This evening I bumped into this magnificent video, ‘Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS‘:

Time lapse sequences of photographs taken by the crew of expeditions 28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October, 2011, who to my knowledge shot these pictures at an altitude of around 350 km.

Meanwhile on the surface: sometimes I feel like I’m hovering in this urban space of ours, zooming in on the little things that we, more often than not, pass by on a regular basis, without noticing.

Like this scene: a mom trying to put her gloves on with her teeth, while riding home with her child.

She figured she could manage the last stretch by rubbing her hand over her upper leg.

She couldn’t, so she finished the job the way she started.

Life’s little observations. Precious.

In September BikeSnobNYC wrote about his family trip to this ol’ continent, cycling around Amsterdam on Henry Cutler’s Workcycles bakfiets & observing London’s day-glow extravaganza on top of a Boris Bike. Go on, read that first, it’s a good laugh.

In his post he succinctly & humorously describes the differences between his own American/NYC bicycle culture and that of ours (and the UK/London’s accordingly). It neatly amplifies and supports the ‘cultural’ context I elaborated on in my previous post ‘Bicycle Cultures Are Man-Made‘:

WARNING: Do not attempt international travel. Leaving the United States may provoke thought and result in reflection, dissatisfaction with the quality of your social services, and acute Arby’s withdrawal. The US Department of State shall not be held responsible for your imprisonment or death at the hands of a godless socialist foreign power. If you must visit another country, be sure to wear latex gloves at all times to avoid foreign currency-borne illness. Have a great trip!

“With that out of the way, I spent the bulk of my time in two (2) non-American cities, one of which was Amsterdam. When one thinks of Amsterdam, one thinks of the heady aroma of “Wednesday weed” wafting out of the coffee shops, the even headier aroma of human genitalia wafting out of the red light district, and of course the notorious feral cats that have taken to the canals over the centuries and evolved into strange flesh-eating otter-like creatures that have been known to bite off at the wrist the hands of unsuspecting tourists. But let’s leave all that aside for the moment and look at that other hallmark of “the big A,” which is bikes.”

“Simply put, in Amsterdam people ride bikes to go places. More than this, though, they ride bikes to go places without making any sort of fuss about it.”

“…and to say that riding around a city where cycling is a completely normal mode of transportation is to understate how pleasant it is to be someplace where you can simply get on a bike with your family without giving a shit.”

“Ironically, while I was in Amsterdam a bit of a kerfuffle arose on Bikeportland about how Fred Armisen of “Portlandia” is too much of a “woosie” to ride in the most cycling-friendly city in America. In particular, he’s afraid of the streetcar tracks:

“Armisen is young and healthy. If he’s too afraid to bike in the Pearl, what does that say about our city?”

“To me it says that the city of Portland should remove an entire mode of public transportation to make it easier for someone who probably hasn’t been on a bicycle since he was 9 to move there and ridicule them. I wonder if anything will ever be enough for the people of Portland–who, were they to be liberated from their hated streetcar tracks, would probably find some other cycling injustice to rail against, such as the high cost of Stumptown coffee or an overabundance of low-hanging tree branches. It seems to me that focussing on streetcar tracks as an obstacle to cycling is like saying the problem with living in Antarctica is that there aren’t enough Whole Foods. Anyway, Amsterdam is completely covered in tram tracks and it doesn’t seem to pose much of a problem.”

BikeSnobNYC…I mean Eben Weiss, has inadvertently entertained us with the notion how perception creates a certain reality. Many people with an equal interest for history and culture, aka the framework that entails describing and dissecting bike ‘cultures’, would agree with me when I say that it stems from a unprecedented decline in everyday cycling, fading from the public consciousness, shoved aside by prosperity, suburbanization and motorized transport, leaving one single vertical market for the sport cycling industry and ample growth of a zealous Health & Safety complex in a hostile urban traffic environment.

However, at the same time his post bridges that cultural gap, one step of many, taking us back to that place, to the perception that so many people around the world have forgotten about: cycling is a perfectly normal activity. Thus creating a ‘new’ paradigm for ‘perception creates reality’. Oh, the irony :).

I know I’m working on it and, naturally, in an unfazed and nonplussed kinda way, I’m very pleased to see that many more are and that it’s gaining ground & momentum around the world.

