I was quite pleased with them. I never got a single flat.

Thanks for taking the time to join me in my travels once again! School starts for me again in just two weeks, and I don't have any more traveling planned any time soon, but don't go away: I've got some big ideas brewing for next summer, and they're pretty different than the usual bike trip...

Love to all,

Scott