In Holland, the Bicycle is THE mode of transportation. The streets are as narrow and old as they were in the 1600's, so most Dutch ride their bikes everywhere, despite the cold weather. Amsterdam is known as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world and is a centre of "bicycle culture". Bike racks are ubiquitous throughout the city, as well as bike parking lots. There are about 700,000 bicycles in the city. Each year, about 100,000 of them are stolen and 25,000 end up in the canals. Most of the bikes are older, and people simply spray paint their bikes with distinctive colors to find them within the clusters of parked bikes everywhere throughout the city. Many Dutch people have bikes custom made with a box in the front to carry their kids, or the groceries. They are also very efficient riders. There are bike lanes everywhere in the city, to avoid confusion, and bikers have the right of way to walkers, and always pass on your left. There are also commuter paths that take you out of the city through pastures to some of the more working class neighborhoods. Riding a bike was through Holland really gave me a much more local perspective on the way of life there, and allowed me to see things that I would have passed by in a car, and cover way more ground then just walking.
A cute Dutch woman on her custom made bike in front of her home.
Parked bikes overflow into every intersection. d
We rode our bikes throughout the city. 
"Commuters" head home from the city via bike path through pastoral landscapes. They are efficient with their riding, sticking to a polite code of "bicycle conduct".
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