‘3 + 1′

‘Errands’ & ‘Out Of The Wind’

‘A To B’

‘That’ll Do’ & ‘Grace’

‘Unfazed’

‘Solitude’ & ‘Urban Fabric’

‘Someone Needs To Pedal’

‘Top Of The World’

‘Run, Darling, Run’, ‘Hop’ & ‘Anticipation‘

‘Lining Up’ & ‘Shuffle’

‘In One Go’

Going around Amsterdam it’s not particularly hard to capture people on bikes. They are everywhere. They take it very much for granted (a point I’ve often made, but meant as a positive one, what I call ‘the endpoint of building a bicycle ‘culture’, its nirvana) and I often have to take my time explaining my efforts to my fellow (and often puzzled) Dutchies when the subject comes up.

‘Time’ is the operative word here. If you take your time a little bit in Amsterdam, stop to smell the roses, if you will, you can witness all kinds of everyday, yet very entertaining scenes. The devil is in the details. Case in point: after crossing a junction to make good use of the beautiful fall light, I parked my bike and as soon as I looked up I hit the jackpot.

A woman, nicely dressed for a chilly but warm enough autumn Saturday, her broken left arm in a sling, stopping at the light. It was clear she had been doing her shopping rounds around town, accompanied by her Jack Russell. ‘Jack’ was clearly loved and pretty excited as she rolled to a stop, leaning on the edge of the front crate. She laughed at him and said: “Easy, boy, be patient. Yeah, be patient!” The best guess then is that Jack just likes to move. Quick observers of this scene would just think he wanted to get out or that he’d be very close to leaping out. Not the case. He just wanted her to get going already.

The streetcar..I mean the tram beside her was already accelerating, so she double-checked for green and off they went again.

Time was the operative word. It all transpired in less than 30 seconds. The best 30 seconds of the day.

Update: Xander of Toronto Cycle Style quoted it eloquently on Flickr:

Stop dog stop the light is red
go dog go it’s green ahead.

Dr. Suess

Meet my good friend Rose. A free spirit, a talented artist & a lover of Amsterdam. Today I helped her out at one of the locations that displays her art. After finishing up we hopped on our bikes and rode back into the center. An off the cuff, yet perfect moment to get her on the record: Rose loves #bikeAMS TV. Enjoy.

Random bits and pieces from the month of August that I caught along my cycle ways that are worth posting. Top photo: after over 6 months of nudging my Swedish-Egyptian expat neighbors, they finally acted upon it and got themselves two 2nd hand, practical bikes. With crate. For their French bull terrier Baby.

The rain, oh the rain. The summer of 2011 went down as the wettest on record since 1906. Harsher winters, spring turns out to be our summer (yet again) and summers turn to fall. Nothing to see, moving on.

‘Never A Bike Bridge Too Far’.

Two friends making things tidy for the ride.

Putting my GoPro camera to good use while testing the Brik Brut bicycle (more on that in October), for the obligatory ride down the bicycle parking garage at Central Station.

‘Strolling In The Red Light District’ & ‘Mr Fr8 Got A Brand New Crate’

‘Canal View’

‘A Bike Is A Terrible Thing To Waste‘

‘A View From The Cycle Path’. “Sorry I’m late…the bridge was open.” A very valid excuse in Amsterdam.

On Nieuwmarkt. Tom of Workcycles polishing my Fr8 (first time since I’d bought it) for a special photo shoot. Roos of ‘Ride With Me NYC‘ fame assisting.

Friends joining us for drinks.

Pannier action: ‘Unloading’ & ‘Loaded Up’.

‘Parting Ways’

‘Stack’

‘Bird’

Fire Department Ordinance: ‘Don’t Park Your Bike Here. Parked Bikes Will Be Removed.’

‘Meeting Point’ & “Who’s Going Side Saddle, You Or Me?”

Stay tuned for August posts with a more themed approach.

Now, this is a funny concept. Commuter jeans? How come so many Dutch and millions upon millions of people of other nationalities have been getting about on their bikes without them up until now?

I guess as a symptom this is a good thing, bicycles are going mainstream and everybody wants a piece of the cake, not in the least Levi’s

Just to be sure, remember, your closet is already full of perfectly fine ‘bicycle specific clothes’. Put on your favourite jeans (or [insert here]), jump on your bike, and enjoy your day.

With love, from the Bicycle City, Álvaro.

It’s clearly red. Yet so many bicycle campaigns try to convince me otherwise it’s disturbing.

What it really is, is the best way to get from A to B. It is so for many reasons, not least because Amsterdam has made a big effort in making it convenient. Using a bike for getting around also happens to be green, economical, chic, fun, healthy, practical… you name it. Yet, as Marco quite brilliantly says over at Münchenierung, it can never be only marketing.

