Come on baby make it Styrsö good…

While my friend LisafromAfrica was visiting us all the way from Zimbabwe, we took a trip out to the archipelago island of Styrsö. At first glance it seemed that no cars were allowed on the small island, and that the only modes of transport were bikes, mopeds, and golf carts. We saw many people on motorized (!!) versions of my beloved bakfiets, mostly older gents hauling building supplies and the like. The majority of the mopeds were standard issue – people didn’t get too creative with them – but I did find one that cracked me up. Check it out:

I just can’t get into this one. Maybe it’s the motorized aspect, maybe it’s the DIY-ish pallet box for cargo, I don’t know. What do you think: yay or nay?

Old Dutch, new Benjamins?

Have you enjoyed reading about our adventures in home exchange? Do you look forward to new postings and adorable pictures from abroad? Do you smirk – even laugh sometimes – at our European misadventures? And how! (Sorry, I’ve been devouring the show Mad Men and my 1950’s slang is in full effect).

Good news!

I am now accepting donations!

Just click the Donate button on the top left of this page to get started, or click here.

If you enjoy HomeRoamers, you could be really swell and support my Batavus bicycle fund. I’ve set my sights on the least expensive model from Batavus, the Old Dutch,  and you can now support me with just a click of your mouse. I hope to be made in the shade really soon.

My dear Batavus, how I miss you…

OK, so you know how I love the European design aesthetic and I’m especially enamored with the love of cycling and cycle accessories. I’ve been trying to find a bicycle in the States that somehow comes close to my beloved Batavus Personal bike that I used while in Holland. It’s a true Dutch work bike, and is the most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden by a huge margin. Plus, with a couple of accessories it can easily become our family station wagon. The cheapest price I’ve found for my Batavus is around $1100, not including a few hundred for delivery, so that’s out. Way out. So I am looking for the full upright seating style of the Batavus, along with the easy step-through, and a heavy duty frame that can hold my favorite passenger and our groceries. In the meantime, I’ve been looking around for something similar and although there are now lots of choices for beach cruise bikes in the US, they are really not the same as Dutch bikes so I’m a bit stymied. My maximum budget – maximum!! – is $500, including accessories, so I’m really looking for something of quality in the $300 range.  So far I like a few of the Trek Cruiser models (click here if you’re curious) or this Raleigh or maybe I can find a used one from the bike shop. But I am definitely not compromising on the accessories. Check it out:

Not funny!

You know how much I love the Dutch bicycle culture and all of the cool ways that Dutch families without cars transport their children, pets, and gear. I am a huge fan of the bakfiets (cargo bikes) and I especially love the clever ways people adapt them for their needs. But this is taking it a bit too far.

image: http://www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl/

Paarden me!

So you know by now that Gapinge is a rural town of about 300 people, a bunch of horses, tons of sheep, dozens of chickens, and, well, you get the idea. So as we were biking back from the grocery store in neighboring Serooskerke this afternoon, I was glad I had the camera so I could grab a couple shots of my favorite local sign: push button to cross. Everybody knows these buttons: push to change the traffic light in your favor so you can cross the street. Around here, though, it’s not so simple. There are so many cyclists that the button is set up on a post that you bike up to, not walk up to, with a little picture of a guy on a bike. That’s cute and different, but what really cracks me up is for the people neither on foot nor on bikes. Check this one out!

My mother brought the wind and cold

The weather has sucked ever since Mom got here. I’m not saying that it’s her fault entirely, but it sure is a big coincidence, don’t you think? We finally got Jon hooked up with a comfy bike that fit, got one for Mom for the 2 weeks, and had great plans for 3 generations of cycling through the Dutch countryside. Instead, we got in one short ride to Veere where we froze our asses off eating lunch en plein air and wishing for mittens. I don’t want to say that my mother cursed the weather so that she wouldn’t have to ride a bike, that would be rude, but let’s just say that the thought has crossed my mind a few hundred times. Just bring the warm weather back, Mom, you don’t have to ride the bike if you don’t want to…but we do!

de witte mosk

We’ve just arrived at our exchange house in Gapinge, Holland and it’s full of surprises. You already know from reading Jon’s blog that we saw gorgeous views of the tulip fields that I told you about from the airplane (click here if you need to catch up).  We were met at the airport by Piet and Lies, our exchangers, and they turned over their car to us and off we went. I had thought that we were going to be in the middle of nowhere, but it turns out that their house is in a little village, not out in the boondocks. It’s definitely rural compared to, say, Amsterdam, but just a quick drive into the much larger city of Middelburg. The most surprising thing about the house is the beautiful gardens that surround it everywhere – this is especially amazing to me since I have what my mother calls a black thumb. I can barely keep a house plant alive, there is no way I would ever be able to have gardens like these. There were a few surprises in the kitchen as well. Last night as I was cooking, I saw about 30 people go by on horseback, and maybe 50 people ride by on bikes. I’m not kidding! This is such a bike-friendly place that no wonder everyone rides, from the youngest babies on the front of their moms’ bikes to the littlest old ladies who surprise me with their agility. Take a look at the some more pictures of the house and the gardens…I’m going for a bike ride!

 

What's a dale and where can I find one?

I hate to say it, but the bike riding here is kicking my ass. There really aren't any flat stretches, so it's more of a squiggly line of torture through the burbs of Ålesund. Remember the sledding hill leading down into our cul-de-sac? Well that's nothing compared to the rest of the hills that are around the house, making biking pretty unpleasant about 50% of the time. No wonder the locals are in great shape; a quick trip of only a few miles is a full cardio workout. I'm looking forward to moving into flatter terrain as the weather improves. We'll be in the Netherlands in less than 3 weeks, just in time for the first bloom of tulips, warm weather, and easier bike rides.