Returning Is Something Different Than Staying

Oh, hello! How are you?

A week has passed since my return from Italy and as summer vacations go…well, I’ve gone with the flow and I’m sticking with it. The blogging ratio is still low, but the cycling continues, as it continues to be the most important form of transportation for me, all year round. And being able to mix it up with train travel seals the deal.

With those modes, it doesn’t matter where you need to go in the Netherlands. Well over 17.000 kilometers of nearly flawless bicycle paths/lanes and routes will get you anywhere, from big and dense cities to the rural outskirts. My friends Helen and Les from Ottawa can tell you all about it.

Too far? A train station will always be close. It not only costs very little, you also meet people. In the summer the bar for that is always set low. Whether it’s when you help other people getting their bikes on the train and/or negotiating the compartment parking, giving tips to foreign visitors or just the bike itself, a conversation is inevitable. Before you know it, you’ve arrived at your destination. And that’s just one of the perks :).

So, in that sense, Mr Freight and I had a ‘busy’ week. Riding on the streets of Amsterdam, for the flimsiest of excuses and the more designated ones.

Riding to a party with a friend & observing while waiting for the light to go green.

Visiting a friend in Arnhem, where the daily cycle routines seem to be predictably a-ok.

Strengthening the family ties by going for a ride with my niece & nephew and sister-in-law.

But what about the title of this post, you ask? Simple, I will be traveling again at the end of this week, this time to beautiful Berlin. Whether there will be any cycling involved remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine there won’t be.