Life Lessons

"A vida é igual a andar de bicicleta: para manter o equilíbrio tem que continuar se movendo."

Amsterdam, The Bicycling City

This video has a bit "educational" tone, but is a good one. Amsterdammers love their bikes, despite the high index of stolen ones. Not only is the country flat, but the drivers are also polite towards people cycling. Sometimes, I even think that people bicycling become too pushy in their rights. For instance, in my village it is not uncommon that two or three people bike side by side, reducing all the speed of the traffic of cars behind them.  Or a protective parent that goes into the street with his/her five year old slowly practicing on the main street. I have also met people in Amsterdam with top jobs who raised kids and built a busy life withouth never owning a car - yes, it is possible. I hope I have never to drop my car in the future - my life would be more difficult without one, especially during rainy or very cold days. But everytime we have a "good weather" (=no rain) I use the bike. No doubt about it !

Tuk Tuk

Spotted while I was sitting in a tram in Damrak, going back to the Central Station in A'dam:
A tuk-tuk (or rickshaw?) driver relaxing on the sun today, while waiting for clients.
Psst ! Wikipedia tells me such mean of transportation is typical of Asian developing countries - but I think it fits very well in the Dutch urban scene... Nice also to use during a party, btw. Cool !

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A Multi Functional Bike

Bilingual post (English - Portuguese)

Some pics cost me a lot of energy and time.

But on today's post this pic opportunity was just under my nose - or better saying, just next door.

I brought the trash to outside and BAM ! My neighbour is going to put his house on sale and decided to embelish his garden adding this bike with pots of flowers.

This is quite usual in villages in the Netherlands: expensive pots, vases, benches, chairs and little tables with granito top are placed in front of houses and nobody steals takes them away by mistake (a-hem!). So different from Amsterdam where such items have chains - otherwise... Let's say a strong wind may come and take them away...  

Algumas fotos cansam minha beleza. Exigem tempo, deslocamento, luz adequada... E ficam no meu computador esperando uma oportunidade. Em compensação outras fotos aparecem de mão beijada. Nesse post foi assim. Fui levar o lixo pra fora e PUM ! Vi que meu vizinho decidiu embelezar a frente da casa com essa bicicleta e potes de flores. Achei lindo. Ele vai colocar a casa a venda em breve, então já decidiu ir ajeitando as coisas, ir dando um tapa no visual.

Em muitas vilas da Holanda ha bastante coisa cara na frente das casas: mesinhas com tampo de granito, cadeiras de design diferenciado, potes lindos de morrer. Ninguém afana nada de ninguém. Em compensação em Amsterdam esses mesmos objetos tem correntes grossas de ferro conectando o móvel/objeto ao corrimão de entrada da casa ou a um cano. Caso contrario, né ? Bate uma brisa, o vento leva sem deixar rastro de fumaça, ninguém viu ninguém vê, se vocês me entendem...

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Amsterdammers and Bikes: A Love Story

Sometimes after visiting my hairdresser at the Bilderdijkstraat I decide to go to the center of Amsterdam zigzagging via the 9 streets.

I check the shop windows, I admire the canals, I check the last trends on bike decorations....

And then I have seen this MEGA eyecandy:

I thought I would have a fit or faint !
Instead, I put myself together, grabbed my camera and here you see the results.
I have lately LOTS of idea about how to prettify my own bike (a mother bike). I am already visitng shops like HEMA, V&D and Xenos. Something vintage, kitsch, cool...  Maybe I will do it next year, after spring time. Maybe I will show the metamorfose here, "before and after" sort of post entry.
For now, stay with this cool video and have you all a wonderful week !
(The world would be a better place if more people decided to make more use of their bikes - when possible, of course. )



Dit is Amsterdam en dit is mijn fiets = This is A'dam and this is my bike
Amsterdam houdt van fietsen = Amsterdam loves biking
fietsen = to ride a bicycle
(een) fiets = a bicycle

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Eyecandy: bike delivery, Amsterdam

Luckily I had my camera with me.

