The Netherlands is a great place for cycling. One of the curious facts of the Netherlands: nearly 85 percent of the population own at least one bicycle. It is estimated that there are about 16 million bicycles in Holland, slightly more than one for every inhabitant. About 1.3 million new bicycles are sold every year.
I was amazed when I saw a parking lot for bicycles near the train station. Rows and rows of bikes on a land area not unlike that for car parks. That's a grand sight.
It is not difficult to see the contrast in cycling environment between Netherlands and Singapore. Here, there are dedicated bike lanes (shared with motorbikes/scooters), and there are road markings, traffic lights, road etiquette for cyclists. The pix taken from the 15th floor of Novotel Brainpark shows clearly the dedicated bike lanes (in reddish brown).
Commuters as well as recreational cyclists can be seen well utilizing these lanes, making me wish that I could go out for a spin as well. After all, it's a nice summer day here, with 20 deg C temperature. I was looking at a ride to Delft, about 20km away. But work comes first.
What I did have time was a short 5 km jog around the hotel. Good to get those legs moving after the travel.
And I came across a small grass patch near the river with sheep grazing on it. Right here in Rotterdam. Amazing.
Now to catch up on World Cup news so as to make politically correct conversation with the conference delegates.
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