Take for instance the bicycle parking at train station in Amsterdam Zuid (WTC). You go, get a ticket, lock your bike, and off you go. Your bike will be there when you get back, safe and dry. It’s even free for the first 24 hours! After that it’s only 50 cents a day, so I tend to leave my bike there when I go to the airport.

You will have a hard time convincing people to ride a bike because it’s green -or economical, or chic, or fun or healthy, if they don’t find it convenient and safe. At the end of the day, most people will simply do what it’s easier for them to do. Nothing wrong with that, life’s hard enough as it is.

Amsterdam loves it’s bikes, no matter what colour they are.

You may remember this post from last fall, Le Grand Départ, in which I showcased my lovely Lauren, leaving the house & getting on her bicycle. Simple, mundane but beautiful. To me, anyway.

To recap, she dressed (up) for the occasion/destination (a night out with friends/cafes, clubs), stepped out, unlocked her bike, walked her bike to the bridge and set off. It was a beautiful evening, not too cold, no wind, all perfect to enjoy the ride, even more than usual that month.

Fast forward to a week ago. One nasty Saturday. Cold, heavy winds, non-stop rain, a real downpour. Now, to show you more than one side of the coin, here’s an updated version of that series: ‘Le Grand Départ…quand il pleut’ (The Grand Departure…when it rains).

Where she was going, you ask? Again a social occasion: a bachelorette party, which required her to go all over town and take all kinds stuff with her. She dressed to a T once again…the only thing different was she put on my rain coat. “Way too big, but it is way more practical”, she said.

Hence her smiling, despite the rain. :)

When I bring my camera on my rides around town I often switch it to monochrome. It’s either because of the type of light that day, the type of weather (or a combination thereof), the type of mood I’m aiming for (dependent on my own mood, bien sur) or just because I want to play a little with dark tones because it’s so forgiving when you shoot from the hip while on the move. Even failed ones (technically that is) then come out right, with some artistic flair.

I think black & white enables the photographer to focus more on the subject at hand and to more easily frame the mis-en-scene. Combined with the aforementioned forgiving nature, I’m digging it more and more.

Oh, and the subjects speak for themselves; poetry in motion.

And after all that ‘hard work’, a bike blogger deserves a little refreshment, for that last stretch.

Calling it a day with a couple of curious minds who wanted to know…;)

I hope you enjoyed this & your own ride.

Let me pick up where I left off a few posts ago. Adjusting my lens a bit, zooming in, focus.

Scene 1.
Setting: (again) Skinny Bridge over the river Amstel.
Topic: interaction.

It starts with the top photo: Mother & daughter chatting up a storm, having a laugh.

Approaching the intersection, the mother gently gestures to her offspring to hold…and checks the (right of way) road for (bicycle) traffic.

A split second later: yes, it’s clear.

The girl needs to step it up a bit, while the conversation continues..

..and it eases even more on the way down. Time to adjust your earmuffs. Blast, that wind!

Scene 2.
Setting: on top of a brick bridge over a side canal of the River Amstel, not far from Skinny Bridge.
Topic: interaction. One difference with Scene 1: the interaction is with me.

I see these two fellas approaching, one of them is ghost riding, a familiar scene in Amsterdam.

Just how familiar ghost riding is you see here: he spots me & makes the effort to wave at me. Not a wobble.

Then they start laughing. Probably at the fact that they can’t figure out why on earth anyone would be interested in a taking a photo of them.

The boys continue, comfortably, in their natural habitat, and make an effort to entertain their audience. “Did you take that one? Did we do ok? Yeah? Cool.”

And life goes on…

No matter how many times I see it, I -am not Marc by the way. Álvaro, nice to meet you- never get used to just how beautiful Amsterdam is when it’s covered in white. Other than the tamed cars and the muffled noises, life really just goes on. Well, actually the city sort of cheers up a wee bit all of a sudden.

Don’t get me wrong, people in Amsterdam are always nice and cheerful, it’s just a subtle mood switch. They will smile at you when you ride by them and wish you good luck. Anywhere you look there’s someone throwing a snowball, a kid with a sled, a hipster snowboarding down canal bridges, and of course, people on two wheels.

Or even three wheels.

People still do their groceries, go to hockey practice,

take the kids to school early in the morning and deliver parcels.

And of course, Amsterdam girls still go around on their bikes looking fabulous, in their usual effortless sort of way of being pretty.