A Ghost Bike

I have had some doubts whether to post these photos or not, because the colour of the bike (fiets) is the same as the floor. Therefore I think the ton-sur-ton didn't work well here. I mean, I have noticed this bike because it is in the garden of a house located just before a little bridge I use a lot. This piece of art was just under my nose. But... I am not sure whether most people passing by this decorative bike notice it at all.

It is a phantom bike.

Plastic & Romantic

Spotted in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. Maybe not too functional with the basket, but artistical and pretty though. Cause not everything should be functional - en het oogje wil ook wat !

Bike [Fiets] (Bici)

It is a while I do not post about bikes here. The last time was about a Dutch bike used as decorative piece and parked in front of a shop in Brazil. I found this ultradecorated one today when I went to the supermarket. I started taking photos with my atomic camera and misplacing the bike for better angles when I heard somebody behind me saying: "My bike is really beautiful isn't it ? Two euros per pic, please." I blinked many times, mumbled something incomprehensible, grabbed my kid and disappeared inside of the supermarket.

Encontrei essa bici quando fui hoje ao supermercado. Comecei a fazer fotos com minha camera atomica e mover a bicicleta um pouquinho para obter os melhore angulos quando ouvi alguem dizer por tras de mim: "Minha bicicleta e' mesmo muito linda, ne ? Dois euros por foto, por favor". Pisquei os olhos, murmurei algo ("que caro, vou deletar tudo") , rodei os calcanhares e me pirulitei pra dentro do supermercado que nem um raio.

The Ladies Bar

Yesterday I have been in Amsterdam and spotted these girls drinking together, chatting and listening to some music. But what EXACTLY is that ? Photograph made, today I searched for some info in the net. And then before writing this post I remembered that years ago I had already seen such a thing - in movement - in Utrecht. They were a group of about 12 students mounted in huge bike on the streets. So much fun ! Check the site www.fietscafe.nl and click on "foto's" or clik here for a slide show while the link lasts.

Ontem quando fui dar um rolê em Amsterdam vi essas "aburridas" aí bebendo e batendo papo ao solzinho. Gente que é isso ? Fui fazer uma foto e busquei hoje a explicação na internet. Aí que me lembrei ter visto semelhante bicicleta em Utrecht, há anos atrás. A cidade tem muitos estudantes e eles estavam celebrando o final do ano letivo numa mega bike para 10 ou doze pessoas e tinha um maluquinho no meio conduzindo o treco. Essa rosinha e' uma variante do mesmo princípio. Só que para luluzinhas. De uma olhada em www.fietscafe.nl e clique em "foto's" ou se quiser ver um slide show clica aqui rapidinho enquanto o link durar.

Esses holandeses...

Greetings from Rio

I was walking around in Leblon, Rio, when I spotted this Dutch bike embelishing the entrance of a shop. Indeed, it belongs to the shop owner. Perfect pic for a a post in this blog !

Andando pelo Leblon dei de cara com essa bici holandesa enfeitando a calçada de uma loja. Isso mesmo: a dona da loja resolveu utilizar uma bicicleta como peça de decoração. Tudo a ver com esse blog, né não ?

An Unusual Garden Feature [Bici no jardim]

The Dutch are so mad about bikes to the point of using them as a decoration feature in their gardens. I do not see that in other countries, so I think it is something typical Dutch. Well, I wish you all a nice weekend !

Os holandeses são tao fissurados numa bike que usam as bichinhas até como inspiração para decoração de jardins. Eu não vejo isso em outros países, só por aqui mesmo ... Tenham todos uma ótima semana !

A Chic Rack for Bikes

Beautiful rack for bikes in Gothic style. Patio of a cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium.

Um elegante suporte para bicicletas em estilo gótico. Pátio de uma catedral em Mechelen na Bélgica.

Saddle Cap [zadel hoesje]

RAI Station, Amsterdam.

Bike-Saddle # 6

The model above can be acquired via BikeCap. A must see site if you like bike gadgets. Much better and charming than the resource used below:

Fabiana Martins's Bicycles [Kunst !]

