There is, slightly exaggerated, nothing nicer than updating the world after the sun finally broke through the thicket of clouds. After five days of constant rain Rotterdam’s streets lust after a period of drought. These wet paths can be dangerous; especially curves covered with autumn leaves are tricky even for experienced cyclers. Yet, real dutchmen don’t mind getting wet. It is part of the ‘Dutch experience’.

A large part of the Dutch people cycle themselves to work, to the supermarket, or to school. Parents give their kids a lift; yet, as soon as the youngsters are able to balance on two wheels they pedal on their own. Since many cities in the Netherlands have special lanes for bikes cycling is much safer than in other places; in Bangkok I personally would not dare to conquer the dense traffic.

In Rotterdam these lanes are made of red paving stones, so they are easy to recognize, even at night. Even though some paths are marked as one-way you won’t catch angry looks when riding the opposite direction. Traffic rules actually do not seem to apply to cyclists at all. Confronted with a red light, there’s a good chance that the rider just crosses the road, after a careful glance to the left and to the right of course.

This behavior can save you a lot of time; Dutch people are, like the Swiss, a rather hurried nation. Yet, also in the more ‘relaxed’ countries, there are times where people seem to be unable to wait. In Bangkok, for example, people are already entering the skytrain as passengers are still getting of the wagon.

Admittedly, bikes are very convenient provided the rain doesn’t drown the city. Yet, two-wheelers can turn out to be very nasty as well. Since you always need to lock your bicycles properly, otherwise they get stolen quickly, losing your keys can be fatal. Recently, maybe also part of my ‘real dutchman experience’, I needed to shoulder two bikes and bring them to the closest repair shop. Because it was a Sunday the only shop that was open was somehow distant. And yes, it was raining.