Hello there!
I interrupt the regular schedule of blogging to bring you this important PSA:
In Belgium you have to watch out for three things : cars, people and bikes.
When I was younger, I would occasionally ride my bike to school or maybe even to friend’s house for fun. I never considered my bike as a mode of transportation, until I arrived in Europe. On every Belgian road and sidewalk there is a special lane for bicylces and mopeds. Yes, you read that corectly. Mopeds are allowed on sidewalks, so beware.
They take biking very seriously in this town. Inseatd of the normal car parking garages, they have huge warehouses dedicated for parking bikes.
Everyone, and I mean everyone bikes in Leuven. I feel like kids pop out of the womb ready to hop on a two wheeler and people old enough to be acquaintances with Jesus are still leisurely biking up hills that even my young legs shutter at the very sight.
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| Sexy, no? |
**I'm am neither a pedophile or a gold digger. These pictures are from the net**
At my home university if you’re seen riding a bike, I’m pretty sure you would get some looks. In Leuven, if you don’t ride a bike you’re the odd one out and your also doing a lot of walking alone. I can almost imagine the the utter excitement my mother would have expressed if I requested a brand new mountain bike for my sixteenth birthday instead of car. Unfortunately for her, were not so keen on bikes in America. Not that it would have made a difference, as I neither have a bike or car, but that’s a whole other story.
Since I’m studying here I’m a proud to say that I am the owner (errr renter) of my very own bicycle. I’ve tried for weeks to name it, but nothing really seems to stick.I often times refer to it as Murphy. As a child I was never allowed to name my dog Murphy because its my sisters middle name and my mother thought it was innapporprate to name a dog after a person. So I guess im making up for lost time.
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| "Murphy" |
Since biking is such a big deal, there are many rules that go along with it. I would love to say I’ve mastered these rules and can repeat them in my sleep, but that is not the case. What I can say is that I have yet to get a ticket or have had tragic accident, so I guess that’s all the credit I need to write a post about biking for beginners. Still trust me? Great. Let’s begin!
Golden Biking Rule
Always wear your helmet. I can’t count the number of times this rule has been rammed down my throat. You would think ,in a place like Leuven, where biking is so popular, that helmets would be as numerous as the beer . False. No one wears helmets. I could probably count the number of helmets I’ve seen on one hand. Kinda scary at first, but you get over it. Moving on.
Getting On Your Bike
When you look at people getting off and on their bikes, they do it with grace here. The citizens of Leuven would put Cinderella to shame with how they prance off their bikes like young spring fawns. When I first saw this, It made me think ,what the heck have I been doing all these years, flailing my legs all over the place. This grace doesn’t come easy, and I sadly still look like a wanna-be, washed up ballerina when I hop on Murphy, which defeats the purpose of fitting in, but I’m trying.
Check Yourself, Before You Wreck Yourself
As I said, we rent our bikes. I’m pretty sure that the lock on Murphy is more valuable than the bike itself, if you get my drift. That being said, always check your breaks. You don’t want to be flying down a hill only to find out your breaks( that were JUST fixed, mind you) decide to not work. So as the rule implies, check your breaks before you wreck yourself. Literally.
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| This photo is just for the general idea of how to check your breaks, I dont want to fool you into thinking we have state of the art bicycles. Most of don't even have gears and we definitely don't have riding gloves. |
Also, make sure your lights are working because there’s a hefty fine if you’re caught after dark riding without one. I’m talking about 150 euro fine, they don’t mess around. 150 euro is equivalent to 3 round trip tickets to Ireland or 300 bottles of soda. Be careful because the Polite don’t accept the, “Im from America ” plea either... not that I know from experience.
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| They don't care who you are.... |
Signs
The Dutch language isn’t one of strengths, but everyone here speaks some English, so I am able to get on with my everyday life contently. Everyday biking life is a tad bit different. You see, all the signs are in Dutch. I don’t know Dutch, so this is problem. The signs without words are tricky too! It’s not like you can look at the sign and know what it means. Nope, you just have to cross your fingers and hope to God you see someone else biking down the street so you can follow suit.
Here are a few signs that I do know and I can safely say I understand:
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| No Bikes Allowed |
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| No traffic allowed, except Bikes |
Signaling-
Finally something simple. There was a whole chapter about this in my Driver’s Ed book in America. Just make sure you don’t fall. I’ve seen it happen. Not pretty .
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| These would be Jazz Hands. Completely irrelvant to signaling, but I thought it was funny. It's my blog, and I do what I want! |
Final tips and thoughts:
- Carrying groceries or anything when riding around is much easier with a backpack
- Never drink and bike
- Even when it seems to be cold outside, don’t bundle up too much because you’re certain to break a sweat climbing the big ass hill to Dutch class.
- We’ve noticed Belgian's are on the lean side. This is probably due to the fact that they are biking up big ass hills since birth.
- NEVER EVER ride on the back of someone’s bike. Not only is it illegal, but it could result in massive amounts of bruises.
- Bikes are the gods of the road. Cars stop for bikes. I wish the same could be said for pedestrians.
Check back for a recap of my Spanish Rendezvous!
Tot Ziens,
Shayne
P.S.- I had a Dutch test last week, and I've already prepared myself for the worst. Keep me in your prayers.
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