Blogland is really small. A special reader of this blog, Brazilian Fabiana Martins, sent me by e-mail her impressions of when she was a tourist in Amsterdam. She is actually owner of two successful blogs and a first category photographer with expositions in Museu de Arte Brasileira in Sao Paulo. Fabiana was generous enough to send me some of her artistical photos to be published in this blog.

“ I lived during three amazing years in England, together with my husband. He had to complete his master in Philosophy and I decided then to study Photography and Arts. We lived in Nottingham, distant about two hours from London. That time outside of Brazil, living as a couple, and I turning 30 years old… it was all a big change in my life. I decided to abandon my old career and start to dedicate myself to several artistical activities. Photography became a special passion and nothing could be more inspiring than a European context to start my portfolio. Architecture, people, landscapes... everything was a synonym of inspiration for stunning images.

Amsterdam was the most visited city of all our trips. We were impressed with its beauty. We used to drive until Newcastle and go by ferry boat with destiny to Amsterdam for a day. We traveled by ferry at night, during 12 hours. The ship, although it was a ferry, was very gracious with restaurants, discos, shops and small cozy cabins. When in Amsterdam, strolling around, we admired the charm of the city… and its bicycles! I could not stop taking pics of them.

The bicycles are literally everywhere: on the streets, tied to the small bridges and lampposts. Old or new, the bikes seemed to me tobe sculptures and were part of the architecture of the city. Amsterdam stole my heart and I still miss its charm and cultural offers so much.

Positive points: natives do speak English and the communication is extreme easy, different from Paris, for example, where you should speak Portuguese to be well treated. The Dutch beer is wonderful, the food offer is very varied and you can even find a couple of Brazilian restaurants: we used to go there to drink guaraná and eat good rice/beans. The show houses and clubs are very nice and you can walk at night on the streets without problems.

Tourism negative aspects: none ! Just be careful when strolling around the Red Light district and beware of the junkies.

Tip: rent a bike to discover the city, its canals and its WONDERFUL museums, the flea- market and the flower market. Do eat French fries (called “patat”) with lots of mayonnaise in paper cones and the delicious pancakes. Visit bookstores or art galleries, do a boat trip in the canals and even visit a coffee-shop, just to have a look at it inside or “enjoy” one. For those who like photography like me, there are antique specialized shops where old cameras are sold for good prices.”

If you wish to know more about Fabiana Martins's blogs click here and here. More of her photos are avaialble at Multiply. Thanks a lot Faby for your text and for sharing with us your enthousiasm about lovely Amsterdam, one of my favorite cities in the world !

Bike Saddle # 5

Centraal Station Haarlem

Centraal Station Zaandam

Bike Saddle # 4

Oh, polka dots !

Check the site of Basil to see more models. I like the red with white polka dots and the blue flowered one (and my birthday is in May).

Bike Saddle # 3

Theater Group, Amsterdam.

Bike saddle # 2

There is a woman who brings her child to same school as mine, who always gives me a blink. It is a shy look and also full of simpathy. Almost the kind of look that expresses: "I know you are not Dutch. I am not Dutch either". I feel she is Eastern European, maybe Russian. I do not know how to explain that. If you have lived enough abroad, you may understand what I am saying. One foreigner recognizes another, whithout having to exchange a word.

Well, I decided lately to always leave home accompanied of my atomic camera. Even if it is to go to the supermarket on the corner. Coming home from school I noticed THE woman of a lovely sparkle in her eyes was going to get her bike and that its saddle had that kind of special protection en vogue nowadays. "Gotta get the chance and go for a picture !" I thought and ran into her.

- Hello, may I ask you something ?

She nodded.

- Is this your bike ? I asked. She was puzzled and grabbed her bike firmly.

- English ? I asked. She denied to talk.

- May I take a photo ? I like the saddle protection. Photograph. Just a photograph. May I ? That's it. Nice. Thank you.

She promptly biked with her son away and I have never received the same comprehensive look from her again.