Our first order of business was to purchase bikes.

Biking is the primary mode of transportation in Holland and bikers most often have the right-of-way on the road. If there is an accident between a car and a bike, the car will likely be found at fault. Both the city and country roads have well maintained bike paths. Pedestrians have to be careful crossing both the street and the bike path.

We spent about a half-hour at the bike shop and test drove only a couple of bikes before choosing ours. They all look the same to us! We were advised to get the “no frills” version to avoid bike theft. While the crime rate in Holland is low, the most commonly stolen item is a bike. Our bikes have one gear, footbrakes instead of handbrakes, and two locks. We will often lock our bikes together when parking them on the street in the city.

We fell in love with our bikes almost immediately! It is quite a thrill to ride around the country in the sunshine. While Brad is happy that Holland doesn’t require helmets, apparently everyone has some sort of personal liability insurance that will protect them in an accident. We still have to look into that...

We also needed to purchase a couple of accessories such as bike bags. The bike bags fit on the back to hold groceries. They are usually made of canvas or vinyl to keep your purchases dry. Remember, many people do not have cars - even old women are using bikes to go shopping. My bags are pink. It helps me easily identify my bike in the bike parking lot.

Another accessory would be rain gear. It won’t be sunny here forever. I wonder if I can get an umbrella holder instead?