A visit to Haarlem's Bio Dynamic Farm
We paid a visit to a farm in Haarlem that is based on biodynamic principles. Volunteers, the city, a care facility and a private person came together to make it happen.
Cycling in the Netherlands
Haarlemse Hofjes (Almshouses)
When in Haarlem, take the self guided tour on the hofjes, those green oases in the city centre.
Grocery Deliveries by E-Bike in Amsterdam
Dutch super grocer Albert Heijn is testing grocery deliveries by cargo bike.
The Netherlands, a Nation of Cars too
The Netherlands is known for cycling like no other country. But did you know that there are also eight million cars?
Rotterdam: City Centre as City Lounge
Rotterdam is taking a lane away in their downtown arterial to create more space for pedestrians and cyclists. The population had asked for it.
In Holland, Everyone Can Ride a Bike
I remember that in my youth back in Holland in our village of 13,000 a teen called Sjaak (from ‘Jacques’) with Down Syndrome cycled by our house regularly. He had an upright bike with two enormous mirrors. His bike was his pride. The freedom for him was fantastic. He could go where he wanted, was sent out for errands by [Read more…]
Back from Holland – The Train System
Those who follow me on Twitter (@HansontheBike) got a pretty good impression of what I have been doing the last three weeks. Karen and I were in the Netherlands. I live in Canada and although on average I go back once a year, it is often for work, which means I can only add a day or two to my trip [Read more…]
The Town of Velsen, North Holland
In all likelyhood, you have never heard of Velsen in the Netherlands. I have, but I have never been there. Today, I received a blog from BicycleDutch (written by Mark Wagenbuur) in my inbox. It is one of the few blogs I follow as it gives me a good picture of what is going on in the Netherlands. Contrary to [Read more…]
5 Gorgeous Dutch Bike and Ped Bridges + 1 Bike Garage
Netherlands’ cities have been building some fantastic bike infrastructure in 2012-2013. And not only in Amsterdam, but throughout the country. I collected some pictures from Twitter, Facebook and the web. Unfortunately, I don’t know who took the pictures, but I trust someone can let me know. Here are some pictures and a clip of a bridge in Zoetermeer (near The Hague) that is nearly [Read more…]
Of a Woonerf, Too Many Signs and Complete Streets
A world without signs? We have one woonerf in Ottawa: part of Cambridge is designated as a woonerf. An ‘erf’ is a somewhat old fashioned Dutch word for the area around the farm house, where chickens roam, the dog guards and the cow explores. ‘Woon’ comes from the verb ‘wonen’, Dutch for ‘to live in a place’. Woon-erf more or [Read more…]