Biking in the Netherlands

My dear family, friends, and fellow users of the Internet, I love how invested you all are in my happiness abroad. I must admit, though, that your questions are not as fun for me to answer as they could be. This, of course, is because you are not here, and therefore do not know the best questions to ask. To remedy this, I've decided to ask them for you. Let us begin.

Question 1.

How often do you fall off your bike?

This question involves a complex analysis that will require all involved parties understanding bits of geography, physics, Dutch bike design, and my physical capabilities.

First and foremost, I will explain the Dutch bike. I am currently riding the bike of the shortest member of my host family, who has a minimum of 1.5" on me in real person measuring.* Even if the bike were of proper size in proportion to my height, the bike is still built differently than any bike I've ever ridden. The seat goes to roughly just below the navel of the rider, so when at a standstill, the rider cannot both sit on the seat and reach the ground.

What, then, is the result of all of this? My inability to mount and dismount the bike. I hop, skip, skid, and wobble my way at every pause. Traffic cycles go by as I am climbing up light poles to climb onto my bike from above. Curbs became critical for me to gain a few inches in my attempts to reach the pedals, so I would drag the too-heavy bike across the cement to gain curb proximity. This sounds hyperbolic upon second reading, but I assure you it is quite literal.

If this were not enough, the Netherlands is a coastal nation, making rain an almost daily occurrence. Finally, due to a unique system of physics (that I have confirmed to be true) in the Netherlands, it is entirely possible that the wind will be blowing directly into your face no matter which way you are going. I will spare you the details of this until my next post.

In summary, I have yet to fall off of my bike in the sense that I suddenly have my face connect with the concrete. However, on more than one occasion I have nearly toppled into Cees (my host), and for the first day or two, I would completely dismount the bike at the slightest scare for fear of falling more rapidly. When living in Athens, I lived under the assumption that staring at a car was enough to prevent it from hitting you. Alas, that method has not proven itself to be effective here. I can stare at the other bikers all I like, but they still have no problem dominating the road. This is especially unfortunate, as I have a slight habit of riding on the wrong side of the road.

*In general, I believe myself to be taller than everyone around me and therefore do not see myself as particularly challenged in the vertical sense.