Carlo keeps thanking me. It's a big task and he really needed to find someone who could do it. But I should be thanking him.
The assignment this time is a little more epic - find dozens of locations throughout the city and plaster them with posters encouraging people to volunteer. Carlo is lending me his bike, a list of addresses, and a map to Amsterdam. Practically the keys to the city!
Bike traffic in Amsterdam is nearly as formalized as automobile traffic. There are separate traffic lights, crossings, and even lanes for bikes throughout the city. Where there's not, an unwritten rule seems to apply - pedestrians get out of the way for bikes and bikes get out of the way of anything with a motor. The little bell helps - people will make a spot for you if you keep dinging persistently at them.
Progress today was slow. The city center is a bit of a maze, mostly thanks to the canals. It's not uncommon to find myself rolling down a street on one side of the water and realizing I want to be on the other side and seeing no way across. The streets themselves twist and turn unpredictably and never quite go where I expect they will. I blaze past narrow old merchant houses, playgrounds, bike lots, apartment blocks, shops, churches and hotels, on the prowl for a street number that may or may not be in sequential order with the rest of the establishments on the street. When I finally find the place I must communicate with the proprieter in my minimal Dutch and their broken English about posting my bill.
For all the setbacks, it's great fun. It's like a great big game of secret agent. I have a secret mission (to transmit hidden documents) and everything. Actually, there's no need to make believe. I'm cruising on a bike, exploring one of the most amazing cities in the world!
Jealous?
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3 comments:
There's an old psychedelic pop song from the 60's about bicycle riding in Amsterdam. :-) It even has the sound of those bells in it. I can't help but think of it when reading your post. :-) ("My White Bicycle" by Tomorrow)
I bet living in Amsterdam is going to give you so much more exercise! I guess I *am* jealous!
Ridiculously jealous. [Um, especially as I'm slogging through midterms at present!]
Yes, yes, I am jealous. I wish my days included a chance to ride around and explore a new city...unless it's raining, in which case the office starts to look very good again. :-)
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