mijn eerste fietstocht

My first bike ride - I imagined it to be a relaxing affair. Me and Inge, breeze running through my hair, legs out like the children in French movies, just coasting along through Delft. Well, better leave the feet free riding to children who have better balance and don't forget to pack your rain coat, as it is more likely to be pouring down rain than the sunny. And just when I had gotten the hang of it - it was time to cross the street. No big deal, until you see the typical Dutch intersection...
I am pretty sure that in my first bike ride I managed to break a dozen traffic laws, run a red light, ride on the wrong side of the road, disregard a Hague convention or two, and most likely ignore a few of the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. But then again, so did pretty much everyone else on the road. It is utterly confusing as to which traffic light you are following when there are over two dozen at each intersection. And to top it off, helmets are defiantly not cool - I don't think we have seen one yet! So, regardless of what appears to be utter chaos, they must have a better accident record that Gainesville does in the State...in fact, I don't think we have see an accident yet - assuming my small collision with the baker's sign doesn't count.

After Inge and I had gotten settled on the road, we made our way towards IKEA. While shopping with Matt is better than watching wallpaper peel, spending an afternoon wondering through the biggest retail giant in the area, coming up with various reasons as to why I need (want) that new gadget is most enjoyed as a solo activity. (Don't worry Matt, whatever I bought today had to fit on my bike to get it back home - well and in the back of the truck of the nice man who said he would deliver my new furniture for $25.)

Tomorrow, I shall bike to the windmills!