Me and Barbara and Anthony (Who had come in on Day 4, after I'd posted my blog) went out to rent bikes today. We got Dutch bikes (Obviously) and we went riding into the countryside.
A Dutch bike is mainly designed for commuting and carrying things. There is a rack in the front, as well as in the back. The bike I rented came with a bag on the front rack. The bike itself has a step-through frame, which is like a diamond frame, except the top bar is curved downwards so that it is easy to mount. The seating is also designed for comfort, because the handlebars have been curved back and the seat has been lowered so that the rider is sitting straight up, instead of bending forward. However, despite the bike being comfortable and useful, it has it's drawbacks. For starters, it's rather slow and heavy. This means that going up hills is hell. Additionally, there are only three gears on the bike. This is kind of limiting. So while I like the Dutch bike for it's comfort, it takes a lot of effort to get it to go really fast. I'd rather stick with my modified upright racing bike instead. That thing goes at like... light speed.
So anyways, we set off for the countryside on our bikes. It was really great. The Dutch countryside mainly consists of fields and rivers, lakes, streams, and marshes. I was stupid enough not to bring my camera, so no photos. :(
We rode maybe 10 kilometers, passing by towns until we got to "Broek in Waterland" to have lunch, where I had a bacon and mushroom pancake, which was really good. We then left and went around to Monnickendam, and then back to Amsterdam. By the time we were back there, I was quite tired. In total we rode about 36 kilometers.
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