Back from Amsterdam....

...and I can't believe how much I love that society. Everybody rides a bike. There are bikes with three spots for kids (2 in back on the rack and one in front behind the handlebars), bikes with big receptacles in the front for kids or groceries or whatever that look like delivery bikes but are not (and are 2 wheeled and not 3).

I asked a 15 year-old relative whether there is any status associated with kids' bikes (most of them are black, heavy bikes with racks on the back) and she said that no, it is never an issue. She says she only knows what her bike looks like.

Bikes are locked up everywhere. At train stations there are hundreds, if not thousands of bikes. At Amsterdam central station there is multi-level parking for bikes.

I've been to Holland quite a few times, but I've never noticed the extent of the bike use there. Just great.

Oh yeah, and the coffee is consistently fantastic.