Bikes!

We're getting more and more Dutch each day- this weekend we bought bikes! And being second hand, we don't stick out like the tourists who ride the brand new bright red or yellow rental bikes around town.  We bought them from a little bike shop around the corner from our house called Ciclo Rijwielhandel.  Given the massive market for bicycles in Amsterdam, one would think that prices might be low but they are in fact the opposite- we bought second hand ones on the cheaper end of the scale and paid 150 euro each (including sturdy new locks). You do get what you pay for with Dutch bikes though- they are ridiculously well made compared to the bikes I have owned in Australia.

My bike is like my first car- it's around 30 years old but was previously owned by an old lady who had it in the shed for years so it hasn't seen much use.  It's in very good nick, no rust or anything like that.

Our first ride in Amsterdam was a baptism of fire- we went to pay for the bikes and he only accepted cash, of which we didn't have enough, so he said we could ride to the ATM to get cash out.  So with no time to practice in a quiet area, it was straight out onto the main street to find a bank.  It was quite nerve racking, but probably a good thing that we didn't have time to be nervous about it before we started.
We went for a ride to the park to practice, and also to my work to figure out which way to go.  It's a quick and fun way to get around, and very easy given the complete lack of hills.  Hopefully over the coming months we'll get better and more confident on our new bikes.

Our bikes! Sam's on the left, mine on the right

Parking lot at the fron of our house

Serious bike lock