PS: Yours truly was kindly invited by Marc to bring in the point of view of an expat who loves this city and its bicycle culture to Amsterdamize. I wholeheartedly accepted.

“…what we need is more people that ride bikes.” True words spoken by Michael Bauch, maker of the now well-known bicycle documentary ‘Riding Bikes With The Dutch’.

There are many words for different purposes utilizing the best invention ever. Don’t let the labels distract you. And there are many people who like you to believe that you need to worry about all sorts of gear before even thinking about hopping on that saddle. Be very suspect of those, they only want to sell you stuff you don’t really need.

Instead, focus on the important: breathe that air, let your mind escape, absorb your city, town, neighborhood, streets, bricks, sounds, smells. Connect with your habitat. Nod, affirm, gesture, be gentle. Let it tingle, sing, hum, rock, or just be. Be you. At ease, at your own pace. Agile & smooth, flexible, purposeful. No sweat, no religion, no politics, just you & those you choose, those who you encounter. Those who will help you and you will meet again.

It will make you feel so much better. 100% guaranteed.

Don’t take it from me. Ask any of these people. ;)

Even when it’s not really your day…

I started using the iPhone app ‘Instagram’ recently, as I like adding flavor to the usually poor quality of photos I (literally) shoot on the fly. It’s an iPhone 3GS after all, not enough pixels :). Anyhoo, it’s time to share them on the blog.

‘Subway’

‘Cold’ & ‘Red’

‘Four Cops – two types of horses’

‘A Woman’s Best Friend’ & ‘Cowboy’

‘Headwind’

‘Go / Mobile’

‘Coffee To Go’

‘Gimme Shelter’ & ‘Fatigue’

‘cIJcling’

‘Fun’ & ‘Warm Feet’

‘Scarfs & Hats Are Back’

‘Wait’ & ‘On The Side’

‘Stroll’

‘Corn On The Cob’ & ‘Cheese & Meats’

‘Done Shopping, Calling Home’

Any requests, guys & dolls?

Saturday afternoon, first weekend of October. One last dose, last spat of summer. Amsterdammers on the move in Zen City. Or enjoying that intermission.

Some combine both. And then some.

Spot your friends & the spot to park.

Step it up…

Enjoy while it lasts.

It seems like only yesterday that I enjoyed the sensation of this summer’s arrival. But alas, it’s gone, over, finito, basta. So far, that Indian Summer only reared its head once. Alas, dedicating this post to another month’s closure. Let’s see how October goes.

Nearly nothing beats going around town running errands & meeting up with people at a relaxed pace, with all the time on your hand to stop, observe and click away. Click, click, click, click. And repeat.

Overtaking can be torturous.

Couples stick together.

Families on the move.

A little help.

Maarten took some action shots of me taking bike action shots, for a feature (interview) in the Cyclists Union magazine ‘Vogelvrije Vrije Fietser‘ with little ol’ me, which will appear in the Oct/Nov issue.

Take your time.

Residential cycling & parking.

Beach cruiser a la Hollandaise.

Some think it’s quite warm…

While others basically think winter has arrived.

SIM.

Grimace.

Gotta have a hobby.

Chit/chat.

It’s green.

The abundance of the sun.

‘This tram is powered by green electricity’.

The Palace.

Cross talk.

Alert: man with hat & wind beneath your hair.

Rembrandt Corner.

Green Miles.

Mr Cool & Mrs Doubt.

I think he’s happy with his new bike.

Occupied.

Mr. Hipster.

She’s my personal favorite Flower Lady & even locals appreciate her bike when she parks it.

Ride along with dad.

Eye contact & a ‘hi’ soon after.

Second opinion & chit/chat.

Nice light.

The Headshop & Reach Out.

A Dutch circus act & sunny sms.

Nice fella, that was meant for me.

Amsterdammers DO hand signals & autumn chic colors.

And back in the Red Light District, this fella’s bike nicely matches the backdrop.

Which is silly to say, as they all do in Amsterdam.

This week David Hembrow made the case that bicycle paths make rain more pleasant.

Being away from motor vehicles in bad weather has a number of advantages. For a start, you have no concerns about “not being seen” by drivers whose vision is obscured by rain, spray or mist. You also remain drier because you are not hit by spray or splashed water from puddles. And you also don’t ride over spilled diesel or broken glass from cars.

Never thought of that this way, but yeah, he has a point. One aspect he doesn’t touch on is that rain comes and goes in NL, quite literally. This being a given, as a consequence many will just adapt the easiest (aka most convenient) way: a rain jacket, sometimes a cape, often an umbrella.

With strong winds (the real culprit over here) you’ll see amusing scenes, but the Dutch are pretty pragmatic, if it works, great, if not, so be it. If you can do it walking, you can do it cycling. Moving on.

The latter bewilders visitors often:

I have to say: after seeing it in so many photos (and once when I was actually in Amsterdam), I tried the umbrella+cycling thing. It did not work!! How do you guys do it? Only my hair was dry when I got home – and I had a huge umbrella. I guess I need more practice..

Anyway, rain can’t really be an excuse not to cycle. You get wet and you dry up again. “You’re not made of sugar” comes to mind :). Mais oui, it helps living in the Bicycle Capital of the World, where thousands upon thousands of fellow citizens, young and old, show every day it’s not an obstacle at all.

Certainly for a bike blogger. You gotta mix it up as much as possible and have fun while doing it. Or is it the other way round? ;)

When you’re moving house by bakfiets… (video post follows soon)

When SAIL comes to town…

When you’re up earlier than the birds on a rainy day, but you’re not alone…

When you have an off day, and need an escape/some soothing…

When you can’t get enough of Dam Square…

When there’s a big theme party across the bay and every Amsterdammer seems to be going there…

Blog hiatus, forced or not, life meanwhile goes on and you wouldn’t want to miss a beat.

Lauren and I moved house recently. From the Vondelpark area to.. well, the epicenter, the seediest part of town, Sodom & Gomorra, really.

I know, right?!? Hor-ri-fic! I can only show a few. You understand. Cover your children’s eyes. This is what we see when we step out and go around the corner.

You see? I trust them as far as I can throw ‘m…*

*Tongue firmly planted in cheek

We Amsterdammers, and Dutch, for that matter, don’t live in windmills, we don’t go dancing in wooden shoes, we’re not high on welfare & drugs, aside from a very speculative bubble in the past, we don’t go nuts on tulips and not everything Verboten is legal in NL.

On the cycling front, there’s generally still a quite distorted perception regarding Dutch bikes: they all look the same (black), they have just one gear, most of them are beaters, they are way too heavy (and the Dutch are exceptional for being able to ride them) and they are a far cry from resembling a ‘bicycle culture’…as in, they’re not ‘personalized’.

Stereotypes, gotta love ‘m. But I’m skipping over all of that, because the most important part of cycling in the Netherlands is not lost on the ‘untrained’ eye: it’s not as much about the bikes themselves what makes people’s visit an extraordinary one, it’s what these Dutchies DO with their bikes and how they don’t have to change a damn thing about who they are. The rest would just be a distraction from their purpose; getting from A to B, conveniently.

The green outskirts or the city center, it doesn’t matter, really. Just unwind on and off that bike, be it for 5 minutes or 5 hours, ’tis all good.

See it as a shoddy piece of anthropology, sociology, what have you. People on the move at some point between 6 and 9 pm. For all imaginable purposes. Observe and guess. Then guess again. Some are less obvious than others. But hey, that’s the fun of it. For me at least. Filtering out the details of the extraordinary ordinary that cycling in the city represents.

Leading questions:
- Is cycling gender-specific?
- Is cycling age-specific?
- Is cycling income-specific?
- Is cycling difficult?
- Does cycling require special gear?
- Is cycling healthy?
- Does cycling make cities more livable?
- Is cycling easy on the eyes?
- Etc… (*tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek*)

Specimen #1

Specimen #2

Specimen #3 & #4

Specimen #5

Specimen #6

Specimen #7 & #8

Specimen #9

Specimen #10

Nothing but time. Who’s in a rush. It’s summer and it’s the weekend. Many are on vacation, but who needs one when you live in Amsterdam, it’s zen on two wheels, all the way. Merely have a seat on a(ny) terrace, have a beer and observe…

This summer has been hot so far, so cycling goes down just a notch, we don’t like to break a sweat, like with our daily A-to-B-isms. Good for me, gives me even more time to frame my captures.

You go and head out for one of the city’s beaches, for instance.

En route, it’s very likely you spot a certain blog post’s subject :).

This is just one of many ways to move your bikes.

Easy going at the lights.

Back in the city, cycling forms a welcome cooling off.

For some cooler than others.

Carry on.

Summer discounts and such.

Three on two equals six.

Grocery shopping togetherness.

And those days seem to go on and on, and on